Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting – Details, episodes & analysis

Get ready to level up your Mac game! In this week’s Mac Geek Gab, Dave Hamilton, Pilot Pete, and Adam Christianson dive into quick tips that’ll have you mastering shortcuts like a pro. From rotating photos directly in Finder with Command-L and Command-R to creating custom action buttons for screenshotting and emailing in one swift move, you’re set to save time and simplify your workflow. Plus, learn how to pause media playback the moment you connect to CarPlay and keep your downloads neatly organized in one iCloud folder. Don’t get caught missing out on these productivity hacks!

They’ve also got your questions covered, from prioritizing focus modes to understanding how Passkeys work. Struggling with sending attachments to Android users? They’ve got solutions. And when it comes to cool stuff found, discover how to toggle Mac’s Low Power Mode, why the Blackmagic Camera might outshine Filmic Pro, and how Lightshot makes screenshots a breeze. Whether you’re a seasoned geek or just getting started, this episode is packed with tips and tools to keep you ahead of the curve—don’t get caught behind!

• 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1053 for Monday, September 2nd, 2024
  • The MGG Merch Store is Live!
  • 00:02:18 September 2nd: Calendar Adjustment Day
• Quick Tips
  • 00:00:01 Zang74-QT-Rotate Photos Directly in the Finder with Command-L and Command-R
  • 00:05:40 Todd-QT-1049-Privacy and Security to Save a Step with running shortcuts!
  • 00:12:27 Bern-QT-Create an Action Button Shortcut to Take a Screenshot and Email it To Yourself
  • 00:13:48 Kirit-Create Shortcut to Pause Media Playback Immediately Upon Connecting to CarPlay
  • 00:16:20 Andrew-QT-1051-Standardize on one, iCloud Downloads Folder
  • 00:20:27 Doug-1051-Home Videos live in your iTunes Media Folder
  • 00:23:34 Andrew-QT-Drag and Drop from Apple Mail to Other Mac Apps
    • Thunderbird
    • Spark
• Sponsors
• 00:31:39 SPONSOR: Coda, the one Doc to rule them all. Bring your text and tables together! Sign up at Coda.io/mgg for FREE.
• Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
  • 00:33:24 Tony-How do I prioritize focus modes?
  • 00:39:32 Drewski-Attachments Send Intermittently To Android Users
    • Driven From Insanity in Real Time
  • 00:49:41 James-Q-How do Passkeys work?
    • YubiKey
  • 00:55:01 Gordon-iCloud+ Email Custom Domain
    • SMTP2Go
  • 01:00:48 Tony-What’s the best way to quickly toggle my VPN on iPhone?
    • prefs:root=VPN
• Cool Stuff Found
  • 01:04:04 Joe-CSF-Cooldown to Toggle Mac’s Low Power Mode
  • 01:05:15 Jim-CSF-1051–BlackMagic Camera is better than Filmic Pro
  • 01:09:48 Steve-CSF-Blackmagic Camera 2.0 Adds Multi-iPhone Control
    • Davinci Resolve
  • 01:12:56 Steven-CSF-1051–Lightshot Screenshot for Easy Screenshots
  • 01:14:22 Rob-CSF-YoLink LoRA 900MHz Smart Temperature Sensor
• 01:18:31 MGG 1053 Outtro
  • Bandwidth Provided by CacheFly
  • Follow us on Mastodon
    • Mac Geek Gab on Mastodon
    • Adam Christianson on Mastodon
    • Dave Hamilton on Mastodon
    • Pilot Pete on Mastodon
    • Mona for Mastodon (for Mac, iPhone, iPad)
  • Adam Christianson on X/Twitter
  • Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)
  • Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts
  • MGG Merch is Available!
  • Mac Geek Gab YouTube Page
  • Mac Geek Gab Live Calendar
  • This Week’s MGG Premium Contributors
  • MGG Apple Podcasts Reviews
  • feedback@macgeekgab.com
  • 224-888-GEEK
  • The Mac Geek Gab iPhone app
  • Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List
  • BackBeat Media Podcast Network

This week’s Mac Geek Gab is a goldmine of cool stuff found, perfect for every Mac user and tech enthusiast. Dive into tools like the Mac Media Key Forwarder to keep your play/pause controls in check, MacWhisper’s latest updates, and iStat Menus 7 for ultimate system monitoring. Whether you’re compressing PDFs with Lightweight PDF, substituting TextExpander with TypeItForMe, or managing your VPN with Public IP, these tips will keep your Mac running smoothly. Plus, for the speed readers out there, OutRead is your new go-to app, and Scroll Reverser will help you fine-tune your mouse and trackpad experience.

For podcasting pros, this episode is packed with essentials. Auphonic ensures your audio levels are perfectly balanced, while apps like Overcast and Pocket Casts keep you connected to your favorite shows. The Apple Maps web beta and PurePort USB-C cleaning tools also make an appearance, rounding out the list of must-haves.

And for the true geeks, LocalSend offers cross-platform sharing, TailDrive integrates TailScale into your Files app, and AltStore.io opens up new possibilities with easy iPhone sideloading. Don’t forget Pete’s PopPic for 3D photos and Dave’s CellHelmet MagSafe squishy grip—these are the tools that’ll keep you ahead of the tech curve.

Remember, don’t get caught without these essentials!

• 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1052 for Monday, August 26th, 2024
  • August 26th: National Webmistress Day
  • The MGG Merch Store is Live!
• Cool Stuff Found for Your Mac
  • 00:00:01 Ben-CSF-1048–Mac Media Key Forwarder to ensure play/pause always controls Music.
  • 00:02:15 August 26th: National Webmistress Day
  • 00:03:25 rnDoug-CSF-Session, a Private Messaging App
  • 00:06:46 Lee-CSF-MacWhisper has had some killer updates lately
  • 00:10:02 Steven-CSF-TypeItForMe as a Subscription-less TextExpander Substitute
    • Documents by Readdle
  • 00:14:23 GadgetComa-CSF-iStat Menus 7 Is Out! (also in Setapp)
    • Stats for Mac (free)
  • 00:20:43 Ben-CSF-1033–Lightweight PDF to compress PDFs in place
  • 00:23:07 JanLandy-CSF-Public IP to keep your IP in the menubar (helpful for VPN users)
  • 00:26:53 Rod L-CSF-Scroll Reverser and MOS to manage scroll direction for Mouse and Trackpad
  • 00:29:28 Pascal-CSF-plistWatch to Monitor Plist changes in Real-Time
  • 00:30:46 CSF-OutRead – Mac, iOS Speed Reading App – up your reading productivity
• Cool Stuff Found for Podcasting
  • 00:35:05 And also Apple Podcasts on the Web now, too
  • 00:36:22 Bob-What’s everyone using for a Podcast Player app?
    • Overcast
    • Pocket Casts
    • Downcast
    • Fountain.fm
  • 00:43:45 Auphonic for Podcast Loudness Normalization and More
  • 00:55:34 Randy-CSF-VMWare Fusion Pro 13 free for Personal Use
• 00:46:44 RandyWalker-CSF-Apple Maps on Web (beta)
  • Report Corrections to Apple Maps
• Show Business
  • 00:53:26 MGG Premium Listener Contribution Appreciation Moment
    • Fountain.fm
• Cool Stuff Found for Charging Your Devices
  • 00:56:46 Ben-CSF-1050–PurePort USB-C for Cleaning Your USB-C Ports
  • 00:58:06 Kirit-CSF-1050–Cleaning Kit for USB-C Ports and More
  • 01:01:09 Chris-CSF-Magnilink 360 PRO Charging Cables to Ward Off Lightning Bunnies
• Cool Stuff Found for Geeky Folks
  • 01:04:35 Bruce-CSF-LocalSend Cross Platform Sharing – App Store Free!
  • 01:06:30 Grumpy-CSF-TailDrive: TailScale Integration within the Files App
  • 01:07:47 MackiePie-CSF-AltStore.io allows Sideloading on iPhone for all
• Cool Stuff Found — Hosts’ Choice
  • 01:10:14 Pete’s Choice: CSF PopPic 3d Photo creator with camera OR Portrait shot photos
  • 01:12:09 Adam’s Choice: Mark-CSF-iPhone Photog Awards – I didn’t know!
  • 01:14:04 Dave’s Choice: CSF-CellHelmet MagSafe squishy grip
• 01:16:48 MGG 1052 Outtro
  • Bandwidth Provided by CacheFly
  • Adam Christianson on X/Twitter
  • Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)
  • Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts
  • MGG Merch is Available!
  • Mac Geek Gab YouTube Page
  • Mac Geek Gab Live Calendar
  • This Week’s MGG Premium Contributors
  • MGG Apple Podcasts Reviews
  • feedback@macgeekgab.com
  • 224-888-GEEK
  • The Mac Geek Gab iPhone app
  • Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List
  • BackBeat Media Podcast Network

 

Dive into Mac Geek Gab 1043 with Dave Hamilton, Pilot Pete, and Adam Christianson as they unleash a treasure trove of Quick Tips and answers to your burning questions. Discover how long-pressing a key on macOS unveils accents and special characters, adding Shazam to your Control Center for instant music ID, and leveraging your iPhone for scanning documents. The trio also dives into the Setapp vs. Bundle models, explores using a 5K iMac as an external display, and offers insights on using software and hardware for enhanced screen extension.

Tackle your backup concerns head-on with practical tips, such as using PowerPhotos for local photo backups and understanding Time Machine’s role in iCloud Photos Library backup. They discuss the safety of using Backblaze for iCloud Drive and how to recover data from a formatted SSD with tools like Disk Drill and Stellar for Mac. Get amped with Cool Stuff Found, featuring apps like CloudMounter and Cyberduck, and gadgets like the Tayasui Sketches app for Wacom users and high-end robovacs.

Remember, “Don’t Get Caught” unprepared—stay savvy with Mac Geek Gab!

• 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1043 for Monday, June 24th, 2024
  • June 24: Midsummer
  • The MGG Discord Server is Live!
  • The MGG Merch Store is Live!
• Quick Tips
  • 00:00:01 Dave-QT-On macOS, long-press a letter on your keyboard to see accents and special versions with numbers beneath!
    • PopChar
  • 00:05:40 Uncle Jamie-QT-Add Shazam to Control Center
    • Gracenote Database of Songs
  • 00:09:18 Adam-QT-Scanning on your iPhone instead of Taking a Photo
    • forScore
    • Documents by Readdle
  • 00:16:35 CSF-CloudMounter
    • Cyberduck
    • Transmit
    • Forkflight
  • 00:22:40 The Setapp vs. Bundle Models
• Sponsors
  • 00:26:00 SPONSOR: Fastmail. Make email better for you with Fastmail. Try Fastmail free for 30 days and get 10% off your first year at Fastmail.com/MGG.
  • 00:27:37 SPONSOR: Zocdoc, the easiest way to find a great doctor and instantly book an appointment. Sign up for FREE at Zocdoc.com/MGG and download the app today.
• Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
  • 00:29:28 Dan-Can I use my 5K iMac as an External Display?
    • Luna Display
  • 00:35:40 Prof Josh-QT-Use Jump Desktop as an External Monitor
    • OWC Headless Dongle
    • macOS Screen Extension
• Backup Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
  • 00:46:27 Jeff-What’s the Simplest Way to Backup Local Photos?
    • PowerPhotos
  • 00:53:02 Sandro-Does Time Machine back up my iCloud Photos Library?
  • 00:54:49 John-Is it safe to use Backblaze to backup my iCloud Drive?
    • Don’t Put Your Dropbox Folder in your Desktop or Documents folder
  • 00:58:31 Andrew-How to recover data from a formatted SSD?
    • Disk Drill
    • Stellar for Mac
    • Data Rescue
• Show Business
  • 01:04:25 MGG Premium Listener Contribution Appreciation Moment
• Cool Stuff Found
  • 01:07:42 Flying Pete’s Plane to Macstock!
    • Use MACGEEKGAB to get $30 off your registration for Macstock
  • 01:09:43 Pete-CSF-Tayasui Sketches (for Mac or iPad or iOS)
    • Great when used with Wacom Wacom One 13 Touch Pen Display
  • 01:12:27 Dave-CSF-Robovacs that Dave uses: Anker’s Eufy S1 Pro ($1,499…but it’ll come down) and Roborock QRevo ($769…or $899)
  • 01:20:07 Adam-CSF-Have a Small Wins Bell
• 01:22:42 MGG 1043 Outtro
  • MacStock Coupon Code: MACGEEKGAB saves you $30!
  • Bandwidth Provided by CacheFly
  • Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)
  • Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts
  • MGG Merch is Available!
  • MGG Apple Podcasts Reviews
  • feedback@macgeekgab.com
  • 224-888-GEEK
  • Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List
  • BackBeat Media Podcast Network

macOS Ventura changed the way we manage preferences with its System Settings app…and lots of things aren’t where we’d expect to find them! Listen as John tries to help Dave make sense of some of these…and maybe that helps us all! There’s more: your two favorite geeks dig into your questions about Wi-Fi speeds, travel chargers, and the security of Photos on your iPhone. That plus some great Cool Stuff Found submissions from the MGG Family make for a completely spooky episode for this year’s Halloween. Don’t get caught!

Chapters/Timestamps/Stuff mentioned:

• 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 953 for Monday, October 31, 2022
  • ericdsa-QT-Swipe from Lower-Left to Upper-Right to Take Screenshot on iPadOS
  • The MGG Discord Server is Live!
  • The MGG Merch Store is Live!
• Quick Tips
  • 00:02:37 Dave-QT-Merging PDF Files
  • 00:04:35 David-QT-iCloud BETA Photos website allows uploading from iPad External Drives
  • 00:06:37 Neil-QT-952-Going Directly to Red Flashlight on Apple Watch
  • 00:08:33 Greg-QT-Create Shortcut to Auto-Brightness to Preserve Battery Life on iPhone 14 Pro
  • URL: prefs:root=ACCESSIBILITY&path=DISPLAY_AND_TEXT/AUTO-BRIGHTNESS
• 00:10:39 SPONSOR: Hello Fresh. Skip trips to the grocery store and count on HelloFresh to make home cooking easy, fun, and affordable. Visit HelloFresh.com/MGG65 and use code MGG65 for 65% off plus free shipping.
• Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
  • 00:12:41 David-Why am I not getting full speed from my ISP?
    • Test Your Local Network with iperf3
    • Isolate test – Use Ethernet and not WiFi
    • iPerf3
    • NetSpot
    • Eufy X8 Vacuum (for mapping?)
    • iSumbler Replacements Thread
    • WiFi Explorer
    • AirRadar from Koingo
  • 00:26:05 George-941-Travel Charger Tip
  • 00:29:44 Terri-949-iPhone Lock Screen Camera Security
• 00:33:47 SPONSOR: Coda, the one Doc to rule them all. Bring your text and tables together! Sign up at Coda.io/mgg for FREE.
• Ventura Systems Settings Woes
  • 00:35:05 Ventura after a week
    • Continuity Camera (and mounts!)
    • Stage Manager feedback
  • 00:40:20 What Madness Is This?!? (aka Networking in macOS Ventura)
  • 00:42:00 Nick-Finding New Ventura Settings and Time Machine
  • 00:44:11 macOS Ventura Sleep Settings have Moved
  • 00:48:24 Tony-Simplified Ventura Settings
• 00:50:17 PODCAST: This Week In Tech: Every week, This Week in Tech gives you a no-holds-barred, deep dive into how big tech influences our culture and our lives.
• John Gets an Apple Watch!
  • 00:50:53 Apple Watch New User Tips
    • John’s Stretchy Watch Band/Bracelet
    • OMNY New York Subway Tap and Go
• 01:05:48 Show Business
  • MGG Premium Thanks
  • Ralph-Do MGG Premium Subscribers need to Subscribe in Apple Podcasts?
  • Fountain.fm
  • Boostagram Thanks
• Cool Stuff Found
  • 01:11:53 Ed-CSF-Inexpensive, 3-in-1 MagSafe Charger with controllable LED
  • 01:15:12 Michael-952-Shoot works with Multiple Cameras Already
• 01:16:36 MGG 953 Outtro
  • Pilot Pete’s New Aviation Podcast: So There I Was
  • Bandwidth Provided by CacheFly
  • MGG Merch is Available!
  • Mac Geek Gab YouTube Page
  • Mac Geek Gab Live Calendar
  • This Week’s MGG Premium Contributors
  • MGG Apple Podcasts Reviews
  • feedback@macgeekgab.com
  • 224-888-GEEK
  • The Mac Geek Gab iPhone app
  • Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List
  • BackBeat Media Podcast Network

Dave talks about a tech support issue he had with his Mac setup this weekend, and how it's bad to assume anything without confirming it first! John and Dave then answer your questions about Automounting volumes at startup, copying your iTunes library, cloning drives, and more!

John and Dave talk through security recommendations and tech support tactics which leads Dave into a great rant about how folks have been dealing with Apple's MacBook Pro issues. Don't miss it!

John and Dave got together this past weekend and checked out the i-Theatre, a visor for your Video iPod, DVD player, computer, and more. The conversations continue, discussing kinda-sorta viruses and music recognition services, and we start new discussions regarding swap file locations and document conversion. Plus, as an added bonus, Dave slips in a rant about rebooting. Don't miss it!

Your favorite Mac geeks turn 50 this week or, rather, the show does, as John and Dave dance through topics including headphone technology, drive partitioning, and speeding up Mail.app! Once again, the conversation continues, and you're involved. Join in now by downloading this week's show!

Swap files, Human Clocks, Voice over IP, BitTorrent, port forwarding, and nondestructively resizing partitions on your Mac's hard drive are all covered in this episode and more! Listener feedback drives the topic list this time around, and all YOUR questions are answered.

This special edition show features an interview with Ray Zeisz from Vertex Zero. Ray is very much the cable modem geek, having spent years working in that industry, and was kind enough to join us for a special interview, going in-depth on a lot of the issues we've been discussing as of late. Thanks Ray!