This week I joined Michael D.J. Eisenberg from The Tech Savvy Lawyer.Page podcast to talk about ways to alleviate fears about going paperless, tools to go paperless and best practices for going paperless.
HomeKit Secure Video Wish List
Bradley Chambers posted a HomeKit Secure Video wish list asking for 2K camera support, continuous recording, and higher camera limits (you are currently limited to five). I agree with all of these points, particularly the last one.
With HomeKit Secure Video, Apple has a solution that lets its users securely store video in the cloud without paying a third-party vendor. More importantly, unlike all of the camera vendors that want to store your video for you, Apple is not a company likely to be bought up by a bigger company, making your video data part of a financial transaction.
I have been using HomeKit Secure Video with my eufy cameras, and it works great. I’d really dig it, however, if Apple let me put more than five cameras into the system.
1Password Gets Apple Silicon Support
Hooray! 1Password now supports Apple silicon. From the 1Password blog:
“1Password now runs natively on Apple’s latest processors and hardware. We’ve been unbelievably impressed at the speed and efficiency of the new Apple Silicon Macs and can’t wait to see what form factors roll out next.”
This is more than simple compatibility. The 1Password team went all-in on embracing the new silicon. I’ve been running it with no problems. Overall, the Apple silicon transition seems to be going swimmingly for Mac developers.
Mac Power Users 579: 30 Mac Apps for Under $30
The ecosystem of Mac apps is small compared to what’s available for iOS and iPadOS. On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I talk about some real gems out there that make working on macOS more productive.
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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Indeed: Get a free $75 credit to upgrade your job post.
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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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Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MPU to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
Apple Stops Selling the Big HomePod
Apple made a Friday afternoon announcement that they are no longer selling the big HomePod and currently focused on the HomePod Mini. (No companies deliver good news on Friday afternoon.) I’m not surprised that the Home Pod is going away. It’s expensive, and there are some design issues. I still trigger mine several times a week when my hand (or shirt) barely touches the touch screen on top. Siri on the HomePod also still needs more work.
Nevertheless, my HomePods sound great, and I remain happy with them. I hope Apple isn’t giving up on the idea of a home speaker/voice assistant thingy that includes a quality speaker.
Automators 71: Automated Capture
On this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I tackle the sticky subject of automated capture. In places where no Post-it has gone before, learn how we use Drafts, Obsidian, and task management and reference systems to handle our capture.
This episode of Automators is sponsored by:
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Sync Up, a OneDrive podcast: Takes you behind the scenes of OneDrive.
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TextExpander, from Smile: Work smarter, not harder. Get 20% off your first year.
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DeleteMe: Remove your personal info from data brokers. Get 20% off with code AUTOMATORS.
Jazz Friday: The Blue Note Tokyo All-Star Jazz Orchestra
Lately I’ve been on a kick with YouTube watching international jazz. Specifically, how the art form has evolved in other countries. One sub-genre of jazz is the big band. Big-band music was a big deal back in the swing era, but it’s hard to make a big band work these days. It’s usually 17 (or more) players, and there isn’t enough of a market for jazz for a big band to keep its members fed.
There is a Blue Note jazz club in Tokyo, and they have a house big band called the “Blue Note Tokyo All-Star Jazz Orchestra”, which is excellent. Remarkably, they have no albums on Apple Music, but there are several videos on YouTube. One of my favorite things about the band is its director Eric Miyashiro. He clearly loves both his job and jazz music. Part of me thinks Miyashiro must walk around Tokyo and everyone says, “Hey! It’s jazz-guy Eric.” At least that’s my head canon. If I can ever get my way to Tokyo, I fully intend to make my way to the Blue Note and, hopefully, meet Eric Miyashiro.
They have lots of songs on YouTube, but I’ve picked the video below, which isn’t as much straight ahead jazz, but it does a great job of featuring more of the band members with solos. I would also note that one of the nice things about jazz migrating to foreign countries is that they will have their own take on the music, and this is a good example. They have a YouTube channel with a lot more music.
Home Screens — Jake Kahana
This week’s home screen features Jake Kahana (Twitter) (website), one of the founders of Caveday.org and a very intentional guy. So Jake, show us your home screen.
What are some of your favorite apps?
I’ve been getting more and more into Notion. We started using it as a project management and notetaking tool for Caveday. And in the last few months I’ve put my entire personal system on there. Book notes, meeting notes, goal setting, job tracking, etc.
I’m a fan of Superhuman and feel like my relationship to email is a bit healthier since using it.
Which app is your guilty pleasure?
NY Times Crossword, maybe?
Or more realistically, based on my usage, Zillow and Redfin.
What app makes you most productive?
And I love Freedom. I love that it syncs across devices. It blocks internet when I need and just minimizes distractions. I love their “Pause” Chrome plugin too. That 5-second delay before I go to a social media or news site is enough friction to usually close the window.
What app do you know you’re underutilizing?
Notion. While I love it and so much of my life is on it, I know there are so many other features (database tools, cross-database features, widgets, and what-not) that could make it more powerful. Part of my goal this year, overall, is to learn more shortcuts and use snippets in email, in my design tools like the Adobe Creative Suite and Sketch, and definitely in Notion.
How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPad?
I don’t have an iPad, but I try my best to put my iPhone away when I’m working, often in another room or at least across the room, so I’ll check it maybe once an hour or less.
What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPad?
Airplane Mode! When I really need to do my most focused work, I’ll open a Google Doc, make it available offline, and just get to work.
But maybe more functionally is AirDrop. I’ll send stuff from my phone to my computer and to my wife’s phone all the time. So easy.
If you were in charge at Apple, what would you add or change?
I’m really disappointed by the idea of planned obsolescence. When it comes to being the best designed tech out there, I’d say aesthetically that’s true. User experience-wise, it may be true as well. But thinking about environmental impacts and functionality of hardware, there’s a lot of waste that comes from replacing phones and computers every 3-4 years. What might it look like to have devices that had a 100+ year lifespan that just needed a small upgrade here and there to replace certain parts or pieces, or to have upcycled digital hardware?
What’s your wallpaper and why?
My lock screen and home screen (and my computer desktop) are all photos of my daughter. It’s a bit cliché, sure, but it’s a great reminder for me for why I’m doing the work I’m doing (to make her proud, and to make enough money that I can stop working every day and spend time with her, and so she has what she needs). The photos themselves are moments of play and joy and wonder, which is another good reminder for me to stop and try and find joy and wonder in what I’m doing (and think of her).
Anything else you’d like to share?
I try a lot of productivity apps out to write about them and recommend them (or to recommend AGAINST them) for my company, Caveday. We’re all about helping people find focus in a distracting world and so a lot of my favorite apps and features are therefore focus-related. I’ve curated some of my favorite tips, plugins, apps, and books on the subject at caveday.org/tools
AirPods 3 Rumors
There have now been several leaks concerning the AirPods 3. According to the latest leaked photos, like the ones below, the AirPods 3 are getting a new design.
Nice pic.twitter.com/2PJdCd2hEn
— LeaksApplePro (@LeaksApplePro) March 10, 2021
This makes me nervous. Even though I have some ridiculously fancy headphones, I use the standard AirPods all day long while I’m making calls and meandering about the house. (Power tip: Just wear one at a time.) The existing AirPods fit comfortably in my ears. This new design, if true, looks a lot more like the AirPods Pro, which don’t fit my ears as well.
The AirPods are such a successful product that I expect Apple wouldn’t have changed the design unless they were sure they’d be just as comfortable as the last design. Nevertheless … yikes.
Make Yoink Your Shelf (Sponsor)
This week MacSparky is sponsored by Yoink (Website) (for Mac) (for iOS). Dragging and dropping files from one place to another is a common task, but it’s not that easy.
You have to click on the file you want to move, drag it over the destination of your choice and drop it there. This can be done if you’re lucky enough to land in just the right spot and you have just the right windows open next to each other. You also have to do this while looking at your monitor, which means that every time you are dragging something around, you are distracted from what else might be happening in front of your eyes. Moving files shouldn’t feel like defusing a bomb.
Yoink allows users to easily drag & drop items, getting files exactly where they belong, and without you having to have everything set “just right” in advance. They have a version for Mac, iPhone, and iPad and I use it daily. Everybody needs a shelf. Make your technology shelf Yoink.
There are several reasons I chose Yoink over its competitors. First, I like the design. It looks nice but also gets out of the way when I’m not using it. Second, Yoink has been around a while and it has both stability and a rich set of features. If you need a shelf app that won’t let you down, get Yoink.
Yoink’s developer also has two other useful apps, ScreenFloat (a screenshot utility) and Transloader (a download utility). You can get a bundle with all three apps in the App Store.