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💌 Tiny Improvements - for builders, by @MikeBifulco.com

Resources for modern software designers and developers. Tips and walkthroughs on React, node, and javascript.

@mikebifulco.com0readers210posts27d ago

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Operating Principles

principlesphilosophy

You are not your user. Except when you are.

You are not your user. Except when you are. This is a story about how I learned to be a better user of my own product.

CSS Tips Part 2 - text-wrap: pretty will make your text feel intentional

Go beyond balance. Learn how text-wrap: pretty improves readability, reduces awkward breaks, and makes your UI feel more polished.

Dunning-Kruger for Vibe Coders

The first thing AI teaches you about coding is confidence. The second is why that's a problem. Let's talk about the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

Your brain rewires itself based on what you practice. If you stop practicing hard things, you slowly lose the ability to do them.

philosophyproduct

Learn to Love the Rebuild

Refactoring isn't a necessary evil -- it is the job. Why the best product teams rebuild constantly, at every scale.

productengineering

Just Enough Is an Ongoing Practice

Stable products still need maintenance. Defaults and shiny features quietly tax systems over time, and efficiency is a sign of craftsmanship, not penny-pinching.

Optimizing Your Next.js Site's Fast Origin Transfer and ISR Reads

Next.js Link prefetching quietly burned through 15 GB of bandwidth on my Vercel-hosted blog. Here's how I fixed it.

My 2026 Developer Tech Stack

The tools I use as CTO and product engineer at a Y Combinator-backed startup in 2026.

developerstartup

The Zeroth Loop: They Don't Quit, They Forget

Most habits don't fall apart because people quit. They fall apart because they aren't sticky.

Science-Backed Secrets of Long, Happy Lives

A guide to the habits of high longevity people.

The Science of Spotting Hidden Product Ideas

The best product ideas hide in plain sight, in your habits and everyone else's. Watch what people actually do, not what they say they want. Build for that.