In this week’s episode: The CrowdStrike fiasco, new immersive content for Vision Pro, Steve Jobs at 28, and I share a new album from a modern jazz group I really dig.… This is a post for the Early Access MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
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.
July 2024 Deep Dive – Uses for ChatGPT (Video)
Here’s the video from last week’s ChatGPT Deep Dive session. It was a fun and informative get-together.… This is a post for the Early Access MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
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.
Breaking Down Passkeys
Passkeys are showing up more and more and it’s time to understand how they work and how to set one up. In this video I explain the basics and walk you through setting one up.
… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
The Productivity Summer Camp
Earlier this year, I released the Productivity Field Guide. It was successful and helped many people find some center in a world full of distractions. This summer, I’m pleased to announce the Productivity Summer Camp. I’ll be providing the Productivity Field Guide and a four-week webinar series in August for a select number of young applicants. This course is for students in high school and college.
Why is This Worth Your Time?
When I was in school, there were a lot fewer distractions than there are today. The Internet was in its infancy, and a “smartphone” had buttons instead of a rotary dial. And yet, it was hard to stay focused back then. Today, with the connected world and so many people working so hard to monetize your attention, it’s nearly impossible. Moreover, competition is fierce these days, and the stakes are higher than ever.
Focus will be the superpower of the next generation because so few people have it. But Focus is more than staying on target when you sit down to read the book. It’s about a foundational understanding of what is important to you and what you intend to do with your life.
I devised a system that answered those questions. I’ve shared this with many people who’ve found it helpful. This course could give you the superpowers you’ll need.
In this course, you’ll figure out your “why,” which opens up the world for you. With this scholarship, you’ll get 50 Video Tutorials, a PDF book, helpful worksheets, and a month-long webinar series.
So, are you willing to give up some of your summer to answer the big questions with your own big answers? Now’s the time.
How Much Does it Cost?
The course will not cost money, but it’s not free either; I want you to work at this. Specifically, if you want in, you need to commit to going through the material, doing the exercises, and attending the webinars. No slackers!
Why Am I Doing This?
I considered the big questions when I was your age, but I never really got to the bottom of them until decades later. For many years, I was adrift on my “why.” Once I figured things out, my life got much better (and easier!). One of my biggest regrets is not figuring these things out earlier. So, I’d like to help you learn from my mistake.
How Do You Apply?
Send me an email telling me who you are, your goals, and why you are interested in this program. I’m invested in this, but I only want to work with people willing to do the work. Are you willing to watch the videos, read the materials, attend the webinars, and make a serious effort? If so, send the email to scholarship@macsparky.com by July 29. Recipients will be awarded at the end of July, and the webinar series will run through August.
Your pal, David
P.S. If you are reading this and know a high school or college-aged human that may benefit from the program, please pass this email along. Thanks!
Window Management and New Wallpaper in macOS Sequoia
With the upcoming macOS Sequoia release, Apple has added some impressive window management tools and a lovely, nostalgic Classic Mac Wallpaper and Screensaver.… This is a post for the Early Access and Backstage MacSparky Labs Members. Care to join? Or perhaps you need to sign in?
Mac Power Users 754: Passwords, Passkeys, & Beyond, with Damien Schreurs
Damien Schreurs joins Stephen and me on this episode of Mac Power Users to talk about what makes a good password, what the deal is with passkeys, and Apple’s upcoming Passwords application.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
ScreenFloat 2: Power Up Your Screenshots (Sponsor)
This week, MacSparky is sponsored by ScreenFloat 2, a major upgrade to the Mac’s built-in screenshot tool. With ScreenFloat 2, screenshots become so much more.
To begin, your screenshots will float, just like the name implies. You no longer have to dig through windows to find your screenshots. It’s right on top, waiting for you.
Then, there is a suite of screenshot tools: markup, annotate, colors, rotate, and trim. ScreenFloat 2 lets you record your screen and trigger screenshots on a timer. If you need to re-capture, there is a tool for that, so you don’t have to reframe the shot from scratch. You can even extract text and barcodes. If you need to redact, there are tools for that as well. You can remove text, faces, or barcodes.
I often want to get exact color matches out of screenshots which is actually pretty difficult. But not so with ScreenFloat 2. The app has a built-in color sampling tool. If you want to use your screenshots, you can drag and drop them out of the browser or directly from floating shots. ScreenFloat 2 also includes a browser to organize your images with folders and tags, and it all syncs over iCloud. If you want to use your screenshots, you can drag and drop them out of the browser.
Check out ScreenFloat 2 today and learn just how much more useful screenshots can be.
When the Antivirus Software Is the Virus
Last week’s CrowdStrike outage is pretty concerning. It’s shocking how a mistake by one software company can shut down so many global industries.
While I understand that antivirus software is necessary, its existence always represents a vulnerability. It has to embed itself deep in the system to do its work. Any mistake in that software, whether the result of negligence or malice, can cause the exact damage the software is engineered to avoid. Fortunately, Apple uses an Endpoint Security framework and therefore avoided the CrowdStrike fiasco.