MacVoices #25311: 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #6 (2)

The panel of Bart Busschots, Kirschen Seah, Mike Burke, and Chuck Joiner continues the 2025 Holiday Gift Guide #6 with practical and geeky picks, from safety bands and emergency "holding it together" kits to premium luggage, tech pouches, and blazing-fast SSDs. They also highlight an in-flight audio device and the ultimate LEGO gift for Star Trek fans.

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Show Notes:

Chapters:

[0:00] Kicking off Part 2 of the 2025 Holiday Gift Guide [0:10] Sponsor: CleanMyMac from MacPaw [0:51] Road ID bracelets and Apple Watch band IDs for safety [5:00] "Holding It Together" kit: gaff tape, bongo ties, and paracord [9:23] Releasable zip ties and other handy fix-it tools [10:51] Thule bike rack and stress-free bike transport [12:54] Cost, durability, and user experience of premium bike rack [15:30] Peak Design Roller Pro luggage and packing system [18:30] OWC Express 1M2 portable NVMe SSD for fast video editing [21:25] CleanMyMac holiday magic ad spot [24:10] 12 South AirFly SE for using AirPods on airplanes [25:44] Peak Design Tech Pouch and cable organization [29:36] LEGO Enterprise D and lighting kit for Star Trek fans [33:01] Free-build LEGO memories and attic city nostalgia [37:47] Lexar MagSafe SSD for direct iPhone video recording [40:38] Where to find Kirshen, Mike, and Bart online [45:04] Closing holiday wishes and gift guide wrap-up

Links:

Kirschen Seah

RoadID Apple Watch ID https://www.roadid.com/products/apple-sidekick-stainless-sport-id

Optional IDProfile https://idprofile.com

AirFly SE from 12South https://amzn.to/44PutrL

Mike Burke:

GuideAlong http://guidealong.com

MacWhisper Pro https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whisper-transcription/id1668083311

"The Holding It Together" Bundle

Gaffers Tape (2" x 30 Yards) Strong Hold, Easy to Rip, Residue-Free Professional Grade Floor Tape for Electrical Cords, Matte Finish Non Reflective, Weather Resistant https://amzn.to/48N5Xc1

BongoTies Original Bongo Ties A5-01 - 10 Pack ~ Professional cable ties made of natural rubber and bamboo https://amzn.to/44hxLUA

Paracord Planet 550lb Paracord – 7 Strand Type III Tactical Parachute Cord https://amzn.to/3XMKbjA

SOOOEC 100 Pack Reusable Zip Ties Assorted Sizes 6+8+10+12 Inch https://amzn.to/3XK5l1U

Peak Design Tech Pouch https://amzn.to/3KB1Ho4

Bart Busschots:

Peak Design Roller Pro Carry-On https://amzn.to/3MybICR

Lego Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/star-trek-u-s-s-enterprise-ncc-1701-d-10356

Brick Popper - World's Fastest Separator Tool - Efficient Remover for Kids and Adults https://amzn.to/4ac82Rj

Chuck Joiner:

OWC 2TB Express 1M2 40Gb/s Portable NVMe SSD USB4 (Thunderbolt Compatible/USB-C) Ultra Fast External SSD Drive https://amzn.to/4aFqFNv

Lexar 2TB ES5 Magnetic External SSD, Up to 2000MB/s, Compatible w/MagSafe https://amzn.to/3XKz1Mo

Guests:

Mike Burke is a corporate technical trainer and automation enthusiast who specializes in creating structured systems that blend productivity techniques with practical technology solutions. Drawing on his background as a former high school science teacher, Mike brings a methodical, educational approach to complex technical concepts.

Through his blog and YouTube channel, he shares insights on macOS automation technologies including Keyboard Maestro, AppleScript, and shell scripting. Mike is passionate about the concept of "digital mise en place" — creating thoughtfully organized digital environments that eliminate friction and support creative work.

When not exploring new automation techniques, Mike can be found documenting his family's quest to visit all U.S. National Parks. His web site is TheMikeBurke.com.

By day, Bart Busschots is a Linux sysadmin, cyber security expert, and Perl programmer, as well a keen amateur photographer when ever he gets the time. Bart hosts and produces the Let's Talk podcast series - a monthly Apple show that takes a big-picture look at the last month in Apple news, and a monthly photography show focusing on the art and craft of photography. Every second week Bart is the guest for the Chit Chat Across the Pond segment on Allison Sheridan's NosillaCast. You can get links to everything Bart gets up including a link to his photography and his personal blog.

Kirschen Seah's background is Computer Sciences with interests in Software Engineering, User Experience, and Mac OS X / iPhone OS development. She started programming with BASIC in 1978 on an Apple ][ and have over 30 years of experience in the field.

Kirschen worked on OPENSTEP (precursor to Mac OS X Cocoa) graphical prototyping applications initially when she joined Rockwell Collins (now Collins Aerospace) in 1999, and was a Senior Principal Systems Engineer in the Flight Management Systems department focussed on the user interface for pilot interaction. Prior to joining Rockwell Collins Kirschen worked at Acuity (formerly ichat) developing interactive user interfaces for live chat customer service agents.

Now retired, there's now more time to share technical insights on her blog, develop useful scripts (Python, shell), and write Shortcuts. Kirschen is really motivated to share her experience to help fellow software practitioners develop better skills – be that in good design, implementation, or computer science fundamentals. Find her at FreeRangeCoder.com.

Support:

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Connect:

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