Recent articles by Jack McDade
When was the last time you were in a Denny's? If you're anything like me (and everyone I know), it's been a long time. They're a dive. Most Denny's are dirty, their menus are gross, filled with desperate puns and fried food trying to cater to...I have no idea who. There only ever seems to be one server for the entire place and she's had it with humanity and is out for blood. You'll find her chain…
A few years ago we (my wife and I) brought our 3 kids to the Boston Museum of Science for a day full of learning and hands-on science. Sometimes you need to stop reading about and watching science and go do science with your own hands. And so we did science, science got done, and there was very much science involved. Towards the end of the day, feet weary from walking and minds numbed from all the…
About a year ago I gave up coffee. Not because I don't love it, think about it, dream about it often, but because for some yet unknown reason my body can't handle caffeine anymore. Ever since waving farewell to the most hipster of morning rituals — the most prolific subject of YouTube vlogger montages, the socially accepted drug of choice — I've missed coffee. After a month or so I let go of the…
I was there. And by "there" I mean I was at home, watching it live on ESPN. It was the X Games in July 1999 and the entire event was running overtime. My eyes were glued on Tony Hawk as he stood atop a large half-pipe, ready to drop in. His teeth were gritted and sweat poured down his face. He was striving to land a 900. No one had landed one. It was thought to be impossible. If Tony could land…
This morning I was chatting with a friend on Zoom about parenthood. He has newborn twins (omg I can't imagine two babies at once) and he was describing this bizarre sadness he and his wife find trying to hold onto a moment you know will be precious to you in the future. I know this feeling all too well – in fact, I wrote about it a number of years ago. He asked (or maybe he didn't and I just…
For the past few months I've been dealing with some really strong brain fog. I've felt cloudy, hazy, and spaced out for quite some time, and currently possess a seriously reduced capacity for critical thinking. Sometimes it's been so thick I can barely maintain a conversation and I find myself stuttering, searched for words I couldn't find, and stopping a thought in the middle of a sentence,…
Earlier this year I moved to Ormond Beach, Florida. It's a beautiful little town and I don't want to change anything about it, except I want a coffee shop that overlooks the beach so I can work there sometimes. We don't have one of those. Whenever I tell someone (who doesn't live in Florida) that I moved to FLorida I always, and I mean always get the same reply. "Why would you move to Florida ?"…
Preface: I don't usually complain about stuff like this, but it was so frustrating that I couldn't help it. Yesterday was my son's 11th birthday. Among other things, we got him a Fortnite gift card for a few V-Bucks so he could get some fun skins or whatever the Fortniters do. It turns out you can't just redeem the gift card in the game. You have to have an Epic Games account first, which isn't…
I've always believed the web should be a fun place to explore — a place full of surprise and wonder. Too much of the internet has been sterilized, flattened, and neutered. It makes me sad. If you're reading this article on my website you have probably encountered my sound effects (like hover the nav and clicking my head). If you wonder why , I reply with why not ?. Anything you can do to bring…
Do you struggle with writing? I do. Not the selecting of words, correcting of grammar, or removing of dangling participles, but rather the deciding of what to write articles about. I’ve sat at the keyboard a dozen times in the last week or two, jaw set and brow furrowed, determined to break through my writers block like the Kool Aid Man through a kitchen wall. And then nothing happens. I stare.…
Let's rewind back to August 27th, 2002. I'm 18 years old and it's the first day of my sophomore year at the local community college. The classroom is hot, the brick building old, and the desks are arranged in a circle. This is English Composition I. My classmates and I avoid eye contact as we wait for our teacher. Little do I know that a pivotal moment in my life is about to play out. Ms. Skebe…
This is the never-before-told story of the time I tried to become a video game developer. Two point five years ago I was burning out. Hard. After 7 years running my web business, I felt trapped. Was this my mid-life crisis? At this point in time I had been working on Statamic for 5 years. Building and supporting a CMS is a tough business. You need to keep up with cutting edge tech and process more…
Once upon a time a fish out of water was caught red-handed between a rock and a hard place. Since love is blind and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, a bull in a china shop at the end of the day is a bad egg whose actions speak louder than words. But if you read through the lines and play your cards right, the low-hanging fruit is an uphill battle in this day and age because the grass is…
There's a Japanese phrase “ mono no aware ” that translates poorly to English. It describes a state of awareness of the impermanence of things (really, everything), and the act of watching time pass, as if from the outside looking in. It marries joy and love with sorrow or pain. There is a gentle sadness to being present in a moment so precious that you know you’ll never forget it, and will…
What’s pushing you to work late on a Friday night? When you’re basking in the glow of a computer screen, fingers tap away, what’s your driving force? Is it the pursuit of success? The desire to make something of yourself? The dream of a bank account full of cash to prove your worth? Something is driving each and every one of us. Have you stopped to figure it out? What are you really working for,…
Note: This article got Reddit & Hacker News front-paged. It's pretty good. I've been playing video games again. I feel fantastic and my head is clearer than it's been in a while. Here are my thoughts on the topic and why I think video games are important and not even remotely a waste of time. Like every other guy who grew up in the 80s, I used to play video games all the time. Super Mario, Double…
I've been an ExpressionEngine guy for a very long time. I've built dozens of sites for clients, written numerous add-ons ( Structure and Lobster War Machine ), participated in the Reactor Team, and genuinely love the platform. However, I've had numerous pain points with the system that seem to be insurmountable. To be fair, many of these are indicative of many content management systems.…