August 12, 2021

⌘ Batch processing images, even when it’s not supported

This is exactly why I love working with the Mac. With the power of macOS and Keyboard Maestro all sorts of magic is possible. I’m a huge fan of the apps/plugins from JixiPix, especially Spektrel Art and Portrait Painter. To that end, I want to process several hundred images, but the JixiPix apps don’t support batch processing. Fear not, with a little help from Keyboard Maestro, it’s possible to write a macro to handle the job with 99% accuracy. This does take a very small amount of prep work. Spektrel Art needs to be open with an image. A preset needs to be selected. Under Preferences, the Last Saved Location option needs to be checked. And at least one image needs to be saved in the output location. Then within Keyboard Maestro, the macro runs like this. Using the For Each Item in Collection action in Keyboard Maestro, get a list of all the files in the folder. Open that […]

August 9, 2021

🕵️‍♂️ Personal VPN as standard issue

With all the privacy concerns, data mining, data snooping, and companies selling out their users to the highest bidder, a VPN connection is becoming a necessity. It’s not about connecting to an unknown network, it’s about flipping the finger to ISPs, advertisers, marketers, data miners, and everyone else that’s spying and logging. It’s about encrypted and unlogged DNS that says mind your own damn business. Even Microsoft is selling users out, the OS is a platform to gather user data and sell it off. Surfshark was my first foray into personal VPN. Now I have services on each computer and tablet. My main machines use AdGuard and Surfshark with encrypted DNS going through the Surfshark tunnel. The tablets use AdGuard Pro and AdGuard VPN with AdGuard providing protected DNS lookup. My ISP and everyone else doesn’t need to know what I read, what I look up, what my hobbies are, where I shop, what gifts I might be interested in, […]

August 5, 2021

🤦‍♀️ Windows SpamOS 10

After more time with Windows, I’m shocked at how much garbage and spam is stuffed inside the OS. There are more privacy concerns than you can shake a stick at. The constant polling for news. Ad and news features that can be personalized, but not turned off. Tools like ShutUp10 that try and reel in the privacy issues. How is Windows 10 accepted in the Enterprise? I thought Windows 95 was cool. Like others, I think Windows XP was one of the best OS versions Microsoft made. I’m still a fan of Windows 7, although it’s nothing more than a Service Pack to Vista. Windows 10 is the most annoying OS I’ve ever worked with. With Facebook, Twitter and Google being raked over the coals for their privacy violations, I’m stunned people put up with Windows 10.

August 2, 2021

📕 Book Review – WordPress – The Year Without Pants

I’m obviously a fan of WordPress. So are millions of other people. But, long before many of us started to work remotely, WordPress was ahead of the curve. They’ve been remote since their inception. It’s about finding the right people regardless of where they’re located. The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work details how WordPress is able to perform Continuous Integration and release new features on a daily, even hourly basis. This was more than a decade ago, long before Slack and Zoom. Using tools like IRC, Skype, WordPress blogs themselves and the ever faithful email, WordPress as a company was able to work with engineers across the world, not just the US. It’s a compelling narrative of how to break projects down into manageable chunks. How to be concise and clear in your requirements. How spending all day in meetings so you can discuss what’s going to happen in the next meeting is a complete waste […]

August 1, 2021

An additional 40% off StackSocial bundles

Getting a jump on Back to School sales, StackSocial is offering an additional 40% off apps and software bundles. For example, the Manager & Privacy Subscription Bundle which includes Lifetime licenses for Sticky Password and KeepSolid VPN, is discounted to an impressive $29.99. Use the coupon ANNUAL40 and the price drops another 40% to $18.00. That is an amazing deal. The same can be applied to the AdGuard 5 year bundle. $40 for a 5 year subscription is impressive, but with that 40% off, it’s only $24. $5 a year for AdGuard VPN? How can you resist that? AdGuard Pro Lifetime drops from $29.99 to $18.00. https://stacksocial.com/ANNUAL40

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