Unread for Mac

I’ve always considered Unread one of the most attractive RSS reader apps. However, there has never been a Mac version. Today marks the release of Unread for Mac. It’s an RSS reader made with taste. It has great typography, themes, search, and compatibility with the usual suspects. I love having this app on my Mac.

Tinderbox 10 Is Here

It seems to be software updates season. Tinderbox version 10 is now available with a new Gaudí view designed to use the screen more efficiently and make brainstorming easier. If you’re unaware, Tinderbox is one of the best thinking and planning apps available for the Mac. I am pleased to see this application continue to get further development and new features.

Tinderbox 10 Gaudí View

The New Overcast

Congratulations to Marco Arment on shipping the new Overcast. The new version is a complete rewrite and redesign that runs faster and uses Apple’s latest technologies.

By far, my favorite applications are the ones developed by solo or small teams that are obsessive about design and performance. Marco fits that mold with Overcast. Looking through the new app, you can see that he was intentional about every button and screen.

Steve Jobs in 1983

The Steve Jobs Archive published an interesting speech Steve gave at the 1983 International Design Conference in Aspen. It’s excellent, and I recommend watching the whole thing. A few things that stood out to me:

  • He stated that by 1986, people could spend more time in front of computers than in their cars. The audience gasped. That sure came true for me.
  • He talked about creating a virtual Aristotle with future computers. That’s what I did (with Seneca) a few months ago using ChatGPT. Jobs’ speech was in 1983.
  • At one point, he outlines his LISA strategy. He wants Apple to reduce the cost of a future LISA to under $1,000. I can’t help but wonder how things would have played out if Steve had stayed at Apple and pulled that off.
  • Steve was so good at managing an audience and taking questions, even at 28.
  • Taken as a whole, this was a recruitment speech. He was seducing those designers to come and make beautiful products for Apple.

The Neo Network Utility

In addition to continually updating DEVONthink, team Devon also has a nice catalog of free software and utilities for Mac users. Earlier this month, they re-released their Neo Network Utility.

In essence, this application takes a lot of information available on the command line via Terminal and wraps it in a nice user interface. It offers various networking tools for retrieving information and diagnosing network problems. Best of all, it’s free. Note that version 1.0.2. requires macOS Ventura or later.

the main window from neo network utility, a software program from devon technologies, makes of the popular DEVONthink application.