tag posts

Filed under: Cool tools, How-tos, Tips and tricks

Batch tagging your iTunes videos the easy way

by Sang Tang (RSS feed) on Jun 30th, 2009

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

If we applied Shakespeare's logic to today's digital age, then it would also mean that watching mis-tagged or untagged videos on your Apple device (be it a Mac, iPhone, iPod or Apple TV) would be just as enjoyable. Okay, you got me, they'd probably be just as good. But this doesn't mean you're excused from tagging your videos appropriately.

First, a bit of background. The vast majority of videos purchased from the iTunes store, as well as "digital copy" (iPod/iPhone pre-formatted videos that are sometimes included on DVDs and Blu-Ray discs), will come pre-tagged. So, the situation for those in this camp (myself included) is peachy, especially when using an Apple TV. Your videos show up on the screen screen with proper titles, season and episode numbers, actors, and descriptions. Just the way Steve likes 'em.

But what if you already own the DVD and want a version for your iTunes library? For those of you with the time and patience to rip an MPEG-4 version (and believe me, this takes some patience, especially if you use H.264 encoding) of your favorite videos, a HandBrake-MetaX martini make tagging your videos a bit more of a pleasurable experience - as if it wasn't fun enough already.

Continue reading “Batch tagging your iTunes videos the easy way”

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, dvd, handbrake, iphone, itunes, mac, metax, movies, quicktime, tag, tagging, tv shows, TvShows, video, videos

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Cult of Mac, Odds and ends, Mac Pro, MacBook Air

Twitterers remember their first Mac

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Jan 21st, 2009

Reader Sam K. (thanks!) noticed the fun on Twitter -- lots of folks are sharing their memories of the first Mac they bought/used with the #firstmac hash tag, and boy is it fun reading through them.

The responses are all over the place, from the old ][e (technically my first computer ever at school, though the first one I actually owned at home was a Tandy Color Computer my Dad bought from one of his coworkers) and //c up to the old iMacs and even a few people who can only claim iPod as the first Apple product they used. The first Mac I actually owned was much later than my first steps into BASIC -- when I needed a laptop a few years ago, I picked up a 12" Powerbook G4 and have been straight OS X ever since.

It's great to read this stuff, because you can see just how Apple has shaped people's lives. I was amazed to hear all of the emotion in the calls to Steve on our talkcast last week, but looking at something like this Twitter feed (to put your own memories in, just mark a tweet with the #firstmac tag somewhere in there) really shows you how dedicated Apple's products have made the company's customers. These people have all bought a Mac, whether it was a Mac SE (errrr, a Mac Classic?) or a MacBook Air, and never looked back since. Very cool.

And while we're at it, is it possible that you're on Twitter and haven't yet started following us? If not, jump in and do so now!

Continue reading “Twitterers remember their first Mac”

Tags: apple, apple-iic, apple-iie, classic, g4, mac-se, macbook-air, my-first-mac, powerbook, tag, titanium, twitter

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Byline 2.0 update a huge improvement: adds tag support, mini browser

by Robert Palmer (RSS feed) on Oct 15th, 2008

Phantom Fish yesterday updated Byline to version 2.0, adding functionality to browse by tag, and a spiffy new wood-grain interface.

I briefly reviewed Byline 1.0 in July, but wanted to re-visit the application after the update. Byline 2.0 is a Google Reader client and offline browser for the iPhone and iPod touch. After having used beta versions for the last few weeks, I can say with certainty that this update takes Byline head and shoulders above the first version.

Byline 2.0 is faster than both version 1.0 and Google Reader's MobileSafari-optimized interface. Articles are now grouped in folders according to tags you've already set up in Google Reader. You can mark whole folders of items as read, and save items to your phone by starring them. The app doesn't show a splash screen at startup, but instead a "blank" version of the interface, which gives the illusion that the app is hanging for a short period of time. As soon as the list of folders appears, however, loading items was zippy on my iPod touch (connected via WiFi, of course).

Continue reading “Byline 2.0 update a huge improvement: adds tag support, mini browser”

Tags: bird, byline, google reader, GoogleReader, iphone, milo, phantom fish, PhantomFish, tag

Filed under: iLife, Software, Productivity

iPhoto Keyword Assistant and Manager plugins updated

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Mar 15th, 2007

The two major keyword plugins for iPhoto have both been updated recently. First up is everyone's favorite free alternative, Ken Ferry's Keyword Assistant which we've covered in the past. This new 1.9.4 version adds a panel with ~~tag~~ keyword auto-completion, and it can also alphabetize the keyword list.

Next is Keyword Manager, a shareware plugin for iPhoto that brings some more robust features to the table for seriously serious iPhoto keyword junkies. New in version 1.2 is:

Copy and paste keywords between photos
Jump directly to next untagged photo
Fixed crash bug in Dutch version
Minor stability bugs fixed
Japanse localization
German localization
Chinese localization

A demo is of course available, while a single license to Keyword Manager is $19 from Bullstorm Software.

Tags: assistant, bullstorm, iphoto, ken ferry, KenFerry, keyword, keyword assistant, keyword manager, KeywordAssistant, KeywordManager, keywords, manager, tag, tags

Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Internet Tools

TextMate AutoTag bundle for WordPress

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Mar 6th, 2007

In the market of Mac users who have text to edit, TextMate has become one of the household names that we turn to the most. Likewise for the blogging world, few - if any - services come to mind before WordPress. Brett Terpstra of Circle Six Design knows this, and that is why his AutoTag Bundle for TextMate seems to be such a match made in nerdy blogging heaven.

Brett's AutoTag bundle works with WordPress 2.1 and its Ultimate Tag Warrior plugin to present a window (pictured) containing all the tags you've used on your WordPress blog; perfect for tagging your posts on the fly and helping you to keep your tag system tidy. But one might ask: what is an AutoTag plugin without some auto action, right? AutoTag can tag your post for you by scanning what you've written and comparing it against your tag database. Simply type 'auto' and press tab to watch the magic happen. And as if that wasn't enough, AutoTag even has a command for suggesting new tags, again based on a scan of your post's content or even Yahoo's Tag Suggestion feature. With all this clever 'auto' functionality going on, let's just hope Brett's next plugin isn't called 'AutoBlog,' or we might all be in trouble.

To give your TextMate + WordPress workflow a tagging boost, you simply need to install a UTW-RPC plugin for WordPress (available with the AutoTag bundle) in order for TextMate to access your database of tags. Setup is really simple, but be sure to download the version of AutoTag that corresponds to the version of TextMate you're running, i.e. - Cutting-Edge or the regular version available from the Macromates site.

The AutoTag bundle and UTW-RPC WordPress plugin are open source and available from Circle Six Design.

Tags: autotag, brett terpstra, BrettTerpstra, circle six design, CircleSixDesign, macromates, tag, tagging, tags, textmate, ultimate tag warrior, UltimateTagWarrior

Filed under: iLife, Software, Cool tools, Productivity

Keyword Manager 1.1 adds major keyword management features, more

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jan 28th, 2007

Keyword Manager from Bullstorm scored a license purchase from yours truly the day we found it, and the feature-packed iPhoto keyword plugin recently had an unassuming but handy upgrade to v1.1. Clicking on the "What's New?" heading at Bullstorm's site reveals a strong list of new features, including:

Address Book auto-completion
Share keywords between photo libraries
Alphabetic sorting of keyword lists
Preferences windows
Built-in software update

If you've been looking for an easier-to-use and more powerful way to wrangle your iPhoto library, I highly recommend giving Keyword Manager's full-featured demo a try. One of its most useful features, besides highly streamlining the tagging/keyword assigning process, is its ability to filter keywords in a search. This is something iPhoto is sorely lacking, but Keyword Manager makes it easy to pick keywords to both search for and exclude. This feature alone is easily worth a good portion of the plugin's $19 USD (€19 in Sweden and EU) for a single license.

Tags: add on, AddOn, iphoto, keyword, keyword manager, KeywordManager, keywords, plugin, tag, tagging, tags

Filed under: iLife, Software, Productivity

Keyword Manager for iPhoto

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Nov 20th, 2006

For as long as I can remember, Ken Ferry's Keyword Assistant has been the only iPhoto plugin (at least, AFAIK) for adding some real power and, dare I say, "tagging" to iPhoto's keyword system. Now there's a new kid on the block by the name of Keyword Manager, and it definitely brings some interesting features to the table. Keyword Manager uses two separate windows that both have their own keyboard shortcuts for toggling visibility. The first is a Quick Assigner window (pictured on right) which, as you might guess, allows you to quickly ~~tag~~ add keywords to your photos. It offers keyword completion (via a slick drop down menu) and support for multiple word keywords. The second panel (on left) is a very nice Keyword Manager, allowing you to organize keywords in a hierarchy to help keep your organization in check. Naturally, since both of these panels have their own keyboard shortcuts, you can call them even when in iPhoto's full-screen mode. All this is done with a very nice iPhoto Adjustment Panel-like UI.

Now Keyword Manager is pretty impressive, but I think they're reaching just a little too high by charging $19 for a plugin, especially in light of Keyword Assistant being free. I think $14.99 would hit the sweet spot for a plugin like this, but then again, I admittedly haven't plunged into organizing my increasingly sprawling iPhoto library yet, so YMMV.

[Update: Commenters Jools tipped us off to promotional codes at VersionTracker that drop the price to $12 in the US or €12 in the EU: VT-542U845 (US) and VT-542E845 (EU). No word on how long those codes are good for, but that's a much more reasonable price in my book.]

Keyword Manager is available from Bullstorm, and a demo is available which allows you to assign keywords 75 times before requiring a license.

Thanks Bernt

Tags: iphoto, keyword, keyword manager, KeywordManager, keywords, management, manager, managing, tag, tagging, tags

Filed under: Audio, Software, Cool tools, Productivity, Tips and tricks, iTunes

iTunes song tagging redux

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Sep 30th, 2006

We reported a method for tagging iTunes tracks and creating on-the-fly playlists way back in January. However, it involved using Quicksilver and a couple of home-grown scripts, but we can dig it if some of y'all aren't down with a tool as broad-reaching as Quicksilver. Fortunately for the rest of you, a web designer and developer named Steven Campbell has written up a basic method for tagging iTunes tracks and creating playlists based on those tags. It more or less involves revealing the comments column in the song list for easy access, and using a simple system of comma-separated words to get your iTunes tagging on. This can work wonders for Smart Playlists, and Steven offers a few examples in his post.

For those still interested in the aforementioned Quicksilver scripts and tools, the author has issued a bit of an upgrade and a new script since we first reported them. First of all, the scripts now live at their own domain name, TuneTag.com. The scripts still allow you to tag the song you're listening to on the fly and create on-the-fly playlists from those tags, but the author also added a new script that lets you select any number of tracks in iTunes and tag them all in one fell swoop. As a Quicksilver fan I'm already in love with the power of these scripts, but either method should work well for bringing the web 2.0 tagging craze to iTunes.

Tags: dls, downloadsquad, engadget, itunes, itunes7, quicksilver, script, scripts, tag, tagging, tags, tool, tools

Filed under: iLife, Software, Cool tools, Productivity

Keyword Assistant updated for iPhoto 6.0.5

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Sep 30th, 2006

Apple updated their apps for Aperture 1.5's arrival, and Ken Ferry stayed right in step and updated his fantastic Keyword Assistant plugin for iPhoto, which we've mentioned before. Version 1.9.3 also brings a Russian localization to the table, meaning it now works in English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish.

Ken offers Keyword Assistant for free from his .Mac homepage.

Tags: .mac, assistant, dotmac, iphoto, keyword, plugin, tag, tagging, tags

Filed under: Software, Productivity

kip - iPhoto for your documents (digital or otherwise)

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2006

kip is one of the few applications to take a real stab at helping you organize all your documents, both digital and 'real world'. It combines the look and feel of iPhoto with the real world aggregate paradigm of Delicious Library, then tosses in some really slick tagging and .Mac syncing features for that finishing shine. On the left is a dynamically scaling tag cloud that keeps track of all the tags you've used on all documents. Mouse over it and smaller tags will scale up in size to help you read them better. Mouse over a document (as you see in the screenshot) and a live preview of that section of the document is displayed next to your mouse. Documents can be viewed from within kip or opened externally via Preview.

The 'real world' aspect enters the scene when kip's scan function is used, as this app wants to help you organize all your documents, including those receipts and old tax returns that are just decomposing in a box somewhere.

One of the drawbacks I've found after poking around with kip is that it seems very focused in the kinds of files it will accept. It takes picture files and PDFs, but not text files or (not surprisingly) Word docs. Overall though, this is a clever app with a nice implementation. It offers a lot of handy methods for storing all sorts of metadata, including author and URL, and seems to be one of the first i-app-like applications to do tagging well (hint hint, Apple!).

This initial version of kip is free, but as its product site plainly states: the next version will require the purchase of a license, with the price TBD. Grab a copy while it's hot, and free!

[via digg]

Tags: document, iphoto, jpg, kip, organize, pdf, scan, tag, tagging

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

Flock releases 0.7 beta

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

Finally, after months of small alpha version bumps, Flock, the social web browser based on Firefox, has unleashed a 0.7 beta with a whole slew of updates, improvements and bug fixes. Along with a site re-design, check out their blog entry for a thorough rundown of what's new and what's still on the way.

This beta-worthy version has been a long time coming, and my copy is downloading as I write this. In case you aren't familiar: Flock has Firefox at its core, but includes a ton of features and capabilities built around the concept of using and interacting with the web - not just surfing it. Features like built-in blogging, uploading to/keeping tabs on Flickr and integrated del.icio.us bookmarking are all on the feature list. It's quite a slick browser if you've been looking for a solid, integrated tool for both browsing and participating in the web. Check it out.

[via Download Squad]

Tags: blog, blogging, bookmark, bookmarking, browser, del.icio.us, delicious, flickr, Flock, image, photo, picture, social, tag, tagging, upload

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

Taco HTML v1.7.2 is Universal

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Jun 9th, 2006

If Dreamweaver is a bit overkill for some web work on your desk, Taco HTML might just be the editor for you. It's a small yet feature-packed web editor with tag coloring, HTML preview, syntax checking, code snippets and more. It's my favorite editor for HTML pages or tweaking a WordPress PHP page file or two.

As far as I can tell, Taco HTML is provided free, and is a Universal Binary. Check it out if you read this post in less time than it takes Dreamweaver to start up.

Tags: color, coloring, colors, design, designer, edit, editor, html, php, taco, tag, web

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Books and Blogs

Details of upcoming Thunderbird 2.0 release

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on May 29th, 2006

Hawk Wings has tracked down some details on a tantalizing v2.0 update to Thunderbird, Mozilla's email client. New features at the top of my list are message tagging, a tabbed message viewer and a built-in notification system. It's great to see more developers bringing the tagging paradigm to email, as Scott Morrison has done with his MailTags plug-in for Apple's Mail.

Check out Mozilla's Thunderbird development blog for the full (and lengthy) post of what's coming in this major release for Thunderbird, including plenty of Mac-specific features and fixes.

Tags: DLS, email, feature, features, message, messaging, Mozilla, tab, tabbed, tag, tagging, Thunderbird, update, updates

Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Internet Tools

Menulicious

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on May 21st, 2006

Menulicious is a utility like Delibar that allows you to access your del.icio.us bookmarks right from your menubar. One nice option of Menulicious is that it can display a bookmark count for each of your tags. An annoying quirk, however, is that your tags are listed under a "Tags >" menu; not directly under the utility itself.

Regardless, Menulicious is a Universal Binary, so it'll run a little faster on your Intel Mac. Menulicious is free and available either from Versiontracker or Kainjow's iPod-like website - surf to Software > Freebies > Menulicious.

Tags: bookmarks, del.icio.us, delibar, delicious, menu bar, menubar, menulicious, post, posts, tag, tags

Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Internet Tools, Universal Binary

delicious2safari goes Universal

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on May 19th, 2006

C.K. blogged delicious2safari what feels like a year ago, and not much has changed since. It still allows you to import your del.icio.us bookmarks into Safari as either a flat list or in folders according to your tags, except now it has gone the way of the Universal Binary.

delicious2safari is freeware and available from Christina Zeeh's site.

Tags: bookmark, bookmarks, del.icio.us, delicious, import, Safari, tag, tags

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