I’ve been fiddling with If This Then That (IFTTT)’s new iPhone app and I like it. They just didn’t bring the web experience to an app but added some functionality including the ability to link to some of your iCloud data and notify you as rules engage. Katie and I did a Mac Power Users on web automation and talked about IFTTT at some length. I continue to use this service and iOS access makes it even better. For a big launch day review, look no further than MacStories. (What did we do for big launch day reviews before Federico came around?)
MPU 145: Keyboard Maestro Turns 6
In the latest episode of MPU, Katie and I go back and look at Keyboard Maestro, which is growing a big place in my heart following some of its recent updates. If you’ve ever been curious about Keyboard Maestro, this one’s for you.
Self-inflicted Wounds
Aisha Tyler was simply one of the best workflow guests we ever had on MPU. Her new book, Self-inflicted Wounds, is releasing tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to reading it. In it, she talks about many of her own mistakes and embarrassing moments. I’m pretty sure none of them could be more embarrassing than when 16 year old me had my first “professional” music gig and performed in front of 300 people with my zipper down but we’ll see.
Marbles
There is this ongoing thing on Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin’s Back to Work podcast where one of the hosts (usually Merlin) explains how the listeners hate it when they talk about their kids and then they proceed to talk about their kids for forty-five minutes. It is one of the endearing things I love about the show and, as a parent myself, I always find these talks interesting.
As parents we are always wondering about our children. In this case by “wondering”, I really mean “worrying”. My oldest daughter, Samantha, can drive now. I sometimes watch her little purple dot on Find my Friends and wonder/worry that someone driving near her is drunk or texting and about to crash into her. I also watch my daughters make new friends and wonder/worry about what kind of people they are. When the bullets are flying, will they fiercely defend my daughters or will they stab them in the back? There is just so much I can’t control.
There is also another kind of worry/wonder that is more guilt-inducing. Did I spend enough time with them growing up? Did I spend too much time hovering? Did I give them enough freedom? Did I teach them enough self control? There are an infinite number of ways to screw up my kids and I’m sure that over the years I’ve blown it plenty. This wonder/worry feels to me a bit self-indulgent though. We all make mistakes and I truly believe that if I keep instilling confidence and compassion in my children, they’ll even survive my parental incompetence.
In this context, Merlin started talking about marbles in Back to Work Episode 126. Merlin mournfully equated Saturdays with his daughter Eleanor before she heads off to Kindergarten to a jar of marbles. For Merlin, that jar is rapidly approaching empty. Once your kid starts Kindergarten, milestones start dropping like flies. Trust me. I know.
I’ve been fretting over something similar lately with Samantha, who is about to start her senior year of high school and after that college and after that the world at large. How did this happen? It feels like yesterday…Yesterday!… that I had her strapped to my back while working in the back yard. Now she is a creative, smart, driven woman.
I’ve been wrestling with this problem for several months and Merlin’s dive into marbles really helped sort me out. It occurs to me that our angst on this issue is misplaced. When it comes to your kids, there isn’t an arbitrary number of marbles representing how long you’ll have before they move on and leave you to get old and drool on yourself.
The bucket refills.
Maybe Merlin and Eleanor’s toddler marble jar will empty soon but then the elementary school jar fills up to the top. Their relationship will evolve and they’ll face new challenges together. I repeat. Together. And then as Eleanor moves on to Junior High School one day, he’ll get another pile of marbles and he and Eleanor will share another rich relationship together.
For my Samantha, I can already see the bottom of her childhood jar and on a certain level that is terrifying for me. (Not her.) However, in our evolving relationship, I can also see the approaching bag of our adult relationship marbles and you know what? They look pretty good to me.
Apple’s App Giveaway
Apple is celebrating five years of the App Store by giving away some really great apps including my beloved Day One. A few of the other free apps include the Barefoot World Atlas, How to Cook Everything (with over 2,000 recipes), and one of my favorite games Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery EP. To get in on this, open iTunes on your nearest iThingy and start downloading.
Fireworks Photography
Just in case you are going to be near some fireworks tonight and want to take pictures, get yourself a tripod and a camera that can keep the lens open to catch all that light. Everyone on Twitter points to Slow Shutter as a way to pull this off with your iPhone. I wrote a few years back about how I like to do this with sparklers. If you want a soup to nuts explanation, read this tutorial at Digital Photography School.
World Domination Summit
My wife and I have had a lot of fun telling our friends and family that we are attending the World Domination Summit together. When they get that look on their face, we make no explanation and move on to the next subject. In truth, I’m not sure what to expect from the World Domination Summit but a lot of people I really respect say it’s a great experience so I’m attending. I’m not speaking. I’m just hanging out in Portland starting Friday. If you are attending WDS, won’t you please say hello?
4,100 Mac Lawyers
Six years ago Ben Stevens created the Macs in Law Offices (MILO) forum. There are a lot of great lawyer jokes and many of them are well deserved but Mac Lawyers are a different breed. Ben’s little forum has now swollen to 4,100 members. If you are a legal professional and interested in using Apple technologies, this is the place for you.
iPad for Photographers, Second Edition
You may have heard of Jeff Carlson before. He’s written several technology books and is a true gentleman. (Jeff even did a home screen post.) Jeff is also an accomplished photographer and just released the second edition of his iPad for Photographers book. The book, which is beautiful, includes some great tips for using your iPad to get great photos. Jeff’s going to be a future guest on the Mac Power Users but, in the meantime, you should bone up and check out Jeff’s book.
Reeder ♡ Feed Wrangler
Well … sort of. Today’s Reeder for iPhone update supports Feed Wrangler. It does not, however, support Feed Wrangler’s Smart Streams feature so for now you just get one big master unread list. I understand that drawback is temporary. Even with this limitation, it’s nice to have Reeder available again.