Life’s Too Short to Deal With Bad Cables
Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting
Identifying and Labeling USB Cables for Optimal Performance
This chapter covers techniques to determine the speed and performance of USB cables, especially related to new SSDs. It also includes tips on using system tools for verification and practical advice on labeling cables to reduce confusion.
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
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- MOAR Quick Tips
- 00:25:14 QT-On a Mac ChatGPT will Read the answer to you
- 00:26:18 Doug-QT-macOS 26’s Shortcuts Automations can be used to trigger Time Machine and more
- Amphetamine
- 00:29:46 macOS 26 allows auto-paste-from-Messages/Mail into any app, not just Safari
- 00:31:31 Phil-1099-High Sierra still gets security updates
- 00:34:03 Tony-1100-Recently Saved Photos might be tricked by migrations
- Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
- 00:35:50 Andy-How do you organize your cables and such in your backpack?
- 00:44:13 Kaz-How do I know how fast my USB-C cables are?
- 00:50:57 Robert-CSF-USB-C Couplers that support 240W and Thunderbolt 4 speeds
- Sponsors
- 00:55:25 SPONSOR: Constant Contact makes marketing easier and more effective for small businesses like yours. Try Constant Contact free for 30 days at ConstantContact.com
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- MOAR Questions Answered
- 00:58:26 Roger-Q-How to stop making inadvertent calls?
- 01:03:40 Paul-Will I hurt my battery using a higher-wattage charger?
- Cool Stuff Found
- 01:11:03 Segev-CSF-Dory, a zero-config, lower-friction app switcher for the Mac
- 01:13:12 Jenn-CSF-CleanMyMac’s Cloud Cleanup launches
- 01:14:26 Richard-CSF-VueScan Scanning Software for Out Of Date – Non supported hardware and more
- 01:18:36 Marlon-CSF-Dialed AI Motivation app
- 01:20:10 MGG 1101 Outtro
- MGG Monthly Giveaway
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- Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)
- The Debut Film Podcast – Adam’s new podcast!
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