Simon Støvring is the developer behind some fantastic apps, including Runestone, Scriptable, Jayson, and Data Jar. This week, he joins Stephen and me on Mac Power Users to talk about how he works on these apps, his use of Apple’s default apps, and how he’s thinking about iOS 26.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple and Chase are about to make a deal to move the Apple Card to Chase. It’ll be interesting how the the transition is managed.
Some reporting says there is a high default rate with the existing Apple Card customers. I wonder if Chase will make everyone re-apply.
A Labs member asked for a way to open a folder from anywhere on his Mac. Here’s a Keyboard Maestro macro that uses the URL call action to solve the problem. This is a handy technique that can be deployed in several ways on your Mac. Here I show a use case involving the Notes field from an OmniFocus action. … This is a post for the MacSparky Labs Pathfinder and Insider members. Care to join? If you’re already a member, you can log in here.
… but if I did this thing sure is cute.
I very much have an analog side. Sometimes I find slowing down and writing things down helps me process thoughts a little better. That doesn’t mean the things I write with paper and pencil necessarily stay that way forever, but quite often, it’s an excellent first draft.
As an analog explorer, I’ve gone down the rabbit hole over the years of fancy pens, including fountain pens. But several years ago, I found an old box of pencils and decided on a whim to try using those. I never looked back.
It’s easy to think of the simple pencil as that thing we used back in school, never to be touched again, but pencils have a lot of merits.
They’re erasable. If you make a mistake, you can erase it and do it over. But that goes even deeper. Because it’s erasable, you can take a risk once in a while.
They dry instantly. The fancier and more expensive your pen gets, it seems, the longer you have to wait for the ink to dry. Not so with a pencil.
They work in extreme conditions. You can write with a pencil underwater, in extreme heat or cold, or even zero gravity. When I had a fountain pen, I was terrified to use it on an airplane because I kept reading about fountain pen explosions under airplane cabin pressure. That’s just not a thing when you use pencils.
I also find the process of sharpening pencils therapeutic. It gives me a minute to stop and think. Over the years, I’ve bought several different sharpeners, ranging from a simple hand twist to a fancy one that’s more akin to a hand plane. They’re all delightful and give me a break to stop and think while writing.
Overall, there’s an appealing simplicity to pencils. There’s no cables or batteries or sync issues—you just pick it up and write. There’s also a strange sense of accomplishment when you use up a pencil down to the nib. I look at it and think, “I made something relevant with this.”
I like the way pencils embrace impermanence. Anything I write with my pencil is subject to change, and that’s okay. It almost invites mindfulness as you sit there, sharpening a pencil, and then listen to the scratch, scratch across the paper as you write down your thoughts.
I doubt this essay is going to get many converts. I think most people still think of pencils as things for third graders. But boy, do I love mine.
If you’re curious, my favorite pencil is the Mitsubishi 9852 EW. They are inexpensive and a pleasure to use.
Bloomberg reports that Apple has lost a fourth person from their foundation models group to Meta. Apple is giving raises to the existing team members but they likely pale in comparison to Zuck’s poaching offers (some reportedly in the hundred million range).
Apple is not in the frontier model race, but they still need to be developing their own models for a lot of reasons. To me this feels like just further evidence that Apple needs to make some sort of deal to partner with a frontier model (as Microsoft did with ChatGPT) or start making some acquisitions if, for nothing else, the talent.
I think Apple should be willing to license somebody else’s model if that’s what it takes to fix Siri, even temporarily. In light of all of this poaching, I expect that is only more the case now.
In this week’s episode: Rest in peace, Chuck Mangione, Skechers put AirTag in kids’ shoes, and I hope my next iPhone is ORANGE!
… This is a post for MacSparky Labs Members only. Care to join? If you’re already a member, you can log in here.
July was a busy month in the MacSparky Labs, with members diving deep into productivity workflows and Apple’s latest features. We spent considerable time exploring Apple Reminders, including a dedicated deep dive session and hands-on videos covering the new quick capture features in iOS 26.
The monthly book club continued with our exploration of “Tiny Experiments,” while our regular Jam Sessions tackled career discussions—a topic that clearly resonated with the community. Members also got early access to beta experiences and explored creative uses for familiar apps like Voice Memos for transcription and Apple’s Journal app on iPadOS.
Beyond the Apple ecosystem, we experimented with AI tools like ChatGPT and Image Playground, tested alternative browsers like Dia, and even discussed unconventional productivity approaches like using glass boards for accountability.
The regular Lab Reports, meetups, and quarterly planning sessions kept everyone connected and focused on what’s working in their personal productivity systems. It’s exactly the kind of collaborative exploration that makes the Labs community special—taking both new releases and established tools and finding better ways to make them work for real people.
Legend:
M – Member; I – Insider; P – Pathfinder
A while back I ordered the new Peak Design Roller Pro carry-on luggage. I received it about a week ago, and I’m in love 🧡…
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Freelance WordPress developer and spiritual director John Chandler joins Mike and me on this episode of Focused to talk about the pursuit of practical wisdom and being intentional about being intentional.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by: