Quicksilver Ninjitsu

Quicksilver is by far one of the most useful applications I’ve installed on my MacBook. With it, I can launch applications, move files, send emails, and much more, all within the confines of a few keystrokes. For someone who doesn’t particularly like having to use a mouse to get around, this is great. And, sure Spotlight has some similar functionality, but it’s just not the utility that Quicksilver is. As some of you read this, I’m sure you’re thinking “Rebby, this is no news to me. I’ve been using QS since b49. If Quicksilver were the Matrix, I’d be Neo (only with better acting). Heck, I’m a regular Quicksilver ninja.” Well, fantastic, Mr. Q.S.Ninja. But I want you to prove it. I want to find out what are some of the most useful features of Quicksilver that you actually use. Below is list of some of my more common Quicksilver moves. You can leave yours in the comments.

Quicksilver Ninjitsu:

Command+Space, then

• “mail[tab]get” – Get my new mail with great stealth!
• “mail[tab]open” – Get and open my new mail or commit seppuku!
• “.[somewordidon’tknow][tab]di” – Assasinate my ignorance by defining that word I don’t know with ninja speed using the built-in dictionary.
• “s[enter]” – EXECUTE Safari…In the “run that program” sense.
• “[thatuseddmgfileidon’tneed][tab]motot” – DESTROY that file.dmg by slashing it into a million little bits stored in my trashcan!
• “MommaMy Arch Nemesis[tab]compose” – Tell my mom I love her.Issue a warning of an inevitable downfall by my sword!

These are only some of the more basic moves I know. How awesome is your ninjitsu?

The Little Things I Like… (Part I)

Since the switch from my hp pavilion laptop to this MacBook, I’ve really been more and more pleased with OS X. I like the way it just works. Apple has put a lot into the OS X interface, making sure that the environment is consistent across the board. Granted, there are some inconsistencies, but I’m not concerned with them right this second. What I am concerned with are the little things I like about my MacBook.

Here’s a perfect example. Say I download an application to try out- a text editor or whatever. It doesn’t really matter. Now my mind is racing and I want to get down some thoughts so I open my newly downloaded and installed text editor and start typing…But wait! The text is bright green! I hate green! Green is the devil! Green is the mindkiller. Green is the little death that brings total Oblivion. And no one likes Oblivion. So what do I do? “Well it depends on the program, you know. It depends…Is it Text Wrangler or BBEdit, or are you using TextMate, maybe did you actually download Emacs?” But you’d be wrong because 99% of the time it does not depend. All you need to do is press Command-Comma. That is consistently the easiest way to get to an application’s preference pane and change that horrid shade of green.

Do you know how to do that in Windows? “Well, Rebby, if that’s your real name, it’s probably as easy as…well…um…it depends.” Correct! It’s as easy as clicking on “Tools” and then “Options” or “Preferences”, or maybe “View” and then “Options” or “Preferences”, or even “File” and then “Preferences”, or even some other combination of clicks. You get my point. I’m not bitter about Windows. I don’t even think that three mouse-clicks is torturous. I’m just saying that it is so much easier in OS X to get to the pane that changes the font color to something besides that putrid shade of green. And to me, that’s important.

Raise your hand if you love your Mac

I’ve been interested in the new Macs since Apple announced the switch from PowerPC to Intel, but haven’t been able to justify the cost of switching. My other laptop works fine and gets the job done, but it’s just not as…pretty. I know some guys who use the new MacBooks pretty extensively. They’re huge fans and love the Mac+Intel combo. Still, I have other things [read: food and rent] that I need to spend my money on. So the desire has remained. However, this Christmas I finally got my hands on a new Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook and it is, in a word glorious! I am a huge fan. It is just as shiny and white as the commercials!