Best Mac lifehacking software?

luckat

I like Launchbar and Coffee Break. What shareware, freeware and software do others like?

(Launchbar is for launching programs fast - you hit command-space and the first letter or two of the program name and it launches. Coffee Break darkens the screen at regular intervals so you can wrench your eyes away.)

I love Scrivener for writing projects - you can have a whole lot of different text documents, pictures and even music associated in one project, so you can look at a picture of a character as you write about him, and you can have your notes on him showing at the bottom of the screen, and his theme music playing.

I'd like a shortcut software that works across all text input programs, where you can type a shortcut and it expands automagically. Used to have one years ago, but it had the odd fight with Word's own auto-expand method.

I'd like something I could set with different-sounding chimes at different times - a chime to wake up, one to break for lunch, one when it's walkies! time, one when I should start writing...

im...LOST

FuzzyClock.

Almost useless but it's cool!

cornbb

Awaken is a handy alarm clock-type app. Although I suspect it may not be 100% reliable as I almost missed a flight yesterday after it didn't go off.

luckat

<gasp> Won't be getting that then.

I'd like an alarm clock app that was like those gradual sunrise kind, with birdsong and gradual increase of light.

J-blk

I haven't tried Launchbar but I like Overflow for launching apps though it's not free (at $15 it won't break the bank though):

http://stuntsoftware.com/Overflow/

I was using a grid view stack of my Applications folder initially, but that stops working when you have too much stuff in the folder...

I read a lot on the Mac too so I love Yep! - it's like the iTunes of PDFs (yes, I know iTunes can handle PDFs but not quite like this ):

http://www.yepthat.com/yep/index.html

But if there's one app that would be classed as my top lifehacking app, then it has to be Evernote:

http://www.evernote.com/

I use it from Windows PCs at work, my personal Macs and my iPhone... it's a great way to collect and tag nuggets of info from anywhere...

luckat

iPhone? Like it?

luckat

Incidentally, someone suggested to me that I could use iCal for those alarms.

I took a look, but iCal uses Apple's system sounds, which I really don't like.

So I went and downloaded some nice iPhone ringtones.

But I can't see any way to get iCal to use them. Anyone have any idea how to do this?

Chardee MacDennis

luckat wrote: »

Incidentally, someone suggested to me that I could use iCal for those alarms.

I took a look, but iCal uses Apple's system sounds, which I really don't like.

So I went and downloaded some nice iPhone ringtones.

But I can't see any way to get iCal to use them. Anyone have any idea how to do this?

just tell ical to open any mp3/aac/wav when the alarm goes off and it will launch it in iTunes and start playing it.

going to give fuzzy clock a go - i fully recommend Quicksilver, Caffeine, SMARTReporter, 1Password, SimplifyMedia and Onyx - not all life hacking apps but definitely handy!

J-blk

luckat wrote: »

iPhone? Like it?

Love it Of course, it's the "old" 1st gen which is now not as cool as the 3G but I prefer been able to select my own network and the 3G was simply not improved enough IMO for me to want to commit to 18 months of O2... I'll probably upgrade when the 3rd gen hits, next summer...

What the iPhone really needs on the official app store I think is more apps that better integrate with what you can use on your Mac/PC. Evernote is one such example and another one that comes to mind is 1Password - which is another good lifehacking app I guess, since you don't have to remember a bazillion passwords:

http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password

Once again though, not free. Still, if the software is good (and reasonably priced), I don't mind paying for it...

Edit: Just noticed BastardPrince already suggested 1Password so +1 on that. Forgot about SimplifyMedia - that too has an iPhone companion app which is brilliant as you can access your entire music library over WiFi.

Will

cant believe quicksilver hasnt been said yet,

http://www.blacktree.com/

J-blk

Um...

Will wrote: »

cant believe quicksilver hasnt been said yet

BastardPrince wrote: »

i fully recommend Quicksilver

luckat

Lads, could you possibly say what the apps are actually *for* when you recommend them?

luckat

Ah, I see some of the recommended apps are different versions of things I have seen others use.

Quicksilver seems like LaunchBar, but it sounds rather complicated.

Web Confidential is good for saving passwords, numbers, etc.

WireTap is good for saving audio, as is Audio Hijack - which is excellent for recording Skype conversations.

Cocktail and MacJanitor are handy tidy-up programs.

None really lifehacks, though. Except maybe Quicksilver.

luckat

Tried setting iCal to open a ringtone, which is stored in the iTunes music folder and plays fine in iTunes. Didn't work. I must be doing something wrong.

Chardee MacDennis

this is how i have my alarms set up:



Jut to elaborate
Quicksilver - very powerful launcher, can be used to compose emails in mail, open websites, do calculations, control iTunes and much much more
Caffeine - keeps your mac from going to sleep or turning off the monitor with a quick click of the icon
SMARTReporter - Keeps a notification icon in the menu bar and warns if your hard drive is about to fail - everyone should run this!!!
1Password - for generating site specific passwords, iPhone app syncs with it - both are free
SimplifyMedia - access to my itunes from anywhere in the world with my iPhone, also allows me to share my music with up to 30 friends
Onyx - good for keeping osx ticking over and running smoothly

luckat wrote: »

I'd like a shortcut software that works across all text input programs, where you can type a shortcut and it expands automagically. Used to have one years ago, but it had the odd fight with Word's own auto-expand method.

i have heard great things about TextExpander
http://www.smileonmymac.com/TextExpander/

Fajitas!

Caffeine is a greap app - The screen won't dull, and the laptop will stay on until it runs out of battery, and no screen savers, etc.

It's just a ZZZ icon in the top right toolbar to turn it on/off. Brilliant for watching movies, or slideshows, etc.

Ejector is another handy app, again a little eject icon in the top right. Saves having to go back to the desktop or a finder folder to eject an external drive/CF card whatever - Very handy when you've Lightroom open.

silvine

Quicksilver is very good but some of the plugins can cause it to crash. Omnioutliner is a great writing tool. I also like Unison for newsgroups and Wiretap for recording audio.

Good thread!

Check out Textexpander. With it you can type and abbreviation and it will type out the full word eg if I type brds it will type boards.ie. It works in any application.

randombar

What's the definition of lifehacking by the way lads? Also no one has mentioned adium, growl or snitch (Might have gotten the names kinda worng cause I'm only my poxy work windows 2K )

silvine

Just watched the video for Scrivener. It looks far more powerful than Omnioutliner. I might fork out for it.

Are there any downside or alternatives to it, before I do?

J-blk

GaryCocs wrote: »

What's the definition of lifehacking by the way lads?

The Wikipedia definition sums it up nicely for me: anything that solves an everyday problem in a clever or non-obvious way might be called a lifehack.

Of course, the OP might have had something else in mind...

As far as the app names go, Adium and Growl are correct. Snitch? I think you mean Little Snitch? This one:

http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html

randombar

J-blk wrote: »

The Wikipedia definition sums it up nicely for me: anything that solves an everyday problem in a clever or non-obvious way might be called a lifehack.

Of course, the OP might have had something else in mind...

As far as the app names go, Adium and Growl are correct. Snitch? I think you mean Little Snitch? This one:

http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html

Sorry I knew I couldnt have em all right, I was talking about Skitch