{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "title": "Erik Vorhes", "language": "en-US", "home_page_url": "https://erikvorhes.com/", "feed_url": "https://erikvorhes.com/feed.json", "description": "Erik Vorhes has been putting stuff on the internet since the 1900s. This is his personal site.", "authors": [ { "name": "Erik Vorhes" } ], "items": [ { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/beginning-again-again/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/beginning-again-again/", "title": "Beginning again, again", "content_html": "

It’s been over a decade since I’ve written anything much longer than a tweet.footnote 1 This is entirely my own doing; something always felt more important, or I convinced myself that writing my thinking down was not worth the trouble. There are so many lost thoughts, and I’d like to apologize to them, wherever they’ve gone.

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Times — and my own determination to write things down — have changed. The push to rely on generating everything through LLMs has reminded me that the act of writing is itself an important mode of thinking,footnote 2 and there’s no better way to learn something than to attempt to write about it. This thing should be about the journey and the destination.

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To kick things off, I ported a bunch of things over from the family website, and I might consult the wayback machine for things I’ve lost. I’ve also included a few things I’ve thought about elsewhere, roughly in time with when I originally wrote them.footnote 3 The site itself is (and probably always will be) a work in progress. I know there are rough edges, but it’s better to start and refine than to wait any longer.

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I can’t promise that anything on this little site will be any good, but then again, I’m doing this thing for me. If you enjoy any of it, too? All the better.

\n\n", "date_published": "2026-03-24T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/atrocities/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/atrocities/", "title": "On atrocities", "content_html": "

It’s hard to know what to say about all the terrible things happening in or created by the United States these days — disappearing immigrants in Minnesota and everywhere, covering up for years of sexual abuse, stripping trans people of their rights in Kansas, or bombing schools in Iran; the list goes on and on and on. I’m reminded of a quiet conversation from Andor,footnote 1 between Karis Nemik and Cassian Andor:

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\"Karis

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The pace of repression outstrips our ability to understand it. And that is the real trick of the Imperial thought machine. It’s easier to hide behind 40 atrocities than a single incident.

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\n\n", "date_published": "2026-02-28T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/send-help/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/send-help/", "title": "Send help, quick", "content_html": "

I was hoping I’d have this site up and running early this month, but I’ve been preoccupied with the occupation of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the rest of Minnesota. We’re doing our best to stand up to fascism, but it’s exhausting work, and we can use all the help we can get. Fortunately Naomi Kritzer has guidance on how you can help our friends and family and neighbors.

\n", "date_published": "2026-01-26T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/focus/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/focus/", "title": "Focus!", "content_html": "

One of the cool things about the hash at the end of a URL is that it can target an ID on the current page and auto-scroll the window to that point on the page. You can even use CSS to style it with the :target pseudo-class. This is a nice thing, especially on long or complicated pages.

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But it’s not perfect. If the target of the hash can’t receive focusfootnote 1 and you hit Tab, you won’t go to the next focusable element on the page after the thing you scrolled to.footnote 2 Instead, you’ll go to the first thing on the page that can receive focus. This can be pretty disorienting!

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There are ways to fix the problem, though! The first is by tweaking your HTML to add a tabindex:

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<h2 id=\"footnotes\" tabindex=\"-1\">Footnotes</h2>
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Here I’ve added tabindex="-1" to the h2 element so that the heading programmatically focusable.footnote 3 The browser will focus the heading if the URL hash is #footnotes. Now when you hit Tab, you’ll focus on the next focusable element after the heading, and all is right with the world.

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We can enhance this approach by introducing a little JavaScript. There are plenty of instances where you might forget to include that handy tabindex="-1" or you’re afraid you’ll override an already-focusable element’s tabindex value. And if you’re working with a CMS or writing in a format that gets converted to HTML later, you might not have a straightforward way to do that work. To handle those scenarios, you can use something like this:footnote 4

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/**\n * Focuses an element even if it isn't focusable.\n * @param {HTMLElement} target - element to focus\n */\nfunction focusTarget(target) {\n  // If the element already has focus\n  // we don't need to do anything\n  if (document.activeElement === target) {\n    return;\n  }\n\n  // By default an element will have a `tabIndex` of -1\n  // but if it isn't explicitly set, it can't be focused\n  if (target.tabIndex < 0 && !target.getAttribute('tabIndex')) {\n    target.setAttribute('tabIndex', '-1');\n  }\n\n  target.focus();\n}\n\nfunction focusHash() {\n  const hash = window.location.hash;\n  const target = hash ? document.querySelector(hash) : null;\n\n  if (target) {\n    focusTarget(target);\n  }\n}\n\n// If there's already a hash, let's focus it.\nwindow.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', focusHash);\n// If the hash changes, let's focus the new one.\nwindow.addEventListener('hashchange', focusHash);
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Several years ago I remember seeing something like this, but when I needed it again, I couldn’t find it. I hope I don’t lose it again this time!

\n\n", "date_published": "2023-02-25T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/cosmic-rays/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/cosmic-rays/", "title": "Cosmic ray detection", "content_html": "

One of my favorite things about Abram & Zora’s school is that students are encouraged to develop Personal Learning Projects. This year Abram was interested in cosmic rays, partly inspired by our listening to the “Bit Flip” episode of Radiolab. So we used a bunch of household materials to build a cloud chamber, acquired some dry ice, found the darkest room in the house, and set to recording. The following video is the part that’s easy to share.

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All told we observed: 8 muons, 3 alpha particles, 3 particle decays, and 6 electrons & positrons.

\n", "date_published": "2019-05-28T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/yolo/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/yolo/", "title": "‘Yolo’: Let’s get real about Latin", "content_html": "

There’s a pretend Latin conjugation of yolo floating around. It (probably unfortunately) got me thinking that the word form and conjugation could be improved.footnote 1

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The conjugation pattern feels like it should follow that of irregular verbs volo, nolo, and malo — even more so because yolo seems to convey a sense of desire or longing. A Latin version of yolo should also probably begin with an i, as words starting with y are hard to come by.

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Without further ado:

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Conjugation of iolo, iolle, iolui

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
infinitive
tenseformtranslation
presentiolleto only live once
perfectioluisseto have only lived once
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
imperative
numberformtranslation
s.ioliLive only once!
pl.ioliteLive only once, y’all!
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
present indicative
personformtranslation
1 s.iolo\n I only live once
2 s.iovis\n you only live once
3 s.iovult\n it, she, or he only lives once
1 pl.iolumus\n we only live once
2 pl.iovultis\n y’all only live once
3 pl.iolunt\n they only live once
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
imperfect indicative
personformtranslation
1 s.iolebam\n I was only living once
2 s.iolebas\n you were only living once
3 s.iolebat\n it, she, or he was only living once
1 pl.iolebamus\n we were only living once
2 pl.iolebatis\n y’all were only living once
3 pl.iolebant\n they were only living once
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
future indicative
personformtranslation
1 s.iolam\n I will only live once
2 s.ioles\n you will only live once
3 s.iolet\n it, she, or he will only live once
1 pl.iolemus\n we will only live once
2 pl.ioletis\n y’all will only live once
3 pl.iolent\n they will only live once
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
perfect indicative
personformtranslation
1 s.ioluiI only lived once
2 s.ioluistiyou only lived once
3 s.ioluitit, she, or he only lived once
1 pl.ioluimuswe only lived once
2 pl.ioluistisy’all only lived once
3 pl.iolueruntthey only lived once
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
pluperfect indicative
personformtranslation
1 s.iolueramI had only lived once
2 s.ioluerasyou had only lived once
3 s.iolueratit, she, or he had only lived once
1 pl.iolueramuswe had only lived once
2 pl.iolueratisy’all had only lived once
3 pl.ioluerantthey had only lived once
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
future perfect indicative
personformtranslation
1 s.iolueroI will have only lived once
2 s.ioluerisyou will have only lived once
3 s.iolueritit, she, or he will have only lived once
1 pl.ioluerimuswe will have only lived once
2 pl.iolueritisy’all will have only lived once
3 pl.ioluerintthey will have only lived once
\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
present subjunctive
personformtranslation
1 s.iolimMay I only live once
2 s.iolisMay you only live once
3 s.iolitMay it, she, or he only live once
1 pl.iolimusMay we only live once
2 pl.iolitisMay y’all only live once
3 pl.iolintMay they only live once
\n

My ability to translate other subjunctive tenses gets pretty fuzzy, so here they are as a mental exercise:

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
other subjunctive tenses
personimperfectperfectpluperfect
1 s.iollemioluerimioluissem
2 s.iollesioluerisioluisses
3 s.iolletiolueritioluisset
1 pl.iollemusioluerimusioluissemus
2 pl.iolletisiolueritisioluissetis
3 pl.iollentioluerintioluissent
\n\n", "date_published": "2014-02-11T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/facebook-developer-spotlight/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/facebook-developer-spotlight/", "title": "Facebook Developer Spotlight", "content_html": "\n

Ramya Sethuraman interviewed me about my interest in accessibility, especially while building the original version of Facebook for Business. I’ve preserved it here in case the original interview URL rots into oblivion. I also fixed a few typos and updated the markup.

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Developer Spotlight: Erik Vorhes (User Interface Engineer, Business Marketing Team)

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\n \"A\n
Am I as thoughtful as I think I look?
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Can you tell us a little bit about your work at Facebook and the recent accessibility enhancements that you released?
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I work with the Business Marketing team to create materials that make it easier for businesses to find and communicate with people on Facebook who care about or are interested in what they do.

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The most recent accessibility enhancement I shipped was a new version of Facebook for Business, which uses semantic HTML; is keyboard accessible; and has large, readable text. This was a pretty big undertaking — and there’s still a lot to do!

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\n
What got you interested in accessibility?
\n
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I guess the short answer is that I want to make the world a better place.

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For almost as long as I can remember, my mom has worked with developmentally disabled adults in a variety of roles. She has been a model for me in how to treat others with love and respect, no matter what our differences are. Reflecting that attitude in my work matters to me; it seems to me that web accessibility is the most obvious way to be hospitable.

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I’ve always imagined the internet to be this amazing non-physical space, where we can learn, interact, and do all kinds of things without the constraints or prejudgements that we face in the world. It’s not quite so simple, of course, since we actually have bodies and still need a way to access the internet. Making those intermediaries easier to use means we’re that much closer to that ideal.

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\n
You recently spoke at Web Afternoon about accessible fonts. Can you talk a bit about your presentation?
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When we think about web accessibility, we tend to focus on ensuring that things work with screen readers and alternate input devices and that interactive elements are easily distinguishable for people with colorblindness.

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All of those things are important, but we tend no to think much more about how we present content for people who can see. Much of the web remains text-based (or in the case of video or audio, there ought to be captions or transcripts or both). Because text is such a significant part of how we experience the web, we should treat it with care: by choosing a legible typeface and making our text readable (for example, through contrast, line-length, and spacing between lines), we make the web a better place for the people reading our stuff.

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\n
Do you have any aha moments to share with us about accessibility evangelizing?
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Working with code is ultimately a binary experience, but interacting with people never is. Nothing beats observing people trying our product in real time. It is powerful to observe people using something you’ve made and to learn that part of it doesn’t work as expected or is challenging to use. That experience is doubly potent, because it exposes you to how different people do things and lets you internalize how frustrating those broken experiences can be. I’ve never seen engineers more motivated to solve something than when they really understand how their work affects the people who rely on it.

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Honest-to-goodness usability testing is the best way to go about it long-term. A quicker way is to have developers try their web products with a screenreader (but there is a learning curve, for sure).

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\n
What do you do besides coding at Facebook?
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\n

I like spending time with my family, especially when we get out to explore some of the amazing state and national parks near where we live. I also love reading and playing with type. And — shameless plug! — a friend and I write a usually-weekly column on new type for Typedia.

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\n
\n", "date_published": "2013-10-30T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/easter-2009/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/easter-2009/", "title": "Easter 2009", "content_html": "

By far the best shot from another Zora photo shoot, when she came up to me and said, “Daddy, you stay with me.”

\n\"Zora", "date_published": "2009-04-13T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/fast-runner/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/fast-runner/", "title": "Fast runner", "content_html": "

Zora and I had a brief photo shoot last night. We got some great shots, and then she decided to turn it into a game.

\n\"Zora\n", "date_published": "2009-04-03T00:00:00Z" } , { "id": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/amish/", "url": "https://erikvorhes.com/notes/amish/", "title": "The Amish", "content_html": "

Jason Kottke points to a fascinating article about the Amish and their relationship to/with technology. I remember my grandpa Orville telling me about an encounter he had with an Amish man while he was working for the telephone cooperative.

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This man had requested a phone installation for his farm. When Orville arrived and asked where the man would like his phone, he indicated a location on the outside of his house, near the front door.

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“Don’t you want it inside? It’ll be more convenient,” Orville asked. The man replied, “I don’t mind going outside when I need to use the phone. And I don’t want it using me.”

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I love technology, especially when it makes my life easier. But sometimes I wonder how much we’ve lost by always chasing after the latest shiny object. Do we control our toys, or do our toys control us?

\n", "date_published": "2009-02-12T00:00:00Z" } ] }