Finding new and exciting applications and hardware is fun. But sometimes, you just have to update some infrastructure.
SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba
SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba has been invaluable for me, especially during the pandemic, when I spent a lot of time on Google Meet calls. It allows you to select the sound outputs for different applications, rather than the system-wide setting. It sits in the menu bar, allowing for quick and easy changes to your Mac’s sound output. Version 5 wasn’t updated for macOS Golden Gate, so I updated to version 6 this weekend.
Dell S2725QC 4k Display
I’m going to write up something more fulsome about this display, but this has replaced the Samsung 27” G7 curved display that I’ve been using at the office. The Samsung runs at 2560 × 1440, which isn’t a resolution macOS treats kindly, and the 109 PPI makes macOS look a bit fuzzy and blown up.
The Dell S2725QC display is a 4k display, which runs at 3840 × 2160 and offers 163 PPI. It looks super sharp when plugged into my MacBook Air M4. The oldish M1 iMac on my desk at work still boasts a tighter display, but only at 24”.
I’ve been so happy with my Samsung 32” 4k display at home that I had a hard time imagining that a 27” display would be a good fit for me. At home, my Samsung U32J59x runs at 3840 × 2160, but the 138 PPI makes the OS chrome look a bit more blown up compared to the Dell. I’ve always looked at the 32” Samsung at home as a treat after a day at the office staring at the 27”, but the Dell is putting the Samsung to shame.
Mellel
I have tried, where I can, to avoid using Microsoft Word. That’s partly because it’s been a crappy Mac app in the past. I don’t think that’s the case now, but I also don’t really care for it that much (Excel is a different story). I used Nisus Writer Pro for years, back when I was writing psychological reports for a living. I liked it a lot, and it felt like a Mac app. It seems dead, though, which is a shame.
In the meantime, Mellel has been offering a Nisus Writer to Mellel crossgrade. I tried Mellel back in the Intel Mac days, and while I liked it plenty, I settled on Nisus Writer Pro. I’m glad to see that Mellel is still in business, and taking advantage of the gap in the market by offering this crossgrade.
It opens the rtfd files that I’ve created over the years in Nisus Writer Pro, and seems capable of handling Word files, depending upon the complexity of the formatting in the file.