Clarify is like a lighter version of ScreenSteps. In fact, the process is very similar, so anyone who has used ScreenSteps will be able to use it right out of the gate, and those who aren’t accustomed to it will be able to use it in mere minutes. It’s that easy and intuitive.

Blue Mango says they streamlined the application to be more of a screen capture tool and is primarily for “reducing round trip emails”. Rather than having to send multiple emails back and forth to re-explain, or clarify, your instructions, you can easily do it in just one email using this software.

I did a quick “How to create a how-to using Clarify” in about 2 minutes.

The following is what the user interface looks like within the software while you’re creating your document.

This next screenshot is what the finished product looks like on the Clarify-it.com sharing site, where you will send folks to view the how-to information. It looks very nice and polished. It can also be exported as a pdf file.

There is a free public beta available now so you can try it out. The price will be $29.99 when the application is released. It’s available here: http://www.bluemangolearning.com/clarify/ .  Give it a go then leave a comment and let me know what you think about it.  What other methods do you use for this type of communication? Email? Skitch? Something else? Let’s hear your ideas below.

The application, by WetFish Software, is called App Store Expense Monitor. It’s a free app (donations accepted).  It’s just a straightforward zip file for your Mac. Run it, and the program finds all the apps in your iTunes Mobile Applications folder. It tells you the App, Developer, Category, and Price of the apps you’ve downloaded.

It shows the current price of the app, although you can edit the price to reflect what you actually paid for it — good for those that might have been free or that even (gasp!) cost more when you purchased it than they do now.

It can be exported as a CSV or XML file.  I did have to change the path so my Mobile Apps folder could be located, as it wasn’t quite in the standard spot. However, this was easy enough to do, as it just involved choosing the desired path and selecting it in the options.

Try it and see what you think.  You can download from their website here:  http://wetfish.de/software/osx/app-store-expense-monitor/ . I have 342 apps totaling $593.57.  Leave me a comment below and let’s compare purchases.

I write something every day. So, why don’t I post it? Mainly because I think that no one but me will give a rats ass about what I have to say. Yep, typical self-deprecation from the typical over-achiever who was never quite good enough. Because even if you did care about it, heck, even if it was a top blog, I’d still think it wasn’t good enough. But, I’m in good company. Even Mother Theresa had doubts. She just channeled her doubts into her life to do good works. So I keep trying. And one day, maybe, just maybe, it will be good enough.

We’ve been having some nice weather this spring, and that can only mean one thing….geocaching!  Although fall is by far my favorite time for  geocaching, spring is a great time as well. It’s getting warmer, but the pesky mosquitoes, ticks, no-see-ums, and other undesirables (can you say  snakes?) haven’t come out enough to put a damper on things yet. We had a few great finds in San Francisco a few months back, and I’m still  looking for just the right place to drop off a couple of trackables that we picked up in the city by the bay. I’ve also been scouting around for some  good hiding places. It’s really no fun to be able to just walk right up to a cache…it’s a lot more fun if there’s at least a little bit of a challenge  involved.

For those who think a “real” GPS is needed, I can honestly say that my iPhone 3GS with Groundspeak’s official Geocaching app  (http://www.geocaching.com/iphone/default.aspx) has been nothing  short of amazing.  They have added some splendid updates to this app over the past several months, and it is truly all you need. Granted, if you  get way out in the boonies, you’ll probably have a hard time getting a signal. In those circumstances, maybe a dedicated GPS would be better. But, being mildly disabled, I’m not able to hike the rough terrain as I once could, so those areas are usually off-limits to me. I’ve used the Magellan GC with okay results, but I still prefer my iPhone. I can do everything I need to do right from the app, including posting photos and field notes, viewing maps (Google Earth street view, topography maps, and satellite views), recent logs, and more.

One of my favorite features is the simulated compass arrow that lets you know when you’re closing in on your find. You can just feel the adrenaline rush when it goes from 100 feet to 50 feet to 20 feet, then you engage your senses and start looking for the treasure. A couple of my favorite finds have included a small cannister attached to a piece of rebar that was stuck down inside a yellow concrete parking lot post, a test tube container hanging from a tree branch, and a piece of cable secured to a utility pole that contained a log when you unscrewed the coaxial cable connector. The “in plain sight” award goes to a modern sculpture at a local university that had a large ammo can sitting atop the same-color sculpture. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you would easily miss it.

Geocaching is a great activity for young, old (but young at heart), and everyone in-between. It gets you outside, makes you think, and can be done alone or with others. So, get up, get out, and start hunting. Be sure to let me know in the comments what your favorite types of cache are, and what type of device you prefer. Happy Hunting!

After a wonderful 15 years spent as a Family Nurse Practitioner, for health and other reasons, I had to give up the career I loved  and for which I spent several years preparing. It was quite a career. While working on my Master’s Degree, I was lucky enough to have an internship with a world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon and become part of his organ transplant team. The experience was nothing short of amazing. How many people ever get to hold a human heart in their hands or participate in research that has an impact on the lives, and quality of life, of others? Our team performed the first heart-lung transplant. I’ll never forget that young woman, who was quite an inspiration to us. We had a fantastic unit, led by a terrific lady, who was a wonderful mentor to me. I landed a job in her unit where there was always a lengthy waiting list for positions, primarily because we had golf in common…and a love of Greg Norman. In addition to the heart-lung transplant, here were many other indescribable moments over the next few years. It was hard work, and I was often on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But it was very rewarding and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Then, I got sick.  There were days when I probably shouldn’t have survived, when the doctors told my family I wouldn’t survive,  but I did.  The doctors told me that my immune system had taken a big hit and I wouldn’t be able to work with patients anymore because of the risk of infection. Telling me I could no longer take care of patients was like cutting off a limb. It seemed like a part of me was missing. For a long time, I wasn’t sure what I would do.

Then, by a strange sequence of events, I had to go with a friend to the Apple Store.  I chatted with the manager for a bit, and ended up with a job. When Macs first came out, I was just out of college and working for a small-town weekly newspaper. I became friends with the owner of an independent Apple store.  He had service contracts for businesses and schools all over the state. He taught me the ins and outs of operation, troubleshooting, and minor repairs. Then, I worked with him to install the computers and teach others how to use them. I kept up with Macs as they evolved, and doing so had just secured my first non-healthcare job in over fifteen years.

I stayed at the Apple Store for just over 4 years.  It was a great learning experience and I made some good friends, both online and off. It was one of these friends that led to my current position. It’s quite fun, actually. I get to help folks with problems figure out what is wrong with their setup and help them get things running correctly.  I tell people that it’s much like “telephone triage” by email…instead of helping with physical ailments, I help with mechanical ones

I can work anywhere there is an internet connection. Is it a Dream Job? Well, you be the judge. I’m typing this from the courtyard of my villa in the Dominican Republic, at a very nice little place called Punta Cana. Our boss gets the whole group together occasionally for a little face time to encourage some social interaction…no mean feat when you consider the logistics of our group!  We’re spread across every time zone in the United States, as well as Canada, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. It’s nice for the group of us to hook up and share some activities. I actually swam with dolphins yesterday, which was one of the most amazing things I have ever done!  Many a brilliant idea has been born of an adult beverage and a hot tub

I’ve never met anyone quite like her. Ok, to be honest, she wasn’t my “real” granny. But’s that’s a minor technicality.

I moved across the street from her 16 years ago. We’d wave at one another and talk once in awhile. She was married to her second husband at the time, and I’d get so tickled occasionally seeing this cute little white-haired lady driving this big ol’ red pickup truck. A few years later, her husband died, and I caught myself watching her house a little more closely and talking to her a little more often. I was a nurse practitioner at the time, married to my career, and not home much. She liked my dog, a fiercely protective pug named Rowdy. She longed to pet him, but he would bite anyone who tried to get close to me.

One night, a little over seven years ago, I was working in the ER. I got an xray report back on one of my patients, and recognized the name. My roommate, who was also a nurse in the ER, went around to her room.
“Miss Maida, just why are you in our ER today?”, I asked.
“Well, honey,” she began, “I was laying down when I should have been standing up”.
She seemed so small and frail, even on those small ER gurneys. She looked a little afraid. I noticed she kept looking at my little stuffed pug keychain, which I had on my stethoscope as an ID tag. I took it off and gave it to her. She smiled and clutched that little pug the rest of the time she was there. She was eventually diagnosed with a broken hip and subsequently underwent surgery and a lengthy rehab.

She was so happy when she was able to return to her home a couple of months later. We visited daily, and also took care of minor things in her house for her. She’d had to use a walker while in rehab, and hated it (because she was so fiercely independent). I purchased a canvas apron and modified pockets on it. I painted each pocket to reflect something about her: for example, a pocket with gardening tools, a pocket with a pug, and a 7-7-7 slot design. She loved the pouch. Even after she got back home, she still kept it attached to her walker in her bedroom, kept it filled with toiletries, and used it daily when she showered.

We were talking one day about family. She was telling us how she had grown up an only child and only had a very few family members, none of whom were living. She said she’d never had a Granny of her own and had always wanted to be one. Malissa told her that she never had a granny when she was growing up, someone with whom to do fun things. Maida looked at us and said, “Well, you’ve got one now. I’ll be your Granny, if you’ll let me.” From then on, she was Granny Maida and we were her girls.

She was admittedly a bit of tomboy, preferring jeans to dresses. “They’re just more comfortable and practical”, she said. She loved to wear baseball caps with fun sayings on them and colorful socks with cartoons that changed with the seasons. She had a delightful laugh and a wicked sense of humor.

We went with her to lunch, or we’d go shopping with her. She loved to go to the Bargain Barn and some of the other thrift shops, frequently purchasing little trinkets to give to friends. We went with her to Tunica. She loved to go there and play the penny slots, not so much to gamble as for the social activity of getting out, seeing friends, and having dinner. She invited us to the Family Nights at her church. We would go play dominoes, eat, and socialize. Generally, we’d just enjoy being together.

She might have been 93, but she was still fiercely independent. She still had her eyesight (getter than mine), still drove herself and some of her friends to the store and to eat (look out if you saw that silver bullet coming towawrd you), and still did pretty much everything for herself. One day a few years ago, I asked if I needed to changed her air conditioner filter. She said she had just done it. I asked how she did that because the furnace is up in the attic. She said, well, she climbed up the stairs and changed the filter, and Miss Winnnie (her friend who was 2 years older) stayed downstairs to help. I asked what in the world Miss Winnie could do to help. She said, “Well, honey, she could call 9-1-1 if I fell”. That was our Maida.

She enjoyed it when we popped in and out. She loved our pugs. She and Rowdy eventually became good buddies. She loved to tell the story to people that even when he lost most of his eyesight and couldn’t hear very well, he would slip off, cross the street, stand at her door and “Yip” loudly. She would hear him and let him in. He would go sit in front of her chair and wait for her to come and give him treats. No one else outside the family could pet Rowdy and not get bitten. But she could. She said they understood one another. She told Rowdy they were both old and in pain but it just wasn’t their time to go yet. She cried almost as much as we did when he finally passed away. When the other pugs went over every few days to visit, she would toss Rascal his toys to fetch, and Rosie would sit in her lap. We’d sit and visit and talk about everything and nothing. We watched game shows and sang along to gospel music, especially The Gaithers.

She loved her church and her Lord. Maida epitomized goodness. She showed us how to live a Christian life. She didn’t say one thing and do another. There was no doubt that she loved her Lord. She truly walked the walk. When she had the Sunday School lessons, she frequently read them to us. She enjoyed working humor into them, or finding a funny example to illustrate the lesson.

She was so giving. She truly enjoyed giving of herself to others. She knitted house shoes and blankets for friends and gave large quantities of the shoes to hospitals for the patients. She told us she once knitted 250 pair of shoes one winter. The first blanket she ever made for us was a small one for Rowdy when he was getting sick. Then, one by one, she made others. She made a lovely all white one for my cousin, Kim, when she had her baby 3 years ago. She’d only met her a couple of times, but said she felt like she knew her from hearing us talk about her. She said she knew that baby would be surrounded with love, and she wanted it to start with her blanket. Kim was astonished. She said that was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her.

Several months ago, she started giving us things. Little things at first, just saying she was cleaning this or that, and thought we might like to have something. Then she started taking a lot of things to Goodwill. One day we went over and she asked us to look thru a stack of needlepoint pictures she had made. Several were of owls, because she really liked owls and had collected them at one point. She asked us to take a few for our new house, and she was taking the rest to Goodwill. When we questioned why she was getting rid of them, and suggested she take them to church to see if anyone wanted them, she said they wouldn’t want that old stuff. Then she said she wasn’t going to be here forever, and she wanted to go ahead and clean out some things so no one would have to do it when she was gone. She gave us several things for our new home which we certainly treasure. She came over for dinner a few times, and when she looked around she would just smile to see her needlework hanging on the wall or see a lamp on her table with a doily on it that she had made. She said she gave those things to us because she knew we would appreciate them and take care of them.

I don’t know what we’re going to do without our Granny Maida. There’s such a huge emptiness in me already. I’m so glad we were able to be with her in her last moments. We had seven wonderful years together. I wish we could have had seven more, but I’m so thankful for the time we had. She has made us better by knowing her. I will forever be grateful to her for all the love we shared. I know she’ll always be with us in spirit. There will never be another one like her. She was simply the best. We love you, Granny Maida.

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In response to the Macheist deal, one independent Mac software developer, Daniel Jalkut, came up with an idea to have a promotion of his own, called the One Finger Discount. As he noted, “Everybody loves a deal. We’re banding together to give customers a price break, and to spread the word about Mac software they may not have heard about.” I asked him last night on Twitter if he’d had much feedback regarding sales from others. He said, “Every dev I’ve heard from has been “stoked” by the response.”

The One Finger Discount officially ends the same time as the MacHeist bundle, but Jalkut says he’s recommended everybody keep running thru Friday or later. Show your support for Mac software. There are over 100 developers on the list, and many have more than one app listed. Therefore, there are potentially several hundred apps listed from which to choose. Now that sounds like a great shopping spree!

To tie in to the promo, Daniel Jalkut, of Red-Sweater Software, came up with his own idea to have a One Finger Discount. He initially told folks on Twitter to pick up the MacHeist bundle, and “with some of the money you save, spend $20-$60 to make some developer’s day”.

I thought it was a great idea, and began to retweet it. Apparently, a lot of other folks thought it was a great idea as well, because it grew…rapidly! Before long, several high-profile blogs (Ars, MacWorld, TUAW) had picked up the story, and Jalkut found himself barraged with takers to add to the hastily crafted webpage he put together at One Finger Discount. He has taken a beating in many comments about the design of the One Finger Discount “Website”. True enough, he obviously didn’t see it taking on a life of its own so quickly, but he’s also the first to admit he’s no webmaster. Still, I wish someone would cobble something together for him (heck, even in iWeb!) that didn’t look like my 3-year old niece did it!

Friday morning he tweeted “Developer reaction insane. Now I have a taste for what it’s like to be @sethdill during PMC. Trying to keep up.” He was referring to Seth Dillingham, and his Pan-Mass Challenge annual software bundle auction to raise money for The Jimmy Fund/Dana-Farber Cancer Center. I volunteered and helped Seth and his wife, Corinne, with that auction a few months ago. I could just imagine Seth sitting back shaking his head, wryly smirking, saying, “Dude, you have NO idea….”
By last night, he had added, “Jeez, if this keeps up we won’t need a reference page. Just assume all software on the planet is 20% off.”

Now THAT sounds like a deal!

The One Finger allegedly comes from 1/5, or a 20% discount, rather than a free five-finger discount. It’s still almost a steal. I suppose which finger you want to use depends on your perceptions of MacHeist and its creators. It’s no secret that many developers, including Jalkut, have been critical of MacHeist in the past, largely because of its practice of giving independent software developers a lot of exposure and customers, but keeping most of the profits for itself.

In an email response printed in MacWorld’s article about it, Jalkut responds to some Twitter users raising questions about the negative connotation of the ” One Finger Discount ” name. He says, “The name is just something that came to mind when I was making the coupon code for my own store. It is entirely inspired by ‘five-finger discount’ and it only occurred to me afterwards (with the help of Twitter followers) that it had a potential negative connotation. MacHeist jokes with the idea of software thievery, so I thought I’d play along.”

In a tweet tonight, Jalkut said, “It started as a whim, and took over my weekend. I bet One Finger Discount will be >100 developers on Monday.” I’ll bet he’s right. So far, more than 75 developers have tossed their hat into the ring. I’ve already found several apps that I was unaware of, have purchased a couple, and will likely purchase 2 or 3 more before it’s over. I’m posting this using one of my all-time fave apps, MarsEdit!. If you blog and you don’t use MarsEdit, you seriously owe it to yourself to check out this app.

The promo runs during the same time as the MacHeist NanoBundle, until November 13.

With this one, called the “NanoBundle”, 6 “top apps” are “free”, so long as you supply your contact information. Plug it into the blanks, and you get prompted to download your free bundle. True enough, there are some decent apps to be had. The reason some of them seem a little “meh” for the MH faithful is because we’ve had some limited versions as “loot” in the past. Still, it’s a nice little package. See it at MacHeist.

As with MacHeist, there is usually an ‘extra’ along the way, and this time is no different. As the hoopla began with a Twittering about an incoming asteroid, which garnered the user a free app, DaisyDisk, there is also a FaceBook tie-in. If you download the bundle, then share it with your FaceBook brethren, you can get a copy of VirusBarrier. Who knows what else will follow? Rumors (and the time of the year) suggest that this is leading up to MacHeist 4. Time will tell. The MacHeist Forums are generally a good place for such information.

Meanwhile, grab a bundle of free apps, spread the word, then go enjoy your new apps. Who knows? You might find your next gem of an app hiding in there.

For those unfamiliar with ScotteVest, it’s a brand of Technology Enabled Clothing (TEC) that was founded by Scott Jordan in 2000. His products are made for those of us who are “gadget-geeks” and love to carry all our gadgets and gear but without the unsightly bulges that come with stuffing pockets full of goodies. The great thing about his clothing is that it looks great and doesn’t give up form for function. I love getting new pieces of clothing and searching for all the hidden pockets (which include cards telling you additional suggested uses).

Now, much to my partner’s delight, I have a new ScotteVest hoodie. The new graphics are great, or you can get it without the print if you don’t want to advertise to the world that you might have hundreds of dollars worth of gizmos in your hidden pockets (or a dog, in author Amy Tan’s case! Long story.) Some updated pockets are very nice. I laughed about it at first, but I love having a chamois available to clean my reading glasses! Also, the keychain is now on a coil, so it goes with your keys, keeping you from having to detach them at a locker, the casino, the car, or wherever.

The new pockets that enable you to control your iPhone or iPod Touch right thru the window are incredible!! I don’t know how they do it, but it works great and gives you that much more protection for your gadgets. I also love having a set of earbuds permanently attached. No more moving buds between shirts…now they are there to stay.

Some of the pros to this hoodie are the fact that it zips up in the front, it has a slew of mostly hidden pockets (13, I think), it washes extremely well, there has been no pilling or fading of my original from a few years ago, and it’s been washed at least once a week for the past few years. I’m sure this one will be equally durable.

It does seem to run about a half size or size larger than usual. I generally wear a unisex XL, but I have this one in a Large, and it’s still plenty roomy without looking sloppy. I even ordered a couple of extras for a family member and friend who constantly ask to borrow mine.

Thus far I have a cap, two hoodies, two t-shirts, and the cargo pants. My next purchase will likely be the new windbreaker that backs back into itself for fall, followed by either the essential jacket or the travel vest in the spring.

Pick up one of these at www.scottevest.com. You won’t regret it. Best sweatshirt ever!!