MacSparky

Dark Noise developer Charlie Chapman joins Rosemary and me on the latest episode of Automators to talk about his automation story and how he implemented automation in his Dark Noise application.This episode of Automators is sponsored by:Pingdom: Start…

Allow me to introduce Ally Rilling. She is 19 years old and a freshman majoring in computer science and finance at University of Wisconsin–Madison. Ally used to rely on running Shortcuts from the widget screen but after listening to some MPU podcasts and…

My daughters both have been long overdue for new laptops but for a long time now. However, I refused to get them new ones. That’s because the last MacBook Air I bought them lasted over 8 years and I want the next one to do the same. I just don’t believe…

I spent several hours this morning using my iPad at the kitchen table with an external keyboard and mouse. I continue to be impressed with the new trackpad/mouse support available with iPadOS 13.4. Using these input devices quickly becomes second nature, and…

I have read several reviews of the new iPads. The best one, in my opinion, is from Matthew Panzarino. I didn’t realize Matt was using the iPad exclusively on the road. That gave him some great insight as to the new machines. In terms of upgrade strategy,…

Given that things are pretty bananas right now on a global scale, Stephen Hackett wanted to bring a little sunshine, so he set up the Mac Madness contest over at 512 pixels. This is a bracket of various Macs. All you have to do is go in and vote for your…

MPU Hall of Famer Merlin Mann returns to discuss using plain text, home automation, the Apple TV and more on the latest episode of Mac Power Users.This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don't have…

In addition to new iPads, yesterday Apple released an update to the MacBook Air. A few thoughts:SCISSOR SWITCH KEYBOARD! I’m so pleased the butterfly keyboard is now down to just the small MacBook Pro. Hopefully, we get that one updated real soon.256 GB…

It’s been rumored for months, and now it’s here. I’ve got a few thoughts:The new iPad Pro has the same design as the previous iteration. Amen. I really like this design, and I hope it finds its way to the iPhone at some point.The new processor…

When someone asks you for a business card, what are you handing them? Why not have some business cards that truly make you stand out? This week, MacSparky is sponsored by Hoban Cards, where they use a 1902 letterpress machine to make cards that your…

I’m sharing the big lessons I’ve learned from five years of working independently on the latest episode of Focused. Also, Mike and I talk about the fear of failure, intentional constraints, effective delegation, and the impact my furry new coworker has on…

I recently joined Ernie the Attorney on the Law Firm Autopilot podcast to talk about technology and the law. I also went deep on a few Mac apps.

Much of computing revolves around writing and text input, but most of us don't think about how to make that process more productive. On this week’s episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I explore tools and techniques that make text easier to work with.This…

This week, a lot more folks will be working from home than usual. I’ve talked to several friends and family lately about this. Some are looking forward to it, and others are dreading it. I drove into an office for 22 years, but I’ve spent the last five…

In the last few days, Apple has announced it’s reaction to Covid-19. Yesterday there was an announcement that WWDC will be online-only this year. I’ll miss not seeing my Apple community friends, but I also think this is the right move. I had to smile a bit…

On the latest episode of Automators, Rosemary and I dive headfirst into the feedback pile and look at LaunchCuts. We’re also talking about the new Pushcut automation server feature and eye some beta apps too!This episode of Automators is sponsored…

This week, MacSparky has a new sponsor, The Archive. I’ve made no secret of my love for plain text files over the years. Plain text is universal, portable, and the most likely format for your words that computers will still recognize in 100 years. The…

MacSparky isn’t going to be your destination site for Covid-19 information. However, as California starts buckling down and my family shutter ourselves in to help slow down this disease, there is one graph I wanted to share. …

While I don’t cover a lot of rumors here, the latenst nugget from Ming-Chi Kuo is worth mention. Reportedly, we’ll be getting scissor switch updates to the smaller MacBookPro and and MacBook Air by June. I sure hope he’s right. While the butterfly…

A few weeks ago, I re-opened the Pandora’s box of hyper-scheduling, and the email started pouring in. One common problem I heard from folks implementing their own hyper-schedules went something like this. “Dear Dave, I tried your nerdy block schedule…