Mac at Work, the Book

I’ve received several e-mails complaining about how posts have slowed down at MacSparky.com. I am finally able to explain why. A few years ago I realized that while a lot of people are carrying Macs to work, very few of these Mac workers are taking full advantage of the goodness that is OS X. So, I decided to write a book. After several fits and starts, I signed a contract with Wiley Press and have spent my nights and weekends for the last five months writing 90,000 words.

The book is called “Mac at Work.”

This project has been my passion for the last two years and I’m excited to finally share it.
The book is intended as a reference and filled with recommendations and workflows. It includes 24 chapters covering all of the most common topics you’ll run against when using your Mac to get work done. Each chapter is self-contained and intended as a reference on its particular subject. For instance, there’s a chapter on synchronizing your Mac with your office network. Likewise, there are chapters on running Windows on your Mac, managing PDF files, preparing presentations, and tackling e-mail. The list goes on; You get the idea.

The process of writing the book was my own nerdy epic adventure. For the first month I was convinced I’d be getting a call any moment from Wiley Press explaining they were very sorry but green lighting this book was obviously a big mistake. Thankfully, that call never came. I look forward to sharing the details of how I went about writing a book in future posts.

The book is now nearly done. It’s full-color and the layout is gorgeous. It will be in bookstores and the Apple iBookstore. The book is 350 pages (or thereabouts) and will release on January 17, 2011, a week before Macworld. It will go up on Amazon before that and you can trust that I’ll have links here when that happens.

There is no other book like this. As a result, the publisher wanted me to stay quiet until now. Looking forward, completion of the book means that I’ll be able to devote more attention to MacSparky.com. If you are a Mac worker or know a Mac worker, stay tuned for more details.

In Praise of OpenDNS

If you haven’t already, you really should set up OpenDNS on your home network. This free service provides a way to automatically block pornography, malicious Web content, and track stats on your Internet access. I have two young girls in my house and even innocent Google searches sometimes turn up the strangest things. I sleep easier knowing I have OpenDNS on the job. Check it out. To learn more about OpenDNS, listen to the extended coverage on Mac Power Users DNS episode.

Ristretto for iPad Review

Since my iPad first arrived, my poor MacBook has been increasingly neglected. The iPad goes with me everywhere. So the iPad needs a bag. Not just a bag for the iPad but one that can also hold the stand, the bluetooth keyboard, and the other bits and pieces; A throw it over your shoulder, get-some-work-done bag.

Apparently I’m not the only one looking for such a bag because there are a lot of them out there. I received a Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad ($110) review bag and, after beating it up for six weeks, am reporting in.

The Bag

The Ristretto, made at the Tom Bihn Factory in Seattle, started life as a netbook grade computer bag. It is a vertical messenger bag with a built-in padded compartment for your iPad. Empty, the bag measures 12” x 9.25” x 4.75”. As a matter of coincidence it is perfect for the iPad and an Apple Bluetooth keyboard.

The bag has an inner compartment that contains a large bay, a zippered compartment, several smaller pockets, and the iPad compartment. It is all covered with an asymmetrical flap and sturdy plastic buckle.

The padded compartment is made with quarter inch open-cell foam laminated with durable 4 Ply Taslan® on the outside, and features an interior of brushed nylon. The foam surrounds the iPad. There is a correct way to insert the iPad, with the glass facing in and the aluminum facing the back of the bag. Once you put your iPad in the padded compartment, there is a top flap that can fold over enclosing your Precious.

The large compartment is the perfect height for an Apple Bluetooth keyboard. It has three O-rings that you can use to attach your keys or optional pouches. It is also a good place for a pocket leatherman. The stock bag includes a key strap. The built in pockets are the right size to hold pens, a wallet, and an iPod. (Your phone is in your pocket, right?) There is a slanted open pocket on the back of the Ristretto. It is too small for papers (unless folded in half) but does prove handy for envelopes and mail.

The Ristretto ships with waist straps to secure it to your body. This works great for bicyclists. More importantly, the waist strap hardware unclips and disappears when not in use.

The Strap

The Ristretto ships with the standard shoulder strap, a 1.5” wide heavy nylon webbing strap with a foam pad. For an extra $20, you can upgrade to the Absolute Shoulder Strap. At first blush it seems kind of silly upgrading a strap on an iPad case but after using the Absolute Shoulder Strap for awhile, you’ll get it. The Absolute Shoulder Strap uses a neoprene pad with an all metal snaphook (see note below regarding The Squeak). If you carry the bag for any length of time, it is a lot more comfortable. I’ve also found myself repurposing The Absolute Shoulder Strap with all my various bags.

The Squeak

After using the bag for about a week I began to notice a subtle squeak when carrying it around. The source of the sound is the metal snaphook from the strap rubbing against the metal eyelit on the bag. The connectors are both metal. I used some silicon based bicycle chain lubricant and it went away. I spoke with Tom Bihn and they recommend rubbing a graphite pencil on the offending pieces. I tested their fix and it worked. Tom Bihn reports they are aware of this and are working on it.

Usage and Recommendation

I beat the hell out of this bag. Over the last six weeks I carried it through the Canadian wilderness and down the Las Vegas strip. Its been thrown in trunks, dragged by kids, and schlepped around everywhere with me. It still looks like new.

More importantly, it has performed just as advertised. The Ristretto is a great solution for the iPad and just a bit more. If you routinely use Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard, it’s perfect. I liked it so much, I bought another one for my wife.

A Note About the Pictures

All of the pictures in this review were taken after I spent 6 weeks usage.
Full size images are in my Flickr feed here.

Scrivener 2.0 Sneak Peaks

As we get closer to the release of Scrivener 2.0, additional details are coming out. I’ve been working with the beta and I’m looking forward to writing an extended review when the product is released. In the meantime, there is some good early coverage at Macworld and the developer released a YouTube video demonstrating one of my very favorite new features, synchronization between Scrivener and SimpleNote.

Initial Impression: Dragon Dictate for Mac

I just spent the day working with Dragon Dictate for Mac, the successor to MacSpeech Dictate. My initial impressions are all positive.

  • Implementation of the Dragon engine version 11 is fantastic. This thing is fast, really fast.
  • The commands are much more intuitive. They are also are consistent with Dragon Dictate on the PC.
  • You can now use multiple microphones on the same profile. While this isn’t a big deal for everyone, it is for me.

Dragon Dictate for Mac still trails behind the PC version but the gap is narrowing. It makes no sense anymore to load a Windows virtual machine to run Dragon Dictate for Windows. If you need to dictate to a Mac, just get Dragon Dictate for Mac. I’ll do an in depth review later but for now, if you already use MacSpeech Dictate, the $50 upgrade is a no brainer.

ScanSnap + Hazel

I’ve been thinking about a workflow to automatically file documents with Hazel using highlighted terms since Fujitsu first added the ability to selectively apply optical character recognition. Brooks Duncan pulls it all together. As an aside, my not so scientific experimentation using the ScanSnap OCR features say green highlighters work best.

BusyCal 1.5 Beta

The new BusyCal public beta allows you to sync with the new MobileMe calendar beta and other CalDAV servers. It also includes the ability to sync over your local area network and Google calendar. I’ve been running it since last week with no troubles. I think, in the end, the transition to CalDAV is going to benefit everyone.