Facebook, the problem that doesn’t need to be one

Facebook has been in the news a lot, lately, did you notice? It’s difficult not to. Personally, I don’t understand what the fuss is about. Any human being, young or old, should steer clear of any development by someone who states: “The suckers let me have all their data”, when he started his company. The key word in that sentence once uttered by mr. Zuckerberg was “suckers”. The use of that word didn’t bode well for any form of decency or empathy. But I understand some of us have difficulty grasping the notion of predatory behaviour. And yet, it shouldn’t be too difficult to stop Facebook from destroying communities and democracies worldwide… Read More Facebook, the problem that doesn’t need to be one

October 27, 2021 ErikLeave a comment

Ulysses 24.2 is coming on the heels of macOS 12 “Monterey”

Yesterday I downloaded the beta version of Ulysses 24.2 and it improves a number of things, as well as introduces a few new features as well. First and foremost, though, I just got confirmation that it will be released on Monday, October 25, together with macOS Monterey.… Read More Ulysses 24.2 is coming on the heels of macOS 12 “Monterey”

October 20, 2021October 20, 2021 ErikLeave a comment

Switching between iA Writer, Ulysses, nvUltra and Panda Bear

If you’re writing in Markdown, MultiMarkdown or CommonMark, you probably are familiar with editing tools like iA Writer, nvUltra (beta) from Brett Terpstra, Panda which is Bear app in an early beta stage, and Ulysses.… Read More Switching between iA Writer, Ulysses, nvUltra and Panda Bear

August 15, 2021August 16, 2021 Erik

RGB, CMYK and Golden Artists Colors’ acrylic paint

You probably know about colour management and when you know about colour management, you must know about the difference between CMYK and RGB, and what each is used for. Well, in painting with pigments, it’s not that clear-cut and that has everything to do with colour theory.… Read More RGB, CMYK and Golden Artists Colors’ acrylic paint

August 8, 2021August 25, 2021 Erik

PDFpen Pro 13 review

PDFpenPro 13 has been released and it looks better than ever. Version 13 has a new UI design with a better organised Toolbar that adds the essential markup tools and an Editing Bar that adds a text formatting section and colour controls. Other look and feel improvements include modernised icons, and more.… Read More PDFpen Pro 13 review

May 9, 2021May 9, 2021 Erik

Your Mac is a Zettelkasten note taking system

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

April 7, 2021 Erik

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

March 22, 2021March 22, 2021 Erik

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

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

March 19, 2021March 19, 2021 Erik

Scapple, a free association supporting mind mapping app

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

March 1, 2021 Erik

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

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

February 22, 2021 Erik