Category Archives: Workflows

Custom Academic Searches on iOS

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

As a follow-up to my earlier post on academic searches on the Mac, here’s an easy way to replicate most of those custom searches on iOS. The key app is Drafts, which recently received a massive update. Among many other … Continue reading →

Posted in Automation, Notes, Workflows, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Custom Academic Searches on LaunchBar

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Application launchers like Alfred and LaunchBar are Swiss Army knives of software, but to take full advantage of their flexible power you really need to tweak and customize their settings. The apps aren’t designed for academics, but because they’re so … Continue reading →

Posted in Automation, Workflows | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Mind-Mapping on Mac and iOS: MindNode and iCloud

Posted on December 12, 2012 by

For a few discrete tasks—short bursts of writing, for example, or annotating PDFs—it makes sense to loop iOS devices into a Mac-based workflow. Finally we can add mind-mapping to the list, now that MindNode syncs through iCloud. MindNode Pro, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects, Workflows, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

It’s not Macs vs. PCs. It’s people vs. powerpoints

Posted on December 8, 2012 by

A meeting of an academic board. Ten people. Eight Macs. One PC. The PC is projecting PowerPoint bullet lists about academic excellence, technological innovation, and social transformation. The presenter reads to the audience what is displayed on the screen, line … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, Presentations, Workflows | Tagged | 21 Comments

Update on the Macademic Ninja kit

Posted on November 3, 2012 by

The Macademic Ninja kit posted a while ago  included TextExpander, LaunchBar, Hazel, 1Password and Dropbox. I still love and constantly use all of these small apps. But in the last 1.5 years five other apps have also become critical for freeing … Continue reading →

Posted in Automation, Workflows | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Three stages of the academic workflow and Mac software

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

The’academic workflow’ is a representation of scholarship as a series of stages or steps connected to each other without gaps or duplication. Although simplified, the idea of the workflow helps to structure, develop, and communicate tools, knowledge and experience across … Continue reading →

Posted in Workflows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Microsoft Word: 5 misuses and 7 alternatives

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

If you work on a Windows PC your life most likely revolves around Microsoft Word. It does not need to be so on a Mac. I still need MS Word to exchange files with Windows-based colleagues and also because it … Continue reading →

Posted in Workflows, Writing | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments