Focusing on software tutorials, coding tips, macOS/iOS automation, and productivity tools.

Using a Stream Deck to Control Things

A close-up of a Stream Deck device and part of a keyboard on a wooden desk. The Stream Deck, with 15 programmable buttons, displays various icons and labels, including "Home," "Someday," "Saturday," "Tomorrow," and "Complete." The keyboard, partially visible, features standard keys, including "esc," "tab," "caps lock," and "shift." The scene suggests a workspace setup for productivity or content creation.

I made a YouTube video showing you how I am using a Stream Deck, along with some AppleScripts in Keyboard Maestro, to improve my control of Things. Check out the video and find all of the resources in this post.

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A Hazel Rule for Getting TV Shows Into Plex

I remember binge-watching Smallville via DVDs that Netflix sent to me in the mail. I would watch four episodes in a row, then mail back the DVD and wait days for the next one to arrive so I could get the next four episodes. When streaming arrived, it was a miracle!

Sadly, a miracle that was too good for this world. Streaming has been on a steady decline for the past several years, while prices seem to increase more frequently than new seasons of hit shows are released. Streaming has turned into cable TV, and the magic is gone.

That is until I found Plex. Check out my original Plex post for more details about setting up a Plex server.

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Taming the Terminal

A few days ago, on a forum post, I saw mention of a podcast series called “Taming the Terminal.”

It turns out this is yet another example of why the open internet is awesome.

With the help of ChatGPT, I have been feeling more confident about writing code and working in the Terminal, so I figured I would check out this podcast to learn more about it.

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My Updated Brain Dump Processor for Drafts

Illustration of a human head in profile against a light background, exploding with a vibrant, abstract array of shapes and objects. Colorful lines, swirls, clouds, and various symbols, like music notes, a pencil, and a light bulb, suggest a burst of creativity or brainstorming. The style is whimsical and highly detailed, using a blue, red, and yellow palette.

One of my first YouTube videos and first automations that included Drafts was about getting tasks into my task manager, which at the time was OmniFocus.

Over the years, this process has evolved to include JavaScript and Things 3; I’m happy to share the most recent version here today.

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Automating ‘This Evening’ Repeating Tasks in Things 3

Screenshot of a user interface for automation setup, with options to trigger actions at a specified time or by script. The focus is on an AppleScript code snippet, partially redacted, which interacts with the "Things3" application. It includes logic to handle tasks, involving tokens and URLs for updates, with conditions based on task properties such as whether a tag's name is "evening" or if a task is a project. The script is designed to automate task management based on time of day.

One of the most common issues I see fellow Things users complain about on the Things Sub-Reddit is the frustrating experience with repeating tasks and the evening section of the Today view.

I always forget that this is an issue for people because I automated a solution long ago. Let me show you how.

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