Mac Power Users 655: Streaming Check-in with Julia Alexander

Julia Alexander drops by this episode of Mac Power Users to discuss the world of streaming services and how Apple stands apart from its competitors in the space. Also discussed: the sad lack of modern orange notebooks, the importance of the Apple Watch, and some of Julia’s go-to apps.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore. 
  • 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.
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Automators 109: Automating Obsidian

From simple improvements to deep cross-linking and pages which update, there’s a lot you can automate within your note-taking app of choice. In this episode of Automators, Rose and I take on Obsidian and all of its plugins.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

  • Setapp: More than 240 powerful apps. Try it free for a month.
  • Doppler: Sync environment variables at scale.
  • Trade: Save Big, Support Small Roasters. Get $30 off your first order.
  • LinkedIn Jobs: Post a job for free by visiting this link.

Shortcuts for iPhone and iPad Field Guide Free Update

I’m happy to announce that all of the iOS 15 updated videos are now in the Shortcuts for iPhone and iPad Field Guide. The update includes 13 new videos and multiple new Shortcuts. If you already own the course, just log in, and you’ll see the new iOS 15 materials in the course – anything with a (15) in the name. I’ve also grouped all the iOS 15 materials together near the bottom of the course. This is the third major free update to the course. Hooray!

You can check out the course right here, and for a short time, I’m offering a $5 discount to celebrate the update.

Become the Boss of Your Email With SaneBox (Sponsor)

Did you know that the snooze button isn’t only for your alarm clock? With SaneSnooze, you can snooze on your emails as well. SaneBox, this week’s sponsor at MacSparky, helps me prioritize my email with the SaneSnooze feature.

There are emails that you don’t have to act on right now, and that’s where SaneSnooze comes in handy. I can snooze the less important emails until I want to respond. The email disappears from my main inbox. Not delete disappear, but more of a I’ll-deal-with-it-later situation because SaneSnooze will hide the email until the time I say I’m ready for it to show back up in my inbox, and I can give it my attention when I’m ready to deal with these kinds of emails.

And SaneBox lets you choose how long you want to snooze. You can set your Snooze Folders to SaneTonight, SaneTomorrow, SaneNextWeek, SaneNextMonth, or whatever you think works best for you. When you move an email to your chosen SaneSnooze time, that email will disappear from your inbox, and then SaneBox will move that email back into your inbox at the time you’ve designated it. Want to deal with email on your terms? Click here to sign up for a free trial, and you can get a $10 credit you can use towards a SaneBox subscription. 

Apple AR/VR Goggles on September 7? I Don’t Think So.

I’ve had an unusual amount of email from people asking me if I think Apple will announce its new AR/VR Headset product on September 7. Apparently, there are rumors of this, but I wouldn’t trust them.

The iPhone is Apple’s primary product. It is half of Apple’s revenue (and that is A LOT of revenue). I can’t imagine they want the world thinking about anything but the iPhone for the next month. The most reliable rumor folks seem to think we won’t see the headset until next year. That makes more sense to me.

“Far Out” Apple Event

Apple's "Far Out" Event Art

Today Apple made it official. The new iPhone event is September 7. Mark your calendar. Check your wallets. We’ll definitely get the new iPhones and likely Apple Watches. Things that I am curious about:

  • Rumors are the iPhone Pro camera will take a leap. I hope that’s true.
  • I’ll be shocked if the iPhone Pro doesn’t get the always on screen. I’m curious to see what that will be like in actual use.
  • There is an interesting rumor that we’ll get a “pro” or “sport” watch that will cost a bit more. It’ll be fun to see what that means if true. Also, if true it will be the first time that the phone chip between the watches will be different. Until now you got the same chip whether you bought a $300 watch or a $20,000 watch.

We’ll find out soon enough. I’ll be doing some fun things in The MacSparky Labs for this event. If you’re in the labs, keep an eye on your email over the next few days.

Craft Import Automation (MacSparky Labs)

I’m moving some data into Craft, and doing it manually was driving me crazy. So I made two different Shortcuts to automate it. One is really easy, but requires a few steps by you when you run it. The second option is fancier and more complex, but does everything automatically. Enjoy!…

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?