You’ll pick up quick wins this week with smart Mac tips you can use right now. Color-code your USB and Thunderbolt cables so you always grab the right one, and stash them in mesh zipper pouches or a travel organizer so you’re never digging for the right connection. Add Apple Music playlists right to your Mac’s menu bar, trigger Time Machine backups with macOS 26 Shortcuts, and even have ChatGPT read answers aloud to you. Learn how to suss out the speed of your USB-C cables, avoid accidental calls, and know when a higher‑wattage charger is perfectly safe. And remember: when moving from Intel to Apple Silicon, migrate your Homebrew setup properly—Don’t Get Caught re‑installing from scratch.
From troubleshooting with AI without “leading the witness” to discovering that High Sierra is still getting (at least some!) security updates, you’ll walk away sharper than before. We dig into Cool Stuff Found like Dory, a frictionless Mac app switcher, and VueScan, which resurrects old, unsupported scanners. Clean up your cloud clutter, auto‑paste from Messages into any app, and explore apps like Dialed AI to keep your motivation up. Whether you’re traveling, upgrading, or just tidying your digital life, these tips keep you efficient, organized, and ready for anything.
- 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1101 for Monday, August 4th, 2025
- August 4th: National Clouded Leopard Day
- MGG Monthly Giveaway
- Quick Tips
- 00:00:01 Tom-QT-Color code your USB/Thunderbolt cables for easy identification
- 00:04:01 Andrew-QT-Add Apple Music Playlists, Albums, and Artists to Your Mac’s Menu Bar
- 00:05:45 Karl-QT-Apple Music needs to be installed to get audio out of your Lightning port
- 00:10:36 Advice when troubleshooting with AI: Don’t lead the witness!
- 00:14:43 Tom-QT-1097-Fix the perpetually-incrementing System name numbers
- 00:17:01 Don’t Get Caught: when migrating from Intel to Apple Silicon you need to reset up all your homebrew stuff
- Sponsors
- 00:20:27 SPONSOR: Caldera Lab. Guys, don’t settle for drugstore junk or steal your partner’s pr
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