Minimal Mac

Wake Alarm for iPhone

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:04:00 -0500

Wake is a really well design new alarm clock app for iPhone. Makes setting alarms super simple and snoozing and turning off as easy (flip the phone over) or as hard (shake it relentlessly for several seconds) as you need. Very smart.

Minimal Mac | RSS Sponsorships

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:54:00 -0500

Minimal Mac | RSS Sponsorships:

I have finally updated the sponsorship page with slots available in June. If you are an application or product developer who would like to get noticed by 200,000 of the smartest and beautiful people on the planet, check it out.

As many know, I’m picky about the apps and products that I allow to sponsor the site. I’m protective of my readers time and attention. Therefore, if you have sponsored the site before, you are pretty much pre-approved so feel free to get in touch again. In fact, I’ll even give you $100.00 off the current price. I’m sure there are some new folks that have come aboard since the last time you sponsored who would benefit.

Regardless, this is one of the best sponsorship deals going for the right products, apps, and services.

Photo

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:15:03 -0500

"Get rid of all your best weapons, and then you have to get good."

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:01:16 -0500

“Get rid of all your best weapons, and then you have to get good.”

- Louis C.K. (via CJ)

To wit, too many of the apps I see these days are things I have...

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:29:26 -0500

To wit, too many of the apps I see these days are things I have been using plain text files for for years. That is what your app is competing against in my mind. What makes your todo/list/notes/writing/etc. app better then what I can already do using plain text?

And… The link to the previous app made me realize that...

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:26 -0500

And… The link to the previous app made me realize that I’ve never given headline space to DaisyDisk. This despite loving the heck out of it and using it fairly frequently.

There are many apps that can analyze your disk and tell you what is taking up the most space. That said, none do it more elegantly than this. In fact, the darn thing looks so pretty you may not want to delete anything.

Seriously, if you ever have need for such a thing, it’s a no brainer.

Unclutter is an interesting new little app from Software...

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:56:33 -0500

Unclutter is an interesting new little app from Software Ambiance (makers of the very excellent DaisyDisk). It hangs out invisible until you move your mouse to the top of the screen and scroll down (an action which is user definable in the preferences). You are then presented with a nice dock for a quick note, temporarily storing some files, or seeing (and editing!) the contents of your clipboard.

I could see this being helpful to someone.

Unknowable: Rands In Repose

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:27:54 -0500

Unknowable: Rands In Repose:

The rumor at Apple was that Steve capped many of the teams in Cupertino. Mac OS X and Marketing Communications being two successful teams that had their headcount capped. During the 2000s, while Apple was gaining traction across the planet, the team responsible for getting the word out, Marketing Communications (“MarCom”), was allegedly capped at 100 heads. The reasoning I heard was that Steve wanted to keep the teams feeling small, but, more importantly, I think he wanted to keep them knowable.

You know, this works for software and hardware too. The less features or parts, the more “knowable” it is to you. It is also a good reason to stick with something (or in the above example, someone) for a long time. Anytime you make a replacement it costs not only time but knowledge. On a team, it means that someone has to get caught up to speed in knowledge and trust has to be re-formed over time. Those same things apply to objects as well.

Think about this the next time you are considering that shiny new to-do manager or “minimalist” text editor over the one that you already have and know really well.

gannonburgett: It took three weeks – due to the lack of a...

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:57:12 -0500

gannonburgett:

It took three weeks – due to the lack of a power-sander up until a day ago – but my upcycled pallet desk is now complete and in my room. Here are some shots of it.

The cords dangling in the background will be resolved as soon as my wire basket gets to my place.

Handsome. I love the idea of re-using a pallet for a desk.

Limelight is a great new iPhone app for tracking the movies you...

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:10:30 -0500

Limelight is a great new iPhone app for tracking the movies you have watched and upcoming ones you want to watch. It also has a built-in social sharing feature so you can share your movie viewing and rating with friends. Above are a few I’m looking forward to. It is very well done.

Attila's Den: Our School In A Box - First Deployment in South-East Asia

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:33:10 -0500

Attila's Den: Our School In A Box - First Deployment in South-East Asia:

attila:

In less than a minute, there were 5 more kids around. In less than 2 Arnaud did not have access to the iPad anymore, 10 kids were drawing on a turn-by-turn basis. That was the first high point for me: it’s working, it’s working… they’re so into it that they do not care whether it’s a tech or not, they’re just using it.

This whole post is an amazing example of how the iPad is changing the very nature of education. My friend Dave Mendels and his team is on the bleeding edge of this movement. Bringing iPads and technology to the places it can do the most dramatic good.

I am especially gratified by the inclusion of Ink for iOS in this project. To know that something you helped make can surprise, delight, and engage a small child on the other side of the world is a feeling no words can describe. To see the pictures as the kids crowd around the screen to play with it really impressed upon me the idea that the simplest of ideas can spark huge creative interest and growth in the eyes of a child.That the more complexity and features you add, the less accessible you make it to those who, perhaps, might benefit from it most.

Thank you so much for this Dave. You have no idea how deeply it has affected me.

iPhone Traveler Pt. 6 – Apps and tips from an international airline pilot | 52 Tiger

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:38:18 -0500

iPhone Traveler Pt. 6 – Apps and tips from an international airline pilot | 52 Tiger:

I’ll admit, I’m pretty excited about this. My sister Erin is a pilot with United Airlines. She’s been flying internationally for about 10 years, always with an iPod touch or iPad in tow. I asked her to share some apps and tips with you all, and she was happy to oblige.

Latest in a traveling with your iPhone series Dave is doing. He’s absolutely killing it. Great work.

The Log: Reading List

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:54:18 -0500

The Log: Reading List:

chrisbowler:

The more I consider the idea, the more I realize it’s Safari that is a fantastic tool. And unless I feel the need to share my bookmarks and items I’m reading, using Reading List and Safari’s bookmarks is a perfect solution.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the possibility that many of us go running for 3rd party apps because we have never trully taken the time to examine or give the built in ones a fighting chance. Chris does a great job here of explaining why he now uses Safari’s Reading List feature over other “Read It Later” apps.

The Loop: After 20 years on the web, veteran Apple reporter Jim Dalrymple bets on an iOS magazine

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:44:08 -0500

The Loop: After 20 years on the web, veteran Apple reporter Jim Dalrymple bets on an iOS magazine:

oneinfinitewatch:

Related:

The Loop magazine for iPhone and iPad released

Welcome to The Loop magazine

Macstories’ Federico Viticci talks to Jim Dalrymple about The Loop Magazine

I now have two reasons to open up the Newsstand App and in no particular order they’re Marco Arment’s The Magazine and The Loop Magazine.

Yep.

parislemon: iheartapple2: (1999) Steve Jobs Introduces The...

Wed, 08 May 2013 08:51:48 -0500

parislemon:

iheartapple2:

(1999) Steve Jobs Introduces The World to WiFi

Just look at that response over something we take completely for granted now just 14 years later.

Love the camera man over-the-shoulder as the way to show it on the big screen.

And the hula hoop — look ma, no wires! — is just a brilliant, Steve Jobs touch.

“All sorts of devices are going to be able to interact with Airport. We’re just going to be there first and best.”

Managing A Growing iPhoto Library — Log — Nick Wynja

Wed, 08 May 2013 08:44:26 -0500

Managing A Growing iPhoto Library — Log — Nick Wynja:

Having thousands of photos at 3072 × 2304 pixels didn’t make sense anymore especially with limited drive space my new MacBook Air. I wanted to resize those images to something still reasonable but save a few gigs while I was at it. I went straight to Automator, an under-praised utility in Mac OSX, and started playing around. Here’s what I came out with.

This is simply great. And, greatly simple.

Rethinking My Apps and Home Screen

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:43:18 -0500

Rethinking My Apps and Home Screen:

This is a good example of one method to really think hard about the apps you are using, ones you could be using better, and ones you really don’t need to use at all.

"Living a minimal life doesn’t have to mean not owning things. It can mean, and I choose it to mean,..."

Mon, 06 May 2013 09:22:49 -0500

“Living a minimal life doesn’t have to mean not owning things. It can mean, and I choose it to mean, owning only the things that matter.”

- Randy Murray — Minimal Is Not (Necessarily) Frugal — First Today, Then Tomorrow

homescreenproject: Jack Dorsey’s Home Screen Anyone else...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:47:22 -0500

homescreenproject:

Jack Dorsey’s Home Screen

Anyone else surprised that he hasn’t replaced Apple’s apps with better ones?

I’m intrigued.

The RHA MA450i Earphones are a comparable yet affordable...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:15:50 -0500

The RHA MA450i Earphones are a comparable yet affordable alternative to far more expensive models. I was sent a pair and, though I’m certainly no audiophile, I was quite pleasantly surprised. The great sound, solid build quality, and attention to detail are hard to beat for a fifty dollar price point.

I’ve written up a more detailed review at my personal site if you want to know a bit more.