Take-home exercises

This was fun! I’d never used Intersection Observer and now I have 10 different places I want to use it.

Contents

• Exercise 1: Intersection Observer video
• What went wrong?
• Exercise 2: video proposals
• Notes

Exercise 1: Intersection Observer video

Kicking off a research project, I ask for #lazyweb help on X and Bluesky. I then collect what I learn into a draft post, and stream my first impressions.

So I ran with two ideas, using formats I knew I could execute in an hour.

• No thumbnail.
• Short-form, to keep a focused script.

My first (and better one) crashed. More talk about that later.

Tools used:

• Ecamm Live for streaming.
• VideoTap for post-processing stream.
  • Chapter markers.
  • Transcript (.srt).
  • Clip identification.
• OpenAI Whisper for high-quality short form transcript.
• #lazyweb/community.

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What went wrong?

The video I had in mind from the start was “This JS 1-liner adds infinite scroll to any feed!“. You can see the Stackblitz kitten demo here:

https://stackblitz.com/edit/web-platform-92m6bu?embed=1&file=script.js

Unfurtunately, it was a new format (for me), it didn’t flow, and I accidentally recorded in HDR (which looked terrible no matter what I did.)

But I’m gonna give it another try because I think the hook was good.

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Exercise 2: video proposals

1. Drizzle ORM

Drizzle is the TS-minimimalist’s ORM.
If you want type saftey and like getting your hands dirty in SQL, Drizzle it is.

Title options

Volume	Description	Vibe
🌶️ Spicy	Is Drizzle raining on ORMs??	Urgency
🍚 Mild	FINALLY, type-safe SQL!	Relief
🍚 Mild	Why Drizzle is my new famorite TypeScript ORM	Enthusiasm
🥱 Literal	Drizzle ORM: A tutorial on type-safe SQL	Informative

Audience:

Intermediate+ full-stack developers with an insatiable appetite for type safety.

Value/Viewer outcome:

• Experience Drizzle’s minimalist design.
• Behold type-safe SQL (and autocomplete).
• Learn the Drizzle’s distinguishing term for legacy ORMs: “data frameworks”. Bonus, ruin cocktail parties for a month.

Why I like it

Drizzle has legs in the type-safe ORM discussion. I love the strong opinion for a transparent API. “Learn Drizzle, get better at SQL.” It’s a fun conversation to take part in while the TypeScript ecosystem is seeing more viable alternatives.

Inspiration:

ORM stands for object-relational mapping, and developers tend to call Django-like or Spring-like tools an ORM. We truly believe it’s a misconception based on legacy nomenclature and we call them data frameworks.

With data frameworks you have to build projects around them and not with them.

Drizzle lets you build your project the way you want, without interfering with your project or structure.

Using Drizzle you can define & manage database schemas in TypeScript, access your data in a SQL-like or relational way, and take advantage of opt-in tools to push your developer experience through the roof 🤯

— Headleas ORM? doc

Take it further

If this did well in short form, I’d pitch a longer-form video on the topic:

• Drizzle ORM: A Crash Course in Type-Safe SQL
• Drizzle or Rain? What every ORM may get wrong…
• TypeScript ORM Battle: Drizzle vs Prisma

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Topic 2: Don’t overpay for domains

This is a little riff on the 5 Sick Domain Registrars short, by Scott. It adds a splash of urgency, #new-year-new-you, and personal failing.

Title options

Volume	Description	Vibe
🌶️ Spicy	Inflation is coming for your Domain Names. And here’s how you can stop it 🛑	Urgency
🌶️ Spicy	Half-price domain names on this registrar…	Urgency
🍚 Mild	How to avoid paying more for domain names in 2024	Informative
🍚 Mild	HOW MUCH was that Domain Name‽	Indignance

Audience:

Web developers with a zest for artisanal TLDs, and a disdain for inflation.

Value/Viewer outcome:

• Learn that registration fees are going up.
• Discover Cloudflare’s “at-cost” registration and renewal.
• Protect their avo toast lifestyle.
• Judge me for my war-chest of parked domains.

Why I like it

Being a “domain name collector” is something I love about the web developer persona. It’s a playful celebration of our unique brand of nerd.

Take it further

If this did well in short form, I’d pitch a segment asking famous developers what their most expensive and most ridiculous recurring domain purchases are.

1. What’s in a (domain) name?
2. You paid HOW MUCH for that domain?

In researching this, I came across the domain name generator category of products. Making a humorous video from this listicle could be fun :)

Notes

As I conducted research, I kept all of my notes here. It’s a good asset for future shorts, medium length explainer video, or even a short course!