MacVoices

Rosemary Orchard returns to talk about her most recent project: taking over  WhenWorks , the service that helps you schedule your appointments with others at times of mutual convenience without revealing your entire calendar. Rosemary explains how she came to WhenWorks, why she didn't want to see it go away, some of the things under development. Then, we talk about getting started with OmniFocus,...

In Part 2 of our discussion with  Winston Chen , the Founder and iOS Developer for  Voice Dream ,we get into some of the details of the app, including formats supported, ebook DRM, sources of ebooks, and an exception in copyright law for visually challenged individuals. Winston talks about how their Voice Dream Scanner app helps with the challenges of reading PDFs, why other scanner apps weren't q...

Winston Chen , the Founder and iOS Developer for  Voice Dream talks about their flagship app that provides a variety of ebook-reading features, including text-to-speech in a number of different voices and languages and more. In Part 1, Winston talks about the surprising beginnings of Voice Dream, why it almost didn't make it to the App Store, and the letter he received that compelled him to develo...

The second part of our conversation with  Glenn Fleishman  the author of the new  Take Control of Zoom from Take Control Books , gets into a discussion of Zoom security, how they have dealt with some of the missteps, and how comfortable you can be using it. Zoom has done an amazing job of handling the, literally, millions of users COVID-19 sent their way. Glenn and Chuck discuss why Zoom beat out...

The first part of our interview with  Glenn Fleishman , the author of the new  Take Control of Zoom   from Take Control Books, has Glenn providing some of his favorite tips for the video conferencing service from both the attendee and the host perspectives. Glenn also discusses some of the security and privacy issues Zoom has had, and how they have responded to those challenges. [embed]http://traf...

Some of us are on the verge of coming out of lockdown, some are not. Get your Mac (and you) ready as you get back to work, or get to work with tips on how to make it better save some disk space, save some money, and gain some new skills. [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/maclevelten/MV20136.mp3[/embed] This edition of MacVoices is supported by Linode , high performance cloud hosting and virtual ser...

The May update asks for your feedback on a possible new Patreon reward, and how to sample it before it goes into effect, an update on the MacVoices web site, and a plug for Chuck's appearance on a new show. Also, the Support Report and a call for feedback, as always. Show Notes: Links: In A Few Minutes with Ken Ray Support:      Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon       http://patreon.com/macvoic...

John Brayton  of  Golden Hill Software gives us an update on  Unread 2 , his RSS reader that not only looks good, but packs a ton of functionality. John talks about the addition of an option to override summaries and go straight to the web site text and images, the automatic offline caching of web page text and images, keyword navigation, and iPad keyboard and trackpad support. John also provides...

A new partnership between  OverDrive and their app Libby and the  Sonos  smart speakers will let you listen to audiobooks from your local library.  Adam Sockel , Integrated Marketing Specialist for Overdrive, tells us how it works, how you can take advantage of their service, even if your local library is closed during the lockdown, and how listening to audiobooks through Sonos changes the experie...

TidBITS   publisher  Adam Engst  continues his conversation on the 30th anniversary of their email newsletter, explaining why TidBITS avoided adopting publishing trends, why introducing graphics helps the reader, and in spite of all the changes, email remains the dominant consumption mechanism. Adam talks about how they became part of the community, created a loyal reader and supporter base, and w...

TidBITS , the longest running email newsletter on the Internet just had its 30th anniversary, and publisher Adam Engst  celebrates by talking about how web development has become a discipline of its own, and how that affected TidBITs over the years. He covers the care they have taken to maintain their legacy story links intact during those transitions, how TidBITS pioneered advertising on the Inte...

The second part of the discussion on "How Long Should Tech Last" with the panel of  Charles Edge ,  Ken Ray ,  Brett Terpstra , and host  Chuck Joiner get into topics that include the costs of maintaining older hardware and software from both the end user as well as the manufacturer's perspective, backward compatibility, and how you should budget for replacement. The effect on purchasing decisions...

A discussion on "How Long Should Tech Last" starts with the realization that the hardware and software you buy today is, sooner or later, going to be obsolete. That may seem obvious when it comes to computers, less so when talking about smart speakers, home automation hardware, and other electronics. The panel of  Charles Edge ,  Ken Ray ,  Brett Terpstra , and host  Chuck Joiner dig in from both...

Mark Fuccio provides some thoughts on Apple's April 2020 financial call. Once again, Apple beat the Street's expectations. Mark comments on that, his opinion on the no financial guidance for the upcoming quarter, and then digs in to some of the other details that may give us hints of the future. Investments in manufacturing equipment, the ongoing stock buy-back program, and the importance of the r...

In spite of the fact that there was no NAB this year, there are still lots of stories in the video production world that need to be told. This time,  Gary Rebholz of  VEGAS Creative Software and  Josh Davies of  FXhome   talk about their collaboration on  VEGAS POST , a product that delivers powerful editing and effects.  Find how how and why they are competing with Adobe in the post-production ma...

Our discussion on the second edition of Take Control of PDFpen with author  Michael E. Cohen starts with a little history of the file format, explains why this book is free, then turns to the newest features of the PDF-editing utility. Michael explains why PDFs can get so large and how PDFpen can cut down the size, discusses DocuSign support, the new call-out feature and more. Find out what's insi...

The second part of our discussion with Bart Busschots covers the privacy and security issues surrounding Zoom, and the strengths and weaknesses of the platform. The question of whether the End User License Agreement provided adequate notice on these, and how Apple's model that is an example that should be emulated is covered, along with the concept of risk vs. value when it comes to privacy. This...

Bart Busschots talks about his two free online courses to help you get a little more geeky. In Taming the Terminal , Bart and Allison Sheridan help you get comfortable with working with the Unix underpinnings of macOS, and in Programming by Stealth they tackle introducing you to the world of coding in an approachable way. Bart explains why you don't need to be afraid of either one, the role that A...

Jon Bach , the CEO of  Puget Systems , is back to talk about how and why you might want to consider one of their custom-built PC boxes if you have video production needs. Jon explains why their service goes beyond just building the boxes to include some system software management, talks about what they found out when they bought a Mac Pro, and announces their new consulting service to help deliver...

The April Update contains updates on the MacVoices web site, MacVoices Thinking, why no COVID-19 shows, and the Support Report. Then, Chuck digs deep on the how's and why's of recording MacVoices and why it has recently changed. Show Notes: Chuck Joiner is the producer and host of MacVoices . You can catch up with what he's doing on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn . Subscribe to the show: iTunes...

We continue our discussion with Jeff Carlson , the author of  Take Control of Apple Watch   from  Take Control Books,  digging into the question of Apple Watch apps and the Watch App Store, as well as health-related apps and features. Enormous progress has been made in the latter as the Watch has evolved; Jeff reminds us of some of those features and why they are important, and talks about why we...

Jeff Carlson  just finished his latest effort,  Take Control of Apple Watch   for  Take Control Books , a detailed examination of the capabilities of the current version of the hardware and software, with a nod to the future. In the first part of our discussion, Jeff covers the evolution of a Take Control Crash Course into a full-fledged 1.0 version of this book, and why that happened by popular d...

Michael E. Cohen  digs deeper into some of the concepts in his new Take Control book, Apple Interface Mysteries   in the second half of our conversation. Again, he draws on past experience to explain how some of the interface elements we all know came about, and why they aren't always as intuitive as we would like. Be sure to watch past the end credits for some bonus material that might just give...

The latest offering from  Take Control Books is a bit unusual for them.  Michael E. Cohen explains why he has wanted to write  Apple Interface Mysteries   for a long time, and why now was the right time. Rather than digging into perform different functions in macOS and iOS, Michael explores the "why" behind the way they work, and how they evolved into what we know as the modern version of this ope...

Macstock   organizer  Mike Potter  has announced that this year's event has joined the list of cancellations due to COVID-19, and walks us through the behind-the-scenes factors that went into that decision. A disappointment? Absolutely, but Mike has bigger and better plans for the conference's return in 2021. He shares some of the details, explains how ticket refunds and carry-over work, and tease...