MACSTORIES COLLECTIONS

A Tour of My PopClip Extensions

• John

Earlier this week, as I was digging through the details of Sindre Sorhus’ Scratchpad app, I noticed that there was a PopClip extension available. There are very few Mac apps I’ve used as long as PopClip. It’s a simple utility that pops up a menu directly above selected text, just like iOS and iPadOS do. What makes the app so compelling is that in most circumstances, you’re probably using a mouse or trackpad to select text, making a pop-up menu the perfect way to do something with that text.

Over the years, I’ve used a bunch of different PopClip extensions and even built my own, but I’ve settled on a core set that matches the apps where I tend to send snippets of text. Back in 2018, when I named the app one of my must-have apps of 2018, my PopClip lineup was spartan, consisting of relatively few extensions that I used constantly. Most of those are still part of my PopClip extension lineup today, but the list has grown, so I thought I’d offer an update.

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MACSTORIES COLLECTIONS

A Collection of Hardware Doodads

• John

I don’t know about you, but I find myself endlessly browsing Amazon and other sites looking for adapters, dongles, and other small bits of tech hardware I need. The trouble is that it can be hard to judge what to buy when there are dozens of varieties of the same thing that look almost identical. Sometimes they are identical, but from different sellers. Other times, it’s a roll of the dice whether you get something useful or junky. So today, I thought I’d share some small hardware doodads I’ve discovered that have stood the test of time.

SanDisk 128GB Ultra Dual Drive Luxe

That’s quite a mouthful for a tiny USB drive. There are a lot of SSDs on Amazon and other websites, but I like this one from SanDisk best for a couple of reasons. First, it’s all metal, so you can toss it in a bag or your pocket without worrying about it too much. Speaking of which, the second advantage this little drive has is a keyring hole that allows you to attach it to your keys and take it with you or hook it to a keyring inside a bag. Third and finally, the drive swivels 180 degrees. On one end is a USB-C connector, and on the other is a USB-A connector, eliminating the need for an adapter. I have a 128GB model, but it comes in other storage sizes and is currently on sale in all configurations on Amazon.

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