Category: macOS

All things macOS that make creatives’ lives easier and more efficient, i.e. backup hardware, storage media, productivity software and more.

Your Mac is a Zettelkasten note taking system

zettelkasten

Originally an “analogue” index card system invented by a German academic, the zettelkasten (or slip box) note taking method is the subject of hefty discussions on Reddit and other note taking forums as to whether the best software to manage a zettelkasten is Roamer, Obsidian, DEVONthink, Bear app, Ulysses, Drafts, or the new kid on the block, Craft. As much as it’s a pleasure to read the pro and cons, the essence of the zettelkasten is that it’s an interlinked, richly connected system of atomic information.… Read More Your Mac is a Zettelkasten note taking system

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Testing the OWC Mercury Helios 3S with U.2 Shuttle

OWC Mercury Helios 3S review

The Mercury Helios 3S is an aluminium dual-port 85W charging Thunderbolt 3 expansion box with a dedicated DisplayPort 1.4 port for an 8K display. The Mercury Helios 3S accepts one PCIe (x16) slot for half-length, full-height, single or double-width cards. You can daisy-chain up to five additional Thunderbolt devices. OWC added the capability to install a U.2 Shuttle in the Helios 3S. My test unit came preconfigured with OWC Aura P12 Pro SSDs.… Read More Testing the OWC Mercury Helios 3S with U.2 Shuttle

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Craft, the note taking app that combines a beautiful design with powerful functionality

In my pursuit of note taking apps for the zettelkasten method, I stumbled across a new app that I had briefly seen going by sometime around the end of 2020. Back then, I thought that it was yet-another-app like Bear and Notes and Drafts and… As I wanted to write an article on software that fits a zettelkasten system, at this point in time I thought I’d give it a go. It wasn’t love at first sight, but upon digging deeper, I found a true gem and one that shines for zettelkasten purposes too.… Read More Craft, the note taking app that combines a beautiful design with powerful functionality

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Ulysses 22 text and Markdown editor, ever more power in your writing hands

Ulysses 22 review

The people who develop Ulysses have done it again: they updated, or rather upgraded, one of the very best text and markdown editors available on the Mac platform. If you ever doubted if a subscription licence can actually work out well for the user, the Ulysses subscription is proof that it can.… Read More Ulysses 22 text and Markdown editor, ever more power in your writing hands

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Scapple, a free association supporting mind mapping app

Scapple mind mapping app review

If you’ve ever tried using a mind mapping app knowing that you aren’t the structured visualisation type of person, you’ll know that it’s a pain and often leads to more frustration and time loss than just writing a list of things to do and hoping for the best. I am that kind of person. For some of my work, lists are woefully inadequate but as my brain isn’t mind-map wired, they will have to do. I resorted to using project management for a while but even OmniPlan is quite complex and overkill if you’re not a team. And then I found Scapple from the creators of Scrivener and thought I might give it a shot. And it’s been a joy so far.… Read More Scapple, a free association supporting mind mapping app

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DEVONthink To Go 3.0, the knowledgebase manager for mobile users gets supercharged

DEVONthink To Go 3 review

I love DEVONthink 3 Pro on my Mac. It’s a very versatile app. Some people use it as an information collector, others as a regular database manager, yet others as a note taker. Personally, I think you can manage and create effortlessly all sorts of knowledge with DEVONthink 3. That used not to be the case with DEVONthink To Go, the mobile app. Although it was powerful in its own right, the previous version had many shortcomings that made me stop using it altogether. Since a week or so, there’s now DEVONthink To Go 3 and it’s totally different. After playing with it for a week, I’d say it is on par with the Mac version.… Read More DEVONthink To Go 3.0, the knowledgebase manager for mobile users gets supercharged

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