John Voorhees
johnvoorhees@mastodon.macstories.net
<p>I run <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.macstories.net/@macstories" class="u-url mention">@<span>macstories</span></a></span> with <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.macstories.net/@viticci" class="u-url mention">@<span>viticci</span></a></span> where we cover Apple, apps, videogames, and more.</p><p>I also co-host four MacStories podcasts: <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.macstories.net/@appstories" class="u-url mention">@<span>appstories</span></a></span> about the world of apps, <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.macstories.net/@npc" class="u-url mention">@<span>npc</span></a></span> about the handheld videogame revolution, and <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="ht
Posts
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Post #4143934
RE: https://mastodon.macstories.net/@johnvoorhees/116992286979392664 As a former bankruptcy lawyer, this is a classic bankruptcy scenario: companies burdened with too much debt to support their cost structure. File, wipe out the debt, sell assets and either reorganize around a smaller core or sell it all off to competitors.
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Post #4013839
So few people post these days on Mastodon that my feed feels more like an RSS reader.
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Post #3678487
For the past month, I've been testing the Logitech Mobi Fold travel mouse. It's an excellent little travel companion with checking out for your on-the-go kit. My review on MacStories: https://www.macstories.net/reviews/a-month-with-logitechs-innovative-mobi-fold-travel-mouse/
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Post #3163428
Today on MacStories Unwind Federico and I cover the gear we plan to take with us to WWDC, plus a great movie and a bunch of TV comedies. ๐ง https://apple.co/4nTLFVm ๐บ https://youtu.be/YMSM5Houy8g
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Post #3163427
For the Club MacStories May Monthly Log, I wrote about how my Obsidian writing setup has evolved to encompass multiple vaults and apps like Antinote, Notion, and Panda. https://www.macstories.net/club/monthly-log-may-2026/not-all-writing-is-the-same-rethinking-how-i-create-and-organize-documents-with-obsidian-notion-and-antinote/
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Post #3163426
This week we have an AppStories automation classic. Federico and I share our wishes for Siri, Shortcuts, App Intents, and Apple Intelligence in one big episode. Then for subscribers we discuss out research workflow plans for beta season. ๐ง https://apple.co/4nVCSCg ๐บ https://youtu.be/mQogvZr_FIE
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Post #3163425
I&#39;m a big fan of the RG Rotate, which we cover on today&#39;s NPC. Its first real test will be my trip to WWDC later this week. ๐ง https://apple.co/4vntSs6 ๐บ https://youtuvideogamepa0gxE Also, on NPC XL this week for Patreon supporters, @brendonbigley tells the origin story behind the great new videogame news site he launched this week: overwold.vg.
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Post #3163424
Apple has chosen an excellent group of apps as its 2026 Apple Design Award winners. More on MacStories: https://www.macstories.net/news/2026-apple-design-awards-winners-announced/
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Post #3163423
It&#39;s June, which means new Arcade games, new shows on Apple TV, F1 races, and baseball. Details and calendar links on MacStories: https://www.macstories.net/news/coming-soon-whats-next-on-apple-tv-and-apple-arcade-in-june-2026/
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Post #3163422
Great story by Jason Snell on Six Colors yesterday about what it means to. be a developer in 2026. I&#39;ve been thinking about this a lot, too, and piled on with a few of my own thoughts on MacStories: https://www.macstories.net/linked/decoding-developer-in-a-changing-app-landscape/
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Post #3163421
This week on MacStories Unwind, we talk about what makes WWDC special, share some memorable moments from past years, and think about how to spend our in-flight downtime. ๐ง https://apple.co/49J8Mw3 ๐บ https://youtu.be/uqmE9drzhc0
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Post #2902487
Never thought I'd be downloading the Android SDK and Kotlin, but here we are.
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Post #2878122
Contender for boomer article of the year.
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Post #2878121
RE: https://mastodon.macstories.net/@viticci/116602799959286253 We have important work to do in a few weeks.
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Post #2878120
If you&#39;re a developer with an app to promote, MacStories&#39; WWDC-week sponsorships are back! We break our coverage into multiple spots at a range of prices: sponsor posts, callouts in OS and Apple Intelligence overviews, AppStories spots, and news-item callouts. There&#39;s something to match any budget. Spots filled fast last year and are already filling this year. Want more details? Get in touch with me via email here: voorhees@macstories.net
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Post #2878119
Excellent in-depth story from Devon Dundee about the new immersive Real Madrid documentary for the Vision Pro. It really sounds like it captures the excitement of the match it covers. https://www.macstories.net/news/real-madrid-immersive-documentary-releases-this-friday-on-apple-vision-pro/
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Post #2878118
Buying a lifetime Plex pass for $75 back in the day turned out to be a good call. https://www.theverge.com/tech/934269/plex-pass-lifetime-subscription-triple-750-price-hike
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Post #2878117
If you&#39;re a reader who loves music, you really need to try Book Beats. It&#39;s a terrific app that does a remarkable job of pairing playlists with books thanks to a sprinkling of AI. https://www.macstories.net/reviews/book-beats-reading-to-the-rhythm/
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Post #2878116
big day
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Post #2878114
Federico doesn&#39;t do anything half way - in a good way - and Shortcuts Playground is a great example. When it became clear that coding agents had become capable enough to generate shortcuts, @viticci got to work. The trick was distilling more than a decade of Shortcuts knowledge into a plugin for Codex and Claude Code. It took months of painstaking work, but the results are totally worth it: shortcuts built from natural language prompts. Shortcuts Playground: https://www.macstories.n...
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Post #2878112
Shortcuts Playground is on GitHub here: https://github.com/viticci/shortcuts-playground-plugin We also updated the MacStories Shortcuts Archive with search, filtering, and an all-new design: https://www.macstories.net/stories/introducing-shortcuts-playground/ And for @club members, @viticci built a shortcut that creates shortcuts called Shortcuts Playground Remote: https://www.macstories.net/club/shortcuts-playground-remote/
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Post #2878111
It&#39;s been a busy week on MacStories. Don&#39;t miss this gem of an app that I reviewed earlier this week... https://www.macstories.net/reviews/book-beats-reading-to-the-rhythm/
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Post #2878110
And as MacStories&#39; ad guy, it&#39;s worth noting that the Shortcuts Archive (https://www.macstories.net/shortcuts/) is the second-most visited page at MacStories after the homepage. If you&#39;d like to sponsor it, it&#39;s available monthly or annually. Get in touch with me at voorhees@macstories.net if you&#39;re interested for more details.
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Post #2878109
Today on AppStories, Federico explains what the Notion Developer Platform is all about before we dive into our macOS 27 wishes. ๐ง https://apple.co/4uqqrkl ๐บ https://youtu.be/DOcHF_qANgo Then on the post-show for AppStories+, Federico goes into the technical details behind Shortcuts Playground. https://www.macstories.net/appstories-plans/?utm_source=ms&amp;utm_medium=web
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Post #2643270
This week for @club, I wrote about how the cost/benefit calculus analysis of automation has fundamentally changed with coding agents and why that requires a new way of thinking about automation in general. Also, we have a special perk from the dictation app Monologue and a lot of new app coverage. https://www.macstories.net/club/macstories-weekly-issue-513/#the-automation-calculus-has-changed
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Post #2471259
๐ฆ Federico delivers one of the wildest Italian animal kingdom stories yet on today&#39;s MacStories Unwind. ๐ง https://apple.co/4eBKVSk ๐บ https://youtu.be/b8NSK6GcL8w
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Post #2471258
Today on AppStories, @viticci and I challenge each other to each try three new apps and report back on the results. We&#39;ll be checking in each week and round up the results after WWDC. Check it out here: ๐ง https://apple.co/48OW3ro ๐บ https://youtu.be/oSw36dV831k Then for subscribers in the AS+ post-show, aspirational apps and OS features we wish we used more, but don&#39;t. https://www.macstories.net/appstories-plans/
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Post #2471257
Spark Mail released a CLI and an extensive set of agent skills. The design is incredibly clever and powerful for anyone who struggles with controlling their email. More on MacStories: https://www.macstories.net/reviews/spark-mail-adds-a-mac-cli-and-agent-skills/
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Post #2471255
RE: https://mastodon.macstories.net/@johnvoorhees/116561776163621043 You may be wondering, &quot;Why would I check my email from the Terminal?&quot; That&#39;s not what this is about. With Spark&#39;s CLI and Claude Code, I set up an automation to find package tracking numbers in my email. That then automatically adds deliveries to a package tracking app, which hooks into an existing system I built that sends me a text via iMessage when a package&#39;s status changes. W...
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Post #2471254
I&#39;ve tried a ton of dictation apps and Monologue stands out for its speed to start recording, Apple Watch app, and as Federico covers in depth today, its CLI. More on MacStories: https://www.macstories.net/notes/monologue-notes-cli/