July 6, 2021

⌘ Using Rsync and Keyboard Maestro to Merge and Purge thousands of redundant files

A perfect example of combining the power of the Shell and Keyboard Maestro. Quite some time ago I removed my individual external drives from their cases and combined them into several multi-unit drive enclosures. This was very convenient, but led to the issue of many, many duplicates across multiple drives. Consolidating all these files has turned out to be more of a chore than I expected. Merging folders is either a foreign concept or a dirty word. Apps have no idea how to handle it. If I have Drive 1 and Drive 2, if files already exist on Drive 1, simply skip them. If there is a new file, copy it over, but don’t waste time copying something that already exists in the destination. At the end, delete all the files off Drive 2 so I can reclaim the space. Don’t leave it 98% full like it was before. For this task, only a handful of files should be copied. […]

July 2, 2021

⌘ 101 Things to do with Keyboard Maestro

To be fair, I don’t have 101 macros written, yet. But, I’m well on my way. Although, reading the forums, there are others who have done that and more. A few sophisticated users have a couple hundred macros covering dozens of different areas. I have jealousy and hope to be that proficient one day. What I’ve learned is that Keyboard Maestro is far more than a “macro” tool. It’s every bit a development environment. A development environment that with a small time investment and a bit of research, can create custom solutions for all sorts of situations. It’s even possible to replicate the functionality of off the shelf software, or in some cases replace it. It may not be 100% parity, but it will accomplish the core functionality. For example, here’s a few of the applets I’ve created so far. Filter the clipboard to remove extraneous text from Amazon links Rename files as they are added to a folder Move […]

June 27, 2021

🏷 Time for SummerFest 2021

We’re at that time of the year where you can save a bundle on some of the best Mac apps available during SummerFest 2021. From the list available, there are at least 3 must have tools, DevonThink Office Pro, DevonAgent, and Scrivener. DevonThink Office Pro is note taker, document manager, and central hub of information. I’m still sporting version 2, so now might be a good time to upgrade. Every note and document of value is stored in DevonThink Office Pro. I can always find what I’m looking for. It’s been running steadily for years. DevonAgent is where I go when I really want to look up information. It’s an incredibly efficient way to find information that goes beyond the usual top 10 results. It can perform searches in the background, filter results, exclude topics, exclude sites, skip over duplicates, skip ads, and extract the information you’re really looking for. There’s a wealth of information beyond the first page Google […]

June 9, 2021

Quick reaction to the WWDC event

I’ve been watching all sorts of reaction videos from the “experts” and find a mixed bag of what people think. Some are completely underwhelmed. However, that seems to stem from not getting a peek at the next tier of MacBook Pro. Regardless of leaker news, what made you think they would appear at WWDC? There’s no reason to do that. I thought the new features across the OS range were quite good. Not earth shattering or ground breaking, but better than the features we didn’t have the day before. I love the idea of being able to control a Mac, MacBook and iPad using the keyboard and mouse of one system. That is some serious flex as Marques put it. I like the fitness/health features for iOS. The monitoring and data sharing is impressive. About the only let down was no mention of iPadOS tapping the full power of the M1 chip. It’s disappointing, but not the end of the […]

May 17, 2021

Securing my digital perimeter

Based on several factors I’ve revamped how I store files and send text between machines. This may seem like overkill, but let’s be honest, there are simply too many prying eyes these days. And even though Cloud services are secure, it’s still a hard drive that belongs to someone else. First order of business was to implement a VPN. I have SurfShark running 24/7 on multiple machines. I’m 98% satisfied with how it works. The only glitches have been a slow connection from time to time, and one small period where it didn’t connect. Not sure if that on my end or theirs. But overall, totally worth the money. Next is CryptoEdit, a simple text editor that password protects documents and stores them in an encrypted format. This is for sharing links, emails addresses, passwords, serial numbers, and other details I would prefer not to just throw out there. I have this shared in iCloud and can see information on […]

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