Thom McGrath
@tekcor.me
Developer of Beacon https://usebeacon.app
Ginger ale makers should produce flat versions for people with upset stomachs.
November 10, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Ginger ale makers should produce flat versions for people with upset stomachs.
I know we’re still in a shit show and not a whole lot will change in our day to day lives, but tonight still feels really damn good.
November 5, 2025 at 5:06 AM
I know we’re still in a shit show and not a whole lot will change in our day to day lives, but tonight still feels really damn good.
My Beacon app is now the most starred Xojo project on GitHub!
November 4, 2025 at 7:16 AM
My Beacon app is now the most starred Xojo project on GitHub!
Every time I think I might break down and install the latest Apple updates, I fire up macOS Tahoe and am quickly reminded just how much it sucks.
October 31, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Every time I think I might break down and install the latest Apple updates, I fire up macOS Tahoe and am quickly reminded just how much it sucks.
I really like the picture of my QD-OLED monitor, but it’s damn uncancellable “you can’t use your monitor right now” phase right in the middle of gameplay is absolutely infuriating. Damn near ensures I’ll never buy another.
October 27, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I really like the picture of my QD-OLED monitor, but it’s damn uncancellable “you can’t use your monitor right now” phase right in the middle of gameplay is absolutely infuriating. Damn near ensures I’ll never buy another.
Man, I have been *super* critical of this 9-1-1 premiere.
October 11, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Man, I have been *super* critical of this 9-1-1 premiere.
I am surprised this is not estimated to fetch a higher price. propstoreauction.com/lot-details/...
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propstoreauction.com
October 3, 2025 at 12:56 AM
I am surprised this is not estimated to fetch a higher price. propstoreauction.com/lot-details/...
I think it’s official: I just don’t agree with critics. Saw One Battle After Another, and while I definitely didn’t dislike it, I don’t think I liked it. It was just… a movie.
September 28, 2025 at 5:18 AM
I think it’s official: I just don’t agree with critics. Saw One Battle After Another, and while I definitely didn’t dislike it, I don’t think I liked it. It was just… a movie.
I am not running iOS 26. Somebody forgot to tell Slack not to use liquid glass icons on older operating systems.
September 27, 2025 at 7:46 AM
I am not running iOS 26. Somebody forgot to tell Slack not to use liquid glass icons on older operating systems.
Held an iPhone Air today in store. I really like how it felt. Not enough to put up with the huge list of compromises, but it felt great. The 17 Pro, on the other hand, felt weird. I didn't like it at all.
This is how we review phones these days, right? How they feel in hand?
This is how we review phones these days, right? How they feel in hand?
September 25, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Held an iPhone Air today in store. I really like how it felt. Not enough to put up with the huge list of compromises, but it felt great. The 17 Pro, on the other hand, felt weird. I didn't like it at all.
This is how we review phones these days, right? How they feel in hand?
This is how we review phones these days, right? How they feel in hand?
Every Halloween we give away something unusual along with our candy. Two years ago it was potatoes. The kids loved it because it was so weird. Last year it was playing cards. That wasn’t popular. This year we have little 3D printed flexible figures. I expect excitement.
September 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Every Halloween we give away something unusual along with our candy. Two years ago it was potatoes. The kids loved it because it was so weird. Last year it was playing cards. That wasn’t popular. This year we have little 3D printed flexible figures. I expect excitement.
When I signed up for Frontier internet in July 2022, I lost my IPv6 access because they somehow still didn't support it.
It's September 2025 and not a damn thing has changed. It's obviously not enough to make me leave, but it is incredibly annoying.
It's September 2025 and not a damn thing has changed. It's obviously not enough to make me leave, but it is incredibly annoying.
September 14, 2025 at 3:22 AM
When I signed up for Frontier internet in July 2022, I lost my IPv6 access because they somehow still didn't support it.
It's September 2025 and not a damn thing has changed. It's obviously not enough to make me leave, but it is incredibly annoying.
It's September 2025 and not a damn thing has changed. It's obviously not enough to make me leave, but it is incredibly annoying.
Ok… I’ve commented before that I’m pretty good at predicting how a TV show’s story will unfold. And I’m sure if I had read the book, I’d have known what’s coming. But that’s not the point.
The Foundation season 3 finale didn’t just hand me 1 twist I never saw coming, but 3! Bravo.
The Foundation season 3 finale didn’t just hand me 1 twist I never saw coming, but 3! Bravo.
September 12, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Ok… I’ve commented before that I’m pretty good at predicting how a TV show’s story will unfold. And I’m sure if I had read the book, I’d have known what’s coming. But that’s not the point.
The Foundation season 3 finale didn’t just hand me 1 twist I never saw coming, but 3! Bravo.
The Foundation season 3 finale didn’t just hand me 1 twist I never saw coming, but 3! Bravo.
I really wish companies would stop sending an email with a code to log in. I get that it’s poor man’s 2FA, but it’s not actually helpful. 2FA protects accounts from password reuse. Guess what an attacker probably has access to if you’re one to reuse passwords? Your email.
August 19, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I really wish companies would stop sending an email with a code to log in. I get that it’s poor man’s 2FA, but it’s not actually helpful. 2FA protects accounts from password reuse. Guess what an attacker probably has access to if you’re one to reuse passwords? Your email.
My local drive-in always sends their “carload Wednesdays” promotional email on Thursday.
August 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
My local drive-in always sends their “carload Wednesdays” promotional email on Thursday.
I'm sick of this trend of releasing a cappella versions of songs that are nothing more than the vocal tracks.
August 8, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I'm sick of this trend of releasing a cappella versions of songs that are nothing more than the vocal tracks.
I will probably not be updating my Beacon app to use the macOS 26 SDK. Between Liquid Glass being a usability nightmare and Xojo having no practical way to handle the new control sizes, I see little benefit. Which sucks because I’ve always tried to keep it looking modern.
August 4, 2025 at 7:13 AM
I will probably not be updating my Beacon app to use the macOS 26 SDK. Between Liquid Glass being a usability nightmare and Xojo having no practical way to handle the new control sizes, I see little benefit. Which sucks because I’ve always tried to keep it looking modern.
Made the mistake of trying rental roller blades, and I should have known better. Even as a kid, they never fit well enough to be usable, and as an adult, they’re no different.
August 2, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Made the mistake of trying rental roller blades, and I should have known better. Even as a kid, they never fit well enough to be usable, and as an adult, they’re no different.
Going into Fantastic Four now and there’s at least hype for this one. I’ve not seen the theater this crowded for a Marvel movie in a while. I’m still not confident, but I’ll know in a couple hours.
July 25, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Going into Fantastic Four now and there’s at least hype for this one. I’ve not seen the theater this crowded for a Marvel movie in a while. I’m still not confident, but I’ll know in a couple hours.
Superman was goddamn fantastic. Everything (I think) a Superman movie needed to be. If DC can keep this up and Marvel continues to flail aimlessly, DC will be eating Marvel’s lunch for years.
July 13, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Superman was goddamn fantastic. Everything (I think) a Superman movie needed to be. If DC can keep this up and Marvel continues to flail aimlessly, DC will be eating Marvel’s lunch for years.
Ironheart, which I haven’t finished yet, has some serious problems. It’s not bad as in unwatchable, but the entire story is wasted potential. This character should be having a huge impact on the MCU. In-universe, Tony Stark is regarded as the greatest hero to ever live.
July 3, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Ironheart, which I haven’t finished yet, has some serious problems. It’s not bad as in unwatchable, but the entire story is wasted potential. This character should be having a huge impact on the MCU. In-universe, Tony Stark is regarded as the greatest hero to ever live.
Saw the How to Train Your Dragon remake a couple days ago. It’s not bad, but it’s not good either. Certain shots I think were great, like all the high speed “learning to fly” stuff. The sequence felt so much faster and real. Besides that, it’s all just slightly off.
June 27, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Saw the How to Train Your Dragon remake a couple days ago. It’s not bad, but it’s not good either. Certain shots I think were great, like all the high speed “learning to fly” stuff. The sequence felt so much faster and real. Besides that, it’s all just slightly off.
Yesterday it was so hot we set a new record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Connecticut. Today it’s cold enough that the heat may actually come on soon.
June 26, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Yesterday it was so hot we set a new record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Connecticut. Today it’s cold enough that the heat may actually come on soon.
As a side note, after finally getting the hang of Vue, this really what I wish Xojo web edition would have become. The web interface I’ve setup in Vue is 100% client-side. It runs from static assets hosted with CloudFlare for free. For any level of traffic.
June 24, 2025 at 6:06 AM
As a side note, after finally getting the hang of Vue, this really what I wish Xojo web edition would have become. The web interface I’ve setup in Vue is 100% client-side. It runs from static assets hosted with CloudFlare for free. For any level of traffic.
After roughly two years of work, I have finally launched my Beacon Sentinel service. This is a moderation “platform” for Ark Ascended servers built on PHP, Vue, Xojo, and Unreal Engine 5.
I’m kind of amazed I’ve pulled it off.
I’m kind of amazed I’ve pulled it off.
June 24, 2025 at 6:02 AM
After roughly two years of work, I have finally launched my Beacon Sentinel service. This is a moderation “platform” for Ark Ascended servers built on PHP, Vue, Xojo, and Unreal Engine 5.
I’m kind of amazed I’ve pulled it off.
I’m kind of amazed I’ve pulled it off.