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Journler beta gets proper tagging abilities
In case you missed TUAW Podcast #24, I've gone gaga for Philip Dow's Journler. It's a phenomenal donationware app that offers robust features for keeping a diary, storing files you need to keep track of, recording audio/video entries and even blogging. One of Journler's cruxes, however, is that its UI for tagging entries wasn't quite up to par; tags were separated with spaces or commas (your choice), but aside from searching, there was no decent way to really grab hold of and utilize your tags. Fortunately, a beta posted by Dow in the Journler forums offers a glimpse at how the app's tagging paradigm is changing for the better - much better. As you can see, tags are now 'officially' recognized by Journler, and pressing return invokes a satisfying blue bubble around them, securing their entry in Journler's database. As you work with these new tags, Journler will also begin to auto-complete them, saving you more and more time as you continue down the path to Journler goodness. [Update: I didn't even realize this, but Dow built in an even cooler, killer feature with these tags - you can click on then in an entry or in the entry browser and view a list of other entries using that same tag. I'm in love.]If you decide to check out this new version though, be sure to read through the entire forum post. Dow had to make some changes to the way Journler stores and creates your tags, so he had to create an AppleScript you only have to run once to help get the new version up to par and convert over all your old tags for the new system. Naturally, you should back up your Journler folder in Application Support before trying any of this, but I happily performed the upgrade with nary a bump on the trip. Don't forget: Journler is donationware, and Philip Dow sure would appreciate a few bucks for his excellent work.
WoW Insider tag feeds
Pssst, did you know that you can get tag-specific RSS feeds from WoW Insider just like you can get category-specific feeds? (What are RSS feeds? What are tags?) Just go to any tag page, for example ArenaSeason2, and add rss.xml to it to get the tag feed. Speaking of tags, check out the tag cloud in the right-hand column to get a picture of what tags are most popular in the past 30 days. And as long as we're here, we may as well remind you of a few housekeeping items: How to contact WoW Insider How to help us fight gold ads How to add a WoW Insider Firefox search plugin to your browser How to join the It Came from the Blog guild, and how to join our forums
Hitachi's worker tracking tags
If you're an employee of a large company, you probably worry that your higher-ups are watching your every move, keeping track of how long you take for lunch, and going through your personal emails. Well, Hitachi has taken it to the totally 1984-esque next level with an electronic "name tag" which employees wear around their neck, used to track their personal movements, as well as proximity to, and interaction with co-workers. The tags also include radiation sensors (?), sound sensors and a radio communication device -- just in case you felt you weren't being watched enough. The collected data shows strengths and weaknesses amongst groups of workers in an organization, forming a topographical map which Big Brother will use to decide who gets made into Soylent Green.
MailTags and iGTD unite features in the name of productivity and discounts
A recent update to iGTD brought some significant enhancements, one of which is very, very rich integration with Scott Morrison's MailTags 2.0. With v1.4.3, iGTD can process most of the MailTags 2 information attached to an Apple Mail message. For example: keywords in MailTags prefixed with @ will get translated into contexts, while your other tags will simply become regular tags in iGTD. Same with projects, deadlines, priorities and even notes added to Apple Mail messages with MailTags: they'll all effortlessly transfer over into iGTD when importing messages with an F-key. If this is all getting your productivity and GTD gears turning but you haven't purchased MailTags yet, Scott Morrison and Bartlomiej Bargiel (iGTD's developer) have just offered a partner promotion that should do the trick: for a limited time, when users donate to iGTD, they can contact the author and receive a $5 coupon off the $29.95 retail price of MailTags 2.0. I say 'limited time' because, as of this writing, they have 35 coupons left, though Scott said he's definitely willing to whip up more coupons depending on how much interest spawns from this promotion (I know, I know: I warned them about the TUAW effect, so we'll see). As an extremely happy and paid user of MailTags and a budding GTD user for whom iGTD finally made sense, this sounds like a great deal for anyone looking to get more productive with their email. MailTags and iGTD: two great tastes that taste great together.
MailTags 2.0 leaves beta, goes official
Scott Morrison's fantastic MailTags 2.0 is hands-down the best (and not because it is the only) plug-in that brings the wonders of tagging and iCal integration to Apple Mail. We've mentioned it plenty of times here on TUAW, and with good reason: Scott has put this new version of MailTags and its healthy dose of new features through a rigorous beta testing period, and tonight the plug-in makes that coveted leap from 'beta' to 'official release.' While Scott pops some well-deserved bubbly to celebrate his hard work, check out this list of tasty features designed for those who need more from an integrated desktop email client: IMAP support - sync your tags over IMAP servers and use them to keep your mail organized and synced across any Mac you have MailTags installed on A much-improved integrated interface for viewing and editing tags The ability to view tags in Mail's List view (an extra, optional column to let you know a message is tagged) Dynamic coloring of messages based on project, approaching due dates and priorities Integration with iCal, allowing you to create to dos and events right from Mail Including tags in your outbound messages for other MailTags users Better integration with Mail's search tools, allowing you to specify searching only for message tags, projects or even notes you've applied with MailTags (in addition to Mail's default criteria of Entire Message, From, To, etc.) Better integration with Mail's smart mailboxes Applescript compatibility I've been a happy user of MailTags 2.0 since it the early days of the beta, and I tip my hat to Scott for releasing such a great product. You can grab your own demo that runs for 21 days, while a license costs $29.95, with educational and volume discounts available upon requests.
iPhoto Keyword Assistant and Manager plugins updated
The two major keyword plugins for iPhoto have both been updated recently. First up is everyone's favorite free alternative, Ken Ferry's Keyword Assistant which we've covered in the past. This new 1.9.4 version adds a panel with tag keyword auto-completion, and it can also alphabetize the keyword list.Next is Keyword Manager, a shareware plugin for iPhoto that brings some more robust features to the table for seriously serious iPhoto keyword junkies. New in version 1.2 is: Copy and paste keywords between photos Jump directly to next untagged photo Fixed crash bug in Dutch version Minor stability bugs fixed Japanse localization German localization Chinese localization A demo is of course available, while a single license to Keyword Manager is $19 from Bullstorm Software.
TextMate AutoTag bundle for WordPress
In the market of Mac users who have text to edit, TextMate has become one of the household names that we turn to the most. Likewise for the blogging world, few - if any - services come to mind before WordPress. Brett Terpstra of Circle Six Design knows this, and that is why his AutoTag Bundle for TextMate seems to be such a match made in nerdy blogging heaven. Brett's AutoTag bundle works with WordPress 2.1 and its Ultimate Tag Warrior plugin to present a window (pictured) containing all the tags you've used on your WordPress blog; perfect for tagging your posts on the fly and helping you to keep your tag system tidy. But one might ask: what is an AutoTag plugin without some auto action, right? AutoTag can tag your post for you by scanning what you've written and comparing it against your tag database. Simply type 'auto' and press tab to watch the magic happen. And as if that wasn't enough, AutoTag even has a command for suggesting new tags, again based on a scan of your post's content or even Yahoo's Tag Suggestion feature. With all this clever 'auto' functionality going on, let's just hope Brett's next plugin isn't called 'AutoBlog,' or we might all be in trouble. To give your TextMate + WordPress workflow a tagging boost, you simply need to install a UTW-RPC plugin for WordPress (available with the AutoTag bundle) in order for TextMate to access your database of tags. Setup is really simple, but be sure to download the version of AutoTag that corresponds to the version of TextMate you're running, i.e. - Cutting-Edge or the regular version available from the Macromates site. The AutoTag bundle and UTW-RPC WordPress plugin are open source and available from Circle Six Design.
Internal RFID tagging for all RENO GmbH shoes
Whenever a notable article about RFID pops into our feed reader, a battle commences with our inner geek in one corner, and our inner luddite on the other (guess which one wins most often.) On the one hand, the concept of implanting tiny electronic chips into things is inherently appealing to us; on the other, we're extremely aware of the potential for abuse, especially considering that one of RFID's predecessors was developed by the Soviets for the purpose of espionage. The latest news from the RFID scene is that European shoe company Reno GmbH is to embed RFID tags into the soles of a large proportion of all the shoes that it sells across 1,700 outlets in Europe. Instead of just slapping the tags onto a label (which is easily removable), Reno GmbH has struck a deal with Checkpoint Systems Inc. to integrate the chips within the soles: the justification for this approach (as opposed to using stick-on tags) is that it should curb thefts of products on display, as well as those being tried on by customers / thieves. Now, we're not privy to the figures regarding thefts from shoe shops, but we can't imagine that this crime is common enough to offset the cost that implanting RFID chips into rubber shoes will rack up. Besides, doesn't this plan undermine any kind of trust that may have been present between the potential customer and the shoe shop? Then there's the absurd justification that the tags would prevent the theft of shoes on display: who steals a single shoe? In then end, we're left to accept the inevitability that more products will get tags, and those tags will reveal more information about our increasingly open (some say intruded) lives. Fortunately, this rather unjustified example is only one of the first steps.
Keyword Manager 1.1 adds major keyword management features, more
Keyword Manager from Bullstorm scored a license purchase from yours truly the day we found it, and the feature-packed iPhoto keyword plugin recently had an unassuming but handy upgrade to v1.1. Clicking on the "What's New?" heading at Bullstorm's site reveals a strong list of new features, including: Address Book auto-completion Share keywords between photo libraries Alphabetic sorting of keyword lists Preferences windows Built-in software update If you've been looking for an easier-to-use and more powerful way to wrangle your iPhoto library, I highly recommend giving Keyword Manager's full-featured demo a try. One of its most useful features, besides highly streamlining the tagging/keyword assigning process, is its ability to filter keywords in a search. This is something iPhoto is sorely lacking, but Keyword Manager makes it easy to pick keywords to both search for and exclude. This feature alone is easily worth a good portion of the plugin's $19 USD (€19 in Sweden and EU) for a single license.
Import del.icio.us bookmarks into Yojimbo via AppleScripts
Kenneth Kirksey has posted two AppleScripts on the Yojimbo mailing list for importing your del.icio.us bookmarks into Yojimbo, complete with all your tags. You can get these scripts from the mailing list archives of course, but Kenneth gave me permission to host both of them here on TUAW to make things easier on you readers.The first script, titled All del.icio.us to Yojimbo, imports all your del.icio.us bookmarks into Yojimbo, bringing along all of your tags to boot (If you're a messy tagger, I highly recommend tidying up your del.icio.us tags before you run this script). Per Kenneth's instructions, you simply need to download the text file we've zipped for you, copy all the code from the file into a Script Editor window, and then edit the "set delAccount" and "set delPassword" lines to add your account details in quotes.The second script, called Last del.icio.us to Yojimbo, simply imports your most recent del.icio.us bookmark into Yojimbo. Same instructions apply. Since these scripts make use of Yojimbo 1.3's new tag feature, I'm pretty sure these won't play well with previous versions. Feel free to share your experiences with the scripts here, and be sure to hit up the Yojimbo mailing list if you need more help with them.
AppleScripts for integrating Safari, NetNewsWire, del.icio.us and Yojimbo - oh my!
I don't know how I missed this post at Hawk Wings a few weeks ago, but I am glad I found it at least sooner or later: Tim Gaden has been keeping a watchful eye on the Yojimbo mailing list, and he caught a set of scripts written by Dylan Damian that can take a link from either Safari or NetNewsWire, bookmark it on del.icio.us with Pukka (which I highly recommend as a paid user) and then archive the link in Yojimbo using the same tags you used on del.icio.us. I completely agree with Tim: after testing these scripts out with NetNewsWire, they work like a charm and have just been added to my toolbelt.You can score the scripts by checking the Yojimbo mailing list archives (they're online here if you aren't subscribed), or simply by heading over to Tim's post at Hawk Wings, as he is hosting the files himself.
Keyword Manager for iPhoto
For as long as I can remember, Ken Ferry's Keyword Assistant has been the only iPhoto plugin (at least, AFAIK) for adding some real power and, dare I say, "tagging" to iPhoto's keyword system. Now there's a new kid on the block by the name of Keyword Manager, and it definitely brings some interesting features to the table. Keyword Manager uses two separate windows that both have their own keyboard shortcuts for toggling visibility. The first is a Quick Assigner window (pictured on right) which, as you might guess, allows you to quickly tag add keywords to your photos. It offers keyword completion (via a slick drop down menu) and support for multiple word keywords. The second panel (on left) is a very nice Keyword Manager, allowing you to organize keywords in a hierarchy to help keep your organization in check. Naturally, since both of these panels have their own keyboard shortcuts, you can call them even when in iPhoto's full-screen mode. All this is done with a very nice iPhoto Adjustment Panel-like UI.Now Keyword Manager is pretty impressive, but I think they're reaching just a little too high by charging $19 for a plugin, especially in light of Keyword Assistant being free. I think $14.99 would hit the sweet spot for a plugin like this, but then again, I admittedly haven't plunged into organizing my increasingly sprawling iPhoto library yet, so YMMV.[Update: Commenters Jools tipped us off to promotional codes at VersionTracker that drop the price to $12 in the US or €12 in the EU: VT-542U845 (US) and VT-542E845 (EU). No word on how long those codes are good for, but that's a much more reasonable price in my book.]Keyword Manager is available from Bullstorm, and a demo is available which allows you to assign keywords 75 times before requiring a license.Thanks Bernt
Yojimbo 1.3 brings tagging, loads of new features
Late last week, Bare Bones released an update to their excellent junk drawer app, Yojimbo, bringing it up to verison 1.3. I was going to post about it, but a hiccup in my database was preventing me to use the new version (I blame recent .Mac errors, as I'm having all sorts of syncing issues with other apps). Now that I've settled everything, however, I can honestly say this is one of the most pleasing and significant updates to a strong application. In addition to the typical bug fixes and behavior tweaks (you can see the extensive list of changes here), one of the many major additions is tags - users can now tag notes in Yojimbo, complete with support for searching by tags and smart tag collections (and a new Tags management panel in the preferences. Peep the screenshot:As you can see, not only did Bare Bones add tag support, but they did it right. Tags are separated by commas as opposed to restrictive spaces (I'm looking at you, del.icio.us), and yes - that's a Tag Collection you see below my Serial Numbers group (bonus points for still allowing users to change a Tag Collection's folder icon via the Inspector). I honestly can't say enough good things about the addition of tags to Yojimbo, but I need to leave room for the other major additions I mentioned, such as list and table formatting in notes, easy link creation (for both URLs and file system links), a new UI for the Item Details bar (which you can see includes an area for tags), and much, much more. If you're a Yojimbo user, or someone who's still looking for a good junk drawer app, I highly recommend this new version, as Yojimbo is really beginning to shape up well.
iTunes song tagging redux
We reported a method for tagging iTunes tracks and creating on-the-fly playlists way back in January. However, it involved using Quicksilver and a couple of home-grown scripts, but we can dig it if some of y'all aren't down with a tool as broad-reaching as Quicksilver. Fortunately for the rest of you, a web designer and developer named Steven Campbell has written up a basic method for tagging iTunes tracks and creating playlists based on those tags. It more or less involves revealing the comments column in the song list for easy access, and using a simple system of comma-separated words to get your iTunes tagging on. This can work wonders for Smart Playlists, and Steven offers a few examples in his post.For those still interested in the aforementioned Quicksilver scripts and tools, the author has issued a bit of an upgrade and a new script since we first reported them. First of all, the scripts now live at their own domain name, TuneTag.com. The scripts still allow you to tag the song you're listening to on the fly and create on-the-fly playlists from those tags, but the author also added a new script that lets you select any number of tracks in iTunes and tag them all in one fell swoop. As a Quicksilver fan I'm already in love with the power of these scripts, but either method should work well for bringing the web 2.0 tagging craze to iTunes.
Keyword Assistant updated for iPhoto 6.0.5
Apple updated their apps for Aperture 1.5's arrival, and Ken Ferry stayed right in step and updated his fantastic Keyword Assistant plugin for iPhoto, which we've mentioned before. Version 1.9.3 also brings a Russian localization to the table, meaning it now works in English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish.Ken offers Keyword Assistant for free from his .Mac homepage.
MailTags 2.0 public beta - Mail.app organization redefined
It is with immense pleasure ladies and gentlemen that I am able to announce the public beta of MailTags 2.0 - an update (I can't say enough great things about) to Scott Morrison's indispensable message tagging plugin for Mail.app which we've mentioned plenty of times already. This update takes tagging messages to entirely new levels with a host of new abilities, such as: IMAP syncing of tags (so all your other machines can keep tags in sync (and not just over .Mac) Spotlight and Mail.app searching based on MailTags metadata (project, tag/keywords, notes, etc.) Sending tags with outgoing messages (so other MailTags-using friends and coworkers can stay right in tune with your tags) Displaying keywords, projects and due dates in the message list view Assigning colors to projects, due dates and priorities - great, for example, if a message becomes overdue (marked in red) or for marking all messages of a particular project as green Display custom notes in place of a message's actual subject in the list view These new features, and more, are all in addition to MailTags' standard abilities of being able to create iCal todo's and add extra notes to messages. In case you haven't taken this plugin for a test drive yet, virtually all of these features, including whether the message sidebar you see above is displayed or hidden, are customizable to your heart's content.I was able to participate in the beta process for this plugin and I must to say: Scott had to threaten me to keep this from being posted on TUAW sooner (kidding). Honestly though: I think this is the best organizing aid for email I've ever seen, and I highly recommend it (in case you can't tell) for anyone who's been looking for a better way to wrangle their inbox. No, Scott isn't paying me to say this (we don't roll like that), and yes: I'm purchasing a license just like everyone else.Speaking of licenses: MailTags 2.0 ushers in the shareware era for MailTags (the previous 1.2 version is still available, however, as donationware). It comes as a fully functioning 30 day demo (Tiger required, Universal Binary), while a full licenses costs $30 (easily a steal). During this beta period, however, a license can be purchased for a discounted price of $25, and I can honestly say that you should run, not walk, to grab a copy of such a productivity improving masterpiece as MailTags 2.0.
Menulicious
Menulicious is a utility like Delibar that allows you to access your del.icio.us bookmarks right from your menubar. One nice option of Menulicious is that it can display a bookmark count for each of your tags. An annoying quirk, however, is that your tags are listed under a "Tags >" menu; not directly under the utility itself.Regardless, Menulicious is a Universal Binary, so it'll run a little faster on your Intel Mac. Menulicious is free and available either from Versiontracker or Kainjow's iPod-like website - surf to Software > Freebies > Menulicious.
delicious2safari goes Universal
C.K. blogged delicious2safari what feels like a year ago, and not much has changed since. It still allows you to import your del.icio.us bookmarks into Safari as either a flat list or in folders according to your tags, except now it has gone the way of the Universal Binary.delicious2safari is freeware and available from Christina Zeeh's site.
MailTags 1.2.1 available, 1.3 to feature IMAP syncing
Dave Caolo posted about MailTags last August, but in case you're unfamiliar: MailTags is a fantastic plugin for Mail.app that allows you to both tag your messages and create iCal todos right from within Mail. MailTags' abilities go far beyond simply adding a few keywords though; you can also set projects, categories and priorities for messages and use all this new metadata to create a far more robust organizational system than simply filing messages in a 'todo' folder. Once MailTags is installed, a whole new set of search and rule criteria (such as due date, project, keyword and more) are baked into Mail.app for running searches or creating Smart Mailboxes and rules. It's a pretty amazing plugin, and I urge you to check out Scott Morrison's Indev site for the full details on everything MailTags is capable of.While MailTags 1.2.1 issues a host of bugfixes but no serious new features, I found out about it from this Hawk Wings post in which Tin Gaden states that MailTags 1.3 will have a new feature many users have been wishing for: IMAP tag syncing. So if you use Mail.app and MailTags on more than one Mac, you can soon keep your tags, as well as (I'm hoping) projects and priorities all in sync.With all that said, go take MailTags for a spin. It's donationware, so show Scott some PayPal love for the hard work he's putting into this most excellent of plugins.
Delibar - the missing link of social bookmarking?
I love the concept of social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and Shadows. When we found Safarilicious I immediately used it to upload all 1050 of my bookmarks to del.icio.us, and I use it to help organize bookmarks for all sorts of projects I'm working on with friends.My one complaint about these services is that, aside from Flock "getting it" and actually building support for del.icio.us (and Shadows) right into their browser, social bookmarking feels very one-way in its interactivity: there hasn't been any way to access them as easily as your favorite browser's bookmarks menu (and no, Cocoalicious doesn't quite get there). Further, the problem is compounded if you're like me and you either want or have to work in more than one browser.Fortunately, I just found the utility that solves these problems and brings all your socializing bookmarks back home to your desktop: Delibar. Fitting into the "do one thing, and do it well" category that we at TUAW love so much, Delibar (as you can see) is a free menubar app that serves as a "universal bookmarks menu" for all your del.icio.us bookmarks, sorted into folders by the tags you've assigned. This, my friends, is exactly what I've been looking for. To the del.icio.us crew, if you're listening: you need to help this guy out in one way or another. If I may be so bold: you guys should have offered something like this the day that you flipped the switch on your services. To the developer of Delibar: thank you! Finally, to you TUAW readers: I highly recommend you check out this most useful of utilities, and I urge you to donate if you wind up finding it even half as useful as I have.
