Quip: The Clipboard Manager That Actually Stays Organized (Sponsor)

This week’s sponsor is Quip, and it’s different from every other clipboard manager I’ve tried.

Most clipboard managers work the same way: they save everything you copy, and after a few days, you’re scrolling through a junk drawer of random text snippets, URLs you’ll never visit again, and those annoying 2FA codes that somehow stick around forever. Quip solves this with something BZG Apps calls “Quip Intelligence”—completely local AI that keeps your clipboard history actually useful.

Here’s what that means in practice. The app automatically removes duplicate entries so you’re not seeing the same email address five times. It strips tracking parameters from URLs before saving them. It filters out those temporary authentication codes that would otherwise clutter your history. And it learns from your behavior to skip the stuff you never actually reuse. All of this happens on your device, so nothing leaves your Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

What really stands out is the Smart Collections feature. You can set up rules that automatically organize your clipboard items—all your code snippets in one collection, research links in another, client email addresses in a third. The app handles the sorting, so you can actually find what you’re looking for without scrolling through chaos.

The keyboard extension on iOS deserves special mention. You can access your entire clipboard history from any app without switching contexts. Combined with the Super Shortcuts feature (which turns any clipboard item into a text expansion trigger), it’s remarkably efficient once you get it set up.

Quip is available for $19.99 as a one-time purchase for Mac, or $14.99/year for the full ecosystem across Mac, iPhone, and iPad. There’s a two-week free trial if you want to see how it fits into your workflow.

Hookmark Pal

As a general fan of easy links between file apps, I’m always interested in seeing how things are going with Hookmark, a ubiquitous linking app for your Mac. A frequent question I get about this app is whether or not the links will work on iPhone and iPad.

Sadly, the answer has been ‘no’, until now. CogSci Apps has released a companion mobile app called Hookmark Pal, letting you access your Hookmark-created links on the go.

There is a caveat, though. Due to Apple restrictions, the application cannot access iCloud files. The team at HookMark is looking into ways around that, but even in its current implementation, this is a great tool if you’re already using Hookmark on your Mac.

Why Dictation is Easier and More Relevant

I’ve been talking to my computer for decades, and it’s finally paying off for everyone.

Yesterday I dictated this entire newsletter into my iPad mini using the Drafts app and WhisperMemos while sitting in my backyard. No special microphone, no training sessions, no leaving awkward pauses between words like I had to do in the old days.

Just hit the red button and start talking. The fact that this works still amazes me.

The Long Road to Here

My dictation journey started with Dragon Dictate, back before it became Dragon NaturallySpeaking. You had to… leave… spaces… between… each… word… or… it… didn’t… work.

Even when I got pretty skilled at it, every document needed serious cleanup afterward. The software had no context, so “their” and “there” were constant battles, and forget about getting proper names right, even with extensive training.

For years, dictation felt like a promising technology that never quite delivered on its promise. You needed professional microphones, quiet rooms, and the patience of a saint. Most people tried it once and gave up.

But something fundamental has changed. The AI models powering today’s dictation tools understand context in ways the old systems never could. They don’t need training on your voice, they handle background noise gracefully, and they make intelligent guesses about what you actually meant to say. It’s the difference between a computer transcribing sounds and an AI re-constructing speech.

There are so many good Whisper-based apps available now. The real breakthrough isn’t any single app, it’s that we’ve crossed a threshold where dictation just works.

The hardware requirements have disappeared, too. I’m dictating this on an iPad mini using its built-in microphone. No headset, no external mic, no special setup. Because I’m outside right now, there birds chirping and a trash truck drove down the street a few minutes ago. It doesn’t matter. The same device that’s perfectly fine for FaceTime calls turns out to be perfectly fine for dictation.

How It Changes Your Writing

Thinking verbally is different from thinking with your fingers or a pencil. When I dictate, I err on the side of abundance in my first draft, then edit ruthlessly. It’s perfect for my natural workflow.

There’s something about speaking your thoughts that makes the writing more personal. When I’m typing or writing by hand, I tend to edit myself before the words hit the page. With dictation, ideas flow more freely. I’m more willing to explore tangents and follow interesting threads. You can always clean it up later.

Part of me still thinks fondly of Captain Picard doing his captain’s log on the Enterprise. That’s basically me every day now, creating content for you.

If dictation makes you nervous because your thoughts come out messy, solve that with preparation. Spend some time making a mind map or outline before you hit record. Then trust that you can fix it in the edit, and let your voice get a little more personal.

Give It Another Shot

Not everyone has delved as deeply into this rabbit hole as I have, but I’m telling you: if you tried dictation in the past and gave up, it’s worth revisiting. We can finally declare dictation a solved problem. I honestly didn’t know that would happen in my lifetime.

The tools are there, they work reliably, and they’re getting better every month. Whether it’s Apple’s built-in dictation (which is acceptable but not best-in-class), or some third-party Whisper-adjacent transcriber, pick one and give it a real try for a week.

Direct Mail: Email Marketing Without the Browser Bloat (Sponsor)

I’m happy to welcome back Direct Mail, a true Mac-native email marketing app that’s been making waves with MacSparky readers.

Most email marketing platforms live in your browser, which means you’re always one accidental tab close away from losing your work. Or you’re dealing with a sluggish interface because your internet connection decided to take a coffee break. Direct Mail takes a different approach. It’s a real Mac app that harnesses your computer’s power to work faster and more reliably than any web-based solution.

What I appreciate about Direct Mail is how it handles the details that matter. The app features over 50 mobile-optimized templates that you can customize using a drag-and-drop editor. However, it also integrates with macOS features you already use—such as Photos for images and Apple Intelligence Writing Tools for refining your copy. You receive detailed campaign analytics that show not just opens and clicks, but also individual subscriber activity and engagement patterns. And if you’re using WooCommerce, there’s now built-in integration that connects your store data directly to your campaigns.

The pricing is refreshingly straightforward. You can send up to 150 emails per month for free forever. Need more? Plans start at $20/month or you can go pay-as-you-go if subscriptions aren’t your thing.
If you’re tired of fighting with clunky web interfaces, check out Direct Mail. It’s free to download and try, and you might find that email marketing on the Mac can actually feel… good. Check it out.

This Is What Happens When You Listen to Too Much Jazz (McSweeney’s)

Too relatable for any lifelong jazz fan. A few of my favorites:

Get excited when, in the noise of the mall, you hear the perfect high-hat rhythm. Only to find that it’s coming from a coffee machine.

Feel surprised when you see a photograph of musicians that’s in color.

Start using phrases like “Dig it!” or “Solid, man!”

A young barista with a nose ring notices your T-shirt with Satchmo’s picture—trumpet to his lips, eyes wide. When she smiles and says, “I love jazz. I saw Michael Bublé in concert,” you scream, “Bublé is not a jazz musician—he’s a lounge singer!” …

Ternus as Next Apple CEO?

For years, I’ve been watching John Ternus at Apple events and thought he just carried himself like an Apple CEO. Rumors are increasingly pointing toward him as Tim Cook’s successor. In my mind, this fits for a few reasons:

  • I think the next CEO will be someone already inside Apple.
  • I think the next CEO will need to be a younger generation than the existing senior management.
  • It needs to someone who can handle himself as the CEO of one of world largest companies, like John Ternus.

Apple has a deep bench. I’ve met lots of Apple executives over the years, dripping in competence. But John Turnus is the only one they seem to find a reason to put in front of the public at every chance. I’ll be surprised if, when Tim Cook decides to step down, it’s not Ternus.