Araz Gray

Blog RSS Thoughts, Articles, Memories, and Events

Thoughts, articles, memories, and events by Araz Gray.


What If We Could Compile Intent Instead of Code?

Large Language Models have fundamentally changed how software is written. Today, instead of writing every line of code ourselves, we increasingly describe what we want and let an AI determine how to implement it. But this raises an interesting question: What if we could describ... Read All

Let's Speak The Open Web (and stay readable by everyone)

For a while my blog had the usual stuff: HTML, RSS, a few alternate formats. That was fine. Then I started wanting it to play nicer with the rest of the indie web — without bolting on a heavy CMS or a pile of JavaScript. So I spent some time wiring up the boring, important protocols. The ones tha... Read All

Semantic Image Compression

Semantic Image Compression (Left=Original, Right=Outcome) We've spent decades making image compression better. JPEG throws away details your eyes probably won't notice. PNG keeps everything but produces larger files. Newer formats like WebP and AVIF squeeze images eve... Read All

Small Updates to Some of My Projects

Most of these projects started as tools I wanted for myself. Some are tiny, some are experimental, and some are slowly becoming more serious. But they all follow the same idea: simple interfaces, useful features, less noise, and more control for the user. Wave Wave is my small inter... Read All

Wave - right to the point internet radio

I missed listening to radio in a simple way. Most apps around streaming radio today feel overloaded: too many menus, recommendations, popups, accounts, animations, and things competing for attention. I did not want a platform. I just wanted a list of stations and a play button. So I ... Read All

How to stay kid (in your 30's)

Most people don’t miss being young. They miss being alive. They say they want to stay a kid. What they really want is curiosity, energy, joy, friendship, wonder. Good news: those were never owned by children. Children just have easier access to them. At 30s, you’re not losing youth. Y... Read All

No-JS Challenge

I challenge you to open your website in a desktop browser, disable all JavaScript, and navigate through it, testing the functionality you expect to work. Then, share the results here. If it doesn't work, feel free to fix it and share a before/after comparison. I'll post the results in this post.... Read All

No-CSS Challenge

I challenge you to open your website on a desktop browser, remove all the external, internal, and inline CSS from it, take a screenshot, and share it here. If it doesn't look sane, feel free to fix it and share the result as a before/after. I'll share the result in this post.... Read All

Why No One Reads Your Posts

We're all looking for someone to look up to, someone whose perspective, skills, or experience can help us grow. When people sense that kind of value in you, they become genuinely invested in your world. They'll read your casual updates, follow your thoughts, and care about things you'd never expect ... Read All


The End of Average Developers

In recent months, after watching wave after wave of automation tools and AI copilots flood the industry, I had to ask myself an uncomfortable question: what does it actually mean to be a software developer today? Not five years ago. Not even two years ago. Today. For a long time, writing code ... Read All