August « 2011 « Macdrifter

August, 2011

Hardware / Review — 2 Comments
31
Aug 11

A Tale of Two Keyboards

I work on a windows machine during the day and generally connect to a half dozen unix and windows machines throughout. I toil away in front of my monitor for many hours without direct sunlight. Needless to say, I do everything I can to lessen the irritation of working on Windows. To that end, I’ve been using the Das Keyboard for about 18 months.

I really like the feel of the keyboard and appreciate the heft of the object. I can pound away in fits of rage at the Microsoft experience and the keyboard stays put and the mechanical keys snap back responsively. However there is one downside to the Das Keyboard. It’s LOUD. I mean loud like an old typewriter. I don’t have the “silent” version of the Das. I have the original Model S which clanks like a steampunk piano. The problem is, our work environment is a travesty known as an “open layout.” That means for 18 months, I’ve been wearing away the good-will my colleagues have for me.

So I decided to retire the Das Keyboard. I’ve been looking for alternatives and even considered the Silent model of the Das. However, this article from Macworld caught my eye the other day. The Logitech K750 keyboard looked nice and the lack of batteries was a real bonus. No cables, no batteries and nice look. So I ordered it off of Amazon. After my first week with the keyboard, I am happy to report that it’s a good replacement. Importantly, it stays solidly grounded (yes, I type very hard) and is silent

"@Done" Tags in NVAlt

This is some really high quality work and attention to detail. If you add the tag “@done” at the end of a line in NVAlt, the text is automatically displayed with a strikethrough line, a la TaskPaper. It’s not reformatted. It’s still just plain text. But NVAlt displays it as if it was formatted with a strikethrough.

Screen Shot 20110831 214536

Also, don’t forget the double brackets automatically create links to other notes.

Apps / iPad — No Comments
31
Aug 11

iThoughts HD Update

Another great update for iThoughts HD on the iPad. This app just keeps getting better and better. Not just little needless tweaks either. They keep improving the core functionality and responsiveness. iThoughts HD on the iPad beats pretty much every mind-mapping application I’ve ever used on a desktop machine.

Just look at this list of ways to get data out of the app:

Photo Aug 30 10 48 50 PM

And just check out the fantastic looking email export if you use the new task settings in a mind-map:

Photo Aug 30 10 49 25 PM

Here’s a cool trick. Select a node in a mind-map and choose “copy” from the pop-over.

Photo Aug 30 10 46 05 PM

Now go into OmniOutliner on the iPad and select a row and choose “Paste.” All of the items from the node of the mind-map are pasted as new rows into the outline. It does not preserve the levels (like the open in other app function does) but it’s a super quick way to transfer bits of a map to OmniOutliner.

Photo Aug 30 10 46 54 PM

Automator / Mac — 2 Comments
30
Aug 11

Don't Forget About Automator

It’s a mature tool now, that has a huge amount of power. I often forget about how easy Automator is to use and set out writing Python or AppleScript when Automator provides a solution in a few clicks. Many times it’s a one-off solution that I don’t even bother to save.

Here’s an example I used tonight to convert a folder of .md and .mmd files to plain text files and also set their default application to Byword (Thanks for the recommendation Brett).

Screen Shot 20110830 215745

Click here for larger image

iOS / Mac — No Comments
30
Aug 11

The Silver Lining Is Streaming

Fantastic overview from MacStories of the iCloud music service available to developers right now. There’s no guarantee these features will be part of the public launch but it sounds likely.

Only Apple would leave out a little detail like music streaming from their announcement of a new music service. “One more thing…”

Mac / Software / Tips — No Comments
27
Aug 11

GeekTool on the Mac AppStore

I never expected to see GeekTool make it to the Mac AppStore. As the name implies, it is really for serious nerds. It’s an awesome tool and I use it on my MacPro to provide system info on the Desktop. Since menu bar and Dock space are a premium on a 13″ screen, GeekTool spreads the info out across my Desktop and also provides some nice aesthetics as well.

Mac / Software / Tips — No Comments
27
Aug 11

Background Network Junk: Thanks Little Snitch

One disadvantage of running Little Snitch: You finally know all the background activities going on constantly and consuming bandwidth, memory and cpu cycles without your implicit acknowledgement.

Little Snitch

I was not running any FileMaker products at the time. Apparently “helpd” wants to talk to their help server anyway.

If you run Little Snitch, you will have a great appreciation for how active an “idle” machine really is.

Apple / Mac — No Comments
24
Aug 11

"Jobs’s greatest creation isn’t any Apple product. It is Apple itself."

John Gruber.

Mac / Tips — No Comments
23
Aug 11

Special Characters in OSX

If you need access to special Unicode characters, Apple provides a nice support page.

❤❤❤❤❤

iOS / iPad / Review — No Comments
22
Aug 11

Crow, It's What's For Dinner

Ken Case schooled me about OmniOutliner for iPad so I updated my last review. At least we both agree that we can’t wait for better file syncing in iOS5. Oh yeah, and he confirms that it is coming for OmniOutliner!

Mac / Productivity / Python / Tips — 3 Comments
22
Aug 11

Natural Language Date Replacements

Brett Terpstra just posted a very nice tool for inserting dates using Natural Language. His post is definitely worth a read.

Given my preference for Python and my previous experience with Natural Language Processing, I decided to implement something similar through a Keyboard Maestro trigger.

I have a macro that pops up a text box and asks for the date language you would like to interpret. Apparently KBM does have a leg up on TextExpander, in that it can accept input to a shell script or applescript. KBM truly is a fantastic tool.

I ended up with a really easy workflow that seems to work everywhere.

Step 1.

If I type “ndate” I get a pop-up:

NLP Popup

Step 2.

I type a string and hit return.

There is no step 3.

I then get the string “2011-09-02 09:00:00″ dropped in as a replacement.

Here’s the macro design:

NLP Macro

Here’s the shell script (mostly python) that does all of the work. Don’t forget the hash-bang at the beginning.

#!/usr/bin/env python
import os
import sys
import re
import parsedatetime.parsedatetime as pdt
import parsedatetime.parsedatetime_consts as pdc
import datetime

# Define Globals
pyDate = os.getenv('KMVAR_myDate')

# Function for parsing a string and returning a datetime value
def datetimeFromString( s ):
c = pdc.Constants()
p = pdt.Calendar(c)
result, what = p.parse( s )
dt = 0
# See: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1810432/handling-the-different-results-from-parsedatetime
# what was returned (see http://code-bear.com/code/parsedatetime/docs/)
# 0 = failed to parse
# 1 = date (with current time, as a struct_time)
# 2 = time (with current date, as a struct_time)
# 3 = datetime
if what in (1,2,3):
# result is struct_time
dt = datetime.datetime( *result[:6] )
if what == 0:
# Failed to parse
raise ValueError, ("Don't understand date '"+s+"'")
dt = "Unrecognized Date"
return dt
NLPDate = datetimeFromString(pyDate)
print NLPDate

Review / Software — No Comments
21
Aug 11

The Cost of App Reviews

David Chartier tooted the other day about someone asking for a promo code:

Entire email: “Do you have a promo code?” Translation: “I have a site and write ‘stuff’ on it so I don’t have to pay for software.”

Rudeness and sense of entitlement of the emailer aside, something struck me. I don’t want to see reviews from people that get promo codes. I want a review based on the same decision making process that real users follow.

Applications, services and websites sometimes cost money. When I purchase an app, I’m investing in the people behind it. Occasionally it’s an insignificant amount of money and sometimes it’s a year-long investment. There is also an opportunity cost with every purchase. If I spend $10 or $20 on something, I am unlikely to spend another $10 or $20 on a competing product.

I trust reviews written from that perspective.

I understand that some sites review a large number of applications and that can add up, but that’s an operating expense. I also appreciate that developers want their applications reviewed. There’s a kind of synergy in the relationship. I still prefer that an author spend money on the application they are reviewing. The cost of money and time that matters to them will find it’s way into the review.

Don’t review it if it’s not worth your money.

Apps / iOS / iPad / iPhone / Mac — No Comments
20
Aug 11

Recipe Manager Paprika

I tried Paprika (Mac AppStore link) awhile back on the iPad but I did not like their paid syncing solution and there was not a corresponding Mac application.
Both of those issues are now gone. Syncing is free and the application is available across iPhone, iPad and Mac. It’s a lovely looking app and has some nice features like meal planning and shopping lists.

Link — No Comments
19
Aug 11

OPML To CSV [Link]

A nice web app for converting OPML to CSV. Upload or paste right into the page to convert.

Apple / Link / Web — No Comments
19
Aug 11

Business Models: Apple and HP [Link]

I don’t want to add to the echo chamber of Apple blogs so just go read Horace Dediu at Asymco. That’s one smart man:

Consider how HP and Apple faced the changes in the PC market almost exactly a decade ago.

On September 3, 2001, HP announced that they would acquire Compaq.

On October 23, 2001, Apple announced the iPod.

The rest, as they say, is history.