Yeah, it's similar to starting a sentence with "I don't mean to sound racist, but..." Because at that point you know for a fact that they will say something racist.

The author is a programmer and writer, and I absolutely respect that. All due respect for her accomplishments, but I don't think she should be writing about design.

Actually, no. I meant it. The author is a programmer and writer who has received attention for her work in both areas, and I absolutely respect that. I simply disagree with her offering design advice.

The good old I-didn't-find-it-useful-so-no-one-will perspective. Clearly you didn't bother to understand the purpose or the intended audience for the article. The title spells it out. There's tons of articles that discuss design elements, but very few that give practical advice on how to quickly hack together a presentable site.