I’ve been using Napkin for one simple feature: their magnifier callouts. Here’s an example from a recent post:
I really like the look and emphasis provided by the Napkin callouts but the application broke on Mavericks. So, I switched back to my old standby, OmniGraffle.1
I’ve been an OmniGraffle user for as long as I can remember.2 At first, OmniGraffle comes across as too complex for mere mortals. However, once I got comfortable with the basic tools I realized it was actually a much simpler toolkit than most of the design-centric apps I’ve used.
My upgrade to Mavericks went surprisingly smooth; suspiciously smooth. None of my Python scripts broke, all of my Hazel rules continued to function and my most critical Keyboard Maestro macros continued to function. However, I immediately noticed that I could no longer adjust the volume with the keyboard function keys. After turning off everything that might be intercepting the key presses, I was beaten. I went about my work as usual.
DEVONtech is sponsoring Macdrifter again this week. They make terrific software and they are a consistent supporter of this site. Both are good reasons to check them out.
Sponsored This overview describes a sponsor's product. It happens to be something that I use and think is really great. The ideas and words in this post are mine because DEVONthink is great.
Grouping Documents DEVONthink treats groups just like directories.
Apple Mail in Mavericks is having a bit of difficulty with Gmail1 but as the team from FastMail notes, that’s not the only problem with Mail.app.
Yes you read that right. It’s copying all the email from the Junk Folder back into the Junk Folder again!. This is legal IMAP, so our server proceeds to create a new copy of each message in the folder.
I’ve definitely noticed that Mail has become a resource hog.
I’m a proponent of services like FastMail. They charge a modest price for a service I use a hundred times a day.1 Because FastMail does one thing, it’s far superior to using the generic email services provided by most hosting companies.2 FastMail web access is better than any other web client I have used and the little options like file upload and mail alias' are terrific.
But maybe you’re held back by the effort required to move your email to a new host.
MailMate is a very nerdy email client for the Mac that has some interesting features and long list of planned changes. The developer is looking to crowd fund future development so he can go full time:
As described in a recent blog post I can no longer afford to work on MailMate full time. Instead of silently slowing down development of MailMate I’ve decided to take the opportunity to do a little experiment.
My absolute favorite add-on for Apple’s Mail.app, MailHub, is on sale right now. I’ve reviewed it already and outlined how it fits into my email workflow. Now go get it.
Thanks again to DEVONtech for sponsoring Macdrifter this week. They make some of the most powerful document database and search apps on any platform.
DEVONthink provides several options for syncing and backing up data automatically. The system works with the simplest project all the way up to a large complex database. All of the files, flags, tags and meta data are synchronized. Even the search index goes along for the ride so that everyone using the data sees the same stuff.
Picatext is an unique application. It does something so unique that it’s hard to evaluate it, but that won’t stop me.
Picatext does one thing: It extracts text from screenshots.
There are two input methods in Picatext, the built in rectangular screenshot tool and file upload. Both work extremely fast for small images. Activate the Picatext menubar item and choose the appropriate method.
Picatext works better than I expected. It works better than I imagined possible.
Every OS X upgrade breaks my python installation. I think this is a common problem for dummies like me that are not using virtualenv for everyday use.
With Mavericks on its way (presumably next week), I decided to plan ahead.1 First, I generated a list of all of my installed Python packages. The most common way to do this is with the freeze command. It’s pretty simple.
To get a simple listing of all modules, just run this:
