Issue #122 | Subscribe

Between formatting this newsletter email in HTML and sending emails to business prospects, reusable snippets help me save time and manual effort every week.

This is why I love macOS's built-in text substitutions and text expanders like Rocket Typist (featured in Issue #120).

However, Rocket Typist's free version only allows for a single active template, and I wasn't sure whether the cost paid for the Pro version would be a good value for money for a couple of times a week I need to paste a snippet.

Thinking of alternatives, my mind stumbled upon the built-in Shortcuts app in macOS.

I could build a shortcut that replaces highlighted text with a template.

One excellent candidate for this experiment was wrapping text in hyperlink HTML tags for this newsletter without having to type the full syntax.

After a few minutes of tinkering with the various actions available in the Shortcuts app, I had my homegrown text expander ready:

With this shortcut, I can select text in any app, right-click to show the contextual menu, and run my shortcut from the Services menu like this:

It gets the job done accurately, 100% of the time, and didn't cost me any extra money to get this workflow running.

You can tweak this shortcut to paste any text you prefer, anywhere in the macOS system, and can even ask for input from the user before formatting and pasting your template.

The crucial part of this shortcut that makes it available anywhere in the system and gives it the ability to paste formatted text are these two options in the shortcut details:

If you have a Mac and need to replace text with your custom formatting or even insert an email template, try setting up a shortcut like the one above.

You'll save plenty of time and effort, without having to pay anything extra.

Before we move on, I have some family members coming from the US. If you're from the US and can suggest some collectables, card games or other cool things from your country, send me your suggestions.

I currently have these Harry Potter themed playing cards from Theory11 on my list.

Now, let's move on to the rest of this newsletter issue:

Your Next Read

Autobiography

Made In Japan

You probably have a Sony product, or have interacted with one. Peek into the inner world of Sony through the lens of one of its co-founders, Akio Morita, in this book.

Apps & Services

Cursor Pro

Beautifully highlight your cursor in recordings

This app will make your mouse cursor look wow in your screen recordings and hands-on tutorials. You can also personalise your cursor to match your brand colour for cohesiveness. Available on macOS for a one-time fee of $14.99.
Reverse Dictionary

Find words you can't seem to recall

Ever had one of those moments where you can tell the meaning of a word but can't seem to figure out what the word is? This dictionary will be a lifesaver on such occasions. Available on the Web for free.
Jan

Run LLMs locally, hassle-free

This app offers a clean interface to download, run and chat with open-source LLMs like Llama 3, Mistral and Gemma in a couple of clicks. You can also use your OpenAI or Anthropic API keys to chat with commercial LLMs in a consolidated chat interface. Available on all major desktop platforms for free.

Handy Shortcut

⌃

Down

Quickly view all open windows of the currently active app in macOS.

Interesting Reads

We Need Sagan’s Standard to Thrive in this Modern Era

10 min read

Longform

From AI chatbots giving us hallucinated answers to doctored news on social media crafted for engagement, we're surrounded with misinformation. Here's how I apply this simple rule to maintain a healthy scepticism to what I see on the internet.
Recognising the Role of Chance in Life

9 min read

"You make your own luck" might not always be true. This blog post gives an excellent primer on the Monte Carlo fallacy, and how accepting the role of luck can help you empathise better with yourself and others.
You Can Do Anything, If You Stop Trying to Do Everything

3 min read

A good, short piece on why and how to reserve your time and attention for work that matters most to you and yields you the most returns.
Hope is Not the Same as Optimism

4 min read

Learn the subtle difference between having hope and staying optimistic in this short piece, illustrated through historical events. Optimism often fades when the road gets tough, hope keeps you going.

Watch Next

If you've ever wanted to learn how to draw decent human stick figures, this is a fantastic beginner's tutorial.

Other Good Newsletters

10 Things: A rare, curated blend of content related to strategy, design, technology, business, culture, and weird internet randomness every two weeks.

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