AppAddict Newsletter

Snapsrch is a utility that lets you conduct searches on selected text in a convenient popup. Out of the box, it is preconfigured to search Google, Bing, Wiktionary, Google Translate and Wikipedia. Adding other search options is a breeze. I included AllMusic, YouTube, Amazon, Max, DuckDuckGo and Reddit in just a few minutes. I have not included any AI searches in my setup, but they are just as easy to set up.

Using it is as easy as selecting the text and opening Snapsrch with a hotkey. If you don’t have any text selected, and you invoke the hotkey, you can type a query into the popup. You can choose the window size you want for the popup, by selecting user elements for iPhone, iPad, Mac or custom. You can also choose to invoke Snapsrch with a mouse or trackpad gesture. If you are a Popclip user, there is an extension available to add Snapsrch. This allows you to consolidate any search terms you are using into one icon, decluttering the Popclip interface.

Other Snapsrch options allow you to hide custom elements of any search page you create and to have them load to a specific location on the page. Snapsrch has OCR capabilities in several languages, so you can even search for text in images and videos. There is a built-in history of your searches you can toggle on or off. It is helpful when you need to refer back to a previous search.

Snapsrch is available on the Mac App Store for $5.99. You can use the trial version as much as you want. You just get a popup asking you to purchase it every 50 uses.

Deeper

In the spirit of old standbys like Onyx and TinkerTool, Deeper provides a GUI to tweak multiple system settings, including a few I haven't seen before, including:

• Make TextEdit open with a new document instead of the file dialog box
• Turn off the verification of disk images. I've probably opened 10,000 disk images in my life and I don't remember one failing to verify. I've wasted hours!
• Make the "Save As" dialog box open in extended form

Pester

Similar to the paid app, Due, this alarm/timer app will keep reminding you to do something until you kill it. It's full of thoughtful touches, like showing the amount of time left on a timer in the dock icon. For alerts, you can choose any combination of an onscreen message (which also displays the time), a bouncing Pester Dock icon, a spoken version of your message, or to play an alert. When creating alarms you can use abbreviations like 20m for 20 minutes, 11a for 11:00 A.M. or tomorrow, next Saturday etc. The alarms are reusable, which is convenient if you use Pester to remind you to check laundry or take a break at a certain time of day

Übersicht

Widgets have become more useful as more and more developers have added to them to their apps, but there is still a use for widgets not connected to apps to provide information at a glance for all sorts of system functions and external information. This app lets anyone with developer chops use JavaScript + React's JSX to roll their own widgets. The rest of us can choose from a gallery containing widgets like:

• Quotes from the Stoics
• Online Status Checker
• Docker Status
• Hacker News Top Stories

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As a Mac automation fan, I make use of apps most people are familiar with, like Keyboard Maestro, Hazel and Better Touch Tool. Since 2010, however, I have also used a web service to connect a wide variety of websites (including Reddit) and Mac apps in a number of ways. That service is IFTTT (If This Then That) and it offers over 2000 integrations with apps and web services many of then Mac compatible.

Here are some of the ways I use IFTTT with Mac Apps

Create Day One Journal Entries

• Social media posts from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Liked YouTube videos
• Saved Pocket articles
• RSS feeds from Mastodon and my blogs
• A geofence around my office to record what time I get to work (requires iPhone)
• TV shows watched via Trakt
• Daily weather report

Inoreader

• Starred articles saved to Pocket
• Create new task in Things 3 to read starred articles

Reddit

• Saved posts copied to Dropbox as text files

Obsidian

-Emails forwarded to IFTTT email address get turned into text files in Dropbox, which then get converted to Markdown and moved to my Obsidian vault with Hazel

Google Sheets

• Save URLs of Pockets articles
• Save TV shows watched via Trakt
• Save URLs of Raindrop.io bookmarks
• Record arrivals and departures from office (Requires iPhone)

Raindrop.io

• Save Raindrop.io bookmarks to Notion

Apple Photos

• Save a copy of iOS screenshots to Google Drive

IFTTT is a subscription service. Billed annually, it is $3.33 a month. Billed monthly, the rate is $3.99.

I decided to be open-minded and spend some time with a new browser for a few days after using Microsoft Edge for the last two years for reasons related to my job. The browser I decided to test is Vivaldi and after a day of using it just like I use my normal daily driver here are a few of the things I like.

Security

I've been concerned that the implementation of Manifest 3 browser extensions in Chromium browsers, preventing them from using the full version of uBlock Origin, would be an issue. After turning on Vivaldi's built in tracker, ad and third party cookie blocking, I added uBlock Origin Lite and tested security at Ad-Block Tester and Toolz Adblock, scoring a 99% effectiveness rate on both of them. Vivaldi has built-in tools to block cookie popups across the board.

Power Consumption

Vivaldi allows you to set custom hibernation times on individual tabs or on stacks, its name for tab groups. You can also set Vivaldi to  open up with lazy loading, where tabs stay in a hibernating state until you need them. I typically operate with two or three windows and 30–45 tabs at all time, so this presents a good opportunity to really reduce battery strain.

Appearance

To avoid distraction, I wanted to use the identical colors I'd used in Edge. Modifying the default theme only took a couple of minutes using a color picker and hex codes.

Tab Management

When you open Vivaldi for the first time, you are asked to choose if you want vertical or horizontal tabs. You can move them later if you decide to. You can also take advantage of split screen tabs, allowing you to view two web pages side by side. My favorite feature out of all the tools is saved sessions. You can save all your open tabs and reopen them later from a button on the left side toolbar. This is a separate feature from the workspaces that Vivaldi lets you create and reopen as needed. You can even go a step further and use a separate profile with a different email address to keep your work and personal browsing from mixing. This lets you use different extensions, passwords and settings at every level.

Built in Mail, Calendar, Notes and Feed Reader

It was easy to set up my primary Gmail account and the Yahoo account I use just for newsletters. Adding a selection of Google Calendars and Apple Calendars was also a breeze. While I prefer to use my subscription to Inoreader for my full-blown RSS needs, it is convenient to stick a few of my favorite sites in the Vivaldi built-in feed reader for quick access.

Side Panel

Vivaldi has an option to any site you want in a panel on the side of the browser, helpful when doing research with Wikipedia or looking up bookmarks on Raindrop.io. You can also view your browser based bookmarks there along with notes, downloads, history, your reading list, a translation service, a list of tabs from across all current Vivaldi sessions on multiple computers, saved sessions, calendars and tasks

One of the most popular features in Raycast, the extensible keyboard launcher, has been its floating notes feature. Using a quick keyboard shortcut, users have been able to summon a window into which they could type or paste information. Hiding the note and bringing it back was easy, but there wasn’t a lot more to it than that. With the recent release of Raycast notes in version 1.8.5, floating notes have been replaced with a new feature.

Raycast notes now support markdown. If you know the syntax, great. If not, the notes window has a toolbar where you can select bold, italic, bullets and so on. It also has “inline code and code blocks, lists that you can indent and reorder, checklists, links and more.”

Raycast users without the pro plan can have up to five notes, while pro members get an unlimited number. There are built-in commands for New Notes and Search Notes. If you use the commands frequently, then, like any other command in Raycast, you can assign a hot key to them.

The action pane (⌘+K)l for the Raycast notes command has several choices:

• New note
• Browser notes
• Copy note deep link
• Create Quick link
• Format
• Disable window auto-resizing
• Export (HTML, Markdown, Plain text)
• Recently deleted notes
• Delete

Quick links allow you to open a note with a single keystroke. The notes window may be moved anywhere on the screen. It will stay on top until dismissed.

If you are into Mac automation, you have probably invested in tools like Keyboard Maestro or Shortery which let you launch apps, run scripts, display messages and open documents using certain triggers. If you are new to the platform or don’t want to make the investment in a paid program right now, there is a simple and easy to use app for you. Scheduler for Mac can do all the tasks outlined above. It can run AppleScript, shell scripts and python scripts. Scripts can be run as root. Here are a few real world examples of how I use scheduling:

• Open my web browser to my job's time clock web page four times a day to clock in and out for the day and for lunch
• Run an AppleScript right before I get up in the morning to eject my backup drive so that all I have to do is unplug it
• Run an AppleScript every night to move items in Things 3 to a new date and time
• Launch a file synchronization app every night to sync my Obsidian vault to Google Drive
• Open and close an app on my work and home machines at alternating times because I don't want it running on them simultaneously
• Launch a set of documents I use all day every day at work five minutes after I log in.

The interface for Scheduler is straightforward and easy to use. You'll have no problem configuring any of the events. You can even group events together to run at the same time. Any event can be run on a schedule or set to the same time on specified days. You can toggle events on and off, for example, if you don't want them to run when you are on vacation. One of the conditions for setting up a script allows it to be run after a specific period of inactivity. You could use this to quit your open apps and log you off in case you forget to. The option to display messages can be used as an alarm clock.

Another powerful feature of Scheduler is the ability to assign hotkeys to events. Using this you can launch apps, open websites and documents and run scripts right from the keyboard. You can even launch them from the Mac menu bar, which is a convenient way to do things like refresh Finder or restart your dock after making changes. You could even update your Homebrew apps that way.

The preferences and option for Scheduler allow you to sync or back up your settings to iCloud. You can also sync events to any iCloud calendar you grant Scheduler access to. Scheduler was released in 1998. The most recent release was last year. It is currently on version 7. It’s freeware but requires you to register it after 30 days of use.

There is a new player in the category of apps that includes Yoink, Dropover and Dropshelf. Dockside, from Hachipoo Apps is a shelf utility that uses the space on either side of your dock (if you position it on the bottom of your monitor). For those of use who position our docks on the left or right sides of the screen, Dockside places a couple of landing places at the bottom of the display, hidden until you need them.

Dockside creates a shelf for your Downloads folder and the default location you have designated for screenshots. In addition, you specify a file location of your choosing for files you drag into Dockside. Once files are placed on a Dockside shelf, there are a variety of Finder actions you can take:

• Open
• Open with
• Share
• Get info
• Show in Finder
• Copy Path name
• Rename
• Copy
• Copy to...
• Move to...
• Move to trash

Additionally, depending on the type of object on the shelf, you can:

• Compress
• Remove image metadata
• Extract text from images
• Optimize image size (if you have Clop installed

Other features include the ability to create a quick note with your default text editor on the shelf and the ability to paste content onto a shelf. Any item placed on a shelf that has Quicklook capability is viewable via that mechanism. Dockside also maintains a recent files history in its interface.

Dockside is an Apple notarized app that can operate offline since it has no external server connection and collects no data on users. There is a two-week free trial and the app can be purchased for $5.99 on the developer’s website.

If you are a writer or just like words, the chances are you find Apple’s built-in Dictionary app a little lacking. There are websites that offer advanced functionality, but you have to be online to use them. There are a few free tools that can help you out.

Nisus Thesaurus

From the developers of Nisus writer, this free thesaurus app, integrates with Apple's services menu to allow use in just about any application where you can enter text. Just highlight the word, "and choose Nisus Thesaurus from the Services menu. When you select a word in Nisus Thesaurus, the synonyms for that word will be shown right next to it in the Word Browser. Go from "sky" to "cumulonimbus" in just a few clicks."

Megawords

For crossword puzzle fans, poets and songwriters, Megawords from developer Frank O'Dwyer is a powerful stand alone app available in the Mac App Store. It's features include:

• rhyme search (works offline)
• wildcard search (crossword solver mode, works offline)
• dictionary lookup of word meanings (multiple dictionaries, online only)
• thesaurus lookup (online only)
• search SOWPODS or TWL or both (Scrabble dictionaries)

Esse

Esse from Ameba Labs offers 61 different text manipulations across eight different categories, similar to Word Service from Devon Technologies or the paid app, Text Workflow. You can do things like:

• All sorts of case changes (ALL CAPS, lowercase, CaMeL, snake_case, etc.)
• Word counts (including unique word counts and text statistics)
• Encoding
• Add/remove/convert line breaks
• Fix/convert quotes
• Extract dates, addresses, dates, emails, phone numbers
• JSON tools
• Line removal options
• Strip non-alpha-numeric characters

There is also an iOS version.

I bought Mail Archiver X by Moth Software at a discount from Bundlehunt a few months back and didn’t have to pay the full $49.95 they charge on their website. My intention was to keep a regularly updated archive of my 19-year-old Gmail account containing 155K messages. I also wanted to retrieve a Yahoo account that I use solely for newsletters.

I knew beforehand that it’s extremely easy to use Google Takeout to download an archive of your email in the universally recognized mbox format because I’ve done it several times. My Gmail archive weighs in at about 8GBs. You don’t get a lot of choices when you request the archive, though. You get it all from the beginning of time. I wanted one to import into Eagle Filer so that I could have offline access to all the receipts, registration information and other things I’d received via email since 2005. Google Takeout did the trick.

With Mail Archiver X you can filter the emails you choose to archive, a feature I wanted. Unfortunately, despite supposedly being able to add files to an archive and cumulatively grow it over time, I was never able to get that function to work. Either the program insisted on downloading an entire archive each time it ran, taking hours, or it only downloaded files since the last time I ran it, but in a new file, so that I could not search my entire account at one time. Their tech support answered my emails, but not with helpful information. The company is not in the US and the person who answered my email did not appear to a native English speaker. At present, support is no longer free. They have a $70 fee.

The other thing about the app I don’t care for is its size. It’s over half a GB. That’s just the program, not the archives it creates. I would never recommend this program to anyone.

One of my favorite parts of using a Mac is making use of all the automation apps, including the built in ones, Automator and Shortcuts. My productivity would be severely hampered without:

• Apps to Enhance Apple Shortcuts
• Clop for image processing
• Hazel for file management
• Keyboard Maestro for all kinds of stuff ( I have 800 macros)
• Better Touch Tool for Magic Trackpad and more

All of those are paid apps though. If you want a free app (donation ware) to explore the possibilities of automation, try downloading Task Til Dawn by developer Oliver Matuschin. It's an app with a GUI, not a command line. You can trigger actions via events on your computer, or you can schedule them. The program will run from a thumb drive if you need to perform the same task on all the computers in a lab or an office. Tasks are saved as files and can be shared among workstations. Samples include:

• Automatically connect network drives at login
• Automatically print all documents placed in a certain folder
• Automatically copy images when a certain external drive (including thumb drives) is connected
• Open or quit applications on a schedule (I use scheduling to launch a program that syncs my Obsidian vault at 3am, one that ejects my backup drive before I wake up so I can just unplug it and to move screenshots and image files from my daily work to a storage location when I am done for the day)
• Turn off automatic Time Machine backups and run them on a schedule
• Empty the trash on a schedule
• Take screenshots at scheduled intervals
• Display a dialog box (useful for public computers to pass info to users)
• Automate the opening of URLs

There are dozens of other tasks, and they can all be strung together to create a practically endless amount of tasks. As a bonus for cross-platform users. Compatible tasks can be shared between Macs and Windows machines with little alteration. The Windows download is also free.

For years, I kept a text editor open on my computer at all times and when I needed a scratchpad, I would switch to it and type or paste whatever I needed. Then Raycast came along with it’s floating notes feature, which is nice. It can be summoned with a hot key. Then I found Scrap Paper, which can also be called with a hotkey, syncs between computers and has an iOS version. You can hide the icon in the menu bar if you just want to use the hotkey. Furthermore, you can have the text window stay on top of all other windows, which is a feature I want. Finally, I saw Scratchpad on r/MacApps and I thought I’d give it a try. It has everything Scrap Paper has, but can also be launched from the dock. It adds

• Automatically creating clickable links from pasted URLS
• Control over font selection
• Text size adjustment
• Line spacing
• Smart quotes
• Smart Dashes
• Translucent background

Because it's text, you get access to the writing tools, spelling and grammar, substitutions, speech and the Mac Services menu. One awesome feature is the ability to use Quicklook on a link, which opens a small window with a live view of the web page, similar to the Little Arc feature in the Arc browser.

Scratchpad offers scripting and shortcuts support. You can enter text onto Scratchpad from any app that can open a URL.

There is a fully functional free trial of the macOS app available here. The only limitation is a reminder to buy the app every 12 hours, and no automatic updates. All data and settings carry over if you buy it on the App Store.

Scratchpad is available in the Mac App Store for $5. It’s by well-known Indy developer Sindre Sorhus.

A free app by a developer who goes by INCHMAN1900 on Gumroad can provide an easy way to manage images if it fits your workflow. His small app, FASA (Forget About Save As), lets you copy images from any source to your clipboard and then paste them as files in the Finder. You can use this procedure to quickly export files from the Photos app, skipping the dialog boxes you normally get. It even works on screenshots that you copy to the clipboard. The programs preferences let you choose between jpg and png for your preferred file type. You can start or stop the app at any time and you can choose programs to exclude from using the service if you have that need.

If you own a copy of Clop, it also has this ability. You can also do it using the Finder replacement, Qspace.

(Note - There are other things in this world called FASA. This is not affiliated with them. The dev and I both know this 😉)

I had a real-world task today that was perfect for AI, except all the tools I tried kept quitting halfway through. I had a list of over 100 URLs that I needed to convert into a Chrome bookmark file for an import I was trying to do. This involves going out on the internet to get the title of each page and formatting an HTML link, complete with the correct header and footer.

I tried:

• Google Gemini Pro
• ChatGPT Web Interface
• Typing Mind

All three of these would generate between 40–50 lines of code and then quit. The last app I tried was Elephas. I used a very simple prompt, "You are a web developer. You create web pages based on descriptions given to you." The reason Elephas succeeded where others failed was because of the choices it offers in AI models and the limits on them. It allows you to choose between:

• OpenAI (15 different choices)
• Groq
• Claude (7 different choices)
• Custom (local)
• Gemini (four different choices)

I selected gpt-4-turbo and was able to set the context tokens to a max of 100,000. It took a while to generate the file, but it finally did it in a usable format.

Elephas has a variety of pricing plans for both subscriptions, starting at 8.99amonthforlimitedusageupto249 for a lifetime plan with unlimited tokens. I use the version that is available through Setapp with my own API keys for OpenAI and Gemini, for which the charges are negligible.

Another interesting feature of Elephas is its ability to scan folders of documents on your local machine and incorporate that knowledge into its answers. I have an Obsidian vault with 7K notes that it uses, as well as a 1GB directory of PDF files on various topics. It can also do all the standard things we’ve come to expect from AI apps:

• Generate ideas
• Summarization
• Write articles (don't do this, it's lazy)
• Answer questions
• Reply to emails

There is also an iOS version of Elephas.

With the deprecation of the classic uBlock Origin as blocker by Google Chrome in favor of a less powerful Light version and the ever-increasing need for security, Mac users have the option of downloading the NextDNS configuration app from the Mac App Store and setting up a free account with the enhanced DNS server. If you aren’t into acronyms, DNS stands for dynamic name service and it is what translates IP addresses into the URLs we use to name websites. You can use a special DNS service to block malware, ads, trackers and other unwanted traffic from ever reaching your computer by using one.

NextDNS is free for up to 300,000 queries a month and you can use the same account on multiple computers, mobile devices and your router. It works on Macs and PCs, iPhones and Android devices - on anything that allows you to enter your own network settings. If you have a large household and need a paid account, it is just $1.99 a month.

Technically speaking, you don’t even have to use the app .NextDNS can automatically generate a profile for you to use on your Mac and mobile devices and if you have the right kind of router, you can set it up without having to make ANY modifications to your computer.

 NextDNS Features

• Ads and Trackers - currently blocking 119,372 addresses
• Block domains known to distribute malware, launch phishing attacks and host command-and-control servers using a blend of the most reputable threat intelligence feeds — all updated in real-time.
• Block malware and phishing domains using Google Safe Browsing — a technology that examines billions of URLs per day looking for unsafe websites. Unlike the version embedded in some browsers, this does not associate your public IP address to threats and does not allow bypassing the block.
• Prevent the unauthorized use of your devices to mine cryptocurrency.
• Block domains that impersonate other domains by abusing the large character set made available with the arrival of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) — e.g. replacing the Latin letter "e" with the Cyrillic letter "е".
• Block domains registered by malicious actors that target users who incorrectly type a website address into their browser — e.g. gooogle.com instead of google.com.
• Block Parked Domains
• Block any Top Level Domain
• Block Newly Registered Websites
• Block CSAM
• Optional Parental controls for YouTube, Safe Search, Time-based rules, specific apps, websites and games

Sign up here

I posted yesterday about an app I’d tested called StartupManager that helps control the login items on your Mac by reordering them, starting them hidden and introducing delays. One thing it doesn’t do is control items that launch in the background.

Today I found an app that does a good job with that aspect of app management. Coincidentally, it’s also called Startup Manager, but it’s a totally different app by a different developer, Systweak Software (Shrishail Rana). Where it shines is in telling you all the apps that you have installed that have background processes, even if they are disabled. In the system settings for macOS, some background processes are identified by the name of the developer rather than the name of the app, making it confusing to sort out what you are trying to control. Startup Manager identifies all the processes using the name of the associated app.

The recently updated app (September 2024) provides information on browser extensions, Kernel extensions, Launch items, Library inserts, Login items, and Spotlight importers. In the login items, launch items and browser plugins categories you can enable/disable each item, delete it, get information about it and see where it’s located in the Finder.

By default, Apple’s applications are not shown, but you can toggle them on if desired.

Startup manager is free and can ve downloaded in the Mac App Store.

macOS doesn’t make it easy to manage your startup options anymore. The app, Startup Manager, by developer Arie van Boxel brings back some of the options that have been removed and adds quite a few more. If you use Startup Manager, you can once again choose the order in which apps launch, and you can have them hidden on launch as well.

Other features include:

• Temporarily disable a startup item without removing it from the list
• Use different sets of startup apps which you can choose at login
• Backup/restore login sets
• Stop/Start all or a single Login Item with the push of a button (you can also use the contextual menu)
• Set a delay between any items during login
• Add any process, such as login helpers inside application packages
• Skip items that need network access when there’s no network available
• Mount network drives
• Apple native, written in Swift
• Import/Export items to/from System Settings

Startup Manager doesn't have any control over items that macOS launches in the background.

In all my time using a Mac, I’ve never found more uses for a single app as I have for the note taking app, Obsidian. With a robust selection of over 1900 plugins, Obsidian can be configured to import and manipulate data from a great many sources. It can even be used for publishing. Using the Dataview plugin makes it function like a database. It stays open at all times on both my Macs. There are a great many resources to help you master it, including on Reddit, Discord, the developer’s website, YouTube and numerous blogs.

Here are 77 use cases

1. A scratchpad for temporary text snippets
2. Published blog posts
3. Bookmarks via Raindrop.io
4. People you work with (co-workers)
5. Customers/Clients
6. A record of your daily appointments
7. Weather reports
8. Restaurants where you've eaten
9. Recipes
10. Watched YouTube videos
11. Watched movies
12. Watched TV shows
13. Music you've listened to
14. Games you've played/bought
15. Apps you want to buy
16. Receipts via email
17. Apps you own
18. Analytics reports from your web site or blog
19. Registration info for software you've purchased
20. A record of interactions with your family members who live separately
21. Random photos
22. Saved blog posts from writers you like
23. Phone numbers and contact information
24. An outline of your online security plan (DNS, VPN, Firewall, Ad Blocker, Password Manager), just don't include passwords in plain text%
25. Copies of your insurance cards
26. Lyrics to your favorite songs
27. Profile pictures to use on web sites
28. A list of numbers to call if you lose your wallet/purse
29. Podcasts you want to subscribe to
30. Books you've read/want to read
31. Vacation plans
32. Your favorite memes
33. Copies of vital documents like birth certificates, marriage licenses etc.
34. A copy of your resume
35. Your current and past goals
36. A copy of your will
37. A copy of your healthcare power of attorney
38. The random poem you've written
39. Cue sheets for long bicycle rides
40. Jokes you want to remember
41. A list of things you love
42. A record of completed tasks from your task manager
43. Your favorite quotes
44. Transcripts of your Q&As with ChatGPT or Google Gemini
45. Saved emails
46. Notes from training you've attended
47. The encryption key for Bitlocker or File Vault
48. A brag document for your job
49. Technical "How to" documents for computer related tasks
50. Genealogy info
51. Wifi passwords
52. Imported web pages from your read it later service
53. RSS feeds from your favorite blogs
54. Software manuals
55. Appliance manuals
56. Default settings for your computer
57. A record of your Amazon purchases
58. End of the year "Best of" articles to check out on books, TV, podcasts, movies, articles
59. Screenshots of social media posts you like
60. Purchasing wish list
61. Templates for various dataview queries
62. Terminal or Powershell commands too complicated to remember
63. How to write in Markdown
64. Search tips, syntax and operators for your favorite search engine or AI
65. API Keys for various web services
66. Templates for your Obsidian plugins
67. Templater snippets
68. All the topics in your quotes collection
69. Drafts blog posts
70. A history of your social media posts
71. A "To Watch" list for YouTube and television
72. A daily gratitude list
73. A record of new things you've learned
74. Alarm codes for your relative's houses
75. A dataview query for notes created today
76. A dataview query for notes modified today
77. Waypoint Folder Notes for your important folders of notes

If you want to test out betas without endangering your primary machine or if or if your a developer looking to test backwards compatibility with previous versions of macOS with your app or even if you just want a safe way to test software you want to try before adding it to your daily driver, take a look at Virtual Buddy, by developer Guilherme Rambo, a GitHub release with 5.1K stars. It also runs several Linux distros if you have a need for that.

You can choose a Mac release (including betas) from a long list ranging from macOS 13.3 all the way to macOS 15.1 RC1. If you have a URL for another IPSW or an IPSW you have already downloaded, you can use them as well.

If you want to install a beta of a version higher than what you are running on your host computer, all you need to do is download the latest device support package from Apple which you can sometimes download from their website but cal always get if you install the latest Xcode beta.

The developer lists these features:

• Ability to boot any version of macOS 12 or macOS 13, including betas
• Ability to boot some ARM-based Linux distros (tested with Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu Desktop)
• Built-in installation wizard
  • Select from a collection of restore images available on Apple's servers
  • Install the latest stable version of macOS
  • Local restore image IPSW file
  • Custom restore image URL
  • Install a Linux distro from a local .iso file
  • Select from a collection of Linux distros
  • Install Linux from URL

• Boot into recovery mode (in order to disable SIP, for example)
• Networking and file sharing support
• Clipboard sharing
• Customize virtual machine hardware configuration
• Save and restore macOS virtual machine state

Download from GitHub.

One of the most useful features of Finder replacements like PathFinder or Qspace Pro is the enhanced right-click menus they offer with features like cut, copy and paste for files and the ability to create different types of new files among others. Not everyone wants to replace Finder though for various reasons like security and system overhead. Luckily, there is a handy utility, MouseBoost, from developer gmshrek that adds numerous features to the right-click menu in Finder itself.

Features

• Create new file - add any file type you want
• Commonly used directories - I added Downloads and Screenshots
• Commonly used apps
• Commonly used scripts - supports shell and AppleScripts
• Show/Hide Files
• Lock/Unlock Files
• Color picking - copy Hex or RGB
• Cut-paste, move, and copy files
• Add files to encrypted archive
• Open Terminal or iTerm 2 at location
• Change Folder Icon
• Resize or convert image
• Remove item from disk (as opposed to sending it to the Trash)

You can save your settings in iCloud and import them on other computers. MouseBoost may also be called from a hotkey. Any element you choose not to use can be toggled off so as not to clutter your interface. You can also fold any element into a unified MouseBoost submenu.

There is a built-in 21 day free trial. The app can be purchased via IAP for $5.99 It is available in the Mac App Store.

The default Mac controls for audio aren’t that great if you have multiple sound outputs, laptop speakers, Bluetooth earbuds or external speakers in a docking setup. Rogue Amoeba’s SoundSource is an example of what granular control should look like.

A menu bar app that can be summoned with a hotkey or turned into a floating window, SoundSource offers machine wide controls for Output, Input, and Sound Effects settings for all system devices with a slider for each one’s volume control. There is also a button for a feature called Magic Boost which does a great job of enhancing sound quality, particularly on a MacBook’s speakers. A drop-down menu provides you with a choice of the default output.

This same functionality can be controlled on a per-app basis. You can set Apple Music to always play on your external speakers with Magic Boost enabled, while having system sound effects played at a quieter level on your MacBook speakers. Should you need to switch to a Teams Meeting or a Zoom call, the system will automatically switch to your earbuds when you open the corresponding app.

SoundSource has 17 different Shortcuts actions. You can use Shortcuts to create custom sound settings for different situations by controlling sources and volume levels with the apps choose to open.

Other features include:

• 10-band audio equalizer
• Volume keys for devices that don't support the native keys (like HDMI and display port audio)
• Headphone EQ
• Magic boost has been upgraded from previous versions
• Menu bar meters for output device, input device, open/active apps

There is a free trial at the developer's website. The upgrade price is $19 and the purchase price is $39.