On this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I were joined by Dave Hamilton, the man with many automations—from nap time to making a window stay put, there are plenty of fun ideas to steal.
This episode of Automators is sponsored by:
I want to thank WinterFest for sponsoring MacSparky this week. WinterFest is a collection of some of the best Mac software for people that like to make things, all at a significant discount.
This year’s list is stellar:
Tinderbox ◆ Scrivener ◆ DEVONthink ◆ BBEdit ◆ Panorama ◆ Mellel ◆ Scapple ◆ Bookends ◆ Hook Pro ◆ HoudahGeo ◆ Nisus Writer Pro ◆ SmallCubed Mail Suite ◆ DEVONagent Pro ◆ Aeon Timeline 3 ◆ Easy Data Transform ◆ Trickster ◆ HoudahSpot ◆ The Tinderbox Way ◆ ImageFramer Pro ◆ HyperPlan ◆ Timing ◆ Marked
WinterFest features 22 great tools for writers, thinkers, planners. Many of these apps have features on the pages of MacSparky and the podcasts over the years. Just a few of my favorites from this list:
HookPro: Link anything on your Mac. This is a key player in my own contextual computing setup. 25% off.
Timing: The time tracker that doesn’t require you to throw switches 25% off first year.
DEVONthink: What more can I say about this one? 25% off.
If you are planning to get some work done in 2022, WinterFest 2021 is here for you. These are all full versions with complete support and upgrade privileges. Just great prices for great software, right at the workshop door. Get all the tools you need at a terrific price, for a very limited time with WinterFest 2021.
For a few years now the Sparks family has been ringing in the New Year by viewing Star Wars, Episode IV, in such a way that the Death Star blows up precisely a the stroke of midnight. It’s not really that hard. Just go to this post by the Rebel Force Radio and note the designated start time for your version of Star Wars. Then start the move at that time. For my money, it really beats all the other inane New Year’s coverage. As an aside, does anybody really enjoy fireworks on TV? Usually there is a place you go for that sort of thing.
There is something therapeutic and hopeful about hitting January 1. While I’m not one for new year resolutions, I’m a big fan of year-end reflections. Before the year ends I always try and stop and collect some wisdom from the year prior. For me, this involves some journaling. You can do this with fancy pen and paper or in a text file. The important thing is to get these thoughts out of your head and on a screen or piece of paper so you can examine them closer and from different angles.
Here are my year-end prompts in no particular order:
You don’t have to answer all of these. (You don’t have to answer most of them.) But spending some time thinking about the ones that resonate with you may help you head into 2022 with just a bit more wisdom.
I just recently discovered Glenn Fleishman’s post about the confusing state of USB-C cables and how to (more or less) untangle them. The problem, if you didn’t already know, is that even though all USB-C cables have the same connector, they don’t have the same capabilities. Just recently I ran a speed test on my external USB-C cabled SSD only to discover that its performance was way below spec. Unknowingly, I had used one of my short USB-C charging cables instead of one of my short USB-C data cables, which is much faster. Glenn’s piece on this mess is excellent.
The Upgrade Podcast did their annual Upgradies in their most recent episode and chose the Mac Power Users as the Best Tech Podcast for 2021. It sounds silly but this really touched me. Stephen and I put a tremendous amount of work into MPU to make it informational and fun every week and recognition from two of my favorite podcasters meant a lot.
As the year draws to a close, Stephen and I use this episode of Mac Power Users to survey the landscape and talk through the products, services, and policies that have shaped Apple and its users over the last year.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
Winter is here. We have work to do. Many of us need to reimagine our workplaces and our workflows. We have kids to raise, degrees to pursue, new jobs to find, care to give, and care to take. This week’s sponsor, WinterFest 2021 is here for you.
WinterFest 2021 features 22 great tools for writers, thinkers, planners. So many of my favorite Mac app are part of WinterFest. Among this year’s bangers are:
Tinderbox ◆ Scrivener ◆ DEVONthink ◆ BBEdit ◆ Panorama ◆ Mellel ◆ Scapple ◆ Bookends ◆ Hook Pro ◆ HoudahGeo ◆ Nisus Writer Pro ◆ SmallCubed Mail Suite ◆ DEVONagent Pro ◆ Aeon Timeline 3 ◆ Easy Data Transform ◆ Trickster ◆ HoudahSpot ◆ The Tinderbox Way ◆ ImageFramer Pro ◆ HyperPlan ◆ Timing ◆ Marked
Now is the time for new plans and fresh projects and great new ideas. Whether you’re mapping out your next novel, finishing your dissertation, planning a product, or writing memories for your grandkids, these great tools will help.
These are all full versions with complete support and upgrade privileges. Just great prices for great software, right at the workshop door. Get all the tools you need at a terrific price, for a very limited time with WinterFest 2021.
I think I am about a month too late in linking this, but if you are still wrapping gifts, it is not too late to learn how to wrap them properly. There’s even a free MacSparky Field Guide for just that.
I guested on the most recent episode of Relay FM’s member’s-only Fusion podcast. In it, we talk about how we handle the new year and Stephen’s disturbing lack of a spirit animal. If you are a RelayFM member, check it out.