Category Archives: Technology

A Marked Difference

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 0 Comments

The Techie Scheky series offers tips and tactics for being more productive and creative through technology (especially with a Mac).

Note: Once you’re done here, take a moment and check out my recent 2×4 interview with Marked developer, Brett Terpstra. It’s well worth your time. You can find a link to the interview at the end of the post (I’m shady like that).

If you write for the web and we’ve spoken longer than five minutes, you’ve heard me go on about plain text and applications like Brett Terpstra’s nvALT. If that conversation goes on for ten minutes, we get into my undying love for Markdown. For the few people who have let me get to 15 minutes, you’ve likely heard me talk about Marked, Brett’s universal Markdown preview application which received a substantial update today with version 1.4.

What Is Marked?

An nvALT document being previewed in Marked, A Markdown preview application for any text editor from Brett Terpstra

On the left: A blog post draft in nvALT

On the right: A “live” preview of how this post will look on this site in Marked.

Marked is an application for Markdown that offers a “live” preview of whatever you are writing in any text editor. At its core, it lets you take any formatted text file that you’re working on and see what it’s going to look like on the web. Marked also does a bunch of geeky goodness, but for the sake of this post, I’m going to stick to the basics (’cause the basics are all I really know). For a full look at what Marked can do, be sure to check out the newly updated site. Regardless of what text editor you use, you can export your preview to HTML, print your preview, and save a copy of the preview to PDF… These are all great, Rich Text options, but where it’s really useful is allowing you to copy the HTML source directly to the clipboard.

And Why Should I Care?

At first, if I’m being honest, I mainly purchased Marked to support Brett. I’ve found tremendous benefits in several of the free tools he’s created including nvALT and his TextExpander tools and jumped at the opportunity to support just about anything the guy was doing. I wasn’t sure if I was going to find use for it, but happily I’ve found it to be a useful tool for Markdown newbies, frequent bloggers and avid geeks alike. While many of my text editors have Markdown previews built in, MarsEdit and nvALT are the only application that enable me to simultaneously write and see the impact of my edits. Marked allows you to have a “live” preview1 with any text editor.

But What Are The Benefits?

When I was first getting started with Markdown, this was invaluable. It helped me get up to speed a lot faster. At the time, I was working exclusively in nvALT and the preview left a lot to be desired, so Marked was a natural addition to my arsenal of apps. While many modern text editors do a great job of managing Markdown, several don’t. For those who just want to use something simple like TextEdit, Marked can handle the rest, offering preview and a way to print the formatted version or export the HTML. Those working on larger projects who use heavy-duty programs like Scrivener can also benefit from Marked. The latest version supports full document previews and live updates of Scrivener projects; something that was extremely complicated in previous editions is now as simple as dragging your Scrivener file onto Marked. Marked also has a table of contents that makes it easy to jump around in larger documents. Providing you have a custom CSS stylesheet that mimics your blog, Marked also allows you see exactly what your text will look like when posted to the web. There’s a lot more to the app than that– including the ease at which you can copy the HTML of your post (just hit Command-Shift- C)– but these are the key features.

Some Extra Marked Goodness

While Brett offers up several tools for getting more out of Marked, I’ve created a few of my own for nvALT and Byword that will help those of us who are not quite up to speed or comfortable with using scripts. As regular readers of this site well know, Keyboard Maestro is my standard way of hacking my Mac while avoiding things like scripts, terminal commands and other tactics that generally scare me. Brett offers up several options for speeding up the opening of files in Marked, but here are my Keyboard Maestro macros for quickly opening files in nvALT and Byword.

Note: You’re going to want to set these up in separate folders in Keyboard Maestro and set them to work exclusively in nvALT or Byword.

Marked is a tool that was made for those of us who write for the web. It is frequently updated and cared for by Brett and it makes our lives easier. If you’re looking to improve at Markdown, Marked is for you. If you want want a better way to turn your Markdown in HTML, Marked is for you. If you just want a better preview for your text editor of choice, Marked is for you. And you just want to support a hell of a developer who has created and continues to create multiple free and amazing tools for the Mac, Marked is for you. So stop by your local Mac App Store and grab yourself a copy.

Note: You can check out my interview with Brett here.

To learn more, subscribe for free by Email or RSS to automatically receive future Techie Scheky posts from A Better Mess.

  1. I say “live” because you have to save or autosave has to kick in before the changes are reflected. [↩]
Filed Under: Technology

iCloud: It Just Doesn’t Work

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 11 Comments

The promise of Apple, for many of us, is a phrase we’ve all heard many times, “It Just Works.” It’s what we’ve come to expect from their products. They offer us not only an unmatched simplicity, but the confidence in the company to trust in that simplicity. For the most part, this holds true.

My iPod just worked. It’s what led me to buy my first iMac.

My iMac just worked, so I bought a MacBook Pro.

My MacBook Pro just worked, so when the iPhone was announced, I waited in line.

The iPhone just worked, so of course I went for the iPad when it was announced.

And since the iPad just worked, I decided to give iCloud a shot. A service that promised to be the thread between all of these devices. There’s just one small problem. It just doesn’t work.

I’m a big believer in Apple, I’d even go as far to call myself a fanboy. This is a company I want to give the benefit of the doubt to. Theirs is a vision of the future to which I am anxious to subscribe. They are a corporation that I would willingly trust and even pay to store my data. Unfortunately they just can’t seem to give me a service that delivers. As great as their devices are and as great as their software is, Apple has struggled with the cloud. Mobile Me was a nightmare from the start and while Apple seemed poised to redeem themselves with iCloud, it feels as if they’re dropping the ball.

Much like Siri, the few times that iCloud has failed on me has made me wary. Unlike Siri, Apple didn’t ship this as a beta. iCloud was billed their triumphant return to the cloud. Jobs himself acknowledged the shortcomings of Mobile Me during WWDC and promised us that, you guessed it, it would just work.

Well here’s an example of it not working. It a silly one, but it’s mine. I recently purchased Day One, a journaling program that I had just heard too much about not try. The application is available for my Mac and for my iOS devices and uses iCloud as a default to sync entries. It worked perfectly, for a day. Then it suddenly stopped syncing the data on my iPhone. I tried several things to get things going. I turned off the sync and turned it back on again. I even deleted the app from my iPhone and reinstalled it. I still ended up with one entry on the iPhone and multiple entries on my mac. I checked the folder names in iCloud, they were both correct:

Synchronizing Data Between Day One on the Mac and iOS

The data, not so much:

Day One and iOS Syncing Problems through iCloud

I even tried to access iCloud through the web to check the folder that’s referenced in Day One and realized that Apple doesn’t even allow users access to these folders:

No access to your folders on the iCloud Website

I only had one option left. Switch from the default option of iCloud to Dropbox. You know what happened? It just worked. Instantly. Even on Apple’s own device with every advantage imaginable, a competitors product worked better. I don’t know if the problem lies with Apple or Day One, I just know that since I switched over to Dropbox, a non-native competitor, things have synced up perfectly:

Syncing with Day One with Dropbox instead of iCloud. It just works.

It’s just an example, but you’ll find plenty of people with their own similar stories as to where they’ve found friction with iCloud and why they are now skeptical. The thing I really don’t get is why Apple decided to bite off so much at one time. By simultaneously launching iCloud for iTunes, Photo Stream, iWork and application syncing, as well as Me.com email, calendars and contacts it feels as if they almost set themselves up for failure. Why not go one at a time? I mean the Mac versions of iWork aren’t even compatible with it at the time of this writing.

Rather than go full steam ahead with all of the aspects of iCloud, Apple would have been far better off starting slow and building back the trust they had lost with Mobile Me. Much like the course I took with my devices, I likely would have followed a similar course with iCloud:

Start with iCloud for iTunes, give me my music, my TV and my Movies on all of my devices. Start with things I bought through iTunes and then go one step further and offer me even more with iTunes Match. Show me it just works.

Next add a photo stream that helps me seamlessly get pictures from my iPhone to all of my devices. I mean, how great would it be to have these all working perfectly with the ability to delete things at launch? Make it just work.

Then launch iCloud for iWork. Let me get familiar with how things work, let me see the benefit of not having access to a specific folder. Let me see that it just works.

Offer me the same option for the data for all of my apps. If it worked great for iWork, why wouldn’t it work well with everything else. You’ve already proved that it just works.

Last but not least, ask for my essential personal data. Everything else would have just worked, so why not this.

Would it have taken longer? Absolutely, but there would have been a far better chance that they could regain my trust. Now, there is little chance that I will ever trust iCloud with anything critical. It will remain my cloud for media, but will likely never be very much more. Apple has always been ambitious, but they almost always wait until something is ready to bring it to market. Everything isn’t always perfect, but it’s almost always ready. Twice now, we’ve seen that this is not the case when it comes to the cloud and I don’t see any reason to give them a third chance.

For a company that executed so well on a long term strategy to earn deep-rooted loyalty when it comes to our devices, it seems as if they either got impatient or cocky when it comes to our data.

It’s really a shame as I’d love to begin consolidating my various clouds. I currently have essential data in Google, Simplenote, Evernote, Dropbox, OmniFocus and keep my media in iCloud. While I like having my eggs in various baskets, this has gotten a bit unwieldy. At first, iCloud showed tremendous potential to help bring much of this data onto the same cloud. Even though there is a good chance that Apple will get their act together and make it so iCloud “just works” I think I’m finally at a point where I just don’t want to try anymore.

Filed Under: Productivity, Technology

Get Taken To Task

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 0 Comments

The Mikes on Mics Podcast with Mike Vardy and Michael SchechterFor those looking to either up their game or get acquainted with task management, Mike Vardy and I have you covered with the latest episode of the Mikes On Mics podcast.

We do a far amount of comparison (read: bickering) between Mike’s task manager of choice Asana and my beloved OmniFocus. We also talk a fair amount about how to get started and why we believe that any level of task management software is beneficial to being more productive.

You can check out the latest episode here and feel free to subscribe in iTunes or Instacast to ensure you don’t miss future episodes. You won’t want to miss Monday’s new episode as we welcome our very first guest, Myke Hurley of the 70 Decibels network, to the show for an episode of “How Packed Is Your Mac?”

Filed Under: Podcast, Productivity, Technology

Apple’s Year-Long Story

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 2 Comments

Tim Cook at the third-generation iPad event

Only Apple could deliver this kind of innovation in such a beautiful, integrated and easy-to-use way. It’s what we love to do. It’s what we stand for. And across the year you’re going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation. We are just getting started.

Tim Cook at the end of the third-generation iPad event.

Immediately following the new iPad announcement, my internet buddy, Andrew Hanelly shared a scathing review of the event. While it was clear he didn’t agree with the overall tone, he had mentioned that it felt as if “there was no central theme” to Apple’s latest unveiling. There is little doubt that this keynote felt different. It seemed to focus on a feature more than an overarching storyline (although you could argue the same about the 4S and Siri). We’ve already seen that Apple is starting to do things differently with their releases; the introduction of Mountain Lion is a perfect example of this. But what if they are taking an entirely different approach to their events? What if, rather obsessing over one enticing pitch at a keynote, they are taking an even bigger approach to 2012?

Rather than being less ambitious about a single event, what if they are now telling us a story, one chapter at a time throughout the year?

The rumor mill has already sucked the surprise out of the keynotes (unless you’re excited by what people got wrong), so Apple has two possible choices: obsessively crack down on leaks (which I’m sure it’s doing) or begin to deemphasize the impact of a single keynote and aim bigger. There are several pundits who spoke about the event lacking Jobs’ polish. That things like Resolutionary would never have made it past his filter (which I really can’t argue. Correction, apparently I’m dead wrong here, see the update at the bottom of this post.). Some describe this as chinks in the armor, signs of Apple’s unraveling. This, for lack of a better term, is horseshit.

Like it or not, Apple is going to change. As much as we may hate and fear it, Steve is gone and Apple will evolve in his absence. That’s just reality. In fact, the worst thing Cook could have done is donned a metaphorical turtleneck and tried to play the part. Slowly, respectfully they are making small changes to the way things are done. This is going to be a transition phase, it will likely be a bumpy one. Yet no matter how important Jobs was, it doesn’t mean that the the end result will be something worse.

Jobs, at his core, was someone who was highly attuned to the creative. Cook1 however, is rooted in the analytical. This will change the story, it will change the way Apple presents products and will even impact the way they create them. Operations is steeped in iteration, not innovation. And as much as I hope and believe we will continue to see revolutionary products from Apple (but no more Resolutionary ones, please.), I’m excited at the prospect of a more iterative focus. I’m likely biased as big change through small steps is a focus here on the site, but I’d enjoy a world where I seamlessly use my MacBook Air AND my iPhone AND my iPad rather than feeling the subtle disconnect that currently exists between my devices.

Jobs excelled at creating an air of mystery, but so what if we aren’t wowed every time the CEO opens his mouth? I’d rather be wowed every day by the products we buy and the experiences we have with them. And so far, since Cook’s been in charge, I like what I see. Rather than one revolutionary device2, they appear to be building an unfathomable evolutionary ecosystem. One where our screens exist seamlessly and where even the most novice of users can create exceptional things.

I’m probably being a bit too lofty here, but it’s a hell of a lot more fun to dream wildly about what they have planned for the year rather than obsessively guessing wrong about new iPad features. Think I’m crazy? Watch the end of keynotes from the past few years. They all end with an emphasis on what’s been accomplished. This is the first time in recent history that Apple has shifted the focus from what’s happening in the moment on to what’s to come. Could this be an attempt to cover for an evolutionary update rather than a revolutionary new device? Perhaps, but I doubt it. I can’t help but believe that its a subtle, but intentional shift of focus. One that Apple plans to deliver on in a big way throughout 2012.

Jobs was a showman, perhaps the greatest that ever lived. Cook isn’t. And frankly, I’m glad he didn’t try. He may however, turn out to be one hell of a storyteller and great stories take time.

Update: I completely forgot about Thinnovation. While I still hate the phrase, there goes my argument that it is “Un-Jobs-like”. Hat tip to 6oclock on Twitter for the reminder.

Image via: Apple Insider

  1. Who served as Apple’s COO from October ’05 to August ’11. [↩]
  2. Although I’d imagine they are still working on a few of these as well… [↩]
Filed Under: Technology

Why I Won’t Be Upgrading My iPad

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 10 Comments

I’ve added a brief update after watching the new iPad announcement.

Today is the day. A new iPad will be unveiled and I will begin salivating like one of Pavlov’s well-trained puppies. Except this time, I’m going to resist my instincts and avoid the upgrade.

It’s not because I don’t love Apple. I do. It’s not because I don’t love my iPad 2. I do. It’s because barring any major surprises, it won’t really change how I do what I do.

Chances are that it will get all of the updates we expect. A quad-core processor. A retina screen. LTE 4G. Siri. Perhaps we’ll even see some surprises1. Still, there is nothing I’ve heard about and nothing I can imagine that will drive me to push the buy button2.

The temptation will be palpable. The need, likely not so much. As much as I love the device, I always regretted jumping from the first iPad to the iPad 2. There wasn’t anything I needed to do with the new one that I couldn’t already do. It was more my Apple addiction3 than any genuine reason.

As with every new device, there is a logical upgrade cycle. With a laptop, I average about every three years. With my iPhone it’s an annual upgrade. As I get to know the iPad, I’m coming to believe that it will be an every other year affair.

Restraint has never been my strong suit, especially when it comes to Apple, so it will be interesting to watch myself start rationalizing the instant the new model is unveiled. I’ll want it. Badly. But it’s not what the iPad can do better, it’s about what I can do better with it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m as excited as any Apple geek to see what they unveil this afternoon. But this time I’m looking to enjoy this latest advance in technology without being self-conscious enough to “have to have” something I really don’t.

I’m taking a shot in the dark that a few of you who visit the site are fellow junkies as well. While there is often no harm in upgrading, even needlessly, be sure to ask yourself what it is really going to change for you. What will you be able to do with it that you couldn’t do yesterday? If you come up with a good answer, go for it. If not, consider taking a second before instinctively taking the plunge.

I look forward to watching along and am sure I will be more than tempted by what I’m sure will be an amazing upgrade to an already amazing device. In fact, if you don’t have one or have the first generation, let me recommend it wholeheartedly, site unseen. In the meantime, I’ll see you tomorrow with a new post. Knowing me and knowing Apple, there’s a good chance that it will be a retraction of this one…

Update: Only time will truly tell, but I think I’ll manage to hold off until the next generation. That said, I stand by my initial thought that the new iPad is a no brainer for anyone without an iPad, a logical update for someone with a first generation model and a nice, but unnecessary bump for those of us who currently have the iPad 2 (no matter how nice and tempting that shiny amazing screen is…). For the sake of full disclosure, I did satiate my Apple lust by pre-ordering the Apple TV. I’m especially excited about it now that the movies I’ve purchased in iTunes are available on it through iCloud.

  1. There’s been quite a bit of buzz about a new Apple TV. [↩]
  2. Then again Apple has always had a far better imagination than I have. [↩]
  3. An addiction I’m mostly good with [↩]
Filed Under: Productivity, Technology

How Packed Is My Mac?

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 2 Comments

Long story short:

We are trying out a new segment on the Mikes on Mics podcast. It’s full of all kinds of Mac geekery. If you’re into that kind of thing, join us as we dig through my applications folder and discover just “How Packed Is My Mac”.

Long story:

I tend to have stupid ideas. I also tend to act on them, especially when nudged. One such stupid idea was to take a segment from one of my favorite podcast, Enough and turn it on its head.

The hosts, Patrick Rhone of Enough and Myke Hurley have this one recurring series, “How Bare Is Your Air,” that is essentially geek porn (the good kind). They invite really knowledgeable Mac users on the show and ask them to determine how they could accomplish their goals if restricted to a 64 GB 11″ MacBook Air. It forces the user to make hard choices and to truly think about the tools they use and how they would react to the limitations. I learn a lot from the thought processes and workflows of various users. If you’re remotely into this kind of thing, I recommend it highly.

Now on the other hand, I also know the truth. Most of us live our lives with far more hard drive space and far more applications than is needed. We have a lot of work on our plates and have collected an array of tools to help us do it over the years. We’re also all creatures of habit and have trouble letting go.

With that in mind, I joked with my fellow podcast host, Mike Vardy, that we host our own “How Packed Is Your Mac?” episodes to prove just “How Bare Isn’t Our Air”. That we encourage people to open their applications folder and show as close to a full picture as possible (within a reasonable timeframe).

I was kidding, but Vardy decided to get permission from the guys at Enough to pay homage. They gave their blessing and now, we’re testing the idea out on ourselves.

Today, I’m in the hot seat. I’m fighting through shame and am sharing all of the crap that is on my Mac. So if you’re interested in how you might go about packing your own Mac or if you just enjoy encouraging those who make stupid ideas a reality, give the episode a listen or better yet, subscribe in iTunes or use this link in Instacast as we will have far smarter people joining us for future “How Packed Is Your Mac?” episodes.

Filed Under: Productivity, Technology

Apple Is Getting Ready For The Next Wave Of Mac Users

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Michael Schechter • 0 Comments

Note: This is going to be my last bit of Apple pseudo-punditry for a while. I promise.

A Tale Of Three Apple Customers

My move to the Mac is a familiar tale. In 2002 I got the first Windows compatible iPod and moved my music over to iTunes. I was blown away by just how much better both the device and the software that complemented it were compared to anything I had used. Two years after purchasing that device, I needed to buy a new computer. It was then that I bought my first Mac. I never looked back.

Here’s another familiar story. A friend got the first iPhone in 2007. They had the iPod and used iTunes, but the light bulb didn’t come on for them until they experienced the iPhone and got a deeper glimpse into Apple’s approach to hardware and software. When they needed to buy a new computer, they purchased a Mac. They never looked back.

Here’s the story we’re about to see. There’s a fairly large group of people who probably owned an iPod, but they didn’t purchase an iPhone because of AT&T or work or stubbornness. When the iPad came around they gave it a shot and fell in love. They are doing more than they ever would have imagined on the device.

Even though OS X lags significantly behind iOS adoption, sales for the various Mac models have been steadily on the rise since Windows users got their first taste of Apple products in 2002. While not surprising, there was nothing about an iPod made switching from the Mac easier. There was little about the iPhone that made the shift easier. The iPad however fills, if not replaces, many (but not all) of the roles of a traditional PC and is exposing an entirely new customer base to the Apple approach to computing.

What’s The Meaning Of Mountain Lion

There’s been a lot of argument over the past week regarding the future of OS X. Some feel that the upcoming Mountain Lion release makes OS X more like iOS and others feel that this is “shit.” This debate, while interesting, is irrelevant as one thing is clear: Both of these platforms are getting closer together because of clear steps that Apple is taking to align the two. By bridging this gap with the upcoming release of OS X Mountain Lion, Apple is looking to accommodate an upcoming wave of Mac users1. They want to make a transition tempting by helping the Mac look and feel far more familiar to these customer’s beloved iPads. Both operating systems remain optimized for the capabilities of different devices, but overall the experience is now and will continue to be far more unified.

There are many first time Apple customers who are loving their iPad right now. Soon they will look to purchase their next full-fledged computer. With the latest changes Apple is just making sure that those who switch never look back.

  1. While making life a bit more consistent for existing users. [↩]
Filed Under: Technology