Blog
Tech thoughts, workflow notes and digital-life observations.
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Cable Confusion, Mac Specs, and Two Handy Tools for Smarter Buying
I wanted to share two fantastic resources that I came across recently that will be helpful for Mac users. First up is Glenn Fleishman’s Apple Specs Database which lets you search technical specifications by model — iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and more. But the really interesting feature that I haven’t seen elsewhere is search…
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FrugalMac: Alfred is My Launcher of Choice
There is no shortage of Mac launcher apps available. But in the end, after carefully weighing my options, I’ve decided to stick with the venerable Alfred. How long have I been using Alfred? Since October 26, 2010. Almost a decade later, I purchased the Alfred PowerPack. Alfred is a launcher, and PowerPack is a set…
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WWDC 2026 Predictions: macOS
WWDC 2026 is upon the world in less than a week. Amidst all of the usual kerfuffle that surrounds the event, I remain solely fixated on what Apple will bring to macOS. Like others, I’ve written about what I hope to see in macOS 27, but for this post, I’m going to share what I…
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The Right to Repair Is Important
Yesterday, I took apart my GE Profile dishwasher for the first time ever to replace a worn and damaged control panel. This panel serves as the touch interface to control the dish washer. Here’s what it looked like. The entire outer trim was gone. While functional, the plastic laminate was badly bent, twisted and coming…
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Mac Security Begins with a Level Head
A few weeks ago, as I was working on my Mac mini, I received a rather odd notification, warning that my Mac was at risk for malware. The notification included a link to perform a scan. Of course, I knew better and did not click the link. But I can easily see a less tech…
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Create Vector 3D Structures for Use with Raster Art
My latest instructional video takes repeating vector elements to form 3D structural geometry that can be incorporated within raster art. The featured image for this post, along with the Silver Surfer image below, utilize the techniques I’ve shared within the video. Integrating vectors into my work has been exhilarating and I’m beginning to see new…
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FrugalMac: Two Macs, One Keyboard and Mouse
This weekend, I rearranged my desk setup to accomodate both MacBook Pro laptops. On the left, in the image below is my M1 MacBook Pro connected to the left Dell 2515H display. On the right is my new M5 Pro MacBook Pro connected to the right Dell 2515H display. Two computers, with two separate keyboards…
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Comics You Should Be Reading: Escape
Escape is a gritty World War II inspired comic, by Rick Remender and Daniel Acuna. The story follows Captain Milton Shaw, a bomber pilot shot down behind enemy lines. Captured by the enemy, he must devise his escape. Unlike conventional war stories, the characters in Escape are anthropomorphic. Captain Shaw is a bear, and his…
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My Top Three Terminal Command Line Tools
Using Ghostty has been a pleasant experience. It feels modern and clean, making the Terminal.app seem dated by comparison. Similarly, adding Homebrew has made the command line experience much more enjoyable. One big benefit with Homebrew is that I can quickly install and remove apps right from the shell. Some of my favorite command line…
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FrugalMac: Essential Mac Apps for Productivity
Working within the confines of macOS’s first party offerings has been frustrating. In an earlier post, I lamented about window management inconsistencies that lead me to install Rectangle. MarsEdit – this application has become essential to my blogging workflow. Blogging with MarsEdit is easy, and if it’s easy, I can do it more often. NetNewsWire…