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.

Pixelmator Pro’s Debanding Update

Color banding (or posterization) is a common type of image artifact especially noticeable in low-quality photos featuring gradients or large areas of solid color. I see this all the time in wallpapers and landscapes.

Instead of smoothly blending together, colors jump abruptly from one shade to the next, forming distinct bands of color. The latest Pixelmator Pro release takes all the work out of debanding with its “Deband” button. Push the button. The bands go away. It’s that simple. Behind the scenes it is using machine learning to pull this off.

I purchased Pixelmator Pro when it first launched and continue to find value in the purchase as they continue to solve annoying photo problems for me.