Author Biography
Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS and Take Control Books. He has written numerous books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles - thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and now 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, and the Take Control electronic book series. His awards include the MDJ Power 25 ranking as the most influential person in the Macintosh industry outside of Apple every year since 2000, inclusion on the MacTech 25 list of influential people in the Macintosh technical community, and being named one of MacDirectory's top ten visionaries. And yes, he has been turned into an action figure. Want more? Follow Adam on Twitter for 140-character musings on a variety of topics.
Open URLs Quickly from BBEdit
If you're working on a bit of text (HTML or otherwise) in BBEdit, and you see a URL that you'd like to open, the fastest way is to Command-click it. Most BBEdit users probably already know this tip, but if you don't, it's a huge time-saver. (The same trick works in BBEdit's free little brother, TextWrangler.)
Written by
Adam C. Engst
Recent TidBITS Talk Discussions
- New in-article TidBITS commenting system (5 messages)
- Why AT&T Has a Lock on the iPhone (17 messages)
- Mac OS X shutdown vs sleep mode (24 messages)
- Some observations about the new iPhone/iPod Touch OS (5 messages)
Adam C. Engst
Publisher
Beware the GPS Thieves
As Adam and Tonya discovered first-hand on a recent trip to New York City, the latest trend in car-related theft revolves around the increasingly popular GPS devices from the likes of Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom. Don't let it happen to you.Read more...
Apple and Microsoft Snipe in Ad Campaigns
Apple's "Get a Mac" ad campaign has taken direct aim at Microsoft, finally causing the industry giant to strike back with a $300 million ad campaign. Now Apple is returning fire.Read more...
Font Puns Galore in Extensis's Bravefont Trailer
Extensis had way too much fun in producing this trailer for a spoof movie called Bravefont. It's really a teaser for Suitcase Fusion 2, but the video is a must-see for its combination of movie cliches and font jokes.Read more...
Tune In Tomorrow For Apple Event Coverage
Apple will be announcing something - likely updated iPods - tomorrow in San Francisco. Check the TidBITS Web site for our coverage of Apple's special event, and our thoughts on how the announcements may make up for Apple's recent missteps.Read more...
Google Serving Itself DMCA Takedown Notices on Chrome Videos?
Umm, Google? Those YouTube videos that supposedly show the features of your new Chrome Web browser for Windows? They're, uh, missing. You might want to look into that. [Update: The videos are all working now.]Read more...
Print Custom Text and Photo M&M's
Who knew you could now print photos on custom M&M's? Well, you do now, but good luck getting a photo to print well in half the size of a dime.Read more...
Tip: See Dictionary Definitions in Real Time
By pressing a couple of keys, you can run your mouse pointer around the screen and see dictionary definitions of each word you point at. Try it, or watch Adam's screencast demoing the feature.Read more...
Kensington SaddleBag Ultra: The Same Old Bag, in a Good Way
When Adam's aging laptop bag ripped out recently after years of use, he started down the road of researching the ultimate replacement, before realizing that what he really wanted - a slightly updated version of what he had before - was available inexpensively.Read more...
Adam Discusses TidBITS History, Apple's Q2, and the Blue Snowflake
Listen in for Adam's latest solo MacNotables podcast with Chuck Joiner.Read more...
April Fools Talk and a Few Podcasts
Want to see Adam talk about the history of the TidBITS April Fools issue? Read on for a link to a recent talk he gave on the topic at Cornell University. Who said higher ed was all work and no play?Read more...
Iridium-Capable iPhone Not Entirely Laughable
Who knew that our joke about the iPhone gaining satellite-phone capabilities would become reality (after a fashion) only three days later?Read more...
Bare Bones Software's BBEdit 9.2 -- A burly upgrade with newSleep command, LassoScript support, plus enhancements to Projects
and core features like Find and Multi-File Search windows,
editing in browsers, and text completion. <http://barebones.com/>
Discussing the Importance of the iPhone SDK on MacNotables
Tune into this two-part MacNotables podcast to hear more about the iPhone SDK announcement, including the business model, the positive initial response from developers, the enterprise aspects of the announcement, and more.Read more...
Watch Adam's Hacking the Press Talk from C4
If you've ever wondered about the best ways for software to get coverage in the Mac press, check out the video of Adam's "Hacking the Press" talk from the C4 developer conference.Read more...
Adam on MacNotables and The Tech Night Owl Live
Here are a few more podcasts for your listening pleasure. In MacNotables 811 and 812, Ted Landau and I chatted with Chuck Joiner about the effects that the iPhone SDK will have, why Apple will likely remain dominant in the world of MP3 players, and lots more...Read more...
Adam Interviewed by Peachpit Publisher Nancy Aldrich-Ruenzel
Tune in to listen to Adam be interviewed by Nancy Aldrich-Ruenzel, publisher of Peachpit Press. It's a good one!Read more...
Adam in Your Mac Life Expo Wrap-Up Session
It's yet another podcast show on Macworld, this time an overview of the show hosted by Shawn King and including me, Jason Snell, and Leo Laporte.Read more...
Catalog Choice Slammed by Direct Marketing Association
Catalog Choice must be doing a good job of helping individuals reduce the flood of unwanted catalogs - the Direct Marketing Association is on the defensive.Read more...
Broken-off Power Tip? See a Jeweler.
A friend called the other day because the tip to his wife's PowerBook G4 had broken off inside the jack. The local Apple-authorized repair shop said it would take a week and cost $65 to fix, and his wife couldn't be without the machine that long...Read more...
Go See Geek Art Graffiti
Check this Flickr photo set of famous works of art, all cleverly modified with artifiacts from our own electronic culture. Where else would you see Napoleon juxtaposed with "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US."? Read more...
Apple Ships Pink iPod nano, Apologizes to Tonya
Apple has released a pink iPod nano, just in time for Valentine's Day. This is clearly a hint!Read more...
Next 20 articles for Adam C. Engst...
Bare Bones Software's BBEdit 9.2 -- A burly upgrade with newSleep command, LassoScript support, plus enhancements to Projects
and core features like Find and Multi-File Search windows,
editing in browsers, and text completion. <http://barebones.com/>