Exiting Basecamp (Sort of)

A few years ago, I was looking to solve a problem that, in hindsight, didn’t need solving. Specifically, I wanted to have a system in place for legal clients to have easy access to their digital documents. After some research and trials (why are nearly all legal-focused software/services terrible?), I ended up choosing Basecamp.

I have read several books by Basecamp’s founders, and I believed (and continue to believe) in the company. So I spent time and money making the transition of many legal files into a Basecamp install and spent client attention getting them into the system. This was no small investment for me. Basecamp costs $1,000 per year. Moreover, it is a web service and not particularly automation friendly. I figured out work-arounds, but my traditional bag of tricks did not work, and everything I did in relation to my legal files took … just … a … little … longer.

OmniFocus recently reminded me that I am a few months away from my annual Basecamp renewal, so I spent some time looking into my usage. In doing so, I realized that only 3% of my clients were using it as I envisioned. I spoke with a few clients about this, and one explained to me, “Dave, I’m paying you for a service. Don’t make me learn software to do so.”

In short, my Basecamp experiment crashed and burned. So over the last few months, I have been pulling my legal data out of Basecamp, and I am now sorting out a more traditional, local file system for that data. There were other benefits available on Basecamp that I will miss, specifically the ability to easily combine documents, notes, email, and other data on a per-transaction basis. So now I am neck-deep in JavaScript and creating tools in Drafts, Hazel, Keyboard Maestro, Shortcuts, and all the other bits to replicate those features locally. It’s all working out, and it probably would not surprise you to learn that I am enjoying building out the new automation.

There is, however, a plot twist. The purpose of the Basecamp experiment was to solve a perceived problem with the law practice, but since I had the account, I also started using it for administration of the MacSparky bits. My virtual assistant liked Basecamp and, from the beginning, it was a very convenient place for us to work together. I spent some time looking at other collaboration tools and none of them are particularly appealing. So while I am going shut down my paid account, I will remain in Basecamp with a free personal account, limited to three projects. That is plenty for us to keep things rolling at MacSparky.

Plan on future posts here about automation and file management since now I am neck-deep in it.

The iMac Update

Apple released an update to the iMac today. I’d rate this one as “slightly more” than a speed bump.

  • The processors are now 10th generation Intel CPU’s for all models.

  • Spinning drives are gone … almost. There is no model sold solely with a spinning drive. The low end is a 256GB SSD. Although the Fusion drive still lives.

  • The FaceTime camera is upgraded to the same 1080p camera in the iMac Pro. I’ve shot video for some of the Field Guides with that camera. It’s a nice upgrade, particularly during these strange times.

  • The iMac now has the T2 chip. Hooray.

  • You can spec the RAM up to 128GB and the storage up to 8TB (for just an additional $2,400.00).

Overall, a nice update. It’s nice to see Apple giving spec-bump updates to its hardware. That said, there are lots of rumors about a redesign of the iMac in the pipeline. I’m guessing that will arrive with the first Silicon iMacs. IF it is going to be a touch screen, wouldn’t it be cool if they put it on a hinge like the Microsoft Surface Studio?

If you need a new iMac, these look great. If you can wait, I can’t help but think things will get interesting later on.

Time Saved. Time Lost.

I have been thinking about how the coronavirus pandemic has changed my life. There are lots of big and small ways. Have you thought about how the pandemic has changed time for you?

There were things you used to spend your time on, but where are you now saving time? That long commute is on hiatus. The drop-in visitors to your office to “shoot the breeze” is much less likely. If you think about it, there are lots of ways you may be saving time now that you weren’t before.

On the flip side, what are the new time sucks in your life? These days “Zoom Meeting” is becoming just as dirty of a phrase as “Powerpoint Presentation” was before all this madness started. 

Everyone has their own accounting of time gained and time lost over the past several months, but if you’re not aware of your own, you should be. A half-hour commute to work equates to five found hours per week, 20 hours per month, 240 hours over a year. That’s six weeks in your pocket. You could do a lot with that time. The question is whether you will recognize you have it and what you will do with it.

Apple News: Jazz

Recently I set up a “Jazz” feed in Apple News. Checking in on it tonight, here’s the score:



8 Articles

1 About Covid

3 About the Utah Jazz Basketball team

1 About movie soundtracks

1 About R&B

2 Articles about jazz music.

Ugh.

Mac Power Users 547: Of a Certain Age, with Jim Metzendorf



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On the latest episode of Mac Power Users, Jim Metzendorf, the editor of Mac Power Users, talks to Stephen and me about his background in audio and photography, and how the gear and workflows have changed in those fields over the years.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

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

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

  • The Intrazone by Microsoft SharePoint: Your bi-weekly conversation and interview podcast hosted by the SharePoint team.

  • 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 TikTok War

In light of current events, I’ve been paying more attention to TikTok lately. By “paying attention”, I mean I’ve been watching the nightly batch of puppy TikToks that my daughters have lovingly curated for me.

So from this perspective, I didn’t understand what the big deal was with TikTok and why folks are talking about banning it in the United States. It turns out the issue is much more complicated than puppy videos. If you’d like to get up to speed, Ben Thompson summarizes and adds some insight.

Automators 55: Drafts with Agile Tortoise



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In this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I are joined by Greg Pierce of Agile Tortoise to talk about Drafts and how they’re using it and text-based automations to improve their lives with everything from dinner alerts to complex project templates.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

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

  • DEVONthink: Get organized—unleash your creativity. Use this link for 10% off.

In Praise of the Moshi iVisor iPad Screen Protector



I have never been a fan of screen protectors. Apple devices are beautiful. Screen protectors are not. However, all of my tech friends have been bragging about the Moshi iVisor screen protector for the iPad, so a few months ago I bought one and installed it on my iPad. I did that skeptically. I kept the packaging. I fully expected to hate it.

I don’t.

For thirty bucks, the iVisor turns your glossy iPad into into a matte screen iPad. It removes, nearly entirely, the accumulation of screen smudges and dramatically improves the Apple Pencil experience, which will be an even a bigger deal with iOS 14.

The manufacturer claims I can remove, wash, and re-apply it, but, despite heavy use, it still looks the same as the day I installed it. The product comes with a 10-year warranty, which is kind of ridiculous considering the life-span of an iPad.

This isn’t for everyone. It changes the look and feel of your iPad. But if you use the pencil a lot, hate smudges, and wouldn’t mine a matte (instead of glossy) screen, I give the Moshi iVisor two thumbs up.

Do iPhone Delays Equal iOS 14 Delays?

There have been a lot of rumors about delays with the new iPhones this year, most recently from Qualcomm. If there was ever a year for Apple to get a pass on shipping the iPhone promptly in September, it’s this one.

The question that occurs to me, however, is if there is a delay in hardware, will that also result in a delay in software? In years past, Apple has released the iOS update shortly before the release of new hardware. When I say “shortly,” I’m talking days, not weeks. If the rumors are correct, we are looking at a delay in shipping the new iPhone of a month or possibly more. I can’t help wonder if that will mean a delay in shipping iOS 14 and iPad OS 14 too. If I had to place a bet, I would say they will.

Technically, there’s no reason not to release it early. Throughout the beta period, a lot of us have been running iOS 14 on older generation hardware, and there is no reason technically why they couldn’t just let the older phones have the update a month early.

But there are several good arguments against this. First, over the last few years Apple has had some pretty rocky iOS launches. Why not take an extra month to add some extra spit and polish so that the released version is all the more stable? Second, I always feel like I get a new phone when I install a new operating system. I’m sure for many people who would consider buying the new phone, after spending a month with iOS 14, they may not be as inclined to buy a new phone when it eventually arrives. Lastly, every year Apple holds a bunch of code out of its beta versions of the new operating system. The final version includes additional references, code, and sometimes even apps specific to the new iPhone. If they release the final version, I guarantee you that smart folks all over the planet will take it apart and figure out even more details of the new iPhone before Apple wants you to hear about them.

While Apple may release iOS 14 much earlier than the new phones, I would be surprised if they do.

How Much News Is Too Much News?

I have always prided myself on being someone who does not need to delete apps. You know, someone who deletes Twitter or Instagram every few months so they can avoid getting lost in that and instead focus on creating something. I am lucky enough that I can put limits on those things—or at least I thought I could. It turns out that the news can be my undoing.

The year 2020 has been a doozy. Getting lost in the news is a lot easier this year than in years past, and I am spending too much time on it. Keeping informed is good. Reading different versions of the same story repeatedly is nothing more than a fancy bit of procrastination. When I was growing up, the news was contained for us. It came on in the evening and lasted about 30 minutes. With 24-hour news channels and so many websites, now the news can get crammed down your throat like Homer Simpson’s donuts. This is bad for several reasons:

  • It takes a lot of time. I need to make a living and support my family. Excessive time with the news gets in the way of that.

  • It closes my mind. With the way modern algorithms work, once I read one story, the computers decide what kind of news I like and try to feed me more of that. The longer I go, the more biased and extreme the feed gets.

  • It wipes me out. This year. This year. Do I need to explain how reading too much news drains me of the will and energy to do anything productive?

So, I am taking steps. I am rerunning my timers, this time with the idea of putting a 30-minute box around the news every day. Once I hit 30 minutes, I am done. Rather than get lost in the news, I would rather use that time for something else. Maybe I can spend a bit of it trying to make things better.