It was Backblaze’s native app that made it my online backup of choice so many years ago and the company continues to get that. Recently Backblaze released version 8 of their Mac client increasing threads from 30 to 100 and changing the way the app interacts with your file system to reduce the load on your hard drive. So this new version is faster and better. Just a few days ago Jason Snell wrote about the importance of backing up. Backblaze is a key component of my backup system. It’s like my data safe deposit box and the $50/year cost is a no-brainer.
TextExpander — Say More with Less Work (Sponsor)
I’m always looking for things to help me save time, which is one of the reasons I dig TextExpander, MacSparky’s sponsor this week. TextExpander puts time-saving power at your fingertips. You set up a shortcut once, and then future you thanks you for having less work to do and saving some time. Instead of re-typing the same thing over and over again or copying and pasting a message or reply, use a few keystrokes with TextExpander and see TextExpander expand your snippets. For instance, if I type, “xdts” (four tippety-types), TextExpander will put a date and time string that looks like this: 2021-07-08 09:10. Dashes and colon and 16 tippet-types !?! Time saved. I didn’t have to stop and look at a calendar or clock for reference. I just hit a few keys, and, whoomp, there it is.
And you can do this anywhere you type because you can get your snippets on all your devices. Convenient, accurate, and consistent. TextExpander helps you communicate easier, and you get to focus on what matters most. If you’re even TextExpander-curious, now is the time to try it because they’re offering 20% off your first year.
Focused 129: No One Wants to Work with a Jerk, with Colleen Wainwright
Gmail ninja Colleen Wainwright joins Mike and me on this episode of Focused to talk about delegating work to others, the evolution of the attention economy, and working out of email without going crazy.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by:
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Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
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HPE Tech Talk: HPE news, tech insights and world-class innovations. Listen now.
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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.
Will MailKit Save Mail.app?
One of the announcements to come out of WWDC this year is a new framework for third parties to create plugins for Apple’s Mail.app called MailKit. Mail.app has been stagnant for a long time. While the app continues to get support for email rendering and improvements to its basic functions (like search), that’s about it.
Most who use it day-to-day have gotten somewhat accustomed to how dated it feels. Making a stable, feature-rich email application isn’t easy. Most third-party developers seem to fall down on the “stability” part. Apple nails that but seems uninterested in the “feature-rich” part.
I hope that this new MailKit will allow third-party developers to pick up that slack. There is already a rich ecosystem of Apple Mail plugins, but I’ve become increasingly leary about using and recommending them during recent years. My concern was that Apple could, at any point, pull the plug on Apple Mail plugins.
A few years ago, I talked to an Apple engineer at WWDC who explained that mail plugins, historically at least, represented a security vulnerability, and Apple is very much interested in removing any security holes. The good news is that the announcement of MailKit means Apple is not pulling the plug on plugins but instead found a safe way for them to continue while keeping the platform secure.
This new sense that mail plugins have a future path and will continue to exist makes it easier for me to use them. I hope this also encourages other developers to get off the sidelines and explore developing new and helpful Mail.app plugins. Hopefully, another benefit will be that in future updates to macOS, plugin developers won’t have to re-invent the wheel every year. One of my favorite plugins is SmallCubed’s MailSuite, but every year I have to turn it off on beta machines and often for the first few months after a macOS update releases.
Unfortunately, MailKit is only for the Mac, leaving Apple’s Mail app on the iPhone and iPad sad and lonely, still without even the dignity of a sharing button. I’d love to see MailKit also make its way to iOS and iPad OS, but I’m not holding my breath.
Mac Power Users 595: The Poetic Mike Vardy
Mike Vardy returns to Mac Power Users to update us on where he has found balance between the iPad and the Mac. Mike also discusses how he blends analog and digital tools, and how he shares tasks and ideas with his remote team.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
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1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
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SaneBox: Stop drowning in email!
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Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
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Setapp: More than 200 powerful apps for your Mac. Try it free for a week.
Windows 11 and Test Drivers
There are a lot of folks looking at the new Windows 11 announcements coming out. I’m always curious to see what Microsoft is willing to do with Windows. Because Windows is no longer the supreme operating system it was, I think Microsoft can take more risks. It sounds like they are doing just that. To learn more, check out the Test Drivers interview with Panos Panay.
Apple TV: Foundation
I read the Foundation series when I was really young. I remember that I enjoyed the books and blew through the whole series over the course of a month during summer vacation. That’s all I remember. I hope this new series from Apple lives up to the books.
Automators 79: Brett Terpstra
In this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I are joined by none other than Brett Terpstra, creator of Bunch, to talk about automation.
This episode of Automators is sponsored by:
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HPE Tech Talk: HPE news, tech insights and world-class innovations. Listen now.
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TextExpander, from Smile: Communicate smarter. Get 20% off.
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Discourse: Modern forum software for your community. Get 50% off your first 2 months.
Jazz Friday: Steven Feifke with Veronica Swift “On the Street Where You Live”
Over the last few years, I have really come to enjoy Steven Feifke‘s arrangements, particularly for his Big Band. He’s taking more chances than ever with his arrangements, and I dig it. A case in point is their recent recording of “On the Street Where You Live” featuring Veronica Swift (an upcoming jazz vocalist that has it). The song starts with vampy single notes as Veronica belts out the melody on top. It’s like the band is in some sort of holding pattern. Later the arrangement opens up and the band roars to life behind a gifted vocalist, and it’s glorious.
Have a great weekend!
Mr. Hackett’s Mac Calendar
My pal Stephen Hackett has been hard at work over the last month designing a custom Apple-themed wall calendar with some gorgeous pictures and tons of special dates included. For example, did you know the Flower Power iMac was introduced on February 22, 2001?
Stephen has already blown past his Kickstarter funding goal and this calendar is going to happen. Check it out.