August 2009
139 posts
July 2009
66 posts
“We have a lot of default software already installed on our machines and a lot of...”
– Rafael Bugajewski
Fuzzy Clock
I’ve never been a fan of digital clocks. Twenty past four and nearly twelve sit far more comfortably with me than 16.26 and 11.57. Digital time just seems anxiety inducing whereas analogue feels more relaxing!
(Submitted by Rachel Murphy)
There is actually a really great review of Fuzzy Clock on MacAppStorm. I think there is some real merit to the idea that relative time can be less...
36 Beautiful Wallpapers for Minimalist Lovers |... →
Some nice desktop backgrounds here. (via Zen Habits)
Ever Since
Many years ago, I saw a picture in a magazine. I can’t even remember which magazine but it was in a feature article about creative office setups. One of the examples was essentially a large square low table, probably a coffee table, with large floor cushion for seating and a single Powerbook on the desk and nothing else. That image burned a hole in my brain like no other for some reason. I...
PicoPlay - small music player →
PicoPlay is designed to be a small, lightweight and minimalist interface for your iTunes library and playlists.
Apartment Therapy Unplugged | Diana's Minimalist... →
Very nice desktop setup by a Mac user and audiophile. Follow the link to read more about her attention to color and detail.
Couple of Minimal Mac tips
I’ve long wanted to try and slim down what is running on my mac, especially as it gets a little older in the teeth, and the battery needs all the help it can get in retaining some charge. Here are a couple of things I’ve started doing:
1. I have a spotlight saved search for any files over 100mb, and when drive space starts to run low, I go there first to see if I have any old video...
MacBreak 33: The Distracted Mac →
It was linked in another post before but I feel this deserves enough attention to be highlighted on it’s own. Merlin Mann shares some of his favorite distraction reducing methods and tools.
My Dock - Shawn Blanc →
More than a few folks have asked how I got my dock pinned to the bottom of my screen, and actually, it’s a pretty simple trick. You can move the dock around all you want with a single line of code in the Terminal and a reboot of the dock.
Shawn Blanc not only goes on to share this wonderful tip, he takes the time to explain his entire dock workflow and it is chock full of useful tricks. This is a...
“Simple things hold the secret.”
– Carl Jung
Last Years Model →
Perhaps you don’t always need the latest and greatest Mac. Perhaps the Mac you have performs perfectly fine. Perhaps it will continue to for years to come.
Simple, elegant, and hidden USB + Firewire hub
Take a look at Moshi’s iLynx. It has 4 USB and 2 Firewire ports. The best part is it fits above your iMac’s stand and blends in perfectly.
(submitted by tehdik)
If you really need more ports for your iMac, and there are many valid reasons for needing more, This is a pretty nicely integrated solution.
Removing On-Screen Distraction - Garrick Van Buren... →
I have gotten more than a few comments along the lines of “Hey, minimalism applies to the menubar too!” Along those lines, here are some more excellent and thought provoking tips from Garrick.
Isolator and Think
Do you long for the distraction free environment that a tool like Writeroom offers in other applications? If so, here are two tools that can help. Think and Isolator, when activated, will cover up your desktop and all the icons on it, as well as the windows of all other applications, so you can concentrate on the the current task at hand. Personally, I use Isolator but only because I found it...
Are you missing the point?
“Striving for minimalism on your Mac is not about removing everything from your computer. It’s about getting rid of the fluff that distracts you from achieving peaceful productivity. Removing items from your dock or desktop for the sake of minimalism misses the point. Minimalism is a means to an end. The end is the opportunity to really enjoy using your Mac.”
This was submitted...
Spotlight Scripts to Help You Replace Quicksilver →
In the previous post about using Spotlight instead of Quicksilver, it is a given that there is some Quicksilver functionality that Spotlight can’t replicate. Towards this end, Minimal Mac reader and all around smashingly swell Brit Adam Wilcox has submitted this nice set of Applescript applications to mimic the System Manipulation commands in Quicksilver. In turn, these allow you do do such...
Could you use Spotlight instead of Quicksilver?
“Keeping with the theme of using the software that comes with your Mac, I gave up using QuickSilver and other similar tools when Leopard came out. 10.5 made Spotlight much faster, and it now does 90% of what I was using third party launcher tools for.”
(Submitted by shauber)
“Less is not necessarily more… Just enough is more.”
– Milton Glaser (via Ian Tromp)
Remove Safari's Google Search Box →
At first you might say “but I need search!”. Instead, you can install the handy, invisible, quick Keywurl. That said, these instructions are not for the faint of heart. You have been warned.
Submitted and linked from Lukas (Hooray! Our very first submission)
General Minimal Mac Notes
I just wanted to take a few moments to mention several items…
First of all, words are not enough to express my gratitude to everyone for making Minimal Mac such a success. In just the first few days, it is beyond even my wildest hopes. I want to create a place where I can engage others in conversation and thought around the idea that simpler can be better when it comes to computing in...
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is...”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Remove the Add Bookmark button from Safari 4 -... →
By default, the Add Bookmark button (+) is attached to the URL address in Safari 4. There isn’t an option to turn it off, but there’s a workaround:
Select the View » Customize Toolbar… menu option.
Drag the standalone Add Bookmark button to the toolbar; it’s in the top row. This will break the (+) off the address bar.
Drag the Add Bookmark button off the toolbar....
“People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this...”
– Steve Jobs
Productivity Tip: Empty Your Dock -- Garrick Van... →
“Inspired partially by my preparation for the Tiger upgrade and partially by my proficiency with QuickSilver, I’ve emptied everything out of the doc. Only the Finder and Trash are persistent. Everything else, in when in use, out when not.”
And I, inspired by Garrick, have done the same. You should consider doing so as well. In fact, an unexpected side effect of this tip is that it...
Do you need to launch the Dictionary?
Press and hold Apple+Control+D over any word in a cocoa application (Safari, iChat, Mail etc…) and up pops a handy dandy Dictionary/Thesaurus.
You can even move your mouse over any other word on the page and it will keep providing definitions for each word.
Do you need to launch the calculator?
You can type a math equation into the Spotlight search field & get the answer.
Display the Date on the Menubar - Lifehacker →
There are many utilities and preference panes you can install on your Mac to make the date appear in the menubar next to the time. Avoid them. Everything you need to achive this is already there in your Mac. These detailed instructions will show you how.
Clean Up and Revive Your Bloated, Sluggish Mac -... →
“Just like your Login Items, you want to cruise through your Applications folder and trash anything you don’t need or use any more. To be clear, this won’t speed up your Mac, but it will reclaim hard drive space.”
Minimalist computing includes getting rid of things you don’t need or are otherwise just taking up space. The speed and performance tips in this post are...
My Minimal Mac « Skelephant – Written by Jose... →
The greatest compliment I could have ever asked for in doing this project was that it might inspire one person to do a bit more with less.
This is quite the compliment. Thank you Jose
Desktop Backgrounds - Flickr Photo Set →
ericsenf:
I’m pleased to announce a new Flickr photo set of desktop backgrounds. The start of this set is 10 photos, all taken on the North Shore of Lake Superior. In the spirit of share, remix, reuse, I have Creative Commons released each of these, and give the ability to download the full 1440x900 resolution images.
Enjoy, and let me know if you decide to use one of these as the desktop...
20 Ways to Simplify Your Work Life | On Simplicity →
While there are lots of great tips on this list, the one that stood out and has relevance to the topic of this site is #13:
“Use applications that are compatible across all computers you may work on. You never know when you’ll need to switch, so save yourself the stress of having to download new software for the crusty backup computer at the last minute”
Hivelogic - DateLine →
“DateLine is a simple, elegant, and visually unobtrusive Mac OS X app that displays a linear calendar on your desktop in a fully customizable, transparent window. Double-clicking a day will will launch iCal, taking you right to that date.”
Dateline is that translucent calendar you see on the desktops of so many of the inspiration shots you seen me post so far. Oh, and it’s free...
