Kirk

I write about things. mcelhearn.me

PhotoActive Podcast, Episode 134: Mike Hipple Lived Through That

We’re excited to welcome photographer Mike Hipple to talk about his latest book Lived Through That: 90s Musicians Today. What started as an artistic distraction to photograph creative people spawned a book of iconic 1980s musicians, 80s Redux!, which he followed up with this book of notable music makers of the next decade. We talk about working on such a large project, dealing with unexpected adversity, and improvising on the fly.

Find out more, and subscribe to the podcast, at the PhotoActive website. You can follow The PhotoActive on Twitter at @PhotoActiveCast to keep up to date with new episodes, and join our Facebook group to chat with other listeners and participate in photo challenges and more.

Intego Mac Podcast, Episode #277: Credential Stuffing, Pig Butchering, Security Keys for Your Apple Account, and the New Mac mini

This week’s threats involve credential stuffing and pig butchering, and we examine whether you should use security keys to protect your Apple ID account, and why the new Mac mini is a maxi computer.

Follow the The Intego Mac Podcast, which I co-host with Josh Long. We talk about Macs and iOS devices, and how to keep them secure.

The Next Track, Episode #248: The New HomePod

Apple has released a new HomePod, two years after discontinuing the original model. But is it the HomePod we want, or the HomePod we need? We discuss how it works with home automation. Also, Audio Hijack has just been updated. It’s an essential app for recording audio on Macs.

Help support The Next Track by making regular donations via Patreon. We’re ad-free and self-sustaining so your support is what keeps us going. Thanks!

Support The Next Track.

Find out more at The Next Track website, or follow The Next Track on Twitter at @NextTrackCast.

Apple’s 2023 Mac mini is a Mini Mac Studio

Apple’s Mac mini has always seemed like an outlier in the company’s computer line-up. Originally touted as an inexpensive, stripped-down Mac – it was BYODKM, or “bring your own display, mouse, and keyboard” – the Mac mini was marketed for a while to switchers, people moving from Windows to Mac.

Over the years, the Mac mini languished, and there was a fallow period when it seemed like it wouldn’t be updated. After an update in October 2014, it took four years for the Mac mini to be refreshed. But when Apple released Macs running the company’s own processors, the Mac mini was one of the first to get an M1 version, and, in January 2023, Apple started shipping an M2 model. Available with M2 and M2 Pro processors, the Mac mini is no longer the little computer that could, but now stands as a powerful desktop computer for everyone.

Read the rest of the article on The Mac Security Blog.

How to protect your Apple ID account with Security Keys on iPhone, iPad, or Mac

Apple has just released macOS 13.2, iOS 16.3, and iPadOS 16.3. One of the new security features is the ability to protect your Apple ID account with a security key, a hardware device that acts as a second factor for two-factor authentication.

This robust addition to the security of your Apple account prevents hackers from getting into your account without the security key, but it’s not for everyone. In this article, I’ll explain why you might want to protect your Apple ID account with a security key, and how to set this feature up.

Read the rest of the article on The Mac Security Blog.

Intego Mac Podcast, Episode #276: The Year in Mac Malware 2022

Apple has updated all its operating systems again, and even issued a security update for iOS 12. We discuss new features in the HomePod software, and we look back at the notable Mac malware of 2022.

Follow the The Intego Mac Podcast, which I co-host with Josh Long. We talk about Macs and iOS devices, and how to keep them secure.

Use Amazon and Goodreads Author Profiles to Promote Your Books

In previous articles, we’ve discussed the importance of setting up an author platform. This includes choosing a domain name for branding, setting up a website, maintaining a social media presence, and using outreach to help people find out about you and your books.

Another important element of your author platform is something you might not think of: your author profiles on Amazon and Goodreads. Both of these websites let you set up pages with information about you, and your books, and help you stay in contact with readers and fans.

In this, article I’m going to discuss setting up and maintaining author profiles on Amazon, Goodreads, and also discuss setting up a Facebook page.

Read the rest of the article on The L&L Blog.

To learn how to use Scrivener for Mac, Windows, and iOS, check out my book Take Control of Scrivener 3.

PhotoActive Podcast, Episode 133: New Year, New Goals

What will your photography look like in the new year? Although Kirk and Jeff are wary of making any New Year’s resolutions, they each came up with photographic goals to chase that involve learning new skills and pushing out of their comfort zones.

Find out more, and subscribe to the podcast, at the PhotoActive website. You can follow The PhotoActive on Twitter at @PhotoActiveCast to keep up to date with new episodes, and join our Facebook group to chat with other listeners and participate in photo challenges and more.