j'ai un blog

$The apps I use on my Mac 1Password ($50): You know how “Password123” isn’t a secure password, yet we still use it because it’s easy to remember? That’s where 1Password comes in. AgileBit’s app helps you come up with complex to extra-complex passwords, and stores them all within their apps (Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android). All you need to access your passwords is one master password. It also comes in really handy when you have accounts on a lot of websites, and can’t remember their respected passwords. Alfred 2 (FREE): Alfred is your personal butler. He helps you find files, launch apps quickly, and a ton of other things all with one keyboard shortcut. It’s like OS X’s Spotlight but on steroids. I use it daily. Bartender ($16): Menu bar apps quickly get out of hand, and sooner than later, you have 20+ flashing for your attention. That’s where Bartender comes in handy. It lets you organize your menu bar icons in its Bartenders Bar or hide them completely. It’s one of those apps that you don’t necessarily think you need to buy until you use it. Caffeine (FREE): One thing I always found annoying about Mac OS X (until I found this app!) is how the screen dims when you don’t touch or use your computer for a while. This “feature” comes in handy at times, but it’s mostly annoying. Caffeine is a menu bar app that keeps your screen lit as long as you want. I personally have it activated indefinitely. Chronicle ($15): I, like everyone else, have bills to pay. Keeping up with what to pay, when to pay is a pain in the ass. Chronicle helps keeping all of that in sync. I get a notification before a bill is due or overdue, and it tracks down all my past payments for future references. I honestly don’t know what I would do without this app. CleanMyMac 2 ($40): I tend to take very good care of my Mac, so it’s not often that I feel the need to clean it. When I do, CleanMyMac 2 is there waiting to do just that. It also has an app uninstaller bundled in it, so it also comes in very handy when wanting to get completely rid of something you don’t use anymore. I currently cleaned 6.95 GBs since buying the app. Day One ($10): Tracking my day to day life could be done a number of ways. I could open up TextEdit and simply save .txt files in a “My Life” folder, but that’s would be no fun. Instead, I use Day One, a beautifully designed app by Bloom, on both my Mac and iPad so I could one day look back at everything I did in the past. It’s like a diary. Sort of. Delicious Library 2 ($10): It’s gotten to the point where I have too many CDs to remember what I own, so I use Delicious Library 2 to catalogue them all. I then created a simple web app, that I have installed on my iPad, with the data I got from DL2 that I use to double-check before buying new CDs. PS–Delicious Library 3 is now available for $25. Dropbox (FREE with $9+/month plans): All I’m gonna say is: when iCloud fails, Dropbox comes to the rescue. Droplr (FREE with $4/month plan): I use Droplr for all my media sharing needs. Simply drag-n-drop a file on its icon in your menu bar, and it will give you a short shareable URL that you can use anywhere. Possibly my favourite thing about the service is that I can track how many views each file has received. Espresso ($75): I use Espresso for all my coding needs. The fact that CSSEdit 3 is built in, is enough to make this my favourite code editor. Fantastical ($20): Adding events to OS X’s Calendar sucks. Fantastical turns “Meet Steve at Café Myriade on Tuesday at 2:30pm” into an event, so you don’t have to add in every detail one by one. f.lux (FREE): Computer screens are bright. Way too bright. f.lux helps by adding a warmer coloured tint to your display, which makes it easier on the eyes. You could also set it up so it gradually changes colour with time. Google Chrome (FREE): My browser of choice. Not much more to say about this one. Hider ($10): Yet another app by MacPaw. Hider, well, hides certain files and folders while making them only visible once a password is entered. iA Writer ($5): I don’t know about you, but writing in Pages or Word is a terrible experience. iA Writer makes writing all about the writing. I use Writer for all my essays and longer blog posts, and then copy/paste the text in Pages if I need to format it in any way. Instacast (FREE while in beta): Up to this point, the only way to enjoy podcasts on a Mac was by either streaming the episode on the podcast’s website or downloading it in iTunes. Both options require much more effort than needed. We now have Instacast for Mac! If you’re using the same podcatcher on your iOS devices, then this is a great option for you because of its syncing feature. Pick up right where you left off! iStudiez Pro ($10): Without iStudiez Pro, I would surely end up skipping classes on exam days. It keeps track of all my assignment due dates, exam dates, and even grades. It’s basically a 21st century student planner. Justnotes ($10): I have to say that Justnotes is the best, or at least my favourite, note manager out there. I have it linked to a folder named “Notes” in my main Dropbox folder where I store everything. From there, I take those notes and either open up Mou (you’ll see that app later on…) or iA Writer and continue writing. Moom ($10): I have this thing where all my app windows have to be perfectly centred. While Moom can do a lot more (check out the features!), that’s the main reason I use it. Mou (FREE while in beta): I started writing my blog posts in Markdown on 05 March earlier this year, and Mou has been my text editor of choice to do so. I’m writing what you’re reading right now in it! It has a nice two-pane window where I can see in realtime what my styled text will look like. Pixelmator ($15): Photoshop is an amazing piece of software. Unfortunately, I don’t even use 1% of what it’s capable of doing. It’s also a very heavy app (over 500 MB!). Pixelmator does exactly what I need it to do, and more, and it’s only 73 MBs and a fraction of the price. Reeder (FREE for now, normally $10): I’ve been using Reeder for iOS for almost three years now, so it was only natural for me to buy Reeder for Mac once it was released nearly two years later. It’s my RSS reader of choice because of its features, the services it lets me sign in to, and because it’s one of the best designed apps I’ve ever used. Screeny ($15): It’s not often that I have to make a recording of something on my screen, but when I do, I have Screeny there to help me. It’s extremely simple to use, and its features are top notch. Soulver ($20): Oh, Soulver… It makes calculations fun and easy. There’s nothing it can’t do. A must have for all iOS and Mac users. TextExpander ($35): TextExpander lets you create snippets (keyboard shortcuts) that expand to full bodies of text, forms, and/or pictures. For example, every time I type “@@” it expands to me email. I save so much time typing snippets of text instead of the full text. Check out its features to see everything that it can do. Transmission (FREE) I don’t download much, so I don’t need a full-fledged torrent client. Transmission is lightweight and does exactly what I need it to do: download. Tweetbot ($20): I still can’t believe I paid $20 for a Twitter client, but I did. And in some ways, I’m happy I did because Tweetbot is by far the best Twitter client out there. On Mac and iOS. The “mute” feature alone makes it the best. The Unarchiver (FREE): Every computer needs a file extractor. I chose this one because it’s free and it has a cute icon. VLC (FREE): There’s nothing quite as annoying as wanting to watch a video only to receive a warning saying your video player can’t play the file because of a missing codec. VLC has a ton of codecs pre-installed so you don’t have to go through the trouble of downloading them yourself. Wedge (FREE): Wedge is a very basic App.net client. I chose this one because I’m cheap and don’t feel like paying for something I barely ever use.$

The apps I use on my Mac

1Password ($50): You know how “Password123” isn’t a secure password, yet we still use it because it’s easy to remember? That’s where 1Password comes in. AgileBit’s app helps you come up with complex to extra-complex passwords, and stores them all within their apps (Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android). All you need to access your passwords is one master password. It also comes in really handy when you have accounts on a lot of websites, and can’t remember their respected passwords.

Alfred 2 (FREE): Alfred is your personal butler. He helps you find files, launch apps quickly, and a ton of other things all with one keyboard shortcut. It’s like OS X’s Spotlight but on steroids. I use it daily.

Bartender ($16): Menu bar apps quickly get out of hand, and sooner than later, you have 20+ flashing for your attention. That’s where Bartender comes in handy. It lets you organize your menu bar icons in its Bartenders Bar or hide them completely. It’s one of those apps that you don’t necessarily think you need to buy until you use it.

Caffeine (FREE): One thing I always found annoying about Mac OS X (until I found this app!) is how the screen dims when you don’t touch or use your computer for a while. This “feature” comes in handy at times, but it’s mostly annoying. Caffeine is a menu bar app that keeps your screen lit as long as you want. I personally have it activated indefinitely.

Chronicle ($15): I, like everyone else, have bills to pay. Keeping up with what to pay, when to pay is a pain in the ass. Chronicle helps keeping all of that in sync. I get a notification before a bill is due or overdue, and it tracks down all my past payments for future references. I honestly don’t know what I would do without this app.

CleanMyMac 2 ($40): I tend to take very good care of my Mac, so it’s not often that I feel the need to clean it. When I do, CleanMyMac 2 is there waiting to do just that. It also has an app uninstaller bundled in it, so it also comes in very handy when wanting to get completely rid of something you don’t use anymore. I currently cleaned 6.95 GBs since buying the app.

Day One ($10): Tracking my day to day life could be done a number of ways. I could open up TextEdit and simply save .txt files in a “My Life” folder, but that’s would be no fun. Instead, I use Day One, a beautifully designed app by Bloom, on both my Mac and iPad so I could one day look back at everything I did in the past. It’s like a diary. Sort of.

Delicious Library 2 ($10): It’s gotten to the point where I have too many CDs to remember what I own, so I use Delicious Library 2 to catalogue them all. I then created a simple web app, that I have installed on my iPad, with the data I got from DL2 that I use to double-check before buying new CDs.

PS–Delicious Library 3 is now available for $25.

Dropbox (FREE with $9+/month plans): All I’m gonna say is: when iCloud fails, Dropbox comes to the rescue.

Droplr (FREE with $4/month plan): I use Droplr for all my media sharing needs. Simply drag-n-drop a file on its icon in your menu bar, and it will give you a short shareable URL that you can use anywhere. Possibly my favourite thing about the service is that I can track how many views each file has received.

Espresso ($75): I use Espresso for all my coding needs. The fact that CSSEdit 3 is built in, is enough to make this my favourite code editor.

Fantastical ($20): Adding events to OS X’s Calendar sucks. Fantastical turns “Meet Steve at Café Myriade on Tuesday at 2:30pm” into an event, so you don’t have to add in every detail one by one.

f.lux (FREE): Computer screens are bright. Way too bright. f.lux helps by adding a warmer coloured tint to your display, which makes it easier on the eyes. You could also set it up so it gradually changes colour with time.

Google Chrome (FREE): My browser of choice. Not much more to say about this one.

Hider ($10): Yet another app by MacPaw. Hider, well, hides certain files and folders while making them only visible once a password is entered.

iA Writer ($5): I don’t know about you, but writing in Pages or Word is a terrible experience. iA Writer makes writing all about the writing. I use Writer for all my essays and longer blog posts, and then copy/paste the text in Pages if I need to format it in any way.

Instacast (FREE while in beta): Up to this point, the only way to enjoy podcasts on a Mac was by either streaming the episode on the podcast’s website or downloading it in iTunes. Both options require much more effort than needed. We now have Instacast for Mac! If you’re using the same podcatcher on your iOS devices, then this is a great option for you because of its syncing feature. Pick up right where you left off!

iStudiez Pro ($10): Without iStudiez Pro, I would surely end up skipping classes on exam days. It keeps track of all my assignment due dates, exam dates, and even grades. It’s basically a 21st century student planner.

Justnotes ($10): I have to say that Justnotes is the best, or at least my favourite, note manager out there. I have it linked to a folder named “Notes” in my main Dropbox folder where I store everything. From there, I take those notes and either open up Mou (you’ll see that app later on…) or iA Writer and continue writing.

Moom ($10): I have this thing where all my app windows have to be perfectly centred. While Moom can do a lot more (check out the features!), that’s the main reason I use it.

Mou (FREE while in beta): I started writing my blog posts in Markdown on 05 March earlier this year, and Mou has been my text editor of choice to do so. I’m writing what you’re reading right now in it! It has a nice two-pane window where I can see in realtime what my styled text will look like.

Pixelmator ($15): Photoshop is an amazing piece of software. Unfortunately, I don’t even use 1% of what it’s capable of doing. It’s also a very heavy app (over 500 MB!). Pixelmator does exactly what I need it to do, and more, and it’s only 73 MBs and a fraction of the price.

Reeder (FREE for now, normally $10): I’ve been using Reeder for iOS for almost three years now, so it was only natural for me to buy Reeder for Mac once it was released nearly two years later. It’s my RSS reader of choice because of its features, the services it lets me sign in to, and because it’s one of the best designed apps I’ve ever used.

Screeny ($15): It’s not often that I have to make a recording of something on my screen, but when I do, I have Screeny there to help me. It’s extremely simple to use, and its features are top notch.

Soulver ($20): Oh, Soulver… It makes calculations fun and easy. There’s nothing it can’t do. A must have for all iOS and Mac users.

TextExpander ($35): TextExpander lets you create snippets (keyboard shortcuts) that expand to full bodies of text, forms, and/or pictures. For example, every time I type “@@” it expands to me email. I save so much time typing snippets of text instead of the full text. Check out its features to see everything that it can do.

Transmission (FREE) I don’t download much, so I don’t need a full-fledged torrent client. Transmission is lightweight and does exactly what I need it to do: download.

Tweetbot ($20): I still can’t believe I paid $20 for a Twitter client, but I did. And in some ways, I’m happy I did because Tweetbot is by far the best Twitter client out there. On Mac and iOS. The “mute” feature alone makes it the best.

The Unarchiver (FREE): Every computer needs a file extractor. I chose this one because it’s free and it has a cute icon.

VLC (FREE): There’s nothing quite as annoying as wanting to watch a video only to receive a warning saying your video player can’t play the file because of a missing codec. VLC has a ton of codecs pre-installed so you don’t have to go through the trouble of downloading them yourself.

Wedge (FREE): Wedge is a very basic App.net client. I chose this one because I’m cheap and don’t feel like paying for something I barely ever use.

02 May, 2013 1 note