plug in posts

Quicksilver Cube interface - "beautiful" doesn't do justice

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 27th, 2006

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.

Tags: plug in, plug-in, plugin, Quicksilver

iPhoto Batch Enhancer

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 16th, 2006

iPhoto Batch Enhancer is a handy tool that allows you to apply iPhoto's built-in effects to a group of photos, instead of just one at a time. One feature specific for users of iPhoto 5 + 6 is 'Snapshot', the ability to quickly record the slider positions of iPhoto's built-in adjustments panel and save them as a batch adjustment setting for later use. iPhoto Batch Enhancer also works with RAW images so it looks like it can work on just about any format compatible with iPhoto.

Compatible with versions 2-6 (the latest) of iPhoto, this handy tool is also a Universal Binary for all the Mactel owners out there. iPhoto Batch Enhancer is donationware and available from feroXsoft.

Tags: batch, enhance, enhancer, iphoto, plug in, plug-in, plugin

Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Productivity, Internet Tools, Mods

Google Maps Plugin 2.5 for Address Book goes Universal Binary, gets Google Earth integration

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 15th, 2006

The Google Maps Plugin for Address Book has updated to version 2.5, adding Universal Binary super-powers and a slick new feature: Google Earth support (which is handy, since Google Earth just went Universal, too). Also in this new version is a true-blue Apple installer package (no more digging around in Library folders), support for Europe and new localized Google Maps domains, and user can now choose their preferred default country in the Google Maps Preferences.

This plugin is available from Brian Toth's site, and surprisingly is still donationware. Toss the guy at least a few bucks if you find his hard work useful, couldya?

Tags: Google Maps, GoogleMaps, plug in, plug-in, plugin

Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Internet Tools

FlickrExport 2 is done, shipping soon

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 14th, 2006

Fraser Speirs announced on his personal blog today that FlickrExport 2, his fantastic iPhoto plugin for uploading to Flickr, is done and will be shipping soon. Yes, we know that since it isn't available right now, this post becomes a little less useful, but we thought y'all might appreciate hearing when a beta product has actually been announced as 'finished' (*ahem*, Google). As Fraser's original beta 2 post states, pricing for this vastly updated and improved version will be announced when the FlickrExport product page goes live with the new version. Stay tuned.

[thanks Nik Fletcher!]

Tags: export, Flickr, FlickrExport, iPhoto, plug in, plug-in, plugin

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Mods

AOL opens doors to AIM developer program, includes Mac OS X and Linux tools

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 13th, 2006

Macworld is reporting that AOL (our parent company, by the way) has announced AIM developer tool support for Mac OS X and Linux, opening the doors for more interoperability to come from an even larger playing field. AOL launched this 'web 2.0-esque' Open AIM program last March, allowing 3rd party developers to create add-ons and tie-ins to the AIM network, with a healthy dose of around 45,000 developers already hopping on board.

It'll be interesting to see how much comes out of this for the Mac OS X platform, as I'm willing to bet most Mac users who chat on AIM use iChat, and I'm not sure how open that app is from Apple's standpoint. This is pure speculation, but I'm wondering if we could see some kind of a plugin push from Apple with iChat in Leopard. Especially since, as Macworld points out, the whole VoIP thing has everyone with an audio chat app firing on all cylinders, vying for market share.

Tags: AIM, AOL, developer, plug in, plugin

Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

Yojimbo plugin for Quicksilver (or: My heart just skipped a beat)

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 13th, 2006

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.

Tags: action, plug in, plug-in, plugin, quicksilver, yojimbo

Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Productivity, Internet Tools

Three-pane Mail.app turns into a plug-in

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 2nd, 2006

Well that was quick. First Mail.app received a widescreen, three-pane face-lift, and now it's been morphed into a plug-in. The author provides two different sets of instructions for installing: drag and dropping into your ~/Library/Mail/Bundles/ directory or using a couple of commands in Terminal. Go nuts ladies and gentlmen.

Tags: add-on, addon, Apple, bundle, DLS, hack, Mail, Mail.app, pane, plug in, plug-in, plugin, three, three-pane

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