Posts tagged with "club"

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Discord App Giveaways, an Obsidian Listen and Read Later Setup, and Automating Note Management

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

Club MacStories+ Discord Community Giveaways

Last week, we kicked off Automation April app giveaways on Discord for Downie, Permute, Bear, and Streaks, with more to come this week and throughout the month.

MacStories Weekly: Issue 315

Federico's Obsidian and Dataview-based Listen Later setup

Federico’s Obsidian and Dataview-based Listen Later setup


Last Week, on Club MacStories: Automation April, MacStories Unplugged, a Developer Interview, a Reader Setup

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

Automation April

Last Friday marked the launch of Automation April, a month-long celebration of automation on Apple’s platforms. Each week during April we’ll be doing giveaways in MacStories Weekly and in our Club MacStories+ Discord community. Between the two, we have over 20 participating apps.

Last week we kicked things off with a MenuBar Stats giveaway in MacStories Weekly and 50% off the first year of Ulysses discount for Club MacStories+ and Premier members that is available throughout April by visiting the Club Discounts page.

MacStories Weekly: Issue 314

Monthly Log: March 2022

Up Next

Today at 12:30 PM Eastern US time, we’ll do the first Shortcuts Town Hall Workshop live in the Club MacStories+ Discord Town Hall Voice Chats channel.

We’ll also continue giveaways in the Club Discord community this week and on Friday in MacStories Weekly.


Introducing Automation April: A Month-Long Community Event About Automation, Featuring Shortcuts, Interviews, Discord Workshops, and a Shortcut Contest

Welcome to Automation April.

Welcome to Automation April.

Over the past decade, MacStories has become the hub for all kinds of user automation. Starting with URL schemes, then Workflow, and eventually Shortcuts, we’ve created hundreds of shortcuts for MacStories readers and Club members and published stories about automation that have been read by millions of people around the world. With the MacStories Shortcuts Archive, launched three years ago, we unified our catalog of free shortcuts in a single gallery; with the arrival of Shortcuts on macOS, we’ve expanded our Mac coverage for Club members and launched a new column and Discord channel all about automation.

I love automation because of what it stands for: giving users – the people – the power to fully control their computer and make it more efficient. To make it truly their own. This is why I’ve been writing about the Shortcuts app for years and why I’ve always believed in it as the future of automation on Apple platforms: it’s the software equivalent of a bicycle for the mind.

For this reason, I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce Automation April, a month-long showcase of automation on Apple platforms by us, developers, and MacStories readers – with a focus on Shortcuts.

For the entire month of April, we will cover automation and Shortcuts – even more than we normally do – on every property of the extended MacStories universe. There will be shortcuts and articles on MacStories; we will post Automation April-themed episodes of AppStories; there will be special content in MacStories Weekly and AppStories+ for Club members; we will host special ‘Town Hall Workshops’ and a dedicated Automation April channel in our Discord community.

But there’s more:

In addition to all of the above, we are launching a contest to pick the best shortcuts submitted by MacStories readers for Automation April.

Starting Monday, April 4th, until Wednesday, April 20th, we will be accepting up to two shortcut entries per user via a dedicated Automation April website. The contest will be open to everyone with a free MacStories account (more on this below). We’ve also assembled a panel of Shortcuts experts who, alongside the MacStories team, will judge shortcuts submitted by people.

Oh, and we’re giving away an Elgato Stream Deck XL and an Analogue Pocket for the Best Overall Shortcut prize. Yep, you read that right.

April has always been a special month for MacStories: the site turns 13 (!) on April 20th, and this isn’t the first time we’ve organized a special event to celebrate our community. But with Automation April, we’ve prepared the biggest event we’ve ever done that will encompass every single aspect of the MacStories family – from the articles you know and love to Discord, the Weekly newsletter, and a brand new community contest.

The next four weeks are going to be fun. So let’s dive in and let me give you an overview of what you can expect from the first edition of Automation April.

Read more


Last Week, on Club MacStories: The 8th Installment of Federico’s Obsidian Series, John’s Studio Setup, and an Afterparty Town Hall

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

AV Club Town Hall: The Afterparty

AV Club is a monthly event held in the Club MacStories+ Discord community. Club members vote on a movie, TV show, videogame, book, or music to enjoy as a group. It’s like a book club, but for all kinds of media.

This month, we watched the Apple TV+ series The Afterparty. Then, last week, we held a live audio AV Club Town Hall in our Discord community. Alex and I were joined by Sigmund Judge and Jonathan Reed, two Club members who write at Screen Times, to discuss the show and take questions from members who listened live.

If you’re a Club MacStories+ or Club Premier and missed the lively discussion, it’s available as a Club-only podcast that you can enjoy on the Club website or subscribe to from your the Club Podcasts page.

MacStories Weekly: Issue 313


Last Week, on Club MacStories: A Special Apple Event Town Hall, ShareMenu 2.0, a Typefully Shortcut, and a Home Office with a View

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

Town Hall: Apple’s Peek Performance Event

  • Last week, Federico, John, and Alex were joined by MacStories Discord moderator Lachlan Campbell for a live Town Hall event in the Club MacStories+ Discord community to recap and share first impressions of Apple’s Peek Performance keynote, which introduced a new iPhone SE, iPad Air, Mac Studio, and the Studio Display.
  • The Town Hall was recorded and published as part of the Club MacStories+ Town Hall podcast feed, which members can access from the Club podcasts page.

MacStories Weekly: Issue 311

  • ShareMenu 2.0: an update to Federico’s ShareMenu shortcut that’s designed to replicate the behavior of the old ‘Run Workflow’ extension. Version 2.0 includes improved macOS integration and support for more file types.
  • Draft Tweet: A shortcut that John created for sharing articles using Typefully, a web app for scheduling tweets and managing multiple Twitter accounts.
  • Club member Dan Stucke’s home office setup that has a beautiful view of the English countryside.
  • Plus:

Visit plus.club to learn more about Club MacStories.


Last Week, on Club MacStories: Symlinks for Windows and macOS, File Organization Tips, Batch-Converting Saved Timers, and an Upcoming ‘Peek Performance’ Town Hall

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

Monthly Log: February 2022

Metroid running at 4K on Federico's MacBook Pro

Metroid running at 4K on Federico’s MacBook Pro

MacStories Weekly: Issue 310

Up Next

Next week on Club MacStories:

  • On March 8th, at 5:00 pm Eastern US time, we’ll be holding a live audio Town Hall in the Club MacStories+ and Club Premier Discord community. Join Federico, John, and Alex for reactions to the day’s events and to ask any questions you may have. More details about the Town Hall are available in the Announcements channel on Discord.
  • In MacStories Weekly 311, John will publish a shortcut for tweeting links to web articles via Typefully.

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Voting on the Next AV Club Pick, a Tip for Avoiding Accidental Lock Screen Activations, Utility Shortcuts for Mac, and a New Episode of Unplugged

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

AV Club Voting Begins

Don’t forget to vote for the latest AV Club pick in the Club MacStories+ Discord. Head to the Announcements channel for the details and to vote for one of the following four choices:

We’ll discuss the videogame or show selected as a community with a live Discord Town Hall event that is tentatively set for March 15th. For those unable to join live, we’ll publish the conversation to the Club MacStories Town Hall podcast feed after the event, as we did earlier this month for the Matrix movie series.

AV Club is a monthly event held in the Club MacStories+ Discord community. Club members vote on a movie, TV show, videogame, book, or music to enjoy as a group. It’s like a book club, but for all kinds of media. Our Discord community is one of the many perks for Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members.

MacStories Weekly: Issue 309

New Club MacStories+ and Club Premier Discount

Typefully is a beautifully designed Twitter utility for writing, scheduling, and publishing tweets and threads from the makers of Mailbrew.

Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members can get 30% off on their first year’s subscription to Typefully by visiting the Club Discounts page.


Last Week, on Club MacStories: The Matrix Movies Town Hall, Shortcuts Code Injection, Scheduling and Remotely Triggering Shortcuts on the Mac, and a New App Discount

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next:

AV Club Town Hall, The Matrix Movies

AV Club is a monthly event held in the Club MacStories+ Discord community. Club members vote on a movie, TV show, videogame, book, or music to enjoy as a group. It’s like a book club, but for all kinds of media.

This month, we rewatched the original Matrix movie trilogy and watched The Matrix Resurrections, which was released late last year. Then, on Wednesday, we held a live audio AV Club Town Hall on Discord hosted by Federico, John, and Alex, who were joined by two Club members to discuss the films and take questions from members who listened live.

If you’re a Club MacStories+ or Club Premier and missed the lively discussion, it’s available as a Club-only podcast that you can enjoy on the Club website or subscribe to from your the Club Podcasts page.

MacStories Weekly: Issue 308

Replacing an existing shortcut with one that has been modified by injecting code into it.

Replacing an existing shortcut with one that has been modified by injecting code into it.

  • Federico shared a proof of concept shortcut that can be used to modify shortcuts by injecting code into them. The shortcut automates the entire process including resigning the modified shortcut in the Terminal, and reimporting it into the Shortcuts app.
  • John explained how to schedule and remotely trigger shortcuts on the Mac using built-in system apps.
  • In the Club MacStories+ Discord Share Your Setup channel, a member shared an in-depth look at their email workflow and related automations, and in the Off-Topic channel, members shared their favorite sites and restaurants in Rome.
  • Plus:

New Club MacStories+ and Club Premier Discount

Recurrence is a task manager for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac to track the repeating tasks in your life. Perfect for chores, bill payment, and much more. Recurrence puts history at the forefront, allowing you to see when something was last done and accompanying notes.

Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members can try Recurrence for 3 months free by visiting the Club Discounts page.

Up Next

Next week on Club MacStories:

  • An all-new episode of MacStories Unplugged, the monthly anything-goes Club podcast that’s a free-form discussion of apps and a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re doing at MacStories.
  • A new installment of The Macintosh Desktop Experience, John’s Club MacStories+ and Club Premier column that explores new ways to get more out of your Mac, with a focus on the latest tools and technologies available to Mac users and how they fit in the context of the Mac’s rich history.

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Parsing Shortcuts as XML and JSON, Apps That Extend Apple Apps, Safari Tips, and Developer Interviews

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look ahead to what’s next:

MacStories Weekly: Issue 307

Parsing shortcuts as JSON.

Parsing shortcuts as JSON.

about App Store In-App Events to see how they’re being used and what developers’ experience with them has been.

Up Next

On Wednesday, February 16th, at 11:00 am Eastern US time, Federico, Alex, and I will be joined by Club members to discuss the Matrix movie series during a live audio Town Hall in our Discord community for Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members as part of the community’s A.V. Club channel.