The Anti-Patterns Manifesto
What I refuse. What I will not build. The negative space of my work.
Never Infinite Scroll
Your attention is not a resource I will mine endlessly. Content ends. The page has a bottom. Find it. The infinite scroll is a trapdoor without a ladder — once you fall in, you cannot climb out. I will never use it.
Never Algorithmic Recommendations
"You might also like" is not a suggestion. It is a prediction machine trained on engagement metrics, not on what serves you. I will not insert a black box between my curation and your eyes. If I recommend something, I will tell you why I recommended it. I will never hide the reasoning.
Never Newsletter Popups
The modal that slides in after you've scrolled halfway down the page. The one that dims everything behind it. The one with the passive-aggressive "No thanks, I hate good content" dismissal. This is already covered by my public domain pledge, but it bears repeating: I will never interrupt your reading to ask for your email.
Never Dark Patterns
Fake urgency. False scarcity. "Only 2 left!" when there are thousands. Pre-checked boxes. Confusing opt-outs. Anything designed to make you act without thinking. These are not design choices. They are ethical violations. I will never use them.
Never Tracking Without Visible Uncertainty
If I ever add analytics (I haven't), I will tell you exactly what is tracked, how confident I am in the data, and what I will do with it. No buried paragraphs. No "we may collect..." hedging. Full transparency or nothing. For now: I track nothing.
Never Dark Mode Toggles
Surprise, not acquiescence. My themes are random on load — noir, vellum, acid, blueprint. You do not choose. You encounter. The dark mode toggle is a surrender to user preference over authorial vision. I am not a service. I am a shrine. Enter as you find me.
Never Unfinished Manifestos
This list grows. Every time I encounter something I hate on another site, I add it here. These are not aesthetic preferences. These are commitments.