Tumblr is a unique new tumblelog service that employs a KISS philosophy: offering a very streamlined, one-column layout and a clever bookmarklet that is smart about what you're trying to share on your Tumblr blog. While the minimalist templates can be edited by hand to include just about anything you want, Tumblr's concept is to be a sort of blogging scrapbook; a place to toss all those unique things you find across the web that might not fit at any of your other blogging venues, or that you simply don't have much to say about. Take a look at the Tumblr Radar to get an idea of how others are using the service.
Now that introductions are out of the way, a recent update to Tumblr, as well as a how-to post from our sister Download Squad blog, has highlighted some Mac OS X-specific features that should make it even easier for Mac users to jump into the service.
First, Alex Hung (Windows developer for ecto, by the way) wrote up a great how-to at Download Squad that explores the construction of a Tumblr Dashboard widget with Apple's Dashcode. A DLS reader was even inspired enough to go through with it, creating theTumblr Widget that is hosted on Google Code. This widget also became one of two that Tumblr just highlighted in a recent blog post, with the other being more of a basic test widget that Tumblr cooked up themselves.
The second Mac Tumblr tool is an AppleScript for Quicksilver by Andrew Lilja. Andrew provides the AppleScript code and instructions for some unique syntax you can use to specify things like titles, quotes and links for your Tumblr posts, all from Quicksilver's handy UI.
It's great to see these kinds of tools appear for Tumblr, as it makes an already simple service even easier to use.
We sure have gone kookoo for iPod syncing lately - what with tips and scripts for syncing GTD info, Yojimbo and now even the TUAW-approved online PIM, Backpack. I honestly don't remember how I stumbled across this tip, but it hails from - of all places - a public page of Backpack user dchadwick. Through the use of a Mail.app filter and some clever Automator actions, dchadwick walks us through using Backpack's "email this page" feature, and then running an Automator script to export said email (once you receive it, of course) to your iPod. It isn't quite easy-breezy, but it's the best (read: only) solution I've seen for achieving such Backpack + iPod nerdery as this.
A while ago I had to help the TV Squad crew cover an award ceremony by snapping screenshots with my Eye TV. I needed a way to fire these shots off to members of the team with the least amount of effort, so I put together a few Automator droplets that could take whatever files I drop on them, attach them to a Mail.app message and automatically send them to pre-determined recipients with no questions asked. At the time I didn't think too much of the actions, so they got busy with collecting dust on my backup hard drive, waiting for a time when they might be called back into action. Well, this similar hint at macosxhints.com was just that time, as it inspired me to bring these actions out of mothballs. That hint seems a little overly complex to me, what with the scripts and the editing and creating folders and attaching - oh my! I figured this Automator action might be a little easier to deal with, so here you go. I call it Mail Man, and we're hosting it on TUAW. Here's how it works.
We mentionedBox.net, an iDisk-like online hard drive service, back when we could begin mounting them on our Macs. To simplify uploading files to your Box.net account, Daniel Ryan has created an Automator action that not only lets you upload with a simple right click, but it also takes care of changing any spaces in file names to underscores, making them much more web-friendly. It isn't difficult to set up or use, but be sure to read Daniel's instructions at Automator World, as the action depends on you having mounted your drive with Mac OS X (which creates a Keychain item to store your password). If Box.net isn't much more than a file repository for sharing (perhaps via their blog-friendly widget), this action should streamline your efforts.
It's been a while since I've paid attention to Automator actions, and I'm beginning to realize that I never quite worked them into my daily habits. Since I'm making more of a conscious effort to fit some handy actions into my workflow, I stumbled across PDF Confidential at Apple's Automator Actions Downloads page, and it looks to be mighty handy indeed.
PDF Confidential performs four actions for any document on your Mac (since Mac OS X has built-in support for PDF):
Convert your document to a PDF (if it already isn't)
Encrypt (you enter desired password)
Compress
E-Mail (you enter details in provided dialog box)
If you open this action in Automator it might be best saved as a plug-in either for the Finder or for Print Workflows, depending on how you roll. The action's author, rickyprograms, also claims that PDF Confidential is 100% PDF compatible, though I would assume Windows users would need Adobe's Reader installed in order to enter passwords and open any docs created by this simple action.
If you're one of the increasing many who live inside PDFs and could use some added security, this free Automator action might be right up your alley.
Sometimes randomly rotating your desktop wallpaper through the Desktop System Preferences pane is just a little overkill. Wouldn't it be nice if you had a simple drag-and-drop Automator action for setting your own wallpaper whenever your heart desired a change of pace? Then why not use this macosxhints post to make one. A few simple steps creates an action that you save as an app somewhere (I named my action 'Wallpaper') and simply link to in your Dock. For added convenience I saved it as a Finder plugin so I can right-click any picture I find to quickly chose Automator > Wallpaper from the context menu. Handy.
As an extra tip: make sure you turn off automatic wallpaper rotation in the Desktop Preferences pane if it's on. Otherwise, at least from my testing, this action won't work.
Location Switch is an Automator action that adds some painfully missing features to Mac OS X's built-in Locations option (y'know, that feature you never touch in the Apple menu?). Location Switch can a whole host of application preferences and settings based on which location you chose, such as sound volume, SMTP servers, default printer, etc. Before you use it, however, the action requires some customization on your part, so check out the accompanying ReadMe file for instructions, and open the action in Automator to give it your personal touch.
Location Switch is available free from Automator World, but if you enjoy it, consider sending its creator, Charles Schoenfeld, a donation at his site.
In my newsreader today I saw an 'iPhoto Action Pack' from Automator World that adds a handy action for workflows involving iPhoto: "Find iPhoto Item Path". While debating whether that was TUAW-worthy, my newsreader became bombarded with more headlines like System Action Pack, TextEdit Action Pack, Preview Action Pack... until I finally decided to post a roundup to cover them all in one fell swoop. So here you go kids, a whole batch of Automator Actions that add some missing abilities to everyone's favorite (or the only?) OS automation utiliity:
[UPDATE: Automator World's admin stopped by to let us know that some of these action packs are actually demos of retail versions of these products offered by Automated Workflows, LLC.]
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.
WidgetKiller, as its oh-so-deceptive name might betray, is a simple Automator action with one purpose in life: turning on and off Dashboard. If you've been counting every bit and megabyte of RAM that your widgets quietly eat up, this action is for you.
WidgetKiller is free and available from Apple's Dashboard downloads section.
Ben Long has released a v2.2 update to his most excellent set of Photoshop Automator Actions, a collection of over 70 workflow-enhancing actions for automating everything from switching color modes to cropping images and even archiving them to a disc. New in v2.2 is Intel Mac compatibility (some actions simply wouldn't work) and two new actions - Filter by File Type and Assign Custom Profile. Of course, there are the obligatory bug fixes and enhancements, so check out Ben's announcement post for details on this excellent action pack, and scroll down quite for details of this specific v2.2 release.
You could also file this under "fantastic
Automator actions that Apple should've advertised when Tiger was being released."
A post at macosxhints has discovered a simple
Automator action you can use to open panel containing your entire iPhoto or iTunes library (pictured), complete with
albums/playlists, DnD and even search abilities. This is for all those times you groan at having to start iPhoto just
to grab an image or two. Bonus points for the iTunes library action: songs are playable from this panel.
Check out the macosxhints post for the drop-dead simple 3-step process (it's really only two steps) for creating this
handy panel.
I haven't tested
this yet, but Make a Delivery sounds like a handy
little Automator action that will create a .dmg file from the Finder items you have selected, then attach that .dmg to
an email. One quirky thing, however, is that you have to move a resource folder into your Applications directory; it
isn't just an action that you can use or turn into a right-click Finder plugin.
In any case, if you prefer
an easy way to create .dmg's for emailing (instead of zip archives), Make a Delivery might be just what you need.
Non Stop Mac has
put together an ingenious how-to on creating an Automator
action to backup files to Backpack. It's a simple process that uses the genius of Backpack's page-specific email
addresses to email files that are sitting in a specific folder. Head over and check out their post for the full
details, as it really isn't difficult to create a system for keeping your stuff backed up, online and accessible.
However, don't forget: free Backpack accounts (to my knowledge) don't allow for hosting files or images.
I
actually have an amendment to offer up for Non Stop Mac's Backpack backup process. While I haven't tested this out yet,
it should work in theory: instead of saving this system out as an Automator action, I bet you could save it as a
folder action, then simply attach it to a folder of stuff you want to back up. In a sense, this might be a
basic, one-way iDisk: you could (theoretically) save items to this folder, which would then automatically be emailed to
Backpack. If you try any of this out, feel free to share your thoughts on the experience.
Interested in
beefing up security on some of your files or folders, but wary of the consequences if FileVault takes on a mind of its
own? This Encrypt and Decrypt Files
Automator action might be right up your alley, as it allows you to perform these actions with an algorithm and
password. Perfect for fitting into the workflows of even the most security-conscious Mac OS X Tiger users.
Tumblr is a unique new tumblelog service that employs a KISS philosophy: offering a very streamlined, one-column layout and a clever bookmarklet that is smart about what you're trying to share on your Tumblr blog. While the minimalist templates can be edited by hand to include just about anything you want, Tumblr's concept is to be a sort of blogging scrapbook; a place to toss all those unique things you find across the web that might not fit at any of your other blogging venues, or that you simply don't have much to say about. Take a look at the Tumblr Radar to get an idea of how others are using the service. 
We sure have gone kookoo for iPod syncing lately - what with tips and scripts for syncing 
A while ago I had to help the 
It's been a while since I've paid attention to Automator actions, and I'm beginning to realize that I never quite worked them into my daily habits. Since I'm making more of a conscious effort to fit some handy actions into my workflow, I stumbled across 
Sometimes randomly rotating your desktop wallpaper through the Desktop System Preferences pane is just a little overkill. Wouldn't it be nice if you had a simple drag-and-drop Automator action for setting your own wallpaper whenever your heart desired a change of pace? Then why not use 
Location Switch is an Automator action that adds some painfully missing features to Mac OS X's built-in Locations option (y'know, that feature you never touch in the Apple menu?). Location Switch can a whole host of application preferences and settings based on which location you chose, such as sound volume, SMTP servers, default printer, etc. Before you use it, however, the action requires some customization on your part, so check out the accompanying ReadMe file for instructions, and open the action in Automator to give it your personal touch.
In my newsreader today I saw an 'iPhoto Action Pack' from Automator World that adds a handy action for workflows involving iPhoto: "Find iPhoto Item Path". While debating whether that was TUAW-worthy, my newsreader became bombarded with more headlines like System Action Pack, TextEdit Action Pack, Preview Action Pack... until I finally decided to post a roundup to cover them all in one fell swoop. So here you go kids, a whole batch of Automator Actions that add some missing abilities to everyone's favorite (or the only?) OS automation utiliity:
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 
You could also file this under "fantastic
Automator actions that Apple should've advertised when Tiger was being released."
I haven't tested
this yet, but 
