2020 Relay Membership Shows

All of my Relay.FM shows have now posted their membership shows. If you are supporting any of the Relay.fm podcasts, you should have access to this feed. The bonus shows this year were a lot of fun.

Windows Power Users

Stephen and I used Windows for a week and reported in on the bonus MPU episode.

Working for the Mouse

Both Rosemary and I worked for Disney. In this episode, we share the stories of how we got the gigs and fun things that happened to us during our time with the mouse. We also talk about the two kinds of former Disney employees.

Focused on Pens

Mike Schmitz has gone nuts with fancy pens. We made our own inferior version of the Pen Addict, where I shared my fancy pens, and Mike shared, and shared, and shared his.

Time Tracking + Automation = Productivity with the Timing App (Sponsor)


full_usage_demo.gif

This week MacSparky is sponsored by Timing  a Mac app that keeps granular track of your time without relying on you to keep pressing buttons like those guys on Lost. Instead, Timing automatically tracks which apps, documents and websites you use — without start/stop timers. It then intelligently sorts that for you, assembling a beautiful time-tracking report.

You can point it at your calendar to help Timing figure out what you were working on so if you are a time blocker like me, you are already ahead, again automatically. Timing also can sync data between multiple Macs and even gives you a web view of your data. And if you are away from your Mac, Timing has a web app to track time from anywhere.

The Timing team is even adding team support so members can share projects across an entire team. If you are interested contact Timing’s developer for more details.

I’m a fan of timing. There is no better way to get accurate time reports of what you are doing on your Mac. Go download the free 14-day trial today and get 10% off for the first year!

Shortcuts Field Guide Update, Discount, and Free Shortcuts Webinar



Shortcuts Field Guide Cover.jpg


Are you ready for iOS 14? Because it is coming today. I have to admit when I got my popcorn for yesterday’s Apple event, I didn’t expect Tim to announce they are releasing iOS 14 the next day. Regardless, I’ve been working on an updated to the Shortcuts Field Guide and I’m pleased to announce it is already published.

I’ve added 16 videos and 48+ minutes of new content all about iOS 14 features. If you purchased last year’s Shortcuts Field Guide, this is a free update to that. Just log in to your course and the new material is already there. If you’d like to get onboard with the Shortcuts Field Guide, I’m discounting the price by $5 for a short time to celebrate the iOS 14 launch and Shortcuts Field Guide Update. Just go to the Shortcuts Field Guide Webpage and the price is discounted for a short time. Everything is downloadable and I’ve got the iOS 14 materials both integrated into the course, and collected together so no matter how you want to learn it, I’ve got you covered.

Also, on October 1, I’m putting on a free webinar where I’ll be going over all the big changes to Shortcuts with iOS 14. If you sign up but don’t make it to the webinar, you’ll still get a link to the video replay. I’ll, hopefully, see you at the Shortcuts Webinar.

Mac Power Users 553: Sparky’s Wrong … Again



Mac Power Users Artwork.png


It’s a Mac Power Users feedback episode! Stephen and I talk more about HomeKit, Dropbox, photo management, and much, much more.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Hover: Make a name for yourself. Get 10% off any domain name.

  • MarsEdit: Powerful web publishing from your Mac. Get 20% off.

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

  • 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.

The Apple September 15 Event

On Tuesday, Apple is having its first of an expected several events over the next few months. Announcements expected over this time are:

  • New Watches on September 15

  • New iPad Air on September 15

After that, there are iPhones, Apple Silicon Macs, a supposed Tile competitor, and who-knows-what else, which should arrive starting in October.

As to the new Apple Watch, 9to5 Mac did some sleuthing and found code related to blood-oxygen level sensors. I’m glad to see Apple continue with yearly updates to the Apple Watch. When you compare what they started with to what we’re going to get on Tuesday, they’ve come a long way.

It also looks like we are getting close to the iOS 14 release. We’ll learn a lot on Tuesday.

Automators 58: Automating with TJ Luoma



Automators Artwork.jpg


TJ Luoma joins Rosemary and me on this episode of Automators to talk about some of his favorite automations and all of the crazy things he is doing with his Stream Deck.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander, from Smile: Unlock your productivity with TextExpander. Get 20% off with your first year.

  • ExpressVPN: High-speed, secure, and anonymous VPN service. Get an extra three months free.

  • Mint Mobile: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month.

IFTTT Pro


For years now, many of us have had a standing “Yeah, but” for IFTTT. It’s an excellent service that reliably connects things on the Internet for simple automation. BUT, it has never embraced the complexity that you start looking for about 10 minutes after you first try the service. I’ve lamented the lack of conditional logic and triggers for multiple events so many times. I’ve stated on the blog and podcasts numerous times that if only they give me more complex tools, I’d gladly pay for the service. This week IFTTT called my bluff.

IFTTT Pro has now launched with all the features I’ve been pining for:

  • Multi-step Applets

  • Queries and conditional logic

  • Multiple actions

  • Faster Applet execution

If you buy in during the next four weeks, you can even set your own price. I’m now an official IFTTT Pro subscriber, and I’ve got time blocked to play with these new tools. Expect more on this to come, but if you are interested, I recommend subscribing in the next month to get it at a price that makes sense to you.

Upgrade Any Email App with SaneBox (Sponsor)



IMG_0149.jpeg


This week MacSparky is sponsored by SaneBox, the email service I use every day to manage my email. SaneBox acts as your email assistant, sorting your inbox for you, so you only see the most important emails with less important email getting relegated to other mailboxes for later.

The best part is that it can work with just about any domain, email service, or email app. All of those great SaneBox features, like inbox sorting, snoozing, the black hole, and reminders when folks don’t reply to essential emails are yours without trapping yourself in a proprietary app. That’s why companies like eBay, Coca-Cola, Adidas, and LinkedIn are all using SaneBox.

SaneBox serves as a set of power tools for email, and you can have it today without switching providers or mail applications. If you’d like to become the boss of your email, go sign up for a free SaneBox trial today to get a significant discount when you sign up.