Mac Power Users

The daily barage of links, feeds, and e-mail sites can become overwhelming. In this episode, David and Katie talk about managing the the daily flood of data using RSS, Instapaper, and other solutions.

It's a jam packed show this week. We discuss alternative DNS services including OpenDNS and Google's DNS service with special guest George Starcher. We talk about the advantages and disadvantages of using an alternative DNS service and compare the new Google DNS service with OpenDNS. We also conduct a follow-up interview with Paul Kent of Macworld Expo and talk about the exciting new changes coming to Macworld

This has been one of our most requested episodes. We talk all about information managers. These are applications that handle all those random bits of information that don't seem to fit in any other type of organizational system. We'll give you a general overview of some of the options available on the Mac and Katie and David go more in depth on the systems we use.

We got a lot of feedback about episode 5 <a href="http://macpowerusers.com/2009/06/27/mpu-005-word-processing-and-writing/">Word Processing and Writing</a>, apparently people just keep looking for better word processors. So, we decided to do another show on a single application, Scrivener. Scrivener is a word processor and project management tool that allows you to research, organize, outline and create documents. The emphasis is not on fancy features or formatting, it's on writing and writing well. <em>Note: we apologize the audio quality for this show is not up to our regular standards. We had some difficulty with the Skype recording this time around. The show is still very listenable, and we hope you'll agree the content is worth a listen. Thanks.</em>

In this episode we talk about tips and tricks when buying and selling Macs. Whether you're a switcher buying your very first Mac, or a seasoned Mac user looking to sell an old machine, we've got your covered. We'll help you figure out what accessories you need to complete your new Mac purchase, and where to get the most bang for your buck. We also talk about the trials and tribulations of buying a used machine and how to get the best value without getting scammed. We also cover how to get top dollar when selling your old machine.

We've gotten a lot of requests for this episode, so here it is, our Task Management Smackdown. In one corner, David and The Omni Group's Omni Focus. In another, Katie and Cultured Code's Things. The duo discuss their system for managing tasks and how their preferred application helps to get things done. The verdict: the Mac has two excellent programs.

Macs are typically very reliable machines, but from time to time they can cause you trouble. In this episode, we discuss recommendations for identifying and fixing problems. We also discuss tips for keeping your Mac running smoothly and discuss more listener feedback on our security episode.

This episode provides an introduction to automation. Subjects include Applescript, Automator, and Snow Leopard Services. We also had Macworld Expo Director Paul Kent on to talk about Macworld Expo and Conference 2010.

This episode includes a survey of security issues for Mac owners. Subjects include virus and trojans, phishing and web security, and physical security and insurance.

We know, we were supposed to do a show about security this week. But with all the news coming out about Snow Leopard we just couldn't help ourselves. In this episode we talk about how to get your Mac ready for Snow Leopard and our tips for a smooth install process.

In this episode, David and Katie discuss backup tools, strategies and plans.

In this episode we cover popular application launcher, LaunchBar. This episode goes beyond the basics and includes are several power user tips. We recommend you listen to this one in front of a Mac equipped with LaunchBar. Enjoy.

In this episode we talk all about setting up a new Mac. Do you want to migrate your data or start from scratch? What are the options for getting your old data on your new Mac? Katie and David explore the options and share their tips and tricks.

Episode five takes on word processing and writing on your Mac. It is no longer all about Microsoft Word. Apple's own Pages is becoming a contender and there are several other tools that will help you write better.

In our fourth episode we talk about a subject that plagues many Mac users, keeping thing in sync. Whether you're trying to sync documents or data to another computer, a mobile device, or the cloud we talk about various products and services to allow you to always have your data available no matter where you are. We discuss various options including MobileMe and Dropbox for file syncing, as well as programs that keep just specific types of data, such as music or calendars in sync. Notes: 1) Please excuse the audio quality and some hard cuts in the editing. We had a horrible time with Skype dropping out while trying to record this show and had to put the show together from a series of recordings. 2) Our friend Don McAllister of <a href="http://www.screencastsonline.com">ScreenCastsOnline</a> recently addressed the problem of how to sync files using DropBox when the files have to be located in specific folders and can't be moved to the Dropbox folder. Unfortunately, his show was published after we already recorded ours. You can find information on creating links to files and folders for syncing in his <a class="blog-permalink" href="http://www.screencastsonline.com/index_files/SCO0202-macmontage08.php">Screencast 202- Mac Hints & Tips Montage - 08</a>

In this episode, we discuss all the steps necessary to take your piles of paper and get it into your Mac and organized.

In part 2 of our E-mail series we go in-depth on our various systems for managing email, the pros and cons of each system, developing a good email work flow, learning how avoid becoming a slave to your inbox, email etiquette and other useful tools. If you haven't had a chance to listen to Episode 1 yet, you'll probably want to listen to that for background before picking up Episode 2.

We actually talked about e-mail for 2 hours. But we didn't want to scare too many people away with our very first podcast so we decided to release this episode in two parts. In part one we talk about the differences between IMAP and POP and why we prefer IMAP, storing messages, Mobile Me and Gmail services, managing multiple email accounts, Apple Mail, smart folders, rules, spotlight search, data detectors, stationary, thread organization, To-Do management, mail stationary, plug-ins, archiving messages, spam filtering and more. Part two will be released in about a week where we'll go in-depth on our various systems for managing email, the pros and cons of each system, developing a good email work flow, learning how not to become a slave to your inbox, email etiquette and other useful tools.