Future Chips and Hardware

Intel recently announced its 2018/2019 CPU, called Icy Lake. AnandTech explains the new chip in detail. To summarize, Intel is putting the hammer down on making their chips smaller and faster. I’m sure Apple and other competing chip designers/manufacturers are taking note.

As I was growing up with computers, CPU improvements were all about speed. Computers didn’t change the way they looked so much as they got a lot faster … often. I can’t help but feel that as 10nm chips become “the thing”, the speed improvements will end up taking a back seat to the ways these new chips liberate hardware manufacturers to rethink the kinds of hardware we can put these small, fast chips in. Future chips are not about getting faster (although they will get faster) so much as they are about further evolving the idea of what a computer is. I can hardly wait.

Mac Power Users 391: Workflows with Artist Jason Kimes


The latest episode of Mac Power Users is live. Our guest, Jason Kimes, is an accomplished artist (and geek) who uses Apple technologies to plan and create his sculptures.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • Eero: Never think about WiFi again. Use code MPU for free overnight shipping.
  • Fracture: Bring your photos to life.
  • 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore.

Ulysses Moves to the Subscription Model


This week Ulysses moved to a subscription model. As Dr. Drang has already observed, this will lead to much gnashing of teeth and navel gazing concerning subscription pricing.

At this point I feel as if I’m over it. I use Ulysses every day. I’ve already signed up for the discounted pre-owner subscription and I’m back to work. If you don’t want Ulysses in your life, you should take a pass.

What you shouldn’t do is trash the app in review because you’re not happy with the business model. Here’s Ulysses’s rating as of a few minutes ago. This App deserves so much more than 2.5 stars.


While I’m on the subject of Ulysses, I should mention why I subscribed. I use the heck out of this app. It syncs great between iOS and Mac. I like the opinionated design. Of increasing importance to me, it works great with automation on iOS. For example, one of my tricks is that when I set up a new podcast project, Workflow (among other things) creates the skeleton text and links for me in Ulysses so when the show publishes, the post is already half written … by robots!

I’ve also moved all of my text-bank style text into Ulysses and out of Apple Notes. I like the organization in Ulysses better and in Ulysses I can even assemble different text snippets into a starting place for documents without too much effort.

In addition to Ulysses, Disney also announced this week that they are pulling their content out of Netflix to start their own service that will … of course … be a separate subscription. This subscription model is only getting bigger in the years to come.

Thoughts on the CMD-D Conference


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Yesterday I spent the day attending the CMD-D: Masters of Automation conference in San Jose.

It was a great deal of fun. The content covered both current scripting techniques along with several up-and-coming methods to automate your Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Highlights included:

  • Multiple talks from Sal Soghoian. My favorite was all about the new push at the Omni Group to implement JavaScript automation that works across all Apple devices and even from the web.
  • Many excellent speakers talking about all forms of automation on macOS and iOS.
  • Learning about the origins are of AppleScript from Jon Pugh, one of its original developers.
  • An automation shoot-out where several attendees took the stage to share their favorite automation workflows.

The content ran into the evening and capped off with a podcast recording among the various speakers talking about where automation currently stands and where it is going.

The entire experience was a good one for me. I feel like I have a better idea where automation technologies are headed and I learned a trick or two. Best of all, there was an overwhelming sense of love in the air. Attendees ranged from people with no experience (but a lot of enthusiasm) to automation veterans and the content was broad enough to offer something for everyone. The sense of community between everyone was awesome and reminded me of the old days at Macworld Expo.


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Free Agents 27: Bird in the Bush


One of the truly nice things about being self-employed is the ability to pursue a “passion project” without seeking the approval of others. Passion projects, however, can be a tricky thing. Both Jason and I believe they are important, but we also both believe they can be your undoing. This episode dives deep on the topic of passion projects and how to manage them.

This episode of Free Agents is sponsored by:

Timeline 3D Updates for iOS


I have always been a fan of the Timeline 3D application. I started using it on my Mac but later switched to iOS as the app went multi-platform. Timeline 3D is an engine to make quick, pretty timelines. I like the way the application makes it easy to add new events to your timeline, and I particularly like the way it renders a finalized timeline in three dimensions. This is a great trick if you give lots of presentations. While the application has been around a long time, it continues to get updated with the latest version going up last month.

They have also made some changes to the business model. The developer renamed the classic application Timeline 3D: Education Edition. That is a paid up-front version. If you already bought it, you’re fine. There is also a new Timeline 3D application that is free to download and uses in-app purchases to unlock all the exporting features. If you are new to Timeline 3D, this is the one to download. It lets you get your feet wet with no cost.



Get Control of Your Email with SaneBox (Sponsor)


This week MacSparky is sponsored by SaneBox, the email service that can make you the boss of your email. How are you doing with your inbox these days? Are you the boss of it, or is it the boss of you? For a lot of folks, email is a constant pain, and it doesn’t need to be. With SaneBox, you add a powerful set of email tools that can work in just about any email client. SaneBox allows you to:

  • Wake up everyday to find that the SaneBox robots have automatically sorted your incoming email for you so you can address the important and ignore the irrelevant. 
  • Defer email for hours, days, or weeks so it is out of your life until a more appropriate time.
  • Set secret reminders so if someone doesn’t reply to an important email, SaneBox gives you a nudge to follow up.
  • Automatically save attachments to the cloud (like Dropbox).
  • Use their SaneForward service to automatically send appropriate emails to services such as Evernote, Expensify, and Kayak.
  • Move unwanted email to the SaneBlackHole and never see anything from that person again.

The list goes on. Why not straighten out your email today? I’ve been a paying subscriber for years and can’t imagine getting by without it. If you sign up with this link, you even get a discount off your subscription.

ScreenFlow Updates to Version 7.0


The best screencasting application for Mac, ScreenFlow, recently released version 7.0. There are several new features in this update including:

UI Input

The user interface has some updates and a new dark theme.

Custom Key Mapping

Amen.

30 and 60 FPS

You can now bump it up to 60 fps.

Play in Reverse

This is a feature I’ve needed several times over the years and glad to see it’s now in.

Text Animation Effects

Choose from a handful of built-in animation effects for all of your text boxes.

Better Audio

This follows up with audio improvements in version 6. You can now edit mp4 files. There are better mixing tools and support for Apple Audio Units.

Touch Bar Support

The new MacBook Pro Touch Bar now works with ScreenFlow.

ScreenFlow is an essential tool if you have any interest in screencasting. Buy it new at $129. Upgrade for just $39 if you purchased a prior version. If you purchased it in the Mac App Store, Telestream has a mechanism to help you upgrade.

 

Home Screens – Sal Soghoian


This week I’ll be up in San Jose speaking at the CMD-D: Masters of Automation conference. The reason this remarkable conference is happening at all is because of the hard work of Sal Soghoian (website), former head of automation at Apple. The conference is all about automating the Mac and iOS and tickets are still available. Now that Sal is no longer with the giant fruit company, I asked him to share his home screen and he agreed. So Sal, show us your home screen.


First, Sal’s Thoughts on Privacy

I should probably preface my answers by stating that my view of cell-phones is a little “outside of average.” I am quite aware that cell phones are potential personal tracking devices to be used carefully, maybe a little apprehensively, for the convenience of communication. That means, I don’t use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, video streams, etc. So my answers probably seem very “tinfoil“ — LOL! 

Generally, I try to avoid using the phone except for necessary encrypted conversation or messaging. My ideal phone setup would be one that could be erased at any time, with a minimum of resulting hassle. (Still working on keeping email off the phone.) I also carry a Faraday pouch for when I enter stores or public places where customer tracking of phones is an accepted practice.

That said, even though my phone setup is quite customized for my particular view of how the technology should serve me, I think the phone and watch are an amazing communications duo. 

What are some of your favorite apps?

“The Essentials:” ExpressVPN, Signal, Workflow, and NOAA Radar. Using Signal for messaging and ExpressVPN together is like “wearing clothes.” Fast, secure, and as easy as throwing on jeans and a shirt; why would anyone run around naked? Workflow eliminates much of the one-finger-tap-at-a-time business. NOAA Radar is info packed and very cool.

Which app is your guilty pleasure?

Solitaire. Playing solitaire is calming, focused and rewarding. The one I picked is from MobilityWare. 

My wife sometimes looks at me and doesn’t say it, but I know she’s thinking, “hey, instead of sitting there putting those cards away, how about your socks?” So, it really is a guilty pleasure. But I deserve it.

What app makes you most productive?

My particular view of how the technology should serve me includes the phone and watch in the roles of ‘an amazing communications duo.’ Thus, my use of the phone is all about communication, which makes productivity on the phone all about Signal.

What app do you know you’re underutilizing?

Generally, the apps I have on the phone suit my purposes for the device. Since my phone is a 5SE with the smallest screen Apple sells, my essential productivity apps, like OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner live on my Mac and iPad Pro.

What is the app you are still missing?

Not sure, I pretty happy with my setup.

How many times a day do you use your iPhone/iPad?

If you count reading news, then all the time. First thing in the morning I read the local paper in the way it lands on my driveway. By the middle of breakfast, I’ve moved over to the NYTimes and Washington Post on the phone, until the first phone call comes in. And so it goes…

What Today View widgets are you using and why?

I don’t use widgets, Siri, or use the phone for scheduling purposes. I do get banking notifications. It’s another example of aligning the technology for communications, in this case from the bank.

What is your favorite feature of the iPhone/iPad?

Apple’s dedication to securing customers’ personal information. By far, the trust placed in Apple to secure personal information means more than money. Thankfully, Apple shares the belief, and Tim Cook beautifully stated it as “Privacy is a fundamental human right.”

If you were in charge at Apple, what would you add or change?

Two things:

1) Add a “panic print” — a designated fingerprint that would erase the device immediately upon contact — no confirmation required.

2) Implement a system-wide user-automation scripting language similar to AppleScript on macOS. Magic ensues!

What’s on Your Apple Watch?


My Apple Watch has no 3rd-party apps or complications and is set to Micky Mouse. The watch’s main function is to alert me to messages and incoming Signal sessions.

What’s your wallpaper and why?

A picture of myself so that it is easy to identify which phone in the house is mine.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Thank you for being such a great friend of the Apple Automation community!

My Pleasure. Thanks Sal!

 

MPU 390: Tagging with Terpstra


It’s been a long time since we dove deep on tagging on the Mac Power Users. On this week’s episode, we invited our favorite tagger, Brett Terpstra, back to the show to talk about how far tagging has come from macOS and iOS and scratch our heads a bit about why it’s not a bigger deal. We also share our favorite tools, workflows, and ideas for implementing a tagging system.

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