Musings from Mars http://www.musingsfrommars.org I've been observing personal computing behavior for a long time, and now I have some things to say. Here are my two cents about computing, music, software, and related topics. Tue, 25 Jun 2024 16:28:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 Shortcuts Nirvana, Part 2 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/09/shortcuts-nirvana-part-2.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/09/shortcuts-nirvana-part-2.html#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2021 16:22:46 +0000 llscotts http://www.musingsfrommars.org/?p=2238 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/09/shortcuts-nirvana-part-2.html/feed Shortcuts Nirvana: How I Accumulated 800 Shortcuts http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/08/shortcuts-nirvana-how-i-accumulated-800-shortcuts.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/08/shortcuts-nirvana-how-i-accumulated-800-shortcuts.html#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2021 20:24:22 +0000 llscotts http://www.musingsfrommars.org/?p=2237 article on home automations and Shortcuts earlier this year, I have continued to find and make shortcuts and recently passed 800 in my library. I thought this milestone would be a good time to reflect on what I've been doing with these shortcuts and how I managed to gather so many.]]> http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/08/shortcuts-nirvana-how-i-accumulated-800-shortcuts.html/feed Building Smart Automations With Apple Home, Siri Shortcuts http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/04/building-smart-automations-with-apple-home-siri-shortcuts.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/04/building-smart-automations-with-apple-home-siri-shortcuts.html#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2021 14:14:23 +0000 llscotts http://www.musingsfrommars.org/?p=2236 Over the past few months, I've had a blast building out my smart home, using Apple's Home app as the foundation. Who knew how much fun it would be making things happen in the house without having to move a finger? I'm still at the beginning stages, but I thought it would be useful to document what I've done and learned so far.

Automating your smart home and life makes use of two apps that come with your iPhone: Home and Shortcuts. (The links to each in the following text take you to Apple's User Guide for for each app, which I would recommend perusing if you get lost.)

]]> http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/04/building-smart-automations-with-apple-home-siri-shortcuts.html/feed Balanced Article on “Smart Home” in 2020 Gives Nod to Apple for Privacy/Security http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/03/balanced-article-on-smart-home-in-2020-gives-nod-to-apple-for-privacysecurity.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/03/balanced-article-on-smart-home-in-2020-gives-nod-to-apple-for-privacysecurity.html#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:42:55 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/03/balanced-article-on-smart-home-in-2020-gives-nod-to-apple-for-privacysecurity.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/03/balanced-article-on-smart-home-in-2020-gives-nod-to-apple-for-privacysecurity.html/feed Can You Fall In Love With A Watch Face? http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/02/can-you-fall-in-love-with-a-watch-face.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/02/can-you-fall-in-love-with-a-watch-face.html#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2021 22:57:01 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/02/can-you-fall-in-love-with-a-watch-face.html I recently began exploring all the different faces that are now available for the Apple Watch. There are many cool options these days, but I happened upon one that I simply can't get enough of. It's the kaleidoscope face, which comes with a nice array of image options and several "facet" styles.

]]> http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2021/02/can-you-fall-in-love-with-a-watch-face.html/feed An Audiophile Listening Room with Apple’s HomePod http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2019/03/an-audiophile-listening-room-with-apples-homepod.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2019/03/an-audiophile-listening-room-with-apples-homepod.html#comments Tue, 05 Mar 2019 15:12:35 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2019/03/an-audiophile-listening-room-with-apples-homepod.html Apple's HomePod has been the underdog in the "smart speakers" category since its introduction last year. It's more expensive than the offerings from Google and Amazon, and Siri doesn't seem to be as powerful. I haven't used Alexa or the Google AI assistant, so I can't say what the difference may be. But let me just say that HomePod is a revelation in audio quality, and its "smart" features are more than adequate for my needs. The most surprising aspect of HomePod is that it has finally let me put together an audiophile listening room without taking out a second mortgage!

]]> http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2019/03/an-audiophile-listening-room-with-apples-homepod.html/feed Mars Themes and OS X Mavericks http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2013/10/mars-themes-and-os-x-mavericks.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2013/10/mars-themes-and-os-x-mavericks.html#comments Wed, 23 Oct 2013 19:43:32 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2013/10/mars-themes-and-os-x-mavericks.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2013/10/mars-themes-and-os-x-mavericks.html/feed Trying To Tame Mountain Lion Without A Hat http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/12/trying-to-tame-mountain-lion-without-a-hat.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/12/trying-to-tame-mountain-lion-without-a-hat.html#comments Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:19:34 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/12/trying-to-tame-mountain-lion-without-a-hat.html Remember my angst about whether I should migrate my computing life to Mountain Lion? Well, that story's now over, and Mountain Lion has won. Mounting A Lion VirtuallyMore on that in a moment, but first I want to briefly describe my experiment in using Mountain Lion as a virtual OS inside Parallels Desktop — an experiment I've now abandoned. The process was quite simple once I figured it out, but it took more setup than expected. You have to install Parallels Desktop on both Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion, and then, on Mountain Lion, make a virtual disk of the Mountain Lion OS, which is one of the default choices when defining a new virtual OS in Parallels.]]> http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/12/trying-to-tame-mountain-lion-without-a-hat.html/feed Windows 8 UI strategic mistake, argues design guru - Computerworld http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/11/windows-8-ui-strategic-mistake-argues-design-guru-computerworld.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/11/windows-8-ui-strategic-mistake-argues-design-guru-computerworld.html#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:09:20 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/?p=2229 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/11/windows-8-ui-strategic-mistake-argues-design-guru-computerworld.html/feed Raskin: A Radical Finder Alternative http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/raskin-a-radical-finder-alternative.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/raskin-a-radical-finder-alternative.html#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2012 18:07:33 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/?p=2228 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/raskin-a-radical-finder-alternative.html/feed Spark: Venerable Shortcut-Manager Freeware Gets A Rewrite http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/spark-venerable-shortcut-manager-freeware-gets-a-rewrite.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/spark-venerable-shortcut-manager-freeware-gets-a-rewrite.html#comments Thu, 06 Sep 2012 05:47:21 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/spark-venerable-shortcut-manager-freeware-gets-a-rewrite.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/spark-venerable-shortcut-manager-freeware-gets-a-rewrite.html/feed MainMenu: A Menu Extra for Simple System Administration Tasks http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/mainmenu-a-menu-extra-for-simple-system-administration-tasks.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/mainmenu-a-menu-extra-for-simple-system-administration-tasks.html#comments Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:27:23 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/mainmenu-a-menu-extra-for-simple-system-administration-tasks.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/mainmenu-a-menu-extra-for-simple-system-administration-tasks.html/feed TVShows: New Freeware Gathers Torrents for Your Favorite Shows http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/tvshows-new-freeware-gathers-torrents-for-your-favorite-shows.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/tvshows-new-freeware-gathers-torrents-for-your-favorite-shows.html#comments Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:55:11 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/05/tvshows-new-freeware-gathers-torrents-for-your-favorite-shows.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/tvshows-new-freeware-gathers-torrents-for-your-favorite-shows.html/feed Still Thinking About It: Can You Mount A Lion Virtually? http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/still-thinking-about-it-can-you-mount-a-lion-virtually.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/still-thinking-about-it-can-you-mount-a-lion-virtually.html#comments Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:34:20 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/still-thinking-about-it-can-you-mount-a-lion-virtually.html an earlier article explaining why I've avoided Lion, this is the first time since Mac OS X debuted in 2001 that I've hesitated to upgrade. So here it is again: Should I? Why not?

One of the main reasons to upgrade is to take advantage of iCloud, which has become a more serious need now that Apple took MobileMe away from us. I can no longer sync my Safari bookmarks automagically, for example. However, I'm still pissed that Apple hasn't made a version of iCloud available for the many folks still on Snow Leopard.

Speaking of which, what exactly is the breakdown of Mac users in August 2012? It's only been a month since Mountain Lion was released, but clearly upgrading is happening pretty quickly. According to the stats from NetApplications.com, Lion users account for about 35% of the market, Snow Leopard users about 34%, and Mountain Lion users about 20%. There are still about 10% of users hanging on to Leopard. That Snow Leopard figure is pretty damn high considering how long Lion has been out, and is one that Apple should be paying more attention to.

]]> http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/still-thinking-about-it-can-you-mount-a-lion-virtually.html/feed JustLooking: A New Image Previewer Debuts as Freeware http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/justlooking-a-new-image-previewer-debuts-as-freeware.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/justlooking-a-new-image-previewer-debuts-as-freeware.html#comments Mon, 03 Sep 2012 05:20:57 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/03/justlooking-a-new-image-previewer-debuts-as-freeware.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/justlooking-a-new-image-previewer-debuts-as-freeware.html/feed Apple v. Samsung: The True Story http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/apple-v-samsung-the-true-story.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/apple-v-samsung-the-true-story.html#comments Sat, 01 Sep 2012 17:47:59 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/?p=2226 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/09/apple-v-samsung-the-true-story.html/feed EazyDraw: Powerful Drawing and Painting Tool http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/eazydraw-powerful-drawing-and-painting-tool.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/eazydraw-powerful-drawing-and-painting-tool.html#comments Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:09:23 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/04/eazydraw-powerful-drawing-and-painting-tool.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/eazydraw-powerful-drawing-and-painting-tool.html/feed rooVid: Makes Publishing QuickTime Movies Even Easier! http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/roovid-makes-publishing-quicktime-movies-even-easier.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/roovid-makes-publishing-quicktime-movies-even-easier.html#comments Sat, 18 Aug 2012 05:10:31 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/04/roovid-makes-publishing-quicktime-movies-even-easier.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/roovid-makes-publishing-quicktime-movies-even-easier.html/feed fLOW: Create Experimental Soundscapes for Ambient Music Fans http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/flow-create-experimental-soundscapes-for-ambient-music-fans.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/flow-create-experimental-soundscapes-for-ambient-music-fans.html#comments Sat, 18 Aug 2012 03:39:12 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/04/flow-create-experimental-soundscapes-for-ambient-music-fans.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/flow-create-experimental-soundscapes-for-ambient-music-fans.html/feed iBlog: Major Update to Blogging Tool in the Works http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/iblog-major-update-to-blogging-tool-in-the-works.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/iblog-major-update-to-blogging-tool-in-the-works.html#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2012 23:04:35 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/04/iblog-major-update-to-blogging-tool-in-the-works.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/iblog-major-update-to-blogging-tool-in-the-works.html/feed Searchlight: Spotlight for Your Network http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/searchlight-spotlight-for-your-network.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/searchlight-spotlight-for-your-network.html#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2012 05:20:46 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/05/searchlight-spotlight-for-your-network.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/searchlight-spotlight-for-your-network.html/feed Keyclick: Still Yearning for Audio Feedback When Typing? http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/keyclick-still-yearning-for-audio-feedback-when-typing.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/keyclick-still-yearning-for-audio-feedback-when-typing.html#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:59:05 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/04/keyclick-still-yearning-for-audio-feedback-when-typing.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/keyclick-still-yearning-for-audio-feedback-when-typing.html/feed Utility Lock: Freeware Menubar Utility Provides Screen Locking with a Keystroke http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/utility-lock-freeware-menubar-utility-provides-screen-locking-with-a-keystroke.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/utility-lock-freeware-menubar-utility-provides-screen-locking-with-a-keystroke.html#comments Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:41:02 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/04/utility-lock-freeware-menubar-utility-provides-screen-locking-with-a-keystroke.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/utility-lock-freeware-menubar-utility-provides-screen-locking-with-a-keystroke.html/feed Live Interior 3D: New Native Mac App for Home Design http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/live-interior-3d-new-native-mac-app-for-home-design.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/live-interior-3d-new-native-mac-app-for-home-design.html#comments Wed, 15 Aug 2012 05:55:11 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/04/live-interior-3d-new-native-mac-app-for-home-design.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/live-interior-3d-new-native-mac-app-for-home-design.html/feed Photonator: New Photo Collection Manager Enters Public Beta http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/photonator-new-photo-collection-manager-enters-public-beta.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/photonator-new-photo-collection-manager-enters-public-beta.html#comments Wed, 15 Aug 2012 02:30:25 +0000 admin http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2007/04/photonator-new-photo-collection-manager-enters-public-beta.html http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2012/08/photonator-new-photo-collection-manager-enters-public-beta.html/feed