Blowing Up the Death Star at Midnight, Again

At the Sparks house, we don’t spend New Year’s Eve watching C-list celebrities dropping balls. Instead, we blow up the Death Star together. Specifically, we watch 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. This year I’ll be watching the Disney+ version, which means I’ll hit “Play” at 10:02:43 PM. 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 movie at that time.

For my money, it really beats all the other inane New Year’s coverage. I really use the term “watch” here loosely. The movie plays while our family and friends talk and socialize. When the trench run starts toward the end is when we all really start paying attention, and it is always exhilarating watching Luke scream down that trench and knowing that when the Death Star blows, we’ve got a New Year. An added benefit is the very next scene is the award ceremony with majestic music that feels like the perfect start to a New Year. Give it a try this year.

MarsEdit 5

If you ever write for the Web, one of the first things you learn is to never write on the Web. Web-based writing tools treat humans like angry cats do. They occasionally knock your valuables off the shelves “just because”.

For years, Daniel Jalkut has been publishing (and upgrading) MarsEdit, a native Mac app built so you can write your precious words offline (where there are no angry cats) and then easily publish them to your platform of choice. With MacSparky.com back on WordPress, I’ve been able to bring MarsEdit back into my life and I sure did miss it.

Moreover, Daniel has recently released version 5. Big updates include:

Microposting

This helps you streamline short-form blogging. Small posts are often my best posts. This new growing feature set makes that easier.

Rebuilt Rich Editor

MarsEdit’s rich text editor got an overhaul using Apple’s latest WebKit2 technologies. This makes it faster and more stable.

Markdown Syntax Highlighting

Yes, thank you.

screenshot of MarsEdit window with Markdown text visually styled

And a New Icon to Boot

MarsEdit 5 icon featurinng a white rocket with blue flame against an orange background

There are plenty of other small touches that show this is an app made by someone who cares. If you publish to the Internet, you owe it to yourself to check out the latest MarsEdit.

This update is free for MarsEdit 4 users who purchased a license on or after June 1, 2022. For all other licensed MarsEdit 4 users, the upgrade fee is $29.95. For all other users the one-time purchase price is $59.95.

Users who purchased the in-app purchase via the Mac App Store can obtain the same upgrade discounts within the Mac App Store version of MarsEdit 5, when it becomes available, by locating a valid copy of MarsEdit 4 with premium features unlocked.

MarsEdit is also on Setapp.

DEVONthink, The Best Database Solution (Sponsor)

This week MacSparky is sponsored by DEVONthink. There are a lot of ways to manage a database on your Mac, but in my opinion, there is no better tool than DEVONthink. Just a few of the things I use DEVONthink for include:

A reliable repository of research documents. DEVONthink will hold as many documents as you can throw at it. In addition, it makes import (and export) easy, so you can have all that power without feeling trapped.

A research assistant. DEVONthink uses artificial intelligence to analyze and connect your documents in ways that may not otherwise occur to you. This isn’t that new-fangled-kinda-dumb AI. This is search AI that finds shockingly relevant documents. It’s spooky.

An OCR Tool. Everything you store in your DEVONthink Pro library gets OCR’d. It just happens.

An Automation Tool. DEVONthink lets you build powerful automation subroutines into your library to help tag, move, and organize documents.

DEVONthink supports multiple sync methods and lets you even use your own sync password, so everything is encrypted. If you’ve got an iPad or an iPhone, you can access your DEVONthink data there, too, with DEVONthink To Go.

It is this combination of power and security that makes DEVONthink the clear winner. You can think of DEVONthink as your paperless office. You can automate your workflow from capture to filing, editing to publishing. It stores all your documents, helps you keep them organized, and presents you with what you need to get the job done.

And of course the DEVONthink team never stops making improvements. The latest update (3.8.7) improves upon Wikilinks, the Concordance inspector, and more.

Interested? MacSparky readers can get a 20% discount on DEVONthink. Use the code MACSPARKY2022 at checkout. This is a limited-time offer (and about to run out!), so check it out now.

How to Cook Ideas with MindNode

For years I’ve been talking about how I cook ideas using MindNode. In this video, I walk you through the process of creating a new MindNode. Then, I show you a fully matured MindNode that I built over the course of a year which led to me closing down my law practice… 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?

Limited Edition AirTag

Felipe Espósito reports Apple will do a special promotion in Japan for the Year of the Rabbit, with a cute rabbit emoji AirTag (which, btw, looks to me strikingly like Usagi Yojimbo). This is great, but not enough. Apple should do more limited edition runs on their products, both in quantity and in scope. Why not a special mouse for Earth Day or AirPods case on Mother’s Day? What if you could get a MacBook Air that replaced the globe key with that little bunny icon? Historically, one of the things I loved about Apple was the whimsey. More of that again, please.

Apple announces new limited edition AirTag in Japan to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit

The Monday Brief (MacSparky Labs)

I hope everyone is enjoying a happy holiday season and getting some time off. As I write this, we are finding ourselves in the week between Christmas and New Year. That is the time in the United States when all the weight loss companies blow their entire advertising budget. There’s a reason for that. There’s something about “January 1” that we can’t help but feel a sense of renewal and fresh starts…

This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? Or perhaps do you need to sign in?

Mac Power Users 672: Tech That Worked in 2022

Stephen and I reflect on the apps and services we’ve relied on for the past year on this episode of Mac Power Users, and one of us makes a rash vow about new Macs.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander.
  • 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.

Happy Birthday PCalc

Today PCalc turned 30, and in celebration, it’s 30% off. There are two things to know when you use PCalc:

  1. It Is the Most Actively Developed Calculator App in the History of Calculator Apps

James Thomson, the developer, is one of the best in the business. As I understand things, he had a lot to do with the Dock at the bottom of your Mac’s screen during a tour of duty at Apple. Now he spends his time obsessing over and improving PCalc, and he’s been doing that for 30 years.

  1. When You Use PCalc, You Are Supporting One of the Good Guys

PCalc doesn’t have a “team.” PCalc is just James. And James is one of the nicest, cleverest gents you’ll ever meet.

PCalc is my calculator of choice. You should check it out today and get 30% off.