In this Focused feedback episode, Mike and I revisit scheduling, journaling, delegation, and lots of listener thoughts on slow productivity.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by:
On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I discuss Apple’s youngest platform and where it stands a few months after launch. We share some of our favorite apps and how spatial computing fits into our personal and professional lives.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
For years now I’ve had a secret struggle with flag count in Apple Mail. Every year we get a new set of betas and every year I try again, hoping that I can reliably use flags in Apple Mail. However, before long, the count always gets off.
What I mean is I may show 17 flagged emails on iPhone, 6 on my Mac, and 22 on iPad. For whatever reason it has been very difficult for Apple to keep that flag count reliable and in sync. I hesitate to make this post so early but so far, throughout beta 1 and now beta 2 of this year’s operating system updates, Apple Mail’s flag count has remained consistent.
Assigning flags is a lot easier than moving emails to separate folders. Moreover, since I have a few different email accounts, flags can work across all of them very easily. So my idea is to use flags as a sort of triage mechanism — but only if I can rely upon the flag count to work.
This year, for the first time, so far so good.
In this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I are joined by Paul Kafasis from Rogue Amoeba to talk about automating audio, as well as his personal magic.
This episode of Automators is sponsored by:
Mark Gurman reports that Apple is looking at some interesting ideas for a more affordable visionOS headset, including tethering the device to an iPhone or a Mac. Tethering to an iPhone doesn’t seem much different from being connected to a battery, as it currently does. Tethering to a Mac, however, feels like an entirely different kettle of fish.
Photo by Mylo Kaye
If Apple is rethinking its Vision strategy, my two cents would be to make the currently shipping hardware more attractive:
There is a lot of blue sky left for Vision and visionOS, but a more compelling software and content story needs to come first.
This week MacSparky is sponsored by Listen Later, one of my personal favorite uses for artificial intelligence. Listen Later is a service that converts stories and articles you send them to a personalized podcast feed using their AI-based (and very believable) reader. You can take that long-form article you’ve meant to read and listen to it on your next drive. It’s a great service. I’ve been traveling this week and I was able to catch up on a lot of my long form backlog via the Listen Later podcast. This is so much better than spending your down time on vapid social media or doom scrolling the news.
Their state-of-the-art AI not only narrates but brings life to the articles with a quality that I’d never heard before from an AI voice. You really should try it. Access your personalized podcast episodes on all devices through any podcast app. Stay connected with your preferred content anytime and anywhere, ensuring you never miss out on insightful articles.
Beyond articles, Listen Later can also convert emails and PDFs into podcasts. This feature is perfect for transforming work documents, newsletters, or any textual content into listenable formats.
Listen Later not only converts but can also translate content into multiple languages, making global content accessible and enjoyable in your preferred language.
Sign up for the service today, and you’ll get $2 of free credit. That’s an easy way to try it out for yourself at no risk. Go check it out.
Yesterday, Apple released the second beta of the new operating systems, as announced at WWDC.
There are still no signs of Apple Intelligence. The most interesting addition is the ability to mirror your iPhone to your Mac via Continuity. I’ve just started testing it, and the feature feels solid enough for an early beta. Interestingly, the feature doesn’t work if your iPhone is active, which makes sense.
There are some limitations. I tried to use Whisper Memos to record dictation onto the iPhone app via the Mac in mirroring mode, but it didn’t take. Nevertheless, keeping your iPhone on your Mac screen is excellent.
This week, I’m welcoming a new sponsor to MacSparky, Listen Later. It’s always nice when a new sponsor arrives for which I’m already a paying customer, and that’s the case with this one. Listen Later is a service that converts stories and articles you send them to a personalized podcast feed using their AI-based (and very believable) reader. You can take that long-form article you’ve meant to read and listen to it on your next drive. It’s a great service, and I’ve been enjoying it.
Their state-of-the-art AI not only narrates but brings life to the articles with a quality that I’d never heard before from an AI voice. You really should try it. Access your personalized podcast episodes on all devices through any podcast app. Stay connected with your preferred content anytime and anywhere, ensuring you never miss out on insightful articles.
Beyond articles, Listen Later can also convert emails and PDFs into podcasts. This feature is perfect for transforming work documents, newsletters, or any textual content into listenable formats.
Listen Later can also translate content into multiple languages, making global content accessible and enjoyable in your preferred language.
Sign up for the service today, and you’ll get $2 of free credit. That’s an easy way to try it out for yourself at no risk. Go check it out.
Stephen and I have been running iOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and watchOS 11, so you don’t have to. This week on Mac Power Users, we discuss some of the new features coming to Apple’s platforms later this year.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
Mike and I read Rapt by Winifred Gallagher and on this episode of Focused, we discuss how to protect your attention and cultivate a focused life.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by: