The holidays are over and you may know of some little ones with shiny new iOS and Android devices. That’s great. Kids should be using technology. However, they should also be subject to rational limitations. That, however, is easier said than done. Enter curbi. 

Curbi lets kids enjoy the Internet while at the same time protecting them from the nefarious parts. One of the great things about Curbi is that it protects kids not only your local WiFi network, but also through a cellular connection or at a friend’s house. curbi solves this problem, giving you amazing parental controls for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can easily block specific types of content or add a specific site list. curbi tracks (and can block) websites through Safari or any other iOS app that has a web browser. Perhaps even more importantly, the curbi blocks will work no matter how they access the Internet, even using their pal’s home WiFi on the other side of town.

curbi also lets you set boundaries. For example, you could block social networks from 3pm to 6pm and the entire Internet from 9pm to 8am. For just $6.99 a month, you can protect all of the iOS devices in your home. curbi is the only service I’ve ever seen that can protect your kids, no matter where they are. Learn more here.

I’m pleased to welcome back Tinderbox as this week’s sponsor. While software to calculate numbers or layout a page of text have been around a long time, we are in the early days of applications that help you think. I’m fascinated by applications that can help you unravel your thoughts and put them back together in new and interesting ways.

One of the finest in this category is Tinderbox. I’ve never really used anything like Tinderbox before. It starts out as a place to collect and organize your notes. While there are plenty of apps that let you write stuff down, Tinderbox stands out in the ways it shows you your data. You can link different notes together and display them back in different formats. There are outline, map, and chart views that you can easily jump between, letting both the right and left sides of your brain have a look. There is also a built in timeline tool that can create an interactive timeline among dated notes. Tinderbox can even collect and report on data it accumulates from its own file.

Version 6.4 is now out and it ads footnotes, word clouds, gorgeous outline export, and all sorts of fresh support for DEVONthink Office Pro, Delicious Library, and your calendar.

I’ve been using Tinderbox in the legal practice to track facts and issues arising out of litigation matters. I’ve also used it to plan and negotiate complex contracts. Tinderbox is flexible and you can sculpt it to your own needs. 

Tinderbox can make a difference for you too. Head over to the Tinderbox website to check out further details and screenshots.

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I’m pleased to welcome PopClip as this week’s MacSparky.com sponsor. PopClip is a Mac utility that gives you the ability to perform acts upon your text just by selecting it. Select some text and you are just one tap away from doing something clever, like changing text formatting or dialing a selected phone number. This works just like the popup tools you get on the iPhone and iPad. One of my favorite PopClip actions is putting quotes around selected text when I’m writing legal briefs.

There are now 143 downloadable PopClip extensions that range from something as simple as converting the selected text to uppercase to something more exotic, like looking up the selected word in the urban dictionary or sort the selected text alphabetically.

For just $6.99 you can dramatically shorten the amount of time you spend formatting and otherwise working with text on your Mac. This one’s a no-brainer. Learn more at the developer’s website.

For several years now Hoban Cards has sponsored MacSparky. I love Hoban as a sponsor because I’ve always wanted to make this site about discriminating content and products and Hoban fits the bill perfectly.

They’ve proven it once again with the third iteration of the Hoban Cards website. As always Hoban Cards give you a way to minimize the cost of letterpress printing while still getting something beautiful. The website is better than ever and there are some new templates to choose from. (I like “The Requisite Card”, pictured above.) They’ve also got some gorgeous Stationery, again reasonably priced.

If you want to do something even more unique, head over to Hoban Press and Evan will help you make something beautiful. Regardless of which route you take, use the discount code “MacSparky” for $10 off. Thanks again Hoban for sponsoring MacSparky.

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This week MacSparky is sponsored by OmniPlan 3 for the Mac

It has been four years since the last major update to OmniPlan and the recent release of version 3 is a doozy. OmniPlan brings the usual level of Omni-style attention to detail to a project planning application. 

Like versions before, you can easily set up an outline and turn it into a Gantt chart. I use this with project planning in my day job and share the charts with clients. It lets everyone know when to expect things to start happening. As with every other Omni Group productivity application, everything looks gorgeous.

The new version includes a substantial number of brand new power features starting with network diagrams, which do a fine job of pushing my nerd buttons. With the network diagram, you can see the visual flow of your project and make connections and adjustments.

With the Pro version you get a multi-project dashboard that lets you track now only one but many projects going on in your company at the same time. The Pro version also has a reports feature that lets you see where things are working and not working. They’ve also added Monte Carlo simulation, which lets you run your project through different scenarios to see how it impacts the project outcome. It’s powerful stuff and it’s now in OmniPlan 3 for the Mac.

I’ve been using OmniPlan for some time and am going to start covering it in more detail here to explain where I can make it work for me. Learn more at the OmniPlan website. 

This week MacSparky is sponsored by inShort. inShort is a project diagramming and planning tool that wears big-boy pants. Using inShort, available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, you can build a diagram of processes and resources and then see that diagram with as much (or as little) detail as necessary. You can then continue to use that diagram as you track through that project and even view your data as a Gantt chart and integrate deadlines with the Calendar.

There’s so much more you can do with inShort so head over to the website now and check it out. That’s not all though. This week I’ve got some inShort for Mac licenses to give away. I’m going to hand out the codes randomly. To enter, send an email to this address with the words “inShort FTW” in the subject line.

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I’m pleased to have Hoban Press back sponsoring MacSparky.com this week. I’ve heard from many readers that love their new Hoban Cards pressed out of Hoban’s 1902 letterpress machine. I sure love mine. Since Hoban Press first started advertising here, its proprietor, Evan Calkins, was able to leave his day job and is now working full time at his passion of creating beautiful letterpress paper products. There are several categories of Hoban Press products available to you.

HOBAN PRESS

Hoban Press specializes in custom letterpress printed items like wedding invites, custom business cards and stationery. This is the best choice if you need to use your own logo or artwork. They also provide design and layout services.

HOBAN CARDS

Hoban Cards specializes in in minimal calling cards. This is a less expensive way to get into letterpress printing. Pick from among beautiful, typographic calling card templates. These are perfect for individuals or businesses looking for a unique and classy alternative to conventional, mass produced, soulless business cards.

There is no doubt I’m a geek but I have to admit I really love handing out letterpress cards. Use ‘MacSparky’ during checkout to receive free shipping.

If you have a unique product or service you’d like to advertise at MacSparky, let me know.

This week I’m pleased to welcome back Automatic as a MacSparky sponsor. Automatic is a device  that plugs into your car’s OBD-II port. (Just about every car made since 1996 has one.) The Automatic then has access to your vehicle’s data and connects via BlueTooth to your iPhone. It gives you tons of data and new and geeky ways to interact with your car. Just a few of the things you can do with Automatic are:

• Get extremely accurate data about fuel efficiency, trip distance, gas used, and other performance metrics.
• Get notifications when your car’s fuel level is getting low.
• Get explanations of any alarms or other events your car reports. No longer do you need to visit a mechanic when you get a cryptic light on your dashboard.
• Detect when the vehicle has been in a significant accident and call you, your loved ones, and emergency support.
• Get driving feedback when you are accelerating too fast, braking too hard, and otherwise doing silly things behind the wheel.

Automatic truly lets you geek out your ride. One of my frequent uses is to keep track of mileage for my work. When I finish any trip in my car, Automatic gives me a notification to mark the trip as work-related. (The notification even displays on my Apple Watch.) If I tap the button, Automatic flags the trip and I can view it through the free Automatic App or on the web. I liked it so much that I bought two more for my wife and daughter’s cars. Having automatic in their cars gives me a notification if any of the car’s sensors go off and also gets me a phone call if they are in an accident.

There is no subscription fee. Once you buy your Automatic, you’re good to go. Moreover, they are giving 20% off to MacSparky readers. Use this link and the usual price of $100 drops to $80. I use my Automatic every time I step in my car. I bet you would too.

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