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Best Mac Apps

2011/05/25 By

Best Mac Apps

Best Mac Apps: Frank Eves’ shortcut to getting the best software for your Mac.

  • 1Password create strong, unique passwords, remember them, restore them
  • Aperture refine images, showcase photos and manage massive libraries
  • AppDelete uninstall applications, widgets, preference panes, plugins, screensavers along with their associated files
  • Apple iLife iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand
  • Apple iWork Pages, Numbers and Keynote
  • Art Text create textual graphics, headings, logos, icons, web site elements and buttons
  • BBEdit HTML and text editor
  • BetterZip compress, decompress and manage your archives
  • Carbon Copy Cloner backup featuring scheduled clones
  • ColorSchemer Studio create professional color schemes
  • CrashPlan offsite backup
  • DEVONthink Pro Office manage info with AI help
  • Direct Mail create, manage, and deliver powerful email marketing campaigns
  • Dragon Dictate input text by speaking
  • Dropbox share files
  • ForkLift advanced file manager and FTP/SFTP/TLS/Amazon S3/WEBDav client
  • Google Earth the world’s geographic information at your fingertips
  • Growl lets Mac apps unobtrusively tell you when things happen
  • HoudahSpot makes good on the promise of quickly finding the files you search for
  • Knox secure your files create as many encrypted vaults as you want
  • Labels & Addresses design and print address, shipping, file folder and barcode labels
  • LicenseKeeper track information related to your purchased software
  • OmniGraffle Professional create diagrams, process charts, quick page-layouts, websites, wireframes or graphic designs
  • OmniOutliner Professional more than just an outlining tool
  • Panorama Sheets powerful database with the familiar simplicity of a spreadsheet
  • PCalc fully featured scientific calculator supports hexadecimal, octal and binary calculations, RPN mode, parentheses, programmable functions, and unit conversions
  • PDFpenPro edit PDFs, create and edit forms
  • PopChar get the most out of your fonts, special characters a few clicks away
  • PTHPasteboard PRO multiple pasteboard
  • Reeder Google RSS reader
  • ScreenFlow screencasting, capture contents of monitor, video camera, microphone and computer’s audio at the same time
  • Skitch screen capture, crop, resize, sketch… then share
  • Skype free computer to computer voice and video calls
  • Sound Studio record and edit digital audio
  • Syncman synchronizes Address Book with Gmail Contacts
  • TextExpander avoid typing the same thing over and over, customized abbreviations for text strings and graphics
  • Textmate text editor with powerful snippets, macros, and a unique scoping system
  • TextSoap effortlessly cleans up text
  • Things task management
  • Toast Titanium burn DVDs
  • Transmit the #1 Mac OS X FTP client
  • Vector Designer simple, intuitive and powerful vector drawing
  • VidConvert simple and easy video converter
  • VueScan Professional scan documents, photos and film
  • Webnote powerful easy bookmarking
  • xScope measure, align and inspect on-screen graphics and layouts

It’s subjective :-) , but after purchasing hundreds of apps, I’ve concluded that these are, currently, the best Mac Apps for doing what I do. One of the first things you’ll notice is that I’ve eliminated old-time favourites like Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. I’ve also removed dozens of lesser known apps. Let me know what’s missing and feel free to suggest better apps.

Filed Under: Hobbies Tagged With: ,

A Retired MD’s Observations

2010/08/31 By

Doctor's Office by Norman Rockwell

Retired MD, Frank Eves’ generalized, observations about a few things noticed along the way:

  • a doctor’s humanity is often more valuable than his/her education
  • humility and a sense of humour/humor are invaluable
  • listening carefully to the client/patient avoids most problems
  • it’s tough to always be on-time when you’re trying to do it right
  • most doctors are doing their best to help
  • the best family doctors have very few patients in hospital
  • most problems can be dealt with in a single visit and do not require dozens of tests and frequent follow-up visits
  • the least competent doctors attempt to garner the most attention in the ER
  • some specialists have forgotten the GP stuff
  • some surgeons really do see patients as a ‘hole’ and are most comfortable with people when they’re sedated
  • the best surgeon drove a VW Beetle
  • many internists hide when there’s a hint of something surgical
  • obstetricians work long hours and appear to function well without sleep
  • the worst gynaecologist/gynecologist drove a Cadillac
  • the nicest specialists are the paediatricians/pediatricians
  • psychiatrists have too many patients and too few friends
  • U.S. trained physicians love technology
  • British trained physicians value a good history
  • some older physicians need their patients more than their patients need them
  • recent med school graduates spend too much time studying the fee schedule
  • most clients/patients are friendly and honest
  • women are better communicators
  • when men are asked, “How can I help you?” a surprising number respond, “My wife made the appointment, I’m not sure.”
  • guys are more nervous about rectal exams than women are about internal exams. Guys like to joke, “If I feel two hands on my shoulders I’ll know it’s not your finger… “ they assume the doctor has never heard this ubiquitous humour/humor
  • the richest man wore a Timex
  • the most obnoxious guy wore a gold Rolex with a diamond bezel.

It was very rewarding to quietly help someone without turning it into a major production.

My last comment flys in the face of the advice I once received. A retiring doc suggested I always say “It’s the worst case I’ve ever seen.” that way, if they get better, you’re a hero. Of course that same character was infamous for billing ‘no-shows’ with a diagnosis of ‘amnesia.’ :)

Filed Under: Wellness Tagged With: , ,