Journal
The IO Tools Journal
Guides, deep dives and field notes on the tools, formats and protocols developers use every day.
GamesFeatured
5 fun games you can play with a yes/no randomizer
A coin flip is a decent tiebreak and a surprisingly good game engine. Five games with real rules — a restaurant bracket, a 20 Questions variant with no answer, an escalating dare ladder, a party format, and a walk.
Aug 2, 202612 min
Career
6 developer skills worth building in 2026 ("learn AI" is not one of them)
Aug 2, 2026 · 12 min
SEO
Automated OG image generation: dynamic social cards, with or without a screenshot API
Aug 2, 2026 · 8 min
Security
Content Security Policy: writing a CSP header that actually works
Aug 2, 2026 · 10 min
css
Debugging CSS gradients: muddy midpoints, banding, and rotated angles
Aug 2, 2026 · 8 min
Security
OTP codes and 2FA: how TOTP actually works, and where it stops protecting you
Aug 2, 2026 · 8 min
Parenting
Choosing a baby name: the checks worth running before you commit
Aug 2, 2026 · 9 min
Browsers
Six lesser-known browsers worth installing, and what each one costs you
Aug 2, 2026 · 11 min
Markdown
Markdown vs HTML for docs: READMEs, API reference, and where each one breaks
Aug 2, 2026 · 8 min
Education
Teaching with a random animal generator: five classroom activities that hold up
Aug 2, 2026 · 9 min
Regex
Regex cheat sheet: how to read a pattern you didn't write
Aug 2, 2026 · 12 min
CSS
RGBA colors: the alpha channel is a mix ratio, not a dimmer switch
Aug 2, 2026 · 9 min
Cryptography
ROT13: the encoder/decoder that was never trying to be encryption
Aug 2, 2026 · 6 min
