Elgato has released a new Stream Deck+ that seems aimed at some of the more expensive media controllers on the market. It’s got fewer buttons but adds a display and four dials. I’ve ordered one and will report more on it once I get some hands on time with it. Regardless, Elgato just continues to put out interesting products for the Mac.
Next week is Thanksgiving in the United States. Hooray! I certainly have a lot to give thanks for this year, as I’ve made a huge transition in my life and can pursue my work as MacSparky full time. I feel like I’m making a better contribution to the world, and I’ve added ten years to my life all at once. 😍
So I’m running a sale for the next week…
All Field Guides, 20% Off
Starting today and through next week, the code TURKEY22 will get you 20% off any courses at Learn.MacSparky.com. No exceptions. No asterisks, Go nuts.
The MacSparky Labs, 20% Off
This is the first time I’ve ever offered a discount on Labs subscriptions, but for the next week, the code TURKEY22 will get you 20% off any new MacSparky Labs subscription.
MacSparky Labs Membershup Upgrades, 20% Off
If you are already a MacSparky Labs member and want to upgrade your membership, I’ve got a code for you too. LABSUPGRADE22 gets you 20% off any membership upgrade for the next week.
Please note that any discount subscriptions or upgrades will renew at the regular price.
I recently purchased a Home Assistant Yellow, a Raspberry Pi-based piece of gear to let you control just about any home automation product on the market. So I did an extended video with Rosemary Orchard, who’s been running Home Assistant for some time, where she showed me how to set it up and the ropes of running it…
This is a post for MacSparky Labs Tier 2 (Backstage) and Tier 3 (Early Access) Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?
The next MacSparky Labs Meetup is set for November 21 at 9:00 AM Pacific. You can sign up now…
This is a post for MacSparky Labs Tier 2 (Backstage) and Tier 3 (Early Access) Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?
Ars Technica reports Elon Musk sent an email to all Twitter employees that they need to go “hardcore” and work long hours or they should quit (and get three months’ severance). I feel for Twitter employees. They didn’t grossly overpay for the company, but now they are expected to put in long hours to attempt its reinvention. This is a monumental task. Right now Facebook, with its 2 billion active users, is struggling. Twitter has something more like 200 million active users. One-tenth the reach. Whether Twitter is successful (and Elon makes more billions) or unsuccessful (and everyone gets laid off), those who sign on to Elon’s hardcore employment still have to deal with wreckage that does to the rest of their lives and relationships.
Steve Jobs did a similar thing at Apple in 1997 when he came back … kind of. I’ve heard of a meeting where he told people they need to get on board or leave, but I’ve never seen any reporting that it included the condition that they screw up their lives. A video from this period on YouTube shows Steve’s plan to turn the company around. Still, that meeting was more to sell his employees on his vision than giving them any ultimatum.
Regardless, if I worked for Twitter, I would take the severance and run.
That didn’t take long. There were a lot of folks that wanted an option to hide wallpaper on their iPhone 14 Pro’s Always On screen. They’re about to get it.
As a brief check-in, the Always On screen is still handy. Now, my eyes look down at my phone for the time, next appointment, and other details without a second thought. I’ve set mine to change based on Focus Mode, and I dig it. I’m not seeing any problem with battery life, but my vertical stand doubles as a MagSafe charger, so I’m cheating a bit.
There’s a new keyboard launching app on the block, Raycast, and there’s a lot to like about it. Here’s an early walk-through with Sparky sharing some of my favorite Raycast features.…
This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?
I’ve been counseling the Labs members to wait for a new MacBook Pro since I think the M2 versions are not far off. However, I received a note from lab member Brian explaining he couldn’t wait any longer and asked if I thought it was a mistake to buy an M1 MacBook Pro now. In short, my reply was “no”… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Tier 2 (Backstage) and Tier 3 (Early Access) Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?
This year’s MPU Apparel is really nice and if you want some, there are only 8 hours left.
Believe it or not, it is time for the annual Mac Power User’s Holiday Gift Guide once again!
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by: