I feel like I’ve heard this “block pattern” idea in a few different places for a while. But I’ve always taken extra interest in WordPress technology once Justin Tadlock writes about it. So I think I’ll want to install Gutenberg 7.7 somewhere soon to see the next level of Gutenberg. Because Justin got me a little hyped about them too, just as he is:

WordPress 5.4, “Adderley,” launched yesterday, March 31, 2020. It’s a very Gutenberg-focused release, with two new default blocks—Buttons and Social Icons—plus a lot of other improvements to the block editor.

From the insular dream-world of COVID-19 Quarantines sweeping into new countries everyday, this feels a little strange to be talking about WordCamp US. The idea that at some point in the future I’ll eventually go to a place where hundred of people intentionally huddle together, shake hands, etc. But it used to happen once upon a time. And I’m guessing that it will again.

WooCommerce 4.0 has shipped. I love WooCommerce, and I can’t think of another free software package in WordPress that has been the backbone of so many actually-profitable online small businesses.

We love WP&UP, the UK-based charity whose mission is “Supporting and promoting positive mental health within the WordPress community.” We spoke with trustee/founder Dan Maby at WordCamp US 2018, and were beyond impressed not only with his mission but with how he proposes to go about fulfilling it—read about his four health hubs for details.

The first WordCamp Asia, scheduled in Bangkok from February 21 through February 23, has been canceled due to COVID-19 fears.

Lazy-loading images is one well-known win for site speed, and at present if you want to implement it in WordPress you have to choose among one of many subtly different plugin options.

They found a security vulnerability in the Elementor plugin. It’s patched in the newest version of the plugin, so if you use Elementor, please update to the latest version as soon as you can. (And if you happen to be nervous about updating stuff, this week’s article is perfectly timed.)

I’m really excited to know that Cory Miller — you may know from a year of running a company called iThemes — is joining Brian Krogsgard at Post Status. While you might not know, Brian is one of the quiet pillars of the WordPress community. While he hasn’t always had everyone’s ear, he’s always had the attention of some of the most important people in the WordPress community.

I really appreciated this list from Callie West of conferences for 2020 that may be of interest to WordPress developers. While I trust that her list isn’t exhaustive, it does cover all the big conferences that were on my mind for the year, and a few I’d never heard of. Which means her list is doing its job absolutely perfectly.