Bear, a new note-taking app for iOS and macOS I reviewed last week, already offers a solid selection of URL schemes with x-callback-url support that can be used to automate different aspects of the app. While waiting for Workflow to implement native Bear actions, we can use these URL schemes “the old way” to...
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Question: I’d like a workflow that I can use to get lyrics of the currently playing song in Spotify. I’ve found one that finds the current song by using Last.FM, but it seems to be broken. Or do you know a better way that would use Spotify itself for the current playing song? (Jeroen Schaper,...
Canvas, Episode 23: Workflow - Variables and Built-in Actions→
This week Fraser and Federico continue the Workflow series with a look at how to use Variables and Workflow’s built-in actions.
On the second episode of Canvas’ Workflow series, we cover one of the key features of the app, variables, which are key to building workflows. In the second half of the show, we talk about Workflow’s built-in actions and some of its system integrations.
If you haven’t listened to the first episode of the series yet, you’ll want to go back and start from there.
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My New iPad Pro Keyboard: The Razer Mechanical Keyboard Case
Since getting a 12.9-inch iPad Pro last year, I’ve had a fairly troubled relationship with external iPad keyboards. I didn’t like the original Logitech CREATE keyboard case, so, surprised by the lack of notable Smart Connector-based accessories, I ended up using an Apple Magic Keyboard for the majority of 2016.
Connected, Episode 116: Undead Zombie Echo Fish→
Myke is back to talk about dongles. Stephen has opinions about the Mac Pro. Federico is trying a new notes app.
More than you ever wanted to know about dongles and terrifying Alexa experiments on this week’s Connected. Also, we talk about Bear and the business of indie apps towards the end of the show. You can listen here.
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- Gemini 2, from Macpaw: The smart duplicate cleaner for Mac. Get 20% off with the coupon code CONNECTED.
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Remaster, Episode 22: Development Hardware→
Shahid establishes the current landscape of game development hardware, in the light of Apple’s recent Mac announcements.
On what could easily become a mini-series on Remaster, Shahid did a terrific job in starting to explain how game developers use hardware for their craft and the history of videogame-making tools. I was on the show, but I’ll have to listen again – it’s a unique episode.
How Slack Is Using Emoji→
After introducing emoji reactions last year, our own Slack team saw a dip in the total number of messages sent. With hundreds of members communicating across a couple thousand channels, it was a welcome change. Before emoji reactions, messages begot more messages: replies, questions, acknowledgment. In a word, noise.
Fascinating look at how Slack is using emoji inside the company. It’s sort of amazing how versatile emoji can be when used in work communications with a bit of creativity. I’m also going to implement this idea for our own Slack:
Speaking of 18F, check out their blog post about using emoji reactions for knowledge management. They tag all “evergreen” content found in channels with
:evergreen_tree:, and use a search query like the one mentioned above to find new messages worth codifying in their handbooks. At Slack, we do something similar, where anyone can tag a message with:notebook:to indicate it might be worth adding to the company’s internal documentation.
Developers Read 1-Star Reviews→
Fun video from the Úll conference of developers reading 1-star reviews of their own apps. Props to whoever did this, too.
How Apple’s Apps Will Use the Touch Bar→
Good overview by Benjamin Mayo of all the Apple apps that will have Touch Bar integration on the new MacBook Pros. Apple certainly had the time to build extensive support for the new API while waiting for the new Pros to ship.
That’s a total of 23 Apple apps that live in the /Applications root folder with Touch Bar support as of the current macOS 10.12.1 build. The following apps have no Touch Bar integration as far as I could tell; App Store, Automator, Chess, Dashboard, Dictionary, DVD Player, Font Book, Image Capture, Photo Booth and Stickies. I expect all of Apple’s apps to flesh out their Touch Bar integrations in future macOS update.
See also: Steve Troughton-Smith’s utility to grab a screenshot of the currently active app in the Touch Bar.