Search the Web for Any Selectable Text in iOS via the Contextual Menu

Pretty clever workaround to search the web for any selectable text in iOS: select the text (in any app) and then tap on the “Define…” option in the contextual menu. The resulting screen will likely tell you there are no results and offer you the chance to search the web (which will happen in Safari).

The Prodigal Mind

Looking back over my past year of twice-daily meditation, I had a lot of erroneous preconceived notions when I first started. Many of these seem to be pretty common. One of the biggest misconceptions is that of the goal of meditation being to “clear your mind”.

Invoke Bookmarklets via iOS Keyboard Shortcuts

Interesting alternative method for invoking bookmarklets in Mobile Safari using iOS keyboard shortcuts. In short, you just add the bookmarklet URL as the phrase for a new keyboard shortcut, and then assign a shortcut for it. Tap the URL bar, hit the X to clear the field and type your shortcut.

Hazel: Basic Sync

Over on the Noodlesoft Forums for Mac OS X automation utility Hazel, I found this basic sync recipe for setting up a folder sync. Sometimes it’s easier to get going with Hazel when you see an example.

This one was created by the developer, so you know it’s correct. I was looking to set up a sync for my personal art projects, where anything created in the last 6 months was synced to Dropbox for easy access on multiple devices. Works great.

Use 1Password with Fluid.app

Handy workaround for using 1Password with Fluid.app. Not as ideal as using 1Password natively, but since it seems Fluid.app doesn’t support extensions, the 1Password developers can’t do much about it.

TextExpander: Best Practices

I had a conversation with a fellow Mac geek the other day about TextExpander, and he said he rarely uses it because he’s always forgetting the shortcuts. I thought I’d share some of my formatting practices that I’ve found help one remember their shortcuts. 

Global Shortcut For “New Message” For Mail In OS X

Very quick and easy Automator (and AppleScript) tip for creating a way to draft a new email message on your Mac, regardless if Mail is the active application or not.

Create a global shortcut for “New Message” for Mail in OS X Lion – Super User.