They Dissolve Like You’re Thanos — Mac Geek Gab 1071 episode image

Dive into the latest Mac Geek Gab where Pilot Pete, Adam Christianson, and Dave Hamilton kick off 2025 with a bang. From pre-CES discoveries like the 1MORE S70 Open-Ear Wireless Earbuds to clever Quick Tips, you’ll find tools to supercharge your Apple experience. Learn how to search sites with a quick JavaScript snippet, move your Photos library to an external drive, and add Apple items like weather to your menu bar. Whether it’s taming Safari’s new “Hide Distracting Items” feature or syncing iCloud Photos in iOS 18, the crew has you covered with answers to your pressing tech questions.

Don’t get caught unprepared for the unexpected! Struggling with Wi-Fi interference, managing multiple Apple Homes, or dimming Safari’s display? They tackle it all, even diving into quirky fixes like disabling external monitor signals with BetterDisplay Pro. Plus, Cool Stuff Found features gems like Obsidian for Markdown and Elevation Lab’s 10-Year AirTag Battery Case. Packed with wisdom, laughs, and actionable tips, this episode is your ticket to staying geeky and in control.

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1071 for Monday, January 6th, 2025
- January 6th: National Take a Poet to Lunch Day
- Police Code 10-71 – Advise nature of fire / Shooting
- MGG Monthly Giveaway – Win an MGG T-Shirt from our new merch store!
MGG CES 2025 Sponsors
Pre-CES Audio-related Cool Stuff Found
- 00:05:08 Barry-CSF-Three Shower Speakers: Infinity X1, Shower Power Pro, and JBL Clip
- 00:8:03 CSF-1MORE S70 Open Ear Wireless Earbuds
- 00:10:59 CSF-Soundcore Sleep A10 Sleep Earbuds
Quick Tips
- 00:00:01 David-QT-iOS 18.3 adds control for iCloud mail rules
- 00:13:16 Alex-QT-iOS 18 returns Volume Bar to Lock Screen playback widget
- 00:15:51 Phil-QT-Site Search JavaScript
  - javascript:Qr=prompt(‘Search%20Site%20for’,”);if(Qr)location.href=’https://www.google.com/search?&q=site:’+encodeURIComponent(window.location.hostname)+’+’+escape(Qr)
- 00:18:55 Andrew-QT-Add Apple items, like weather, to your menu bar.
- 00:20:21 James-QT-1068-Remember you CAN move your Photos library to an external drive
Sponsors
- 00:24:37 CES 2025 COVERAGE SPONSOR: Private Internet Access VPN – Save 82% off your VPN service PLUS four free months with a two-year plan at PIAVPN.com/mgg.
Don’t Get Caught
- 00:26:44 David-DGC-Mail stored On My iPhone disappeared!
Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
- 00:30:00 Emily-how do I see if my photos are all synced to iCloud in iOS 18?
- 00:36:21 Chris-iMac M1 with wifi issues
  - Orbi 770 Mesh
  - USB 3 and Wi-Fi Interference
- 00:43:59 Craig-Trouble with Youtube on Safari since updating to Sequoia.
- 00:48:34 JP-Managing Two Apple Homes Simultaneously
  - Tailscale on Apple TV
- 00:53:59 Drewski-How can I disable the signal to an external monitor from my Mac in software?
  - BetterDisplay Pro
- 00:58:50 David-Help me dim Safari!
- 01:03:00 Safari’s new Hide Distracting Items feature
Cool Stuff Found
- 01:05:30 Kiaran Lomas-CSF-Obsidian for Markdown
- 01:08:26 Bern-CSF-Cotypist (and Keep It Shot)
- 01:10:02 Seth-CSF-Elevation Lab 10-Year AirTag Battery Case
- 01:13:31 Joe-CSF-Use Google’s NotebookLM for specific knowledge sets
- 01:16:02 James-Playing Plex Atmos content on Apple TV…with Infuse!
01:20:20 MGG 1071 Outtro
- MGG Monthly Giveaway – Win an MGG T-Shirt from our new merch store!
- Bandwidth Provided by CacheFly
- Pilot Pete’s Aviation Podcast: So There I Was (for Aviation Enthusiasts)
- The Debut Film Podcast – Adam’s new podcast!
- Dave’s Business Brain (for Entrepreneurs) and Gig Gab (for Working Musicians) Podcasts
- feedback@macgeekgab.com
- 224-888-GEEK
- BackBeat Media Podcast Network

Will we see any easing of cost of living crises for people?