Pokémon Go

I realized what a square I’ve become when I kept mispronouncing Pokémon to my kids. So I decided to bone up and did so over at iMore. Serenity Caldwell has been killing it over there with Pokémon Go tutorials for several days. Next I’ll be giving my kids Pokémon tips and go from being a square to a weirdo (which is my usual role in their lives).

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MPU 330: I’m Not Familiar with Wookiepedia

This week’s Mac Power Users is up. It’s our monthly feedback show and we have lots of great content on subjects like MPU workflows on a PC, merging Apple IDs, cleaning up after being scammed, more iOS photography, and family tech support.

Sponsors include:

  • Igloo: An intranet you’ll actually like, free for up to 10 people.
  • Fujitsu ScanSnap ScanSnap Helps You Live a More Productive, Efficient, Paperless Life. 
  • Gazelle Sell your iPhone for cash at Gazelle! 
  • Sanebox Stop drowning in email!

Sponsor: OmniPlan

This week MacSparky is sponsored by OmniPlan. OmniPlan combines the simplicity and beauty that comes with all Omni Group apps with some serious planning power including features like Microsoft Project compatibility, Monte Carlo simulations, network diagrams, and earned value analysis. OmniPlan takes advantage of the Omni Group’s OmniPresence syncing service to make everything sync across to your Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

A lot of people are interested in OmniPlan but not sure how to get started. The Omni Group just released a series of videos called the “Project Planning 101” series. In it, they explain, in the context of world domination, how to easily set up your own project planning workflows. I’ve embedded the first in the series below. Thanks again OmniPlan for supporting MacSparky.
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Clockwise 144

This week I had the pleasure of joining Jason Snell, Dan Moren, and Georgia Dow on the Clockwise podcast. In 30 minutes we solved the world’s problems relating to email, virtual reality, two-factor authentication, and the privacy vs. services debate. Easy. Right?

ScanSnap Cloud

Fujitsu recently released the ScanSnap Cloud, a cloud-based service for ScanSnap users. The idea behind ScanSnap cloud is pretty clever. Your scanner connects to the Internet and sends all scans up to ScanSnap Cloud where they are then distributed to your cloud service of choice, like Dropbox, Box, One Drive, Evernote, and others. ScanSnap Cloud can figure out if your scan is a document, receipt, business card, or photo and then can follow your specific instructions based on the category of document. ScanSnap Cloud will also do some rudimentary OCR and, where it finds a date in the document, set the file name to match.

The net effect of this service is that it allows you to remove your scanner from your computer. You can put it anywhere in your house or office where it has access to Wi-Fi and your scanning works just fine. I’ve been using my ScanSnap iX500 in my laundry room with ScanSnap Cloud. Now I just scan the mail as it comes in the door. I can trash and recycle as appropriate right there and the paper never even makes it up the stairs to my home office. Getting the scanner off my desk frees up more space and having the scanner next to the recycle bin means I scan things immediately now, as opposed to the old system where I let it pile up until the weekend. Win-win.

They made a clever video, below.

Full disclosure: Fujitsu has been a long time sponsor of the Mac Power Users and I’ve been a long-time customer of their products.

Sponsor – Hoban Cards

This week MacSparky is sponsored by Hoban Cards and Stationery, where you can get quality letterpress calling cards and stationery that stand so far above the competition. There’s something special about the paper goods that roll off Hoban’s 1902 letterpress machine.

Recently, Hoban added several calligraphy calling card styles that look great. If you want to share the Hoban Letterpress love with your friends, they also now have an affiliate system.


Since Hoban Press first started advertising here at MacSparky, I’ve heard from many readers that love their Hoban Press cards and stationery. Every time I give one of my Hoban-pressed cards to a new client, they comment upon how nice they are. You too can set a great first example. Head over to Hoban Cards with this link to learn more.

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