Mike and I revisit the topic of AI on this episode of Focused to consider what’s changed in the last year and discuss how it can be helpful for those of us who strive to live a focused life.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by:
Recently, NotePlan released version 3.14, which includes the ability to auto-generate templates based on the calendar item. I note this because I requested this specific feature when we discussed NotePlan recently on the Mac Power Users. NotePlan continues to impress me.
Since we aired that episode, I’ve heard from many listeners who have adopted the app and are enjoying it. Here are just a few things I like about NotePlan:
To me, NotePlan lies somewhere between Obsidian and Apple Notes. It’s closer to Obsidian in implementation but has fewer customization options.
When I set up my 2025 technology stack, I’m going to be looking very closely at this application.
Educator and Apple enthusiast Barrett Mossbacker joins me on this episode of Mac Power Users to share his favorite apps and workflows and discuss how Apple is doing in education.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
Here’s a recent post from the MacSparky Newsletter. If you haven’t already signed up, I’d appreciate it.
Earlier this year, I had a chance to spend time in London, and I made a point to return to the British Museum. Specifically I was interested in the Parthenon pieces. I’ve been in that room before, but I felt like I didn’t experience these artifacts properly.
So this time I spent three hours in the Parthenon room. I studied each piece, I reviewed each placard, I even spent some time reading additional resources concerning those ancient pieces. They have the pieces from the pediments at each end of the room. There are several marble statues that sit atop either side of the building as a sort of three-dimensional mural.
The statues are gorgeous and timeless. For example, Athena’s clothing has the subtlest wrinkles. I can’t imagine the effort it took to make them from marble. Interestingly, the British Museum displayed them in a manner that allowed you to walk around the back. I didn’t notice this at first because nobody was walking behind them. Eventually, I found myself meandering around to the back of the room, where you have an excellent view of the backs of these statues.
I wondered what I would see. Would there be the same degree of detail on the backs as there is on the front? As positioned on the building, it would be nearly impossible to see the backs of these statues from the ground. And yet, from afar, they were not blank marble but indeed a continuation. The artists did complete the backs of the statues.
However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that these statues were not finished with the same degree of detail in the back as in the front. The fabric folds are less delicate. The muscle definition is not as refined. In short, that master craftsman, some 2,400 years ago, cut a few corners on the backs of these statues.
Upon discovering this, I felt an overwhelming sense of kinship with that craftsman. Here was somebody at the top of his field, creating art for a building that would still be standing today if not for the fact some knucklehead stored ammunition in the building in 1687. The artist made something for the ages, yet he did less work on the backs than on the fronts.
We all struggle with this. No matter what our art is, there are always those bits that everyone sees and those bits that are covered up. And we face the question of how much effort to put into these various parts. It’s easy enough if it’s a hobby and you have all the time in the world. But you need to ship if you’re making a living off your art.
Tomorrow, another contract and project will be waiting for your chisel and hammer. So, how do you draw those lines? For most artists, myself included, I would say “with difficulty.” We all struggle to determine where compromise must occur and where it absolutely cannot.
Going back to the British Museum, the moment I saw where that sculptor made his compromises, it reminded me that this is not a new problem and that we all struggle with it and, 2,400 years later, we all do the best we can.
On this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I are joined by Tim Stringer to look at his automations and discuss the core principles of automating.
This episode of Automators is sponsored by:
Yesterday the announcement went public that we’ll be wrapping up the Automators podcast, with our last episode being released on Friday, November 15.
It’s strange for me to be closing down a podcast; I’ve never done that before. Indeed, it took me a long time to come around to the idea of shutting down Automators, but I do believe it’s for the best.
We are ramping up the content on Mac Power Users so there is increasing overlap between the two shows. Moreover, Rose and I both have a lot of irons in the fire, and that show requires a lot of work to prepare.
As I’m starting to think about 2025, I want to focus on the MacSparky Labs even more, so something had to give. Of all my commitments, Automators seemed the right one to give up. I know this is disappointing for some of you, but I will continue to cover automation topics in the Labs and on the Mac Power Users podcast as well, and I hope you can understand.
Now that the iPhone 16 has been out for a while, I’ve heard from several listeners and readers who are unhappy with the Camera Control on their iPhone 16 model. Specifically, many of you get accidental triggers or accidentally get into the photos settings when you only want to take a picture. I’ve got to admit, it hasn’t been that hard for me. I like the advanced features, but if they drive you nuts, you can turn them off.
Go to the Settings app, Accessibility, and you’ll find Camera Control. Under the Controls Gesture section, toggle off both Light-Press and Swipe. That’s it. You’re good. Now, Camera Control activates the camera and takes a picture, nothing more.
I know Apple continues refining the Camera Control’s sensitivity with software updates, so I recommend turning the advanced features back on occasionally to see if they get easier to use for you. They are pretty nice.
I’m pleased to announce that the Focused Wall Calendar for 2025 is now on sale. We’ve been collaborating for years with the NeuYear calendar people, and it is, in my opinion, the best wall calendar on the market.
Mike and I spent a lot of time adjusting it over the years to get it just right. A couple of the features that I love:
You can buy it now. (whispering) Mine is already on order.
There are a lot of great time-tracking applications out there, but one of the absolute best for Mac users is Timing. That’s because it is a native app on your Mac with a bunch of built-in automation. You don’t have to worry about pushing buttons to reset timers. The app pays attention to what you’re doing and gives you a report later.
Along those lines, Timing received an update recently that includes AI-generated summaries of your day. It gives you a concise view of what you did throughout the day and is entirely automated. I just started using the feature, so I need to spend a bit more time before I can recommend it. However, I thought the mere inclusion of the feature was noteworthy. If you’re interested in time tracking and haven’t looked at Timing lately, you should.
This week, MacSparky is sponsored by SoundSource, a utility I use daily. The problem with the Mac’s native sound controls is that they are designed for people who need them once every few years. If you need to adjust your sound settings more than that, you need SoundSource.
Whether you listen to podcasts, rock out with music, or stream video, SoundSource is for everyone who uses audio on their Mac. SoundSource gives you per-app audio control, letting you change the volume of any app, and route individual apps to different audio devices. Mute your browser, or send music to one set of speakers and everything else to another.
Want to improve sound quality? Use SoundSource to apply effects to any audio on your Mac. Boost volume levels, add an equalizer, and even apply advanced Audio Units. SoundSource also provides fast access to your Mac’s audio devices, so there’s no need to dig around in System Preferences when you need to adjust things.
Oh, and one more thing…if you have a DisplayPort or HDMI device that fails to offer volume adjustment, SoundSource can help there too. It gives those devices a proper volume slider, and the Super Volume Keys feature makes your keyboard volume controls work as well. Neat! All this power is available right from your menu bar, with SoundSource.
SoundSource, like all of Rogue Amoeba’s audio capture apps, has recently been updated to be easier to install than ever before. Gone are the restarts and system settings adjustments that used to be necessary. Now you can be up and running in under a minute.
Through the end of October, MacSparky readers can save 20% off any purchase from Rogue Amoeba, with coupon code SPARK20. Learn more and download a free trial on the SoundSource site.
And don’t forget, SoundSource is from Rogue Amoeba, which is the authority for sound processing on your Mac.
