quicksilver
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Enable a slick Constellation menu in Quicksilver ?49
Macintalk has posted a how-to on enabling a really slick Constellation menu plugin for Quicksilver β49. Granted, this menu is quite a bit of eye candy, but if you follow Macintalk's post all the way through and assign this menu to a hotkey, it then becomes a bit of really handy eye candy.Keep in mind, however, that (as far as I know) you need the latest developer β49 to bring this plugin to fruition, so just like with the last slick Quicksilver Cube eye candy plugin, if you're not interested in the beta side of things, you should probably leave this one alone until it gets ironed out a bit more......but on the other hand: look at how cool that is! The entire thing is clickable, and it's also bigger in 'real life' - on my 1440 x 900 display it's 512 x 512 pixels, so it's much more legible than the 225 x 225 screenshot in this post. The small button just to the right of the iTunes icon in the middle of this menu, for example, displays a popup list of your playlists. Clicking on any of the larger slices, such as the albums or artists, pops up a second, similar menu you can browse through by using the down arrow at the bottom of the inner circle. The whole menu system seems pretty zippy too, once it takes a second to load all your iTunes information. Of course, I'm also using a 2.0 Ghz MacBook Pro with 1.5 GB RAM, so YMMV. Check out Macintalk's how-to if you're done drooling and want to get down to business.
AppleScript to view next unread message in Mail
If you've ever wished for the ability to go to the next unread message in Mail, instead of having to shuffle through all the unread ones, some enterprising AppleScript.net forum members have put together a script that might go well with your favorite app/script launcher, such as FastScripts.I tried this out with my preferred everything-launcher, Quicksilver, and it worked like a charm. I saved the script in Script Editor, then simply added it as a Trigger in Quicksilver with a keyboard shortcut. This has the fortunate side effect of being accessible from anywhere in the OS, so when I press my hotkey, Mail comes to the front and moves to the next unread message in the selected mailbox. Here's hoping Apple's Mail engineering team is listening and has something a little more integrated cooked up for Leopard's Mail.[via Hawk Wings]
Top ten supplemental blogging apps
Chances are if I am sitting at my Mac I am blogging (perhaps not for TUAW, but for some blog somewhere) and so this list of the top ten supplemental blogging apps for OS X caught my eye.The apps that make the cut are: Quicksilver (a TUAW favorite) Firefox (though Flock gets a mention) Pukka NewsFire Transmit Image Trick TextMate Voice Candy Dictionary.app Adium and Skype A fairly good list, though it doesn't cover some of the apps I use whilst blogging. After the jump you'll find my list of blogging apps I can't blog without.
Quicksilver Cube interface - "beautiful" doesn't do justice
Now that you have a Quicksilver cheatsheet and manual, check out one of the most beautiful UI plugins I've seen for this app: the Cube Interface. Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings has put together a short video of the interface in action, catching the drool-inducing eye candy in all its glory. I'm not sure if this interface is only available to the Quicksilver developer build versions or not, as I am running the same version he is. If this is the case and you're still eager to take the plunge though, you can enable and access this version from Quicksilver's Application preference tab. However, if you're just getting used to this app or prefer stability over new features and eye candy like this, I'd recommend waiting until the Quicksilver crew brings this more mainstream.
Quicksilver cheatsheet and user manual
Whenever we post about Quicksilver the comments soon start filling with people asking, 'What's so great about Quicksilver,' or 'How do I use this crazy program?' A Quicksilver user has taken it upon himself to write up some documentation for this rather inscrutable program and he is making it freely available.Howard Melman has started writing both a user manual (PDF) and a cheatsheet (PDF) to help people get started with Quicksilver. Great work, Howard![via Hawk Wings]
NP confirms identical versions of Twilight Princess
The newest issue of Nintendo Power has some good news for the six people who own Gamecubes, but don't want a Wii. With the exception of the control scheme, the Gamecube and Wii versions of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be essentially identical. It's currently unknown whether the Wii version will also allow the use of standard Gamecube controls, but if you want the classic experience, it's nice to know you won't lose anything from buying the current-gen version.O', may time ride as quicksilver toward the Twilight...
Visor
Love Quake? Love the Terminal? Visor is just the app for you! Brought to you by the good folks behind Quicksilver (and you know how much we like that), Visor is a cool Terminal mod that creates a hot key enabled Terminal console available no matter what you're doing.Hit one button and from the top of your screen slides a terminal window. It is pretty cool, though it isn't ready for Bob and Jone Mac User.[via Infinite Loop]
Yojimbo plugin for Quicksilver (or: My heart just skipped a beat)
I need to make more of a habit of rooting around in Quicksilver's plugin pane, as I almost always find stellar new tools each and every time I open it. This time around I stumbled on a Yojimbo plugin for Quicksilver that seems to do a better job of adding items to the Yojimbo database than the bookmarklets that BareBones added themselves in the latest 1.2 update. Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings agrees, and he even beat me to the punch with a post that elaborates how this plugin works, complete with screenshot goodness. Be sure to check it out for a needed tip on turning this operating into a Quicksilver Trigger.After tinkering with this plugin, I am even happier that I uninstalled StickyBrain. The beauty of these actions is that, when adding or archiving a webpage to Yojimbo, this plugin doesn't force Yojimbo to the front, taking the focus away from whatever else you were doing. I don't know how these Quicksilver ninja developers managed to pull this off, as this is one of the main advantages over those new bookmarklets I mentioned.I hope I speak for many users of Quicksilver and Yojimbo when I say: thank you, Quicksilver ninjas.
OnMyCommand tutorial
Quicksilver not your cup of tea? Why not give OnMyCommand a try? It is a free app that adds a number of commands to your contextual menus.I know, I know. You want examples of how this could possibly be of use to you. Check out David Kadavy's tutorial that'll make you want to get this app as soon as humanly possible.[via Lifehacker]
Quicksilver constellations
Every time we mention Quicksilver (and we mention it frequently) we get comments wondering what all the fuss is about. Check out what Giles Turnbull has to say about one of the flashier, and less stable, features of Quicksilver: constellations.Constellations are basically radial menus that give you access to a number of different actions that can be performed on the currently selected file or application. While this isn't one of the main feature of Quicksilver it gives you a good idea of the kind of value you can expect from Quicksilver.
Productivity on OS X
Paul Stamatiou is more productive on a Mac. Why? The combination of Exposé, Quicksilver, and Spotlight. These three things taken together really make the Mac a powerhouse of productivity (and I should know since I use the very same tools, though I tend not to need Spotlight that much. I'm just that good).Now, I spend a fair amount of time using Windows and it isn't an awful experience (Windows is good for some things), however, whenever I am on my Mac I feel like I'm getting more done.So, TUAW readers, share your productivity hints in the comments so that we can all become dynamos of productive power!
Control OS X with a wand
Alright, so there is no wand, but there is a combination of this Gyration mouse and Quicksilver which is magic like. The Gyration is a wireless mouse that has a gyroscope in it, so the mouse knows where it is positioned in space.When you combine this knowledge with a few pieces of software you instantly have a magic wand that you can use to control your Mac. What to know how? Read the directions and get to waving.
Quicksilver developer update with new triggers, preference UI, more
A pre-release, developer version of Quicksilver is available with a seriously revamped preference pane. Also included in this not-ready-for-prime-time release: a new Triggers system that allows for groups, a revamped plug-in pane with categories and "droplets," which you can read more on here. I'm sure there's more hidden under the hood of this release, but finals are trumping the amount of time I have to tinker with this stuff.Since I just know some of you are going to ask, here's how to get your hands on this developer preview edition, but please do not bug us if things get wonky; it's an unstable dev edition. You have been warned: Go to the Application tab in Quicksilver's preferences and change which version it checks for updates; I believe it's actually called 'developer preview.' Then tell it to check for an update and you should be able to snag the new version. Enjoy.[via Hawk Wings]
Quicksilver plug-ins for Google Calendar and Gmail
While tinkering in Quicksilver's plug-ins panel this morning I came across two new plug-ins that should fit right in with my new Borg Google-infused daily activities: a Gmail Module and a Google Calendar Module. Both are actions that allow you to type in a string of text, then select either of these modules as an action, and off you go.The Google Calendar module seems to use their Quick Add syntax for adding events. For a quick tutorial on this: invoke Quicksilver and then hit period so you can begin entering plain text. Enter something like "Apple Store Opening Saturday 10 am," then hit tab to move to Quicksilver's second pane to chose an action. If you have the Google Calendar module installed, the action is titled "Google Calendar Event" (using 'gcal' works just fine for me). Hitting enter will send the event, and for bonus points, if you have Growl installed and Quicksilver using it to give notifications, you'll receive a Growl alert upon successful completion.The Gmail module (pictured) allows you to compose a message (or at least part of one) using the same method as both the Google Calendar and Mail.app compose actions. Once you type some text, tab over to chose the Gmail action, you'll receive a 3rd pane that allows you to specify an Address Book contact to send to. Hitting enter will create a Gmail compose window with all the information you chose from Quicksilver already inserted. Awesome.
Quicksilver screencast at the Apple Blog
Quicksilver, you either love it with all your heart or just don't get it. We here at TUAW are Quicksilver boosters (I've said it before, and I'll say it again, a Mac without Quicksilver doesn't seem like a Mac to me). It would seem that we are not the only Apple centric blog on the block that is crazy for Quicksilver.The Apple Blog (they're not official either, so don't worry) has produced a screencast (a quicktime movie demoing the app) all about setting up Quicksilver. This is worth a look if you want to find out about all the hubbub about Quicksilver, and you don't feel like installing it on your Mac.
6 semi-obscure Quicksilver plugins from 43Folders
Merlin Mann, who won't rest until everything is done, has listed 6 plugins for, TUAW favorite, Quicksilver that you might not be aware of. There are a few that I hadn't heard of (and I thought I knew everything) so head on over to his post and check 'em out.Word of warning: constellation menus have been known to cause nausea.
Kinkless Getting Things Done 0.83 released
For those who aren't familiar with this "Getting Things Done" term that's being tossed around the 'net more and more often these days: it's a methodology (not necessarily a piece of software) developed by David Allen for better managing your projects, tasks, time and life. Kinkless GTD (Getting Things Done) is a combination of plugins by Ethan Schoonover for both Quicksilver and OmniOutliner Pro that adapts this methodology for the digital lifestyle, allowing you to easily add projects and tasks to a customized OmniOutliner Pro document, as well as syncing them with iCal - reminders and all.To help you wrap your head around this fantastic new way of organizing yourself, as well as these equally impressive tools, Ethan has produced a 10 minute screencast that should help you hit the ground running. Yes, it's 10 minutes out of your non-stop, lightning-fast lifestyle, but trust me: this could quite possibly be the best 10 minutes you've ever spent learning how to organize the other 1430 minutes of your day.It's hard to just jump into this system and figure out what's going on, but in case you're already ahead of the rest of the class, you'll need the latest kGTD release, as well as the latest beta of OmniOutliner Pro and the optional but spectacular Quicksilver.[via Hawk Wings]
Flickr plugin for Quicksilver
Have I told you lately that I love Quicksilver? Well, I do and I just came across yet another reason for this love of mine.Flicksilvr is a Quicksilver module that let's you, you've guessed it, upload and tag pictures to Flickr. It is based on the FlickrExport code, so you know it is good, and it used Quicksilver, so you know using it is a bit of an art.
Maximize your clipboard with CuteClips
Don't you just get aggravated when you accidentally overwrite an item you had previously copied to the clipboard? CuteClips by brink software eliminates the problem.CuteClips will remember the last twelve items you copied to the clipboard. Simply hit the designated key combination (mouse jockeys can click the menu bar item) to bring up a list of your most recently saved items. From there, just select the one you're after. Other features include previews of just about anything you've copied, an option to make files "sticky," meaning they won't be removed from your clipboard history until you opt to remove them, and the ability to paste saved items sequentially. We realize that the popular Quicksilver also manages a clipboard history, but we're also fans of a product that simply performs a single task well. A single license will cost you €5.00. I could not find system requirements.
Getting started with Quicksilver: understanding the basics
Prompted by a TUAW reader comment on my post the other day about some Quicksilver fundamentals, I thought I would take a crack at posting some short tutorials on what Quicksilver actually does, and how to get started with it. I'm talking about the most basic of the basics here for anyone who is curious but still confused as to what the heck they're looking at the first time they launch Quicksilver. To anyone who can't make heads or tails of it: I don't blame you. It took me quite a while to wrap my head around all this stuff, so I hope I can do you some justice with this post.Disclaimer - I use a somewhat modified version of Quicksilver and I've added a lot of extras, but for this demo I *think* I've properly fixed my copy to look like a default Quicksilver install.Speaking of my screenshot - let's get started.
