August 2022 – Macinations

August 29, 2022

Back to School Deals on AdGuard

Even if you aren’t in school, it’s a great time to get a deal on AdGuard and AdGuard VPN. With today’s Internet being what it is, AdGuard is a must have. Even if you only install the browser plugin, it’s dangerous to be without ad-blocking, and tracker blocking. If you go through AdGuard, you can save up to 80% on AdGuard and AdGuard VPN. You can get a Personal license, which covers 3 devices, or the Family Plan, which covers up to 10. This includes desktop, and mobile. If you want to save a little more, you can make a purchase through StackSocial. They have AdGuard and AdGuard VPN at a substantial discount. You can get an AdGuard Lifetime license for $20, and 5 years of AdGuard VPN for $40. StackSocial handles the purchase, but your licenses are still managed within AdGuard. I have my licenses through StackSocial. Without a doubt, I recommend the AdGuard and VPN combo. I’ve had […]

August 28, 2022

🖼 Simple but Effective Window Management

Managing your window layout can be a huge boost to productivity and efficiency. With a quick press of a hotkey, you can maximize a window, read a document on the left, and edit another to the right. When you have multiple monitors, this becomes even more beneficial, almost necessary. For effective layout using hotkeys my choice is Magnet. It’s a simple tool that works wonders. Out of the box, the most common action will be to maximize a window. Not quite the traditional “full screen” with the menus missing. The menu bar and Dock remain visible. You can quickly set app windows to take up the left or right half of the screen, perfect for looking at documents side by side. For other types of apps like Slack, Discord or Messages, the window can be moved to the top right, left, or bottom. You can also do half-sized windows or put them in the center. My layout is usually an […]

August 21, 2022

⌘ The power of Text Expansion

Text expansion is so useful and beneficial, it’s part of both macOS and iOS. You can save time and increase accuracy by typing a keyword and having it expand to something longer. Once you get in the flow of the process, the built-in tools might not be powerful enough. They only handle a single line of text and for what I do, I insert blocks of text. For the last 5 years, my text expansion tool has been TypeIt4Me. Gadzooks, where has the time gone? Again, Alfred has this functionality built-in, but I got TypeIt4Me, before I knew what Alfred was. At some point I may switch everything over to Alfred, but I have several dozen expansions across multiple Sets, so I’m content to stay where I am for now. Text expansion is very easy to set up and execute. For example, when working on web automation, I have keywords programmed for loops, decision trees, and frequently used commands that […]

August 14, 2022

📋 The Benefits of Clipboard Management

A good clipboard manager and using it correctly is a massive increase to productivity. You can save time by copying multiple text items at once, then paste them together without wasting time switching back and forth between apps. You can also look back a few hours, days, or even weeks to get text you previously worked with. Most managers can collect dozens or hundreds of items before text falls off the list. CopyLess 2 is my choice of manager. It can support 100-1000 entries, can remove all text formatting, has a favorites tab, offers search, and runs as a floating window that stays on top of other apps. That last feature is important to me. I have multiple monitors and CopyLess runs on the second screen. It offers a list view with preview so I can see the copied information, how long ago I copied it, and what application it can from. If I’ve copied two things that are similar, […]

August 7, 2022

⌚ Finally got an Apple Watch

It’s finally happened. After the long wait, and supply shortages, I’ve managed to get an Apple Watch. Just in time for the new model to come out, but there will always be a new model right around the corner. But, the Apple Watch is very cool, even though being a watch is the least significant thing it does. In fact, I’ve been surrounded by devices that tell time for the last 30 years, so I haven’t had a need for a watch. However, I didn’t get the Apple Watch to tell time, it’s my fitness and health monitor. I’m specifically interested in the Activity and Heart sections. I want to know what my workout BPM is, my resting heart rate, the number of steps I take, and a rough guess on how many calories are burned in a day. I’ve even added walking to my routine because there is a stride measurement that can possibly identify issues from your walking […]

Back to School Deals on AdGuard

🖼 Simple but Effective Window Management

⌘ The power of Text Expansion

📋 The Benefits of Clipboard Management

⌚ Finally got an Apple Watch

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