PowerPhotos 1.7 Update



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I’m hard at work on the new Photos Field Guide but wanted to share one bit that I’ll be covering concerning PowerPhotos. This Mac app solves a bunch of problems for Apple Photos power users. They recently released an update to version 1.7 that adds Catalina support and adds some new features, my favorite of which is the ability to preserve reversible edits when copying photos between libraries. Also, loading libraries into PowerPhotos is now much faster.

This is a free update to previous owners. If you find yourself banging your head into Apple Photos’ limitations, particularly concerning library management, you’ll want to check out PowerPhotos.

“Sounds Like a Bug”

There is a story developing today around the Facebook iOS Application. Web Designer Joshua Maddox reports reports via Twitter discovering the Facebook app was turning on the camera with no indication to the user. Maddox reports duplicating the bug on multiple devices. Third parties are now reporting the ability to at least partially replicate the bug.

Facebook’s VP of integrity replied to Maddox, “sounds like a bug.” No shit. I’m sure I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about Facebook, but how do they continue to under-react to privacy problems with their platform? Also, if this bug does exist, how does it exist? What were they trying to do that could possibly trigger turning on the camera?

Hopefully this, whatever it is, gets fixed soon. In the meantime, if you have Facebook installed on your iPhone, go to Settings > Privacy > Camera and turn off Facebook access for your camera. While you are at it, consider whether you even want the Facebook app on your phone. I know several people that use Facebook exclusively in the browser to avoid problems like this.

A Hypothetical Multi-Camera iPad Pro

Bloomberg, which normally does a pretty good job covering Apple plans since they hired Mark Gurman, is reporting several new products in the future including AR and VR glasses in several years. The more immediate prediction, however, is new iPads Pro in early 2020 featuring multiple cameras and a 3D system. I have to admit the idea of these improvements gets a yawn from me. I know Apple is working hard at AR and VR and it makes sense for these technologies to find their way onto the iPad. I’ll also grant you that I don’t see the iPad as particularly wanting on the hardware side (although I wouldn’t argue with a second USB-C port).

I also get that hardware is different from software but in the case of the iPad those two are hard to separate because they are so far apart. The iPad hardware is so refined that in order to make it better, they’re now going to the cameras, while the software, despite iOS 13, still has a lot of unpicked low hanging fruit. I sincerely hope that the big story on iPad in 2020 will be that the software is catching up to the remarkable hardware.

The 2020 Focused Wall Calendar



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As the end of the year approaches, the Focused podcast partnered with the NeuYear calendar company to create a custom 2020 Focused wall calendar. I’m thrilled with the way this came out, and I can’t wait to hang it on my wall. We intentionally priced this low ($29, including shipping to most places in the US) so people could get these on their walls.

I like the idea of a year calendar on the wall. Not only does it help you plan, but it also gives you something to look at before you say “yes” to any significant commitments. Indeed, that is one of my rules. No “yes” until I see how it looks on the wall calendar. We talk about this at length on a recent Focused episode, but if you’re interested in the calendar, get it now.

Mac Power Users 509: Brent Simmons, Man of Many Hats



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Stephen and I are joined by Brent Simmons on episode 509 of Mac Power Users. Brent works in marketing at The Omni Group and we talk about the tools of the trade, including social media and content creation, before shifting gears to discuss Brent’s RSS reader, NetNewsWire and where the Mac could be heading.

  • 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.

  • Linode: High performance SSD Linux servers for all of your infrastructure needs. Get a $20 credit.

  • Direct Mail: Create and send great looking email newsletters with Direct Mail, an easy-to-use email marketing app designed exclusively for the Mac.

Automators 36: Sal SOghoian’s Control Panel



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The latest Automators episode is up. While in San Francisco for the Relay event a few months ago, I spent some time with Sal Soghoian. He showed me a really clever new automation trick he is doing that combines an iPad, a Luna Display module, and his Mac combined with some cool automations and AppleScripts. I told him at the time, “As soon as you are ready to share this, I want to get you on Automators.” Well, now this cool automation lives and Sal explains the whole thing in this episode. Don’t miss it.

OmniFocus To the Rescue (Sponsor)



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This week MacSparky is sponsored by the Omni Group and their latest version of OmniFocus for the iPhone and iPad, OmniFocus 3. It’s so appropriate that OmniFocus is sponsoring this week because I have been running around like a crazy man between the two jobs this week. Many podcast recordings. Many legal irons in the fire. I am not going crazy, however. That is because of OmniFocus and the way it helps me hold things together. OmniFocus is the task manager that keeps on giving. Just a few of the OmniFocus Features:

  • Tags! Make them for people, energy level, priority, location, or whatever floats your boat.

  • The Forecast view now shows your tasks and calendar events in order, so you can better see what’s coming up in your day and adjust if needed.

  • Enhanced repeating tasks are easier than ever to set up and they work with real-world examples, such as the first weekday of the month.

  • Batch editing has been brought over from the Mac, and it lets you set due dates, tags, and other data for multiple tasks all at once.

  • Flexible inspectors now allow you to show only the features you use and reorder them, so your favorites are where you want them.

There is a bunch more. Just try it for yourself. Also, did you know that the Omni Group has world-class support? If you need help, they even have an 800 number. To learn more, head over to the OmniFocus website and get started.

Hazel is Catalina Ready and Discount on Hazel Field Guide

When Catalina first released, there were a few tricky problems for Hazel. Those are all resolved now and version 4.4 is out fully and updated for Catalina. I’ve been running it for a while and have no problems. I have heard from several listeners that were holding off on their Catalina update until Hazel was ready. Now it is. For version 4 owners, this is a free update. To celebrate, I am putting the Hazel Field Guide on sale for a week. Use code HAZELLOVESCATALINA to get five dollars off.