Apple Watch and Bold Text


A few weeks ago I guested on The Talk Show and John Gruber and I talked about everyone’s favorite new gadget. John made the comment that he turned on Bold Text in the Brightness and Text Size setting. This is a strange setting and requires you to reboot the watch to take effect. During the show, I went ahead and switched it on and have kept it that way since. I don’t have much to add to what John said during the show except an endorsement. With Bold Text turned on, complications are easier to read and look better and in most other views text is also easier to read but doesn’t usually look better. 

TextExpander for Mac Version 5

Today Smile Released TextExpander for Mac, Version 5. The new version has some great new features including the ability to recognize frequently typed phrases and offer to create new snippets for you, remind you when you type a phrase for which you already have a snippet, improvements to fill-in snippets, iCloud sync, and Java Script support. I did a whole series of videos on the new version and they came out great. There are 10 videos in total and they really give you the soup-to-nuts training in TextExpander. If you are already a pro, just watch the “What’s New” video below.

App Camp For Girls Funding Campaign and Matching Funds Offer


I am so proud of my friend Jean MacDonald (Twitter). She left her business and took an enormous risk to start App Camp for Girls. Jean is truly making a dent in the universe.

I am also particularly proud of the role Mac Power Users listeners and MacSparky readers have played thus far in App Camp for Girls’ success. Not only have you provided financial support, several of you have also donated your time and expertise. It actually makes my heart swell.

Today App Camp for Girls has started a new public funding campaign. The funding goal is $100,000. These funds will be used to bring the program to more girls and more locations. Just as important, success there will convince corporate sponsors that App Camp is for real and help win even more corporate sponsorships.

Matching Funds!

Katie and I feel strongly about this. So much so that we’ve agreed to personally match funds contributed to App Camp for Girls by Mac Power Users listeners up to the first $1,000. Nothing would make me happier than writing a big check. So why don’t you help me out with that?

To participate:

1. Donate to the App Camp Indiegogo campaign as you normally would, including choosing from one of the available perks.

2. Email a copy of your donation receipt (feel free to redact any personal information but leave the amount) to feedback@macpowerusers.com with the words “AppCamp 3.0” (no quotes) in the subject line.

3. Katie and I will jointly match MPU listener donations up to $1,000.


Jean MacDonald will be our guest on Mac Power Users in early June to give us an update on her progress and talk about how she used technology to get a non-profit up and running. I’m hopeful we’ll also be able to announce we’ve raised enough money to sponsor a Mac Power Users team at App Camp for Girls this summer.

Setting the OmniFocus Default Start Time

One nice benefit of no longer working for the man is that I have a lot more control over my schedule. It has been a surprise to me that I find myself often working late into the night. In my former life, I had always been an early riser but in this new iteration of me, it sometimes makes more sense to do my work later in the day.

One consequence of this is that every day at midnight my OmniFocus database fills up with tasks previously set for the next day. I don’t want to see all those tasks. If I’m looking at OmniFocus at midnight it’s because I’m still working on stuff from the prior day. Fortunately, OmniFocus has a setting for that on the Mac app in the preferences pane.


Interestingly, there is no similar setting on the iPhone and iPad but if you change a setting on the Mac, when you synchronize the database the iPhone and iPad will also start setting start times consistent with the new Mac default.

The Hockenberry Flip


Craig Hockenberry is the first person that I saw point out the ability to switch your Apple Watch to put the digital crown on the elbow side and he makes a pretty good case for it. Ergonomically, it’s definitely better. Also, with the digital crown on the hand side of the watch, I was occasionally activating Siri when I’d bend my wrist in too far and press on the crown. I’ve only been trying the Hockenberry flip for a day but I think I may just keep it like this.

∞

Jazz Friday: Alice in Wonderland by Dave Brubeck




Today is Disneyland’s 60th birthday so I though I’d pick a Disney-related jazz track. One of my favorites is Alice in Wonderland, by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. This track is on an album full of Disney tunes called Dave Digs Disney from 1957. The Dave Brubeck quartet was one of the pioneers of the West Coast Jazz movement and is one of the most distinctive in jazz with Paul Desmond’s lilting melodies on Alto Sax and Dave Brubeck’s harmonics on Piano. Alice in Wonderland delivers on all counts.

Home Screens: MacSparky in 2015

This week I thought I’d feature my own home screen. So here you go.


Some Apps of Note

Apple Maps

I know Apple Maps is the whipping boy but it’s got a lot better over the last few years. It’s no longer “Apple Maps Bad”. Also, I like using Siri with Maps. (“Hey Siri, Get directions home.”)

 Tweetbot

My love of Tweetbot on iPhone just barely exceeds my disdain for the iPad version. I’ve been using it for years and occasionally look for something new and I always come back.

Slack

I’ve just recently started participating in some Slack channels and I’m hooked. The Slack app keeps evolving and that’s a good thing.

Instagram

This app on my home screen is aspirational. I’ve never been much of an Instagram user but am trying again. (I’m “MacSparky” on Instagram if you’re interested.)

The Audio Row

Music, Overcast, Beats, and Sonos for my audio needs. I’m hooked on Overcast for podcasts. Before Apple bought Beats, they had a promotional price through AT&T. I tried it and it stuck. I have a lot of great playlists and like the way it works so easily with the Sonos at home.

The Productivity Row

I’ve written about MindNode, OmniOutliner, Editorial, and Soulver at length. I’d just add that I find it surprising how often I work on mind maps and outlines on my iPhone.

Unread

RSS feeds are my guilty pleasure. I read through feeds every day and for awhile now, I’ve been doing it in Unread.

Pocket

I’ve been using Pocket as my read-it-later service for a few years and am getting ready to embark on an Instapaper experiment but for now Pocket is still on my home screen.

1Password

1Password is a great password management tool but it also has the ability to store secure notes behind a separate wall on my phone. I use those all the time.

Photos

I guess there’s no secret that I really like the new Photos. Now it’s on my home screen.

Fantastical

Fantastical really pushes all my buttons as an iOS calendar application. The list view of data connects with my brain and new event entry is also a breeze.

OmniFocus

My precious.

Workflow

I also really like having Workflow on my iPhone. Are you keeping up with the updates to Workflow? You should.

Drafts

There is no faster way to get words from my brain to my phone than Drafts.

After all these years, I still love my iPhone. It is probably my most important piece of technology. 


Want to See my Apple Watch Face?

Here you go. I’m definitely a “Utility” man. I keep turning the numbers on the face on and off. (Currently off.) I’ve tried several other faces and none of them have stuck. For complications I’m using fitness, weather, and next event.