This week on Mac Geek Gab 1087, you get packed with Quick Tips to sharpen your workflow: send lyrics via text from Apple Music with a long press, use ChatGPT smarter for search, and master the magical Cmd-Opt-Shift-V paste for plain text. Discover how Hazel tames your Downloads folder, 1Password tags speed up your secure searches, and a Finder favorites fix keeps your go-to folders front and center. Plus, learn how Apple’s Custom Domains give you unlimited email aliases and why your password settings might be grayed out — little things that make sure you Don’t Get Caught fumbling with your Mac.

Dave, Pilot Pete, and Adam dive deep into the tools behind your favorite podcasts, from Audio Hijack and Hindenburg to Feeder and Keyboard Maestro for ninja-level chapter marking. Dave also shares his slick new eero Outdoor 7 and UniFi Flex Mini 2.5G setup. In Cool Stuff Found, grab nine free Waves plugins, snack on Chomps Beef Sticks, clean your menu bar with Barbee, track planes with FlightAware, and level up your game nights with Apple Game Room and Game Pigeon. Stay geeky, stay sharp — and remember, Don’t Get Caught!

You’ll walk away from this episode armed with rapid‑fire Quick Tips that shave precious seconds off your day: shuffle your iOS wallpaper for fresh vibes automatically, sling “>>” in Notes to summon recent docs, and force‑sync iCloud Photos when lag strikes. Dial down cellular burnout with Low Data Mode—yes, Mint Mobile’s “unlimited” finally lives up to its name—and tap dual‑language keyboards to spell‑check like a polyglot. Kill those “Paste from Other Apps” nags, drag Finder’s sidebar sections exactly where you want them, at least until you have to embrace Schrödinger’s Desktop zen: Let Go, Let Apple.

Then you dive deeper. Teach your Apple TV Remote new gestures, diagnose that muffled HDMI‑ARC audio before it ruins movie night, and verify printer drivers so crummy pages don’t get you fired. Garmin tools favor macOS, but confirm app permissions so rogue software doesn’t hijack your devices—Thunderbird’s indexing quirks included. Add Touch ID to any Mac mini with a Magic Keyboard or BLEUnlock, tame a cramped 256 GB laptop with Hazel’s smart folders, and squeeze every drop from your ink cartridges with savvy resets and reliable third‑party refills. Don’t Get Caught without these hacks in your toolkit.

This week’s Mac Geek Gab is your fast lane to smarter tech moves, featuring Pilot Pete, Adam Christianson, and Dave Hamilton steering you through the latest Quick Tips and listener Q&A. You’ll learn how to turn your car’s Source button into a play/pause controller, why stuffing your user manuals into a custom GPT might be your next life hack, and how AI tools like Perplexity are leveling up fast. Plus, the gang workshopped their own MGG-GPT—because the more input you give, the better your tech life gets. Don’t Get Caught underestimating what AI can do for you!

From the wisdom of when to buy a Mac (hint: when you need one) to the best practices for Migration Assistant and password hygiene, this episode is packed with practical advice. Thinking about travel gear? The crew compares their go-to backup batteries—from Pete’s 20k mAh beast to Dave’s slick INIU Qi2 charger. And if you’re mourning Mint, the budgeting app, the guys explore strong replacements like Quicken and Banktivity. It’s a full ride of tips to keep your tech life optimized and your wallet sane.

You picked the right episode to level up your tech game. This week on Mac Geek Gab, you’ll pick up smart Quick Tips like telling your homeowners’ insurance about your smart devices for potential savings, using UK plugs on US airplanes for reliable power, and mastering note navigation on macOS with Command-Return. You’ll even learn how to trigger gestures with your voice and why bringing an Apple TV on vacation might just change your life. Thinking about a new MacBook Air? Dave Hamilton, Pilot Pete, and Adam Christianson dig into performance insights, memory needs, and options like Luna Display for second screens. Always plan ahead—Don’t Get Caught without the right tools.

Troubleshooting? We’ve got you. Fix grayed-out Mail send buttons, navigate quirks from macOS 15.4 updates, and avoid wasting money on third-party toner. Get pro tips on black-and-white printing, keeping MakeMKV functional, and how to protect your color ink. The gang also tackles questions like whether your browser really needs LAN access, optimizing AirPods battery settings, and improving iPhone-scan photo quality. Wrap it all up with killer Cool Stuff Found like the INIU Qi2 charger and Lutron Caseta shades. Stay tuned, stay geeky, and stay safe out there.

You’re not really celebrating World Backup Day unless you’ve got Time Machine humming, Backblaze backing, and Synology syncing. In this week’s Mac Geek Gab, you, Pilot Pete, Adam Christianson, and Dave Hamilton dig deep into layered backup strategies with tools like Arq, Hazel, and iDrive e2—plus the always-timely reminder to check your backups. Then it’s on to Quick Tips: did you know iPhone timers can start or stop audio playback? Or that you can quickly reload Safari without blockers? You’ll even learn how naming your AirTags strategically makes Find My a breeze.

Security’s in the spotlight, too. Make your password manager ironclad, freeze your credit at the big three bureaus, and finally unravel the mystery of the Creedence Cryptex. Got Mac quirks? Learn how to stop macOS windows from auto-resizing and find the best media tools for ripping Blu-Rays. Cool Stuff Found includes gadgets like the FeatherSnap bird feeder cam, Warp.dev for AI terminal magic, HazeOver to tame your desktop, and the punchy 1More Sonoflow cans. Tune in, geek out, and most importantly… Don’t Get Caught.

This week, you’re loaded with Quick Tips to streamline your Apple life. You’ll learn how to nest Notes folders, edit Siri Reminders from your Lock Screen, and why your iPhone needs to stay locked for Continuity Camera magic. Discover how to whip up Wi-Fi QR codes with ease, subscribe to ICS calendars instead of juggling downloads, and harness your Apple Watch’s crown like a pro. Adam and Dave help you stay ahead of Plex Pass price hikes and unlock unsigned apps in macOS 15 Sequoia. Just Don’t Get Caught by iCloud’s aggressive junk filter or Tailscale’s Terminal-only Lock requirement—they could trip you up.

Your questions kept things rolling, from backing up iCloud Drive with Backblaze to finding the right VPN—whether it’s PIA, ExpressVPN, or Tailscale exit nodes. Photo Exifer tricks help you sync titles and captions in your iCloud Photo Library, and Cool Stuff Found delivers: pop your public IP into your menu bar, snag a MoFT Snap Flow Note for your iPhone, and hear why Claude Code tops the LLM game for developers.

What’s that about the future of AI? Yeah, we’re going there. It’s national cocktail day, after all! Press play and enjoy.

Tired of your hotel room feeling like a sterile box? Discover how to make it feel like home on the go!

This week on Mac Geek Gab, Dave shares his travel tip for adding ambiance to hotel rooms using the JBL Pulse speaker. Learn how this lava lamp-like device can transform your temporary living space. The hosts also dive into the perils of double syncing folders to different cloud services, offering valuable advice to avoid potential data disasters.

From calendar booking solutions to secure DNS options, the episode covers a range of tech topics. Explore the Nomatic Travel Pack, a versatile backpack that expands into a weekender bag. Plus, get the scoop on Quad 9, a privacy-focused DNS service. Don’t get caught with boring hotel rooms or syncing mishaps – tune in for these tips and more!

Ready to upgrade your tech knowledge and travel game? Listen to this episode of Mac Geek Gab for a wealth of practical advice and cool stuff found!

SXSW is in full swing, and Dave is multitasking like a pro—grabbing his SXXpress passes mid-recording while keeping the geeky goodness rolling. Quick Tips flood in, from clicking your scroll wheel to copy text in Terminal to checking CPU usage per Safari tab in Activity Monitor. Need hands-free Siri? Just activate her from your steering wheel. Speaking of hands-free, snagging a wireless CarPlay screen for just $45 sounds like a no-brainer. Adam even took ChatGPT for a spin, using it to summarize scenes in a play he’s doing. You’ll even find your three favorite geeks diving into smarter ways to manage reminders with tags, projects, Kanbans, and location-based alerts. And don’t forget to test your UPS quarterly—Carsten’s got his EcoFlow power station pulling double duty.

Apple dropped some fresh gear, and Ken Case describes how he’s using his Vision Pro daily. The M4 MacBook Air, new Mac Studio, and M3 iPad Air made waves, but let’s not ignore the everyday wins—like OpenIn giving you control over mailto links and Thunderbird’s (somewhat broken) indexing. Security gets its moment with a deep dive into “Sign In With Apple” and why padding your passwords matters. Oh, and if you’ve ever raged at Siri for not appending text to an existing note, Adam’s got you covered. Whether it’s tech, tricks, or troubleshooting, one thing’s for sure: Don’t Get Caught!

This week’s Mac Geek Gab with Pilot Pete and Dave Hamilton is packed with Quick Tips and Cool Stuff Found to keep your tech life running smoothly. Discover hidden battery drains on your iPhone by sorting battery usage by time, then take ChatGPT customization to the next level—give it a full list of your installed apps for smarter suggestions! Want faster Terminal work? Just Cmd-Right-Click to paste selected text instantly. Always be tweaking, always be learning… and as always, Don’t Get Caught without the best tech tricks at your fingertips.

Cool Stuff Found is on fire this week, from tools that supercharge your workflow to gear that levels up your setup. Rectangle Pro lets you save entire workspaces of apps and windows, while BetterDisplay gives you ultimate control over your virtual desktops. Need more? Planck SSD expands your iPhone storage, and the ShiftCam SnapGrip Pro transforms it into a photography powerhouse. For research, Perplexity LLM might just outshine ChatGPT. Oh, and if you want a killer backpack, the Portland Gear Cascade has you covered. Whether it’s monitors, media converters, or dash cams, MGG delivers—so geek out and grab what works for you!

Ever wished you could customize your iPhone’s lock screen with your name? This week’s Mac Geek Gab has you covered!

Discover how to add your name or custom text to your iPhone’s lock screen using a clever Focus mode trick. Pete, Adam, and Dave dive into a variety of Quick Tips, including running multiple Terminal commands at once and exploring the powerful SIPS command for image processing. They also discuss the new iPhone 16e, weighing its pros and cons against its pricier siblings.

The episode covers troubleshooting network share issues with Synology drives, debates the merits of Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, and shares insights on parental controls using Screen Time. Don’t miss the accidental Cool Stuff Found segment featuring YT-DLP, a versatile command-line tool for downloading videos. Remember, don’t get caught without these handy tech tips and tricks!

Ready to geek out and learn at least five new things? Click play now and join the Mac Geek Gab crew for episode 1078!