Hello. I am Paul Kinlan.
I lead the Chrome and the Open Web Developer Relations team at Google. Exploring the intersection of modern web design and future-facing technologies.
AI and Web Development
I've been thinking alot about how AI impacts the web
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3 min read
Automating Android screen recording and device framing
In a previous post, I discussed screen recording from Android. This post details how I automated the process of adding a device frame to those recordings, making them look more professional. Previously, this was a tedious manual process involving Screenflow, but now I've automated it using ffmpeg. The ffmpeg command scales the screen recording and overlays it onto a background image of a device frame. The code, available on GitHub, handles the entire process, including setting up the Android device for recording, pulling the recording, and applying the frame. While the current solution works well, I'm open to suggestions for improvement from ffmpeg experts.
3 min read
Thoughts on the Credential Management API
Tired of typing in usernames and passwords? So are your users. Autofill helps, but the Credential Management API gives developers more control. It lets you securely store and retrieve user credentials, simplifying logins with just a couple of taps. This Chrome-only API allows access to a PasswordCredential object, rather than raw passwords. It works with other improvements like proper autofill fields (
email, username, new-password, current-password) and offers a potential future where landing and login pages are obsolete. Imagine a web where users stay logged in seamlessly, only re-authenticating when necessary. This post covers how to implement the API, including a demo and sample code. Plus, explore how it might combine with the Web Payment Request API to streamline e-commerce.
8 min read
An organizer's perspective on Progressive Web App Dev Summit
TL;DR - Went well. Lots to learn.
4 min read
Ephemeral social or content networks
If there is no one around to read your tweet, does it make a difference?
1 min read
Testing Podcast
I've successfully integrated WebTorrent streaming and bit torrent URLs into my blog! This allows me to distribute content like this test podcast without relying solely on my website's bandwidth. It uses the WebSeed BEP, meaning my site acts as a permanent, unchocked seed. I'm excited to experiment further with this tech and explore analytics tracking.
3 min read
My blog's Service Worker and Caching Strategy
This blog post discusses the implementation of a Service Worker for my blog, with a focus on the caching strategy. I've chosen a "Stale While Revalidate" approach, which prioritizes speed and resilience. The Service Worker intercepts network requests and serves cached content if available, while simultaneously fetching updated content in the background. This ensures the latest version is available after one refresh. The post also details the requirements considered when choosing this strategy, including development simplicity and compatibility with the existing hosting setup (Hugo and NGINX). The provided JavaScript code snippet demonstrates the Service Worker implementation.
7 min read
Serverless Data Sync in Web Apps with Bit Torrent
This post explores using WebTorrent for serverless data synchronization in web apps, demonstrated by modifying the Voice Memos PWA. The goal was to enable data sharing between devices without a backend server. The solution involves generating magnet URLs that allow peer-to-peer data transfer via WebTorrent. The demo app allows recording audio, saving it locally, and generating a shareable magnet link for access on other devices. This approach offers an interesting alternative to traditional client-server models, especially for scenarios where scalability and serverless operation are desired.