2025-12-02 21:14:21
This is the third annual edition of my personal tech stack. In 2023, I saw many people talking about their default apps as a result of an episode of the podcast Hemispheric Views.. I learned about a lot of great software that I wasn't familiar with. I wanted to get in on the fun, so I started a blog for that express purpose, and the rest is history.
The biggest changes in 2025 happened as a result of cutting ties with Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon. I've tried to move as much of my back end tech stack out of the US for privacy reasons.
Apps with a ⭐ are new choices since last year. There are links at the end to my previous year's choices.
2025-12-01 20:37:52
With nearly over 500 apps installed on the MacBook I use for testing, keeping everything updated is a daily chore. If I wait a week between scans, I end up with 60-80 available updates to install. Based on my experience, the app updater that catches everything doesn't exist. Historically, the app that does the best job is MacUpdater, but, absent any breaking news, it will become deprecated at the end of December.
Today, I ran several updaters on my system to determine how they compared.
2025-12-01 17:47:31
"Bang the Drum All Day" by Todd Rundgren
Share a song that perfectly soundtracks your commute. Well, I'm actually retired, so my commute is the hallway from my bedroom to my computer desk, but I still get the regular honey-do list from Wonder Woman. I've played this song for years at full blast when I wake up with an attitude.
2025-11-28 19:02:20
If you have been taking advantage of all the Black Friday sales, You've got a bunch of information to track - serial numbers, download links, upgrade policies etc. I keep all my software licensing information in KeyKeeper, an app by the same team that operates Bundlehunt. I've been buying Mac software since the days of the classic OS. Believe it or not, some apps I purchased as far back as 2004 are still functional, requiring the original license key when I set up a new system. Shout out to SuperDuper!
I've used various methods to track licensing information: a spreadsheet, Evernote, an email tag, Obsidian, the freeware app, Licensed All of them are functional enough, but when I saw the features in KeyKeeper, I decided to try it out.
KeyKeeper is security focused, requiring a password to enter the database. The design follows modern Mac conventions. There are all of the database fields you'd expect for this type of app, but you can add unlimited custom fields and file attachments, useful for screenshots and apps that have downloadable license keys. The fields for URLs are live, so if you need to visit a product website or redownload the app, you can do both right from KeyKeeper. A feature I like is the ability to create your own categories for your apps and make your own assignments. You can also create a favorites list. If you've been tracking your app purchases in a spreadsheet, you can import the data into KeyKeeper and save yourself all the manual data entry. Once you have the data in KeyKeeper, you can export it into a spreadsheet as well. You can use Python to convert the exported spreadsheet into Markdown notes for Obsidian, if you think that would be helpful.
A single license for KeyKeeper is good for use on two Macs. The regular price is $21.99 if you miss the Bundlehunt special.
2025-11-27 19:27:03
Everyone need a backup plan. The more complex your workflow is, the more complex your backup strategy will become. I use a combination of cloud services (Koofr and kDrive) and syncing across multiple devices (two Mac Laptops, two Linux workstations and a self-hosted server/NAS) with FreeFileSync, Syncthing and SmartBackup. But, the base of my plan is the native macOS backup app, Time Machine. An Internet friend recently suggested an addition to my plan, Backup Loupe by Soma-Zone Software, and after evaluating it, I happily paid full price ($33.53) for a license.
BackupLoupe is a “front-end / analysis / browsing” tool for backups made by Time Machine. Rather than being a replacement backup engine, it helps you inspect, analyze, and restore files from your Time Machine snapshots in a far more transparent way than the stock Time Machine provides. Point it at a backup volume (local drive, external drive, or NAS), and it lists all snapshots (backups), shows their timestamps, and lets you explore each snapshot to view the backed-up files/folders, including their sizes, dates, and changes over time. Basically BackupLoupe gives you insight into your backup history, what changed, what’s large, what’s redundant, in a way Time Machine alone doesn’t.
Backup Loupe is not without its quirks.
Make no mistake, Backup Loupe is definitely a power user tool, not a smooth, commercial instrument for new or inexperienced users. It won’t replace your broader solution but it gives you a human-friendly, detailed lens on what Time Machine is doing. It might help you spot inefficiencies, unnecessary disk usage, or orphaned backups.
2025-11-26 20:25:34
It's always good to see a sale on popular, well established apps. Today through Friday, you can get a dozen quality Mac user favorites individually for half price or as a total package for $77. I've reviewed a few of these apps before and some of them i use every day. Check the links below to see the reviews.
The remaining apps in the sale are:
