About Snook.ca

This site has come a long way. What started as my personal site on a local internet service provider, eventually got moved to Snook.ca in 2001 when CIRA finally allowed personal and commercial domains to be registered without needing the province (e.g. on.ca).

I started with Blogger but soon switched over to MovableType up until version 3.2. In 2006, I switched the site over to using CakePHP which had been the framework I was using on client projects at that time. CakePHP worked quite well for me and at one point, I used it to integrate a number of third-party content into the site including my Del.icio.us, Flickr, and Twitter content.

I eventually and slowly downsized, either due to platforms dying, not being used, or shutting down APIs. Comments were closed due to overwhelming amounts of spam and most conversations happening on social media. It slowly became a simple blog along with a repository of technical projects.

The backend was getting long in the tooth and moving to a newer version of CakePHP along with a new server setup was more work than I was willing to put into it. As a result, I created a static version of Snook.ca, setting in stone that content up until March of 2026.

After a few months of slowly chipping away at the design, I started building the new mechanics of the site using Build Awesome (aka 11ty). I've used 11ty for a number of small sites and have enjoyed its simplicity. It also has a great community of people who use it and contribute to it.

Typography

I use MuseoSans for the logo, converted into SVG outlines to ensure the proper spacing and positioning. I use Pangram Pangram's Fragment for the body copy and Pangaia for the page headings.

But what about me?

I'm Jonathan Snook. Being a web developer was much of my identity for about 25 years. I've had the pleasure of working on hundreds (maybe thousands? I didn't count) of web sites including Shopify, Yahoo!, Apple, CBC, and Delta Airlines. I've been involved in writing three different books on web development including the popular and self-published book, Scalable and Modular Architecture for CSS back in 2011. I did design, front-end development, backend development and product management. I've written for print magazines, online magazines, spoke at conferences, and put on workshops. I even met Bill Gates once.

In my personal life, I was married, now divorced. I have two boys, adopted from birth. I've been in a documentary on web design and in a docuseries on adoption. I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of 43. It's been a surreal life, looking back on things. I am currently based in Ottawa, Canada.

These days, I'm retired and working on my own projects and exploring my own interests, including travel, fine dining, cigars, cocktails, and—perhaps unsurprisingly—web development.