Author: Krishna

Automating with Keyboard Maestro

Automation options are plentiful on the Mac. It’s one of the main reasons I prefer using macOS over other platforms. Automating tasks saves me time. With a little upfront work in setting up an automation, I can make tedious or routine tasks go much faster.

Apple includes a few free automation utilities in the form of Shortcuts and Automator. Both are easy to use (no programming knowledge needed). If you’re new to automation, this is where I would start.

But sometimes you want even more power. Thankfully, macOS has a robust set of great third party automation utilities. One of these is Keyboard Maestro. I’ve used this program for a few years now, and have made a few custom automations for my day-to-day tasks. I’m by no means an expert at using Keyboard Maestro, but I know enough to be dangerous.

Keyboard Maestro operates on triggers. A trigger is something that will initate an automation to run. A launched application can be one of those triggers. For example, when Keyboard Maestro detects that the Image2Icon app has launched, it will trigger an automation to open my System Icons folder, giving me quick access to my custom Mac icons.

Keyboard shortcuts can also serve as a trigger. When I press Command-Shift-Option-Control D, my Mac’s display changes to what I’ve assigned as a default wallpaper. (Incidentally, I’ve mapped Command-Shift-Option-Control to my Caps Lock key on my keyboard. Pressing Caps Lock is equivalent to pressing all of the above keys at once. I use Karabiner Elements to make this key assignment. See below.)

If the idea of Mac automation intrigues you, read on for a few of my favorite Keyboard Maestro automation routines.

-Krishna

April 11, 2026
My Essential Mac Software Stack for Digital Illustration

I always enjoy learning about other artists’ digital illustration software stack, so I thought I would share my own, for anyone who is interested.

My main software tools for illustration are Photoshop and Illustrator. I spend most of my time in Photoshop, using Illustrator only sparingly for creating custom vector assets (type and shape-based designs). I also have Canva’s Affiniity Designer on hand. For quick vector manipulation, I find it far more intuitive than Illustrator.

I have almost three decades worth of experience using Photoshop, so leaving it for other options (i.e. Krita, Clip Studio Paint, ProCreate) isn’t in the cards for me yet. I have used all of the above tools, most notably Clip Studio Paint, and while they are solid offerings in their own ways, I’m way more efficient at moving around within Photoshop.

Another reason I remain on Adobe is for the courses I teach on campus. Our Digital Media program is Adobe-based. While I generally like using Photoshop, I have no love for Adobe’s exhorbitant subscription pricing and AI options. But that’s a rant for another day.

I’ve written about RefBox. While it’s the newest addition to my creative software arsenal, it’s found its place as an essential part of my workflow. I work with references (photos, illustrations) on a daily basis, and having the ability to “float”, organize and manipulate them in various ways allows me to utilize my Wacom Cintiq’s screen real-estate more efficiently.

Eagle is a program that I started using last year. It’s digital asset organizer for both Mac and Windows. Instead of rooting through folders within the Finder, I can view and organize all of my digital assets in one application. Eagle has its own database, which makes for the ability to quickly search through my collection of type, textures, mock-ups and more. I have a more detailed write-up on Eagle, for those who are interested.

-Krishna

April 10, 2026
Are Browser Bookmarks Still Relevant?

When was the last time you visited a bookmarked site from your web browser’s Bookmarks menu?

For me, it’s been so long that I can’t even remember. I still have a large list of browser bookmarks, each meticulously organized into appropriate folders. But I never go through them.

Pre-smartphone, I relied on my browser’s Bookmarks menu heavily for tasks like comparison shopping and academic research.

These days, my browser’s Bookmark menu goes untouched. Every website that I need frequent access to either exists within my fingertips or as Favorites that run across the top of my browser.

Browser profiles, coupled with Favorites, is how I do things now. I have configured separate profiles for work, tech, streaming, and more. Each of my browser’s profiles have their own set of collected Favorites.

And when I really need to look something up, I almost never search through my Bookmarks menu. It’s faster for me to use a search engine or AI.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad the Bookmarks menu exists. But I wonder how many people actually use it…

-Krishna

April 8, 2026
Web Hosting in 2026

Web hosting is something I haven’t really given much thought to, until this week.

As I wrote about earlier, nearly 16 years of content evaporated as a result of a successful hacking attempt on PC WEENIES.

Rebuilding will take some time, but I was able to get the basics of my site up and running within a weekend. Unfortunately for me, I did not have any recent site back-ups, so for all intents and purposes, I’m starting all over again, from scratch.

I host PC WEENIES on BlueHost, and this weekend I had to lean heavily on their customer support to get to the bottom of the issues that had plagued my site. Their phone support was not so good. I’ll chalk it up to the language barrier and a poor phone connection. I had much better luck with BlueHost’s live chat, where I chatted with at least 3 of their support agents. While nothing could be done to reclaim my old data, they were at least helpful in getting my new WordPress install up and running. I’ll give them a B+.

In addition to BlueHost, I have my portfolio site hosted on HostPapa. This morning I woke up to a nearly $1055 charge on my credit card. I was being billed for three years to the tune of $881.38, with an SSL Wildcard fee of $109.99 and backups at $47.99.

To say that I was shocked at the bill was an understatement.

Worse yet, there was no warning. No heads-up from the company. Just a charge, quickly followed up with an email invoice – all happening in the dead of night.

Thankfully, my credit card company alerted me and I immediately denied the charge. I did call HostPapa later in the day, and did get a chance to speak to a polite customer service rep. According to the invoice, I was placed under their “Pro” plan, which (in my view) seems beyond execessive for hosting a simple 5 page WordPress portfolio site.

My hopes are that the situation will resolve. If not, I’ll be looking at new webhosting.

-Krishna

April 6, 2026
Refbox is a Boon for Digital Artists

Refbox has been a game-changer for my digital art workflow. In my latest video, I go over some of my favorite features. Refbox works on both Mac and Windows, and retails for $29US. A trial is available. One week after using Refbox, I find it to be absolutely indispensable.

Prior to Refbox, I would have to bring references into the digital canvas directly. Doing so would limit my full view of my canvas, and I would have to employ a series of workarounds. The feeling can best be described as trying to move items around while stuck inside a crowded closet.

Refbox lets me float references above my canvas. But it does so much more: With it, I can flip images horizontally, zoom in on a section of the reference, sample colors from the reference and so much more.

Refbox supports images, GIFs, videos, 3D models, audio, notes, links and even PDFs. I can’t find any downside to using it.

-Krishna

April 5, 2026
Apple: The First 50 Years

April 1st, 2026 marked Apple’s 50th anniversary, and if you’re anything like me, you were excited about all of the news and stories being published commemorating the occasion. One piece of media in particular got the party started early: “Apple: The First 50 Years” by David Pogue. If the author’s name sounds familiar, chances are you’ve read one of his many articles in print (The New York Times, MacWorld) or you may have read one of his numerous “Missing Manual” books.

Having enjoyed Mr. Pogue’s writing for the better part of more than 30 years, I had a pretty good idea on what I could expect from his latest book. Would there be clear, human understandable explanations for highly technical concepts? Yes.Absolutely. Would there be a wry sense of humor permeating throughout the book? Without a doubt.

“Apple: The First 50 Years” takes a look at the famous six color company from before its inception all the way through to present. Even if you think you know all there is to know about Apple, you will come away with many new insights after reading this book.

Read the rest of my post on the OWC Rocket Yard blog.

April 5, 2026
And So Castles Made of Sand…

Every independent website, no matter how popular, will eventually dissolve into the abyss. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when.

I started PC WEENIES, a tech-themed webcomic, in October 1998. The strip ran more-or-less continuously for 20 years. First starting as a single panel comic and then moving into a strip style format, I published three times a week, “or the next one’s free”, for most of its run.

I started with static HTML and GoLive CyberStudio, before moving to adding custom PHP (Thank you Tom Davis), before fully switching over to WordPress in 2008. It was during that time, I also incorporated my love of writing to pen an accompanying tech blog.

While PC WEENIES didn’t set the Internet world ablaze, it did have many fans. What started as a lark in late 1998 turned into a training regimen. I knew very little about digital drawing, let alone Photoshop, when I posted that first single panel comic. But, with time, practice and persistence, I eventually found my footing.

So what has become of this once beloved site?

First, things started to break. My WordPress site was showing its age. It featured a lot of custom code (Thanks Frumph!), integrated with ComicEasel. The whole shebang worked, at least for a while.

Software upgrades (namely a PHP update) broke the site first. But the site still limped along. Then came hackers.

I only realized there was an issue when my host sent me a note complaining about excessive CPU utilization. When I visited my site, in place of my blog was a landing page for a Golf company (!).

I was able to take care of the CPU utilization but the site was now permanently broken. I had no back-up (save for one from 2016).

As painful as the decision was, I decided to nuke the whole site and start afresh. That meant 16 years of content were now up in smoke. And nary a PC WEENIES comic on the web. Truth be told, when it happened, I felt a little sick to my stomach.

After acceptance kicked in, I started to think about what a new PC WEENIES site would look like.

I have some plans to use this place to post about things that interest me in the area of tech, illustration and comics. There will also be, on occasion, a brand new PC WEENIES comic or two. Instead of the strip style, I’m toying with the idea of making full page comics on occasion. I can’t promise a regular publication schedule, but I do miss Bob, Pam, Milton and the rest of the wacky gang at Footle.

For those who miss the old comics, fear not. I have a catalog of PC WEENIES comics on my computer. If and when I can figure out an elegant way to share them here, I’ll do so.

As always, stay tooned.

-Krishna

April 4, 2026