Formatting Guide
This post exists as a formatting reference. It exercises every markdown element the site supports so you can see how each one renders before using it in real writing.
Headings
The post title renders as an h1. Use h2 for major sections and h3 for sub-sections within them. Avoid deeper nesting — if you need h4, the section probably wants to be its own post.
This is an h3
It renders smaller and lighter than an h2, suitable for a subdivision within a section.
Prose and emphasis
Plain paragraph text is set in IBM Plex Serif at 17px with a comfortable line height. You can use italic for titles of works, technical terms on first use, or light stress. Use bold for genuinely important terms or key phrases — not for general emphasis.
Avoid using bold or italic as decoration. If everything is emphasized, nothing is.
Links
Links are rendered in the accent green and underline on hover. Internal links use relative paths. External links should go to the actual source — like this one.
Lists
Unordered list — for items without a meaningful order:
- First item in the list
- Second item, which is a bit longer to show how the text wraps when it runs past the end of the line and continues on the next
- Third item
- Fourth item
Ordered list — when sequence matters:
- Start with the claim
- Provide the evidence
- Acknowledge the strongest counterargument
- Restate the claim with the counterargument absorbed
Blockquotes
Use blockquotes for direct quotations or for passages you want to set apart from the main text.
The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see.
— John Tukey
Blockquotes are set in italic with a green left border. They are for quotations, not for calling out your own text — that’s what prose structure is for.
Code
Inline code uses a monospace face with a light background: published_date, filterByCategory(), --accent.
Code blocks are for multi-line examples:
title: My Post Title
excerpt: A short description of the post.
category: median
published_date: 2026-01-15
The site does not load a syntax highlighting library, so code blocks render in plain monospace without color.
Horizontal rules
The --- separator above and in this section creates a full-width rule. Use it to mark a major thematic break — a scene change, a shift in register, or a transition between a setup and a payoff. Don’t use it as a substitute for a heading.
Badge types for reference
Posts are tagged with one of four types, each named after a box plot element:
- Median — finished, definitive essays
- Box — dense, substantial analysis (this post)
- Whisker — recommendations and pointers outward
- Outlier — rough ideas, seeds, short provocations