Two of my favorite legal nerds, Jeff Richardson and Brett Burney, have started a podcast, In the News (Web)(Apple Podcasts)(YouTube). In it, they look at developments in the Apple Ecosystem with a slight focus on practicing law. You definitely don’t need to be in the law racket to enjoy this show.
Creepy TV
I remember as a kid reading how Nielsen Ratings were tabulated by people keeping a clipboard on top of their TVs. I thought that was nuts. Well, lack of TV data is no longer a problem. Engadget reports (found via Daring Fireball) that Vizio now makes nearly as much money selling user data as it does selling TVs. It’s ironic that the devices we buy to watch end up watching us back. What’s next? Is my toaster going to start collecting data on me?
While I am a fan of the new Apple TV remote, I’m even more a fan of the fact that Apple isn’t using the Apple TV to monetize my viewing habits.
Do Big Things With Your Small Business With Daylite (Sponsor)
This week, MacSparky is sponsored by Daylite. For small businesses, it can be difficult to stay on top of clients, leads, and projects that are evolving every day. Stressful situations like these are where Daylite comes in clutch.
Daylite is a CRM built for Apple fans like us, made specifically for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. This native app helps you and your team execute more projects, take on more clients, and close more deals. It is fully compatible with Big Sur and M1-powered Macs, and is designed to work in tandem with go-to Apple features. For example, you can share contacts between Apple Contacts and your Daylite database, and use features like Siri and Caller ID on your iPhone. Daylite is able to create contracts and other documents in no time, by pulling data from Daylite into apps like Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Additionally, Daylite includes full support for features like FaceID and TouchID.
Daylite takes you through the full customer lifecycle, making it easy for you to perform seamless handoffs between teams and departments without anything slipping through the cracks. Never miss a follow-up or worry about forgetting an important step in the project — Daylite keeps track of all the details for you and your team, so you can focus on growing your business.
Whether you’re in the legal, design, consulting, or other service-based industries, thousands of businesses trust Daylite to build stronger client relationships and grow their business! Daylite offers complimentary onboarding support to help new customers get started.
Ready to start scaling your business? Start your free 30-day Daylite trial today!
M1 Macs May Now Boot from External Drives
Since first showing up last year, M1 Macs have not been bootable from external media. There was some question as to whether this was something Apple hadn’t got around to yet or just one of those things we lost with the processor transition and the increased focus on security.
I suspected the latter, but it was the former. With macOS Big Sur 11.4, booting from an external disc now works. This is good news (via Stephen Hackett). Howard Oakley at the Eclectic Light Company has a full explanation.
Mac Power Users 590: Our Video Workflows
Stephen and I are both working more video than ever, so on this episode of Mac Power Users, we’re comparing notes on our processes, gear, and editing tools.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
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TextExpander from Smile: 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 from Smile.
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Memberful: Best-in-class membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. Get started now, no credit card required.
Sweet Setup’s Zero to Obsidian Workshop
Mike Schmitz, my Focused podcast co-host, is doing a two-hour seminar this week aimed at getting you up and running with this impressive app. Mike is an Obsidian power-user and I expect this will be an excellent way to get started.
Charty 1.4
Charty puts together two things I love: visual representations and Shortcuts. Specifically, Charty allows you to create charts directly from Apple’s Shortcuts app. And now they’re out with an update. With Charty 1.4 comes not only an updated UI and more customization options for widgets, but also a whole new app section featuring 11 video tutorials. They’ve also added rings, an entirely new series type that is so useful to track progress across multiple goals. For example, they’ve got this Track Omni Project that asks you to pick an OmniFocus project. It’ll show you a ring chart of tasks completed versus remaining. You know I think being able to visually see what you’ve done and what you still have to do is so important in tracking your time and productivity.
It’s free to download with iOS 14 Widgets support and 5 Shortcuts’ actions. Or, for $4.99, you can unlock a number of Shortcut, more styling and customization options, and unlimited series per chart. Check out Charty.
Give Yourself an Edge with Hoban Cards (Sponsor)
Things are getting better. You’re going to start seeing people. What are you doing about your calling cards? There are many lousy calling cards and just a few good ones. Do you remember the last time someone gave you a classy calling card, and you couldn’t help but think just a little bit more of them. That’s why you need to give this some thought.
Your calling card represents you. Why not bring some intentionality to your game? This week, MacSparky is sponsored by Hoban Cards, where they use a 1902 letterpress machine to make cards that your colleagues, clients, and customers will never forget. I sure love mine.
Evan and the gang at Hoban Cards are masters at the craft of designing and making letterpress calling cards. They have some beautiful templates to choose from, or you can roll your own.
I love handing out letterpress cards. It is always a conversation starter. Hoban Cards is where I go to buy them, and it is where you should too. Throw out those ugly, conventional, mass-produced, soulless business cards and reach out to Hoban Cards. Best of all, use ‘MacSparky’ to get $10 off any order. Get yours today.
Focused 126: Productivity vs. Grinding
Join us for the latest episode fo Focused to hear Mike and I get into note-taking (and note-making), listener feedback, and the pesky problem of productivity versus grinding.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by:
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TextExpander, from Smile: Communicate Smarter. Get 20% off.
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Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post.
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Gabi: Get a better insurance. It’s totally free to check and there’s no obligation. Click this link to get started.
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* Cross Promo: Parallel: A tech podcast with accessibility sprinkles. Listen now.
The New Orange iMac vs. the Orange G3
I know there are a lot of orange-loving folks out there still on their G3 iMacs because … well … orange. Stephen Hackett released a new video breaking down the merits of the new orange iMac vs. the G3 iMac. The contest is close, but there is a winner.