Hello there!

I’m Dean Sas. I am a father, husband, software engineer, cyclist, reader and a geek.

I live in Chesterfield, UK. London is two hours away, Sheffield is fifteen minutes and the Peak District National Park closer than both.

I am passionate about the web, cycling and reading. Software is eating the world and our attention, and it’s mostly delivered via the web. Cycling improves physical and mental health, encourages nicer urban design and fights climate change. Reading is an effective way of learning, improving vocabulary and reducing stress.

I work for Automattic on WordPress.com, where we’re on a mission to democratise publishing and commerce. We’re hiring.

You can get in touch with me by emailing me: dean@deansas.org or via social media (above).

Recent(ish) writing

Working inside and out

Remote work means I could work anywhere. Most days I choose the same place. Occasionally, I choose not to. I like my office. It’s quiet, predictable, and set up exactly how I want it. Despite that, once a week I pack up my laptop and go somewhere else. A recent post from Henrique about his…

Still drawing

A few weeks ago I wrote about picking up a pen and some watercolours after more than two decades of not drawing at all. Since then, I’ve kept going. As I’ve continued, I’ve noticed a few things change. I think more deliberately about which lines deserve emphasis and which can fade into suggestion. I’m also…

Two famous Hardwick couplets

Everyone who grew up near Hardwick Hall, like I did, knows the saying Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall. Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, a contemporary of Bess1 It’s a playful little rhyme about Bess of Hardwick’s famous house and its numerous large windows. The windows were a status symbol in Elizabethan England. It’s…