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View Markdown Files in Quick Look with Marked QL Audiobook Audio (V3) Part 9: Invisible Cadence Editing in Logic Stream Your Own Content When Away From Home with UGREEN Wireless Transmitter Support the Show CCATP #840 — Adam Engst on From HyperCard to AI-Assisted Programming Transcript of NC_2026_09_06 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Our conversation with Adam Engst continues with an exploration of how AI can help non-programmers build sophisticated software by following professional development practices. Adam explains using specifications, architecture documents, and AI-guided decisions to create reliable apps, then examines the approach his app, SetShot, takes to macOS settings, privacy, security, user feedback, Cloudflare, GitHub, and minimizing sensitive data collection. MacVoices is supported by Take Control Books. Expert advice from leading tech authors. Visit TakeControlBooks.com and start your library today. Show Notes: Chapters: 00:00 Adam Engst on AI-assisted software development00:11 Take Control Books00:24 Learning to build software with AI01:23 Professionalizing AI-assisted development01:53 When a simple script doesn't need a specification02:14 Why serious applications should start with a spec02:55 Creating an architecture document with AI03:31 Letting AI recommend technologies and explain tradeoffs03:46 Why AI should ask one question at a time04:07 Building an architecture through an AI interview04:30 Maintaining architectural consistency as software evolves05:03 How guardrails prevent bugs, performance, and security problems05:35 Security and privacy considerations05:55 Understanding SetShot's potential privacy concerns06:05 How SetShot snapshots and compares macOS settings06:35 Trusting software with access to computer data06:58 SetShot's online knowledge base07:39 Submitting unrecognized settings08:10 Using Claude to create human-readable descriptions08:38 Sending user feedback safely09:06 Text replacements and potentially sensitive information09:48 Minimizing the collection of personal information10:11 Using Cloudflare Workers to protect user identity10:41 Sending submissions to GitHub11:05 What identifying information is actually transmitted11:15 Addressing the perception of privacy risk11:47 Understanding the scope of SetShot12:13 Sensitive information in text replacements Links: Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again by Adam Engst in TidBITS SetShot by Adam Engst SetShot Tracks macOS Settings Changes - TidBITS Guests: Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS, one of the oldest and most respected Internet-based newsletters, distributed weekly to tens of thousands of readers. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles—thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and Macworld. His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993 (with Northwest Nexus for Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh), and the highly successful Take Control electronic book series. In addition, he has collaborated on several educational videos on the Internet and has appeared on various internationally broadcast television and radio programs. His tireless support of the Macintosh community and commitment to helping individuals have resulted in numerous awards and recognition at the highest levels. In the annual MDJ Power 25 survey of industry insiders, he ranked as the second (2000), third (2001, 2002), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), and third (2005/2006) most influential person in the Macintosh industry. He has also been included on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community for 2006 and 2007, and he was named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries. And how many industry figures can boast of being turned into an action figure? Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreonhttp://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web:http://macvoices.com Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoinerhttp://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon:https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunesVideo in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss
Adam Engst explains why AI software development should be approached as an evolution, starting with safe, verifiable data analysis, advancing to simple scripts, and eventually building applications. He distinguishes programming from development, arguing that non-programmers can act as product managers who direct AI, demand security checks, define requirements, and create software tailored to problems existing apps do not solve. (3) This edition of MacVoices is brought to you by the MacVoices Dispatch, our weekly newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on any and all MacVoices-related information. Subscribe today and don't miss a thing. Show Notes: Chapters: Links: Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again by Adam Engst in TidBITS SetShot by Adam Engst SetShot Tracks macOS Settings Changes - TidBITS Guests: Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS, one of the oldest and most respected Internet-based newsletters, distributed weekly to tens of thousands of readers. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles—thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and Macworld. His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993 (with Northwest Nexus for Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh), and the highly successful Take Control electronic book series. In addition, he has collaborated on several educational videos on the Internet and has appeared on various internationally broadcast television and radio programs. His tireless support of the Macintosh community and commitment to helping individuals have resulted in numerous awards and recognition at the highest levels. In the annual MDJ Power 25 survey of industry insiders, he ranked as the second (2000), third (2001, 2002), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), and third (2005/2006) most influential person in the Macintosh industry. He has also been included on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community for 2006 and 2007, and he was named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries. And how many industry figures can boast of being turned into an action figure? Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon http://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web: http://macvoices.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner http://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunes Video in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss
Our conversation with Adam Engst continues with an exploration of how AI can help non-programmers build sophisticated software by following professional development practices. Adam explains using specifications, architecture documents, and AI-guided decisions to create reliable apps, then examines the approach his app, SetShot, takes to macOS settings, privacy, security, user feedback, Cloudflare, GitHub, and minimizing sensitive data collection. MacVoices is supported by Take Control Books. Expert advice from leading tech authors. Visit TakeControlBooks.com and start your library today. Show Notes: Chapters: 00:00 Adam Engst on AI-assisted software development 00:11 Take Control Books 00:24 Learning to build software with AI 01:23 Professionalizing AI-assisted development 01:53 When a simple script doesn't need a specification 02:14 Why serious applications should start with a spec 02:55 Creating an architecture document with AI 03:31 Letting AI recommend technologies and explain tradeoffs 03:46 Why AI should ask one question at a time 04:07 Building an architecture through an AI interview 04:30 Maintaining architectural consistency as software evolves 05:03 How guardrails prevent bugs, performance, and security problems 05:35 Security and privacy considerations 05:55 Understanding SetShot's potential privacy concerns 06:05 How SetShot snapshots and compares macOS settings 06:35 Trusting software with access to computer data 06:58 SetShot's online knowledge base 07:39 Submitting unrecognized settings 08:10 Using Claude to create human-readable descriptions 08:38 Sending user feedback safely 09:06 Text replacements and potentially sensitive information 09:48 Minimizing the collection of personal information 10:11 Using Cloudflare Workers to protect user identity 10:41 Sending submissions to GitHub 11:05 What identifying information is actually transmitted 11:15 Addressing the perception of privacy risk 11:47 Understanding the scope of SetShot 12:13 Sensitive information in text replacements Links: Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again by Adam Engst in TidBITS SetShot by Adam Engst SetShot Tracks macOS Settings Changes - TidBITS Guests: Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS, one of the oldest and most respected Internet-based newsletters, distributed weekly to tens of thousands of readers. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles—thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and Macworld. His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993 (with Northwest Nexus for Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh), and the highly successful Take Control electronic book series. In addition, he has collaborated on several educational videos on the Internet and has appeared on various internationally broadcast television and radio programs. His tireless support of the Macintosh community and commitment to helping individuals have resulted in numerous awards and recognition at the highest levels. In the annual MDJ Power 25 survey of industry insiders, he ranked as the second (2000), third (2001, 2002), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), and third (2005/2006) most influential person in the Macintosh industry. He has also been included on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community for 2006 and 2007, and he was named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries. And how many industry figures can boast of being turned into an action figure? Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon http://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web: http://macvoices.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner http://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunes Video in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss
Adam Engst looks back at HyperCard as an early tool that democratized software creation, then connects its legacy to today's AI-assisted development. He outlines how Claude helped turn an idea for tracking macOS setting changes into a working Mac app, SetShot. Adam discusses Xcode, GitHub, rapid iteration, and the value of visual feedback in his development process, and how AI lowers programming barriers without eliminating the need for thought, judgment, and effort. (Part 1) This edition of MacVoices is supported by MacVoices After Dark. What happens before and after the shows is uncensored, on-topic, off-topic, and always off the wall. Sign up as a MacVoices Patron and get access!http://patreon.com/macvoices Show Notes: Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and the legacy of HyperCard02:19 Adam Engst's experience with HyperCard04:42 How HyperCard made programming accessible06:46 HyperCard, TidBITS, and early digital publishing11:40 How personal computers democratized development12:04 Lowering programming barriers for people with ideas12:58 Why software development still requires serious thought13:20 The limitations of one-shot AI programming16:15 Patience, thinking, and working effectively with AI18:02 Introducing SetShot and Adam's programming experience18:11 The problem that inspired SetShot21:00 Using Claude to turn an idea into working software23:40 Moving from scripts toward a Mac application24:42 Setting up the development environment and Claude Code24:55 What AI still can't do for you in Xcode25:18 Starting the programming and rapid iteration Links: Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again by Adam Engst in TidBITS SetShot by Adam Engst SetShot Tracks macOS Settings Changes - TidBITS Guests: (From TidBITS) Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS, one of the oldest and most respected Internet-based newsletters, distributed weekly to tens of thousands of readers. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles—thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and Macworld. His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993 (with Northwest Nexus for Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh), and the highly successful Take Control electronic book series. In addition, he has collaborated on several educational videos on the Internet and has appeared on various internationally broadcast television and radio programs. His tireless support of the Macintosh community and commitment to helping individuals have resulted in numerous awards and recognition at the highest levels. In the annual MDJ Power 25 survey of industry insiders, he ranked as the second (2000), third (2001, 2002), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), and third (2005/2006) most influential person in the Macintosh industry. He has also been included on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community for 2006 and 2007, and he was named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries. And how many industry figures can boast of being turned into an action figure? Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreonhttp://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web:http://macvoices.com Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoinerhttp://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon:https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunesVideo in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss
Adam Engst looks back at HyperCard as an early tool that democratized software creation, then connects its legacy to today's AI-assisted development. He outlines how Claude helped turn an idea for tracking macOS setting changes into a working Mac app, SetShot. Adam discusses Xcode, GitHub, rapid iteration, and the value of visual feedback in his development process, and how AI lowers programming barriers without eliminating the need for thought, judgment, and effort. This edition of MacVoices is supported by MacVoices After Dark. What happens before and after the shows is uncensored, on-topic, off-topic, and always off the wall. Sign up as a MacVoices Patron and get access! http://patreon.com/macvoices Show Notes: Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and the legacy of HyperCard 02:19 Adam Engst's experience with HyperCard 04:42 How HyperCard made programming accessible 06:46 HyperCard, TidBITS, and early digital publishing 11:40 How personal computers democratized development 12:04 Lowering programming barriers for people with ideas 12:58 Why software development still requires serious thought 13:20 The limitations of one-shot AI programming 16:15 Patience, thinking, and working effectively with AI 18:02 Introducing SetShot and Adam's programming experience 18:11 The problem that inspired SetShot 21:00 Using Claude to turn an idea into working software 23:40 Moving from scripts toward a Mac application 24:42 Setting up the development environment and Claude Code 24:55 What AI still can't do for you in Xcode 25:18 Starting the programming and rapid iteration Links: Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again by Adam Engst in TidBITS SetShot by Adam Engst SetShot Tracks macOS Settings Changes - TidBITS Guests: (From TidBITS) Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS, one of the oldest and most respected Internet-based newsletters, distributed weekly to tens of thousands of readers. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles—thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and Macworld. His innovations include the creation of the first advertising program to support an Internet publication in 1992, the first flat-rate accounts for graphical Internet access in 1993 (with Northwest Nexus for Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh), and the highly successful Take Control electronic book series. In addition, he has collaborated on several educational videos on the Internet and has appeared on various internationally broadcast television and radio programs. His tireless support of the Macintosh community and commitment to helping individuals have resulted in numerous awards and recognition at the highest levels. In the annual MDJ Power 25 survey of industry insiders, he ranked as the second (2000), third (2001, 2002), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), and third (2005/2006) most influential person in the Macintosh industry. He has also been included on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community for 2006 and 2007, and he was named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries. And how many industry figures can boast of being turned into an action figure? Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon http://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web: http://macvoices.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner http://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunes Video in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss
In yet another delightful conversation with Adam Engst, he fires up the WABAC machine and walks us through his journey to never successfully become a programmer. Two periods in time allowed him to unleash his creativity: HyperCard in the 1980s and today with AI-assisted programming. The basis for the conversation was his article on TidBITS titled Decades After HyperCard, AI Is Democratizing Development Again. Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2026_08_27 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
KeyCastr & Presentify on ScreenCastsONLINE Tesla Model 3: The Good, the Bad & the Unexpected - Live With It - YouTube Tiny Tip: Using an iMac as an External Display with AirPlay Learning VisiCalc with Ken Case Support the Show CCATP #839 — Adam Engst on A Better Route Planner for Stress-free EV Trips Transcript of NC_2026_07_26 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
CCATP #839 for July 23, 2026, and I'm your host, Allison Sheridan. This week our guest is Adam Engst of TidBITS. Back in April, we talked about his first long road trip with his new Hyundai IONIQ 5 electric vehicle. It's been a few months, and with the aid of some tools, he has a new strategy to talk about in planning extensive driving adventures. How Planning Made My Second Long EV Trip Stress-Free Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2026_07_23 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
PBS 186: Web Metadata — the Search and OpenGraph HTML Headers MacVoices #26187: Road to Macstock - Allison Sheridan Show keyboard Shortcuts While Conducting Demos with KeyScreen Audiobook Audio (V3) Part 3: Mic Technique Is Processing Support the Show CCATP #837 — Why AI Agents Fill Adam Engst With Dread Transcript of NC_2026_06_28 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this week's episode of "Stay off my lawn!", we have Adam Engst here to talk through his recent article on TidBITS: [Why AI Agents Fill Me with Dread](https://tidbits.com/2026/06/24/why-ai-agents-fill-me-with-dread/) Adam is an avid lover of technology and is very willing to try new things. He uses LLMs to help him write better, he uses AI tools to help him search the Internet, and he loves AI-assisted coding. But agentic AI lives in a whole 'nother category for him. In the discussion, Adam mentioned Lex, an AI-based word processor at lex.page/... Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this week's episode of "Stay off my lawn!", we have Adam Engst here to talk through his recent article on TidBITS: [Why AI Agents Fill Me with Dread](https://tidbits.com/2026/06/24/why-ai-agents-fill-me-with-dread/) Adam is an avid lover of technology and is very willing to try new things. He uses LLMs to help him write better, he uses AI tools to help him search the Internet, and he loves AI-assisted coding. But agentic AI lives in a whole 'nother category for him. In the discussion, Adam mentioned Lex, an AI-based word processor at lex.page/... Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
On the Road to Macstock, Allison Sheridan previews her session that features a hands-on spreadsheet workshop comparing Excel, Numbers, and Google Sheets. She explains practical skills like fill-down, fill-right, and possibly pivot tables, while stressing that the goal is not exhaustive training but confidence-building. Our conversation also touches on Copilot i relation to Excel, vibe coding, and why Macstock feels like coming home. Today's MacVoices is supported by TV+ Talk, our MacVoices series with Charlotte Henry focused on Apple TV+. From shows and other content to the business side there's always something to learn about apple's streaming service. Find it at the Categories listings on the web site or go directly to macvoices.com/category/tvplustalk Show Notes: Chapters: 00:00 Opening and Road to MacStock introduction00:35 Chuck welcomes Allison Sheridan01:07 Why MacStock feels like going home01:37 The welcoming culture for first-time attendees02:31 Previewing Allison's presentation topic03:16 A hands-on spreadsheet workshop03:51 Comparing Excel, Numbers, and Google Sheets04:25 Fill down, fill right, and practical spreadsheet basics05:18 Pivot tables as a possible bonus topic06:02 Finding usable demo data sets07:42 Why pivot tables can be less intimidating than they seem08:20 Excel versus Numbers and spreadsheet preferences08:46 Where Copilot fits into spreadsheet work10:30 Why this is not an AI presentation11:01 Practical spreadsheet skills for mixed-experience audiences12:30 Why covering all three major spreadsheet apps matters13:14 Who will benefit most from the session13:54 What attendees should bring14:54 Chuck guesses Allison's topic15:21 Vibe coding as an addictive new productivity tool16:13 The dopamine hit of building apps with AI17:04 How vibe coding enthusiasm spreads17:38 Being polite to AI tools18:11 Allison's MacStock discount code19:12 Encouraging attendees to join the Crystal Lake event19:36 Closing thoughts with Allison Sheridan20:01 Closing credits and support information Links: Macstock Conferencehttp://macstockconference.comAllison's Discount Code: podfeet Guests: Allison Sheridan started podcasting in May of 2005, just 7 months after podcasting was invented. At 20 years, her flagship show, the NosillaCast Podcast, became the longest-running Apple-centric podcast. In the NosillaCast, she focuses on reviewing tech products with an EVER so slight Apple bias, while weaving accessibility throughout her content. She also co-hosts the Programming By Stealth podcast, where Bart Busschots teaches the audience to program through an audio podcast (with Bart's tutorial shownotes). Bart and Allison also hosted the podcast Taming the Terminal, which is a 40+ episode guide to the macOS Terminal, which you can also get as an ebook through Apple Books. She has a tech conversation show called Chit Chat Across the Pond, which currently comes out at least once a month with Adam Engst of TidBITS as her most frequent guest. She's a founding speaker at Macstock Conference every year outside of Chicago, and a frequent guest on the Daily Tech News Show and Clockwise podcasts. She is also a video screencast tutor for the subscription service ScreenCastsONLINE. She and her husband, Steve, produce video interviews from trade shows such as CES and CSUN's Assistive Tech conference. She's an avid exerciser, walking around 7 miles a day, and enjoys time with their dog Kepler, and two cats Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper. Yes, their pets are all named after scientists! Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon http://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web: http://macvoices.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner http://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunes Video in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss
On the Road to Macstock, Allison Sheridan previews her session that features a hands-on spreadsheet workshop comparing Excel, Numbers, and Google Sheets. She explains practical skills like fill-down, fill-right, and possibly pivot tables, while stressing that the goal is not exhaustive training but confidence-building. Our conversation also touches on Copilot i relation to Excel, vibe coding, and why Macstock feels like coming home. Today's MacVoices is supported by TV+ Talk, our MacVoices series with Charlotte Henry focused on Apple TV+. From shows and other content to the business side there's always something to learn about apple's streaming service. Find it at the Categories listings on the web site or go directly to macvoices.com/category/tvplustalk Show Notes: Chapters: 00:00 Opening and Road to MacStock introduction 00:35 Chuck welcomes Allison Sheridan 01:07 Why MacStock feels like going home 01:37 The welcoming culture for first-time attendees 02:31 Previewing Allison's presentation topic 03:16 A hands-on spreadsheet workshop 03:51 Comparing Excel, Numbers, and Google Sheets 04:25 Fill down, fill right, and practical spreadsheet basics 05:18 Pivot tables as a possible bonus topic 06:02 Finding usable demo data sets 07:42 Why pivot tables can be less intimidating than they seem 08:20 Excel versus Numbers and spreadsheet preferences 08:46 Where Copilot fits into spreadsheet work 10:30 Why this is not an AI presentation 11:01 Practical spreadsheet skills for mixed-experience audiences 12:30 Why covering all three major spreadsheet apps matters 13:14 Who will benefit most from the session 13:54 What attendees should bring 14:54 Chuck guesses Allison's topic 15:21 Vibe coding as an addictive new productivity tool 16:13 The dopamine hit of building apps with AI 17:04 How vibe coding enthusiasm spreads 17:38 Being polite to AI tools 18:11 Allison's MacStock discount code 19:12 Encouraging attendees to join the Crystal Lake event 19:36 Closing thoughts with Allison Sheridan 20:01 Closing credits and support information Links: Macstock Conference http://macstockconference.com Allison's Discount Code: podfeet Guests: Allison Sheridan started podcasting in May of 2005, just 7 months after podcasting was invented. At 20 years, her flagship show, the NosillaCast Podcast, became the longest-running Apple-centric podcast. In the NosillaCast, she focuses on reviewing tech products with an EVER so slight Apple bias, while weaving accessibility throughout her content. She also co-hosts the Programming By Stealth podcast, where Bart Busschots teaches the audience to program through an audio podcast (with Bart's tutorial shownotes). Bart and Allison also hosted the podcast Taming the Terminal, which is a 40+ episode guide to the macOS Terminal, which you can also get as an ebook through Apple Books. She has a tech conversation show called Chit Chat Across the Pond, which currently comes out at least once a month with Adam Engst of TidBITS as her most frequent guest. She's a founding speaker at Macstock Conference every year outside of Chicago, and a frequent guest on the Daily Tech News Show and Clockwise podcasts. She is also a video screencast tutor for the subscription service ScreenCastsONLINE. She and her husband, Steve, produce video interviews from trade shows such as CES and CSUN's Assistive Tech conference. She's an avid exerciser, walking around 7 miles a day, and enjoys time with their dog Kepler, and two cats Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper. Yes, their pets are all named after scientists! Support: Become a MacVoices Patron on Patreon http://patreon.com/macvoices Enjoy this episode? Make a one-time donation with PayPal Connect: Web: http://macvoices.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chuckjoiner http://www.twitter.com/macvoices Mastodon: https://mastodon.cloud/@chuckjoiner Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chuck.joiner MacVoices Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/macvoices/ MacVoices Group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/macvoice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckjoiner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckjoiner/ Subscribe: Audio in iTunes Video in iTunes Subscribe manually via iTunes or any podcatcher: Audio: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesrss Video: http://www.macvoices.com/rss/macvoicesvideorss
Steve and Me on Kilowatt Podcast Strapsicle for iPad mini — by Bruce from Tennessee CES 2026: HapWare ALEYE Wearable Assistive Tech for Nonverbal Communication Vibe Coding: The New Addiction CES 2026: Brilliance Small & Efficient RGB Laserchip Support the Show CCATP #835 — Adam Engst on Dictation and Contacts Hackery Transcript of NC_2026_05_31 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this week's episode of Chit Chat Across the Pond, we go into the dark abyss that is Adam Engst's brain and learn how that brain influences his choice of dictation engines. He then explains how he's hacked Apple's dictation into correctly spelling unusual names of places by creating fake contacts. As always it's a fun ride, and as always he has a terrific post on the subject at tidbits.com/... Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2026_05_28 Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this week's episode of Chit Chat Across the Pond, we go into the dark abyss that is Adam Engst's brain and learn how that brain influences his choice of dictation engines. He then explains how he's hacked Apple's dictation into correctly spelling unusual names of places by creating fake contacts. As always it's a fun ride, and as always he has a terrific post on the subject at tidbits.com/... Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2026_05_28 Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me 15% off Carbon Copy Cloner Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Adam Angst of TidBITS reflects on Apple's 50 years through the lens of early tech idealism, arguing that what mattered most wasn't Apple itself but the community around it, which was weakened by shifts like the end of Macworld keynotes, Apple's vertical integration, and the decline of user groups and independent resellers. He contrasts the Mac's early "create" ethos (e.g., HyperCard) with later emphasis on communication and content consumption via iPod, iPhone, and social media, while noting growing societal harms from tech giants. Angst describes renewed excitement in creation via AI tools, citing apps he built for track training and race pacing. He recounts how his 1993 Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh bundled software (including MacTCP) and a flat-rate ISP account, prompting an Apple Legal scare resolved by the MacTCP product manager, and closes by urging people to ditch social media and "go outside." 00:00 Part Two Kickoff 00:37 TidBITS Anniversary 00:52 Apple 50 Reflections 01:59 Pre Web News Era 04:33 Early Internet Optimism 05:20 Flame Wars Then 07:31 Apple Idealism Fades 10:20 Community Was The Magic 11:45 Macworld And User Groups 14:00 Vertical Integration Shift 17:25 Apple Turning Points 22:20 Creators To Consumers 25:43 From Consumption to Creation 26:01 Bicycle for the Mind 27:27 AI as Research Assistant 28:26 Building Runner Tools 29:40 Pacing Math Problem 33:25 AI MVP to Real Code 36:04 Internet Starter Kit Origins 40:56 Apple Legal Scare 43:09 Invent a Better Future 46:04 Go Outside Finale ——————————————————————————__—
Adam Engst (TidBITS) discusses a malware incident in a long-running public "Slack Bits" group where a bad actor impersonated Glenn Fleishman via a duplicate Slack display name, tricking him into downloading an info-stealer, prompting Engst to consider shutting down the 1,400-member community. The conversation shifts to Anthropic's Mythos and Project Glasswing (as covered by TidBITS security editor Rich Mogull), which reportedly found long-standing bugs (including in OpenBSD and FFmpeg), raising concerns about AI-accelerated vulnerability discovery, defender/attacker asymmetries, costs and compute barriers, and impacts on zero-day markets. They also cover Apple's iOS signing and update/upgrade distinctions, why Apple supports macOS differently than iOS, broader distrust in institutions, social media's advertising/algorithm problems (including Section 230), bots and AI-driven phishing, and the idea of local, user-controlled AI agents to help protect individuals online. 00:00 Welcome Back Adam Engst 00:20 Slack Impersonation Scare 02:15 Cleaning Up a Public Slack 03:40 Mythos and Glasswing Explained 05:19 AI Bug Hunting Reality Check 08:25 Red Team Blue Team Asymmetry 09:50 Compute Costs and Access Barriers 12:19 Trust Ethics and Regulation 17:50 Personal AI Security Agents 23:34 Zero Day Markets and Exploit Kits 25:40 iOS Signing and Update Windows 27:13 Why Macs Get Longer Support 32:06 Scams Incentives and Pig Butchering 34:02 Life Offline and Misinformation 35:41 Social Media Hot Garbage 36:43 Addiction By Design 37:46 Advertising Model Flaw 38:47 Infinite Scroll Limits 39:39 Dunbar Number Reality 40:54 Platform Power Responsibility 42:46 AI Influencers And Slop 43:37 Bots And Fake Accounts 46:33 AI Phishing And Passkeys 49:21 Closed Communities Trust 53:25 CAPTCHAs And Human Help 56:08 Section 230 And Algorithms 57:46 Chronological Feed Fix 59:35 Two Week News Rule 01:02:41 Ads In Maps Backlash 01:04:10 Wrap Up And Next Part
Equinox Wallpaper Generator CES 2026: WORX Robotic Mowers Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Get Info CES 2026: Clicks Power Keyboard & Communicator with Physical Buttons Support the Show CCATP #834 — Adam Engst on Digital Key 2 with IONIQ 5 EV Transcript of NC_2026_05_03 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Adam Engst of TidBITS is here to talk about one of my favorite subjects: electric vehicles and their high-tech features. In particular, he's enamored with Digital Key 2 with the IONIQ EV he just purchased. Of course you can read his full article about his experience with Digital Key 2 at tidbits.com/... We can't stay on one topic, so we also talked about how he's handling the increased range of a full EV after spending more than a decade driving a Nissan Leaf EV with very low range. He explains how he uses the tool A Better Route Planner from abetterrouteplanner.com/... to help him plan his longer trips. During the discussion, he spoke of the effect a headwind can have on the range of an EV. I promised to include a link in the shownotes to Steve Sheridan's terrific article explaining why EVs are more affected by wind and going uphill than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Spoiler, it's because ICE vehicles are so inefficient, losing 80% of the energy rather than using it to propel the car forward. Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2026_04_21 Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Adam Engst of TidBITS is here to talk about one of my favorite subjects: electric vehicles and their high-tech features. In particular, he's enamored with Digital Key 2 with the IONIQ EV he just purchased. Of course you can read his full article about his experience with Digital Key 2 at tidbits.com/... We can't stay on one topic, so we also talked about how he's handling the increased range of a full EV after spending more than a decade driving a Nissan Leaf EV with very low range. He explains how he uses the tool A Better Route Planner from abetterrouteplanner.com/... to help him plan his longer trips. During the discussion, he spoke of the effect a headwind can have on the range of an EV. I promised to include a link in the shownotes to Steve Sheridan's terrific article explaining why EVs are more affected by wind and going uphill than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Spoiler, it's because ICE vehicles are so inefficient, losing 80% of the energy rather than using it to propel the car forward. Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2026_04_21 Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Hip Update and a Tiny Bit of "Tech" Dictate with Wispr Flow by Scott Willsey CES 2026: Magician Jonathan Molo, The Man in the Purple Suit CES 2026: Lockly Smart Safe and TapCom Remote Entry Control My Experience with Claude Code: AI-Assisted Development in Practice — Bruce from Tennessee Support the Show CCATP #831 — Adam Engst on Reading Trains Your Internal LLM Transcript of NC_2026_03_22 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this fascinating discussion with Adam Engst, we discuss how he used to think that reading added information to essentially a database in his brain. Recently, though, he has started to think about his brain as a large language model, and that instead, reading is changing the weights of the model to include new information. Here's a link to the article on tidbits.com/... where Adam explains this concept in full detail. Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this fascinating discussion with Adam Engst, we discuss how he used to think that reading added information to essentially a database in his brain. Recently, though, he has started to think about his brain as a large language model, and that instead, reading is changing the weights of the model to include new information. Here's a link to the article on tidbits.com/... where Adam explains this concept in full detail. Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Wispr Flow - 1 month free for you PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Finland & Estonia Travelogue Hospital Tech CES 2026: ViewSonic Foldable and 4K/5K Monitors VS Code for Agentic Editing with Codex — by Eddie Tonkoi Support the Show CCATP #830 — Adam Engst on How Siri Could Become the Mac's New Help System Transcript of NC_2026_03_08 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
The charming Adam Engst joins us to talk about his vision of How Siri Could Become the Mac's New Help System. His vision is that since Apple knows everything about macOS, it doesn't seem a big leap that we should just be able to ask Siri how to do things on our Mac. It could access all of the developer documentation to do this without breaking a sweat. Of course, we wandered off the reservation into talking about how apps could do this too, and of course, we had great fun together noodling this idea. Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2026_02_27 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
The charming Adam Engst joins us to talk about his vision of How Siri Could Become the Mac's New Help System. His vision is that since Apple knows everything about macOS, it doesn't seem a big leap that we should just be able to ask Siri how to do things on our Mac. It could access all of the developer documentation to do this without breaking a sweat. Of course, we wandered off the reservation into talking about how apps could do this too, and of course, we had great fun together noodling this idea. Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2026_02_27 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Adam Engst returns to the show to talk, in detail, about certain of the UI changes in iOS 26 and Apple's version 26 OSes overall. In particular, the new Unified view in the Phone app, and the Filter pop-up menu in both the Phone and Messages apps. Also: a shoutout to Balloon Help.
How Did I So Badly Bork Last Week's Show? CES 2026: On Sprinkler Lawn & Garden Smart Sprinkler CES 2026: Withings Body Scan 2 Smart Scale Support the Show CCATP #828 — Adam Engst on Menu Icons in Tahoe Transcript of NC_2026_01_23 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Adam Engst of TidBITS joins me this month to talk about the wonderful world of macOS Tahoe's menu icons. You may not have noticed, or you may not have upgraded to macOS 26 yet, but nearly every menu item in every dropdown menu on nearly every application now has a tiny icon next to it. In this discussion, Adam and I go through the fabulous blog post by Nikita Prokopov entitled It's hard to justify Tahoe icons where he shows examples of the problems they cause. From indecipherable to inconsistent, there are a lot of problems. Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Adam Engst of TidBITS joins me this month to talk about the wonderful world of macOS Tahoe's menu icons. You may not have noticed, or you may not have upgraded to macOS 26 yet, but nearly every menu item in every dropdown menu on nearly every application now has a tiny icon next to it. In this discussion, Adam and I go through the fabulous blog post by Nikita Prokopov entitled It's hard to justify Tahoe icons where he shows examples of the problems they cause. From indecipherable to inconsistent, there are a lot of problems. Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Building a Fiction Editing Pipeline with Regex and Python — Part 1 by Eddie Tonkoi Support the Show CCATP #826 — Adam Engst on The Phone App in iOS 26 Transcript of NC_2025_12_25 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this week's episode of Chit Chat Across the Pond, Adam Engst joins us to valiantly attempt to explain to us how the new Phone app is supposed to work in iOS 26. He'll demystify the Classic and Unified views and even help you figure out how to call someone from the calls list in the two different views. Of course, he's written up several articles on the topic for your later reference: Hidden Setting Controls What Happens When You Tap a Call in the Phone App Comparing the Classic and Unified Views in iOS 26's Phone App How to Set Contact Avatars and Posters on the iPhone I want to make sure that you realize TidBITS is predominantly reader-supported (93%). The fine folks (and especially Adam) have been writing long-form, thoughtful content about the Apple world for 35 years. If you appreciate Adam being on Chit Chat Across the Pond once a month, be like me and support the work at TidBITS by going to the Membership page to sign up for as little as $20/year.
In this week's episode of Chit Chat Across the Pond, Adam Engst joins us to valiantly attempt to explain to us how the new Phone app is supposed to work in iOS 26. He'll demystify the Classic and Unified views and even help you figure out how to call someone from the calls list in the two different views. Of course, he's written up several articles on the topic for your later reference: Hidden Setting Controls What Happens When You Tap a Call in the Phone App Comparing the Classic and Unified Views in iOS 26's Phone App How to Set Contact Avatars and Posters on the iPhone I want to make sure that you realize TidBITS is predominantly reader-supported (93%). The fine folks (and especially Adam) have been writing long-form, thoughtful content about the Apple world for 35 years. If you appreciate Adam being on Chit Chat Across the Pond once a month, be like me and support the work at TidBITS by going to the Membership page to sign up for as little as $20/year.
19th and a 1/2 Annual Thanksgiving Extravaganza Recording an Audio Book — by Eddie Tonkoi Support the Show CCATP #824 — Adam Engst on Can Agentic Web Browsers Count? Transcript of NC_2025_11_30 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
This week, our guest is the ever-delightful Adam Engst of TidBITS. In this episode, he explains what agentic web browsers are and what they are designed to do for you. Adam put five of them through their paces. I don't want to spoil the story, but he uses phrases like "full cuckoo", "daydreams in class", "hapless third graders", requiring "academic integrity referral", and "like a scared, insecure intern". In other words, it doesn't go well. As always. Adam has a full write-up on TidBITS in his article entitled, Can Agentic Web Browsers Count? Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
This week, our guest is the ever-delightful Adam Engst of TidBITS. In this episode, he explains what agentic web browsers are and what they are designed to do for you. Adam put five of them through their paces. I don't want to spoil the story, but he uses phrases like "full cuckoo", "daydreams in class", "hapless third graders", requiring "academic integrity referral", and "like a scared, insecure intern". In other words, it doesn't go well. As always. Adam has a full write-up on TidBITS in his article entitled, Can Agentic Web Browsers Count? Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
DTNS Appearance Stocking Stuffer - OXO Sweep & Swipe Laptop Cleaner Adventures in OS 26 Screenshots Support the Show CCATP #823 — Adam Engst on How to Turn Liquid Glass into a Solid Interface Transcript of NC_2025_10_19 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
This week Adam took on a subject I'm guessing pretty close to 100% of the audience will care about; how to tame Liquid Glass on OSes 26. We go through macOS, iOS, watchOS, and even tvOS. This conversation must go hand-in-hand with Adam's article on TidBITS where he has screenshots of everything you'll hear us talk about. I have to say, the most impressive thing about the article IS the screenshots. How he managed to keep such consistency whilst applying each setting is amazing. How to Turn Liquid Glass into a Solid Interface - TidBITS As we were going through tvOS, you'll hear me mention an article I wrote with a tip for how to improve contrast on Apple TV, especially to help you to be able to tell which item is selected. You can find those instructions here: Tiny Tip – High Contrast Focus Style on Apple TV Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2025_10_18 Referral Links:
The Kindle Nothing is My (New) Kindle of Choice Exploring Markdown Export from Notes Support the Show CCATP #822 — Adam Engst on Choosing iPhone 17 Transcript of NC_2025_10_05 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this week's Chit Chat Across the Pond, Adam Engst of TidBITS joins me to talk about his decision process on choosing an iPhone 17 over the 17 Pro. One of the things I like best about Adam is how, just like me, when he starts digging for an answer which should be knowable, he's like a dog with a bone and won't stop until he succeeds. The main decision point between the 17 and the 17 Pro is whether someone really does care about the 8X telephoto lens vs. the macro lens. We tried to figure out how many photos we really took with the 5X on the iPhone 16 Pro, but that turned out to be a much harder task than you would think. We tried Apple Photos smart albums, but for reasons you'll hear, you can't really do it that way. Using the open source command line ExifTool from exiftool.org/... (also available through Homebrew) and his able assistant ChatGPT, he was able to create a script that queried our Photos Libraries to determine how many photos we had taken in the last year using the different camera/lens combos on the iPhone 16 Pro. While you hear us talking he hadn't yet perfected his script but he eventually beat it into submission! Of course, Adam has written up an article describing this descent into madness and even published the script if you care to download it. You can find his article at tidbits.com/.... Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2025_09_25 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Update/Corrections to Disk Sweeping Apps Tiny Mac Tips Part 10 Support the Show CCATP #820 — Adam Engst on Apple Care and AppleCare One Transcript of NC_2025_09_07 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
In this week's Chit Chat Across the Pond, Adam Engst of TidBITS fame and fortune joins me to talk about recent changes to AppleCare. While the big story of the day is AppleCare One, there have been changes over the past few years (and even this year) to what AppleCare covers and how it's charged. After discussing those changes, we get into the huge pitfalls and dangers in AppleCare One. If you don't pay attention, it's fairly easy to end up with a worse deal. Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2025_08_26 Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me PETLIBRO - 30% off for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
15 Years of Hazel PSA — Your Brother Printer's Password May Have Been Reset MagGo 3-in-1 Charger + Sharge Retro 67 = Magic for Travel Virtual Monitor HDMI Dongles Solve Many Problems Support the Show CCATP #818 — Adam Engst on New Mac Migration Transcript of NC_2025_07_27 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Adam Engst recently wrote a post on TidBITS describing his journey migrating from a 27" Intel iMac to an M4 Pro MacBook Pro. He entitled the article Switching from a 27-inch iMac to a 14-inch MacBook Pro: A Fresh Start. I asked him to come on Chit Chat Across the Pond so he could walk us all through how he decided on the MacBook Pro (vs. a Mac mini or a Mac Studio), how he made his display migration decision, how he had to modify his desk, and how he's wrong about trackpad placement. But that's not all, Adam chose to migrate no data and no applications! It's a story of a clean install beyond anything I've ever done, so you know it was super fun. Read an unedited, auto-generated transcript with chapter marks: CCATP_2025_07_25 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Bart on DTNS Talking Raindrop.io You Can See Packages with the Dual-Camera Eufy E340 Doorbell! CSUN 2025: Glidance Autonomous Self-Guided Mobility Aid Support the Show CCATP #817 — Adam Engst on Arc Browser Demise and the Rise of Dia Transcript of NC_2025_06_29 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Allison on Double Tap Talking CSUN Using My Elbow to Do a Presentation Over Zoom CSUN 2025: Jamworks AI Notetaking App for Students I Want Feature Parity in Apple Photos Between macOS and iPadOS CSUN 2025: Case For Vision Assistive Devices for People with Vision Loss Support the Show CCATP #814 — Adam Engst on Deep Linking and VPN Survey Transcript of NC_2025_06_01 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Setapp - 1 month free for you and me Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
Interview with Adam Engst: Navigating AI, Tech Ethics, and Business Models The hosts of Command Control Power are joined by Adam Engst of Tidbits Content Network for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of AI, the ethics of technology in business, and how evolving business models are influencing content creation. Topics include the 35th anniversary of Tidbits, the importance of maintaining human decency in business practices, the future of AI-based answer engines compared to traditional search engines, and the need for businesses to develop AI policies. Engst also shares personal anecdotes and offers insights on how to responsibly integrate AI into everyday professional tasks. 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:09 Celebrating 35 Years of Tidbits 01:14 Navigating Current Events and Business Ethics 04:51 Challenges in Business and Academia 07:06 Handling Offboarding and Client Relations 10:12 The Impact of Media and Fiction on Real Life 12:12 A Lesson in Communication and De-escalation 18:15 The Rise of AI and Apple's Struggles 31:35 Introduction to Answer Engines 31:48 The Role of Original Sources 32:12 Impact of Answer Engines on Source Verification 33:03 Commercial Content vs. Non-Commercial Content 35:05 Challenges with Paywalls and Advertising Models 36:04 Micropayments as a Solution 37:07 The Evolution of Business Models 40:46 The Rise of AI Answer Engines 44:30 The Future of Search and AI Integration 58:40 The Importance of AI Policies in Business 01:01:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
CCATP #813 — Bart Busschots on Quantum Computing & Cryptography CES 2025: OnlyCat AI Cat Flap with Prey Detection Tech on Travel — the Japan Edition CES 2025: Gardena Robotic Mower & B-hyve Automatic Smart Water Management Support the Show CCATP #812 — Adam Engst on Answer Engines Transcript of NC_2025_05_04 Join the Conversation: allison@podfeet.com podfeet.com/slack Support the Show: Patreon Donation Apple Pay or Credit Card one-time donation PayPal one-time donation Podfeet Podcasts Mugs at Zazzle NosillaCast 20th Anniversary Shirts Referral Links: Parallels Toolbox - 3 months free for you and me Learn through MacSparky Field Guides - 15% off for you and me Backblaze - One free month for me and you Eufy - $40 for me if you spend $200. Sadly nothing in it for you. PIA VPN - One month added to Paid Accounts for both of us CleanShot X - Earns me $25%, sorry nothing in it for you but my gratitude
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