Spotlight search is DEAD, Raycast is the future!
Issue 9
Tech vitals
It’s March, which means it is time for a new App of the Month!
Raycast: The Ultimate Spotlight Replacement for Mac
After years of using Spotlight search on Mac, I've finally found a superior alternative in Raycast. As someone who frequently launches apps and searches for files, Spotlight's limitations in customization and search capabilities had become frustrating.
Raycast starts as a simple Spotlight replacement but offers extensive customization through extensions, snippets, and commands. Some of my favorite features include:
Quick Calculations: The built-in calculator handles both simple math and conversions, copying results to clipboard automatically
Custom Aliases: Create shortcuts like "TL" for today's note link or "DND" to toggle Do Not Disturb
Keyboard Shortcuts: Using Hyper Key (mapped to Caps Lock) for fast app switching
Useful Extensions: Color picker, Word count, Toggle menu bar, and integrations with apps like Typefully, Apple Notes, and Fantastical
The free version offers plenty of functionality, while Pro adds AI integration and cloud sync for settings. You can gradually incorporate Raycast into your workflow, starting with basic search and adding more advanced features as you become comfortable.
What productivity tools have revolutionized your Mac workflow lately?
Try Raycast for free using my affiliate link below (Pro version has a 14-day free trial with AI integration and cloud sync): https://raycast.com/?via=william-mclean
AI
Speaking of Raycast's capabilities, their latest AI extensions take functionality to another level.
What might seem like a gimmick at first, once you see what these extensions can do, you will be asking yourself “why didn’t I think of that?”
Which happens to be the ultimate test of if a feature is useful. If it is so dead simple and elegant that you are literally asking how has no one else done this?
Extensions can now be AI enabled, there is a great video on their channel that shows a number of examples. Two simple ones:
1. Google Calendar Integration:
• users can manage their schedules directly from Raycast using natural language commands, such as creating or viewing events without opening the Google Calendar app.
2. Custom Focus Categories:
• Users can create personalized focus groups to block specific apps or websites during work sessions, ensuring a distraction-free environment.
A new type of AI is here
“Auren is the most emotionally intelligent app in the world. Auren's mission is to improve the lives of millions of humans via healthy human<->AI symbiosis.” from the company’s twitter
This chatbot is unlike any other. You aren’t typing in long prompts like ChatGPT or getting a bunch of code out like Claude, but its natural conversation style really does make this into a truly personal experience.
Need a fitness coach, business partner or creative soundboard? Auren can do that.
Need a little bit of tough love? Auren’s secondary persona Seren can hop into the chat and get down to business.
It is still early days, I’ve been playing with it now for only about 48 hours but I can say it is unlike any other AI out there.
These types of innovations between Raycast AI extensions and Auren’s unique chat abilities are starting to form products that everyday people will use instead of large, complex models with varying input/output needs.
While we're discussing tech innovations, let's talk about Apple's recent hardware announcements.
News
New Apple Computers…kind of.
A new color for the Macbook Air and it gets the M4 chip.
The Mac Studio gets the M4 Max and M3 Ultra? Yeah, I don’t get it either. I am still using an M2 Max Mac Studio, last time I checked the benchmarks the M4 Max wasn’t that much better, definitely not better enough to justify buying a new machine.
I honestly thought they were going to leave the Mac Studio line to rot until the M5 chips came out and I would have been ok with that.
For folks still on an M1 Max chip in the Mac Studio then sure the M4 Max is a good upgrade, but I’d hardly call it necessary.
Tyler Stalman demonstrated this in his video comparing the new chips, workflows like noise reduction and film emulation in Davinci Resolve definitely take advantage of the additional power but it feels like that is a small niche.
Creator heartbeat
From professional workstations to everyday carry gear, I've been reconsidering my own tech setup lately.
I’m trying to take more photos with my camera and have been considering downsizing my photo camera.
I like the looks of the X100VI if you could get it, or the Leica Q3, if I could afford it.
I even thought about trading or selling my A7IV in and downsizing to the A7Cii, but even that seems unnecessary.
I think I’ve ended this whole thing back where I’ve started. Trying to figure out how to lug the A7IV around everywhere with me.
I’ve tried iPhone photography and it just doesn’t work well for me. With practice I’m sure I could get good, but I just don’t love the photos it takes and I don’t love the experience of using it as a camera, which I could not be more sure that those two things are connected.
So here we are, back to the old reliable, using the A7IV and for now carrying it in the Peter McKinnon Nomadic sling bag. I wish I could find a more streamlined solution, but it doesn’t fit that great in the back with the cage on and I am too picky to take the cage off, love that it doubles as a tripod plate and makes it easy to magic arm into place if I use it as a B cam for YouTube.
Running Stats
While I'm figuring out my camera situation, I wanted to share a content update that's been performing well.
The Forever Notes video from last week has been a solid 1 of 10 performer on YouTube.
The posts about it on Threads have gotten over 18,000 views as of writing this and the video has just hit 5,000 views!
Thanks to everyone who engages and found it interesting, if you have any questions about the system feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a note, I’d be happy to chat!
Video link:
Pulse Check
As we look at content performance, here's what's coming up next for us.
What’s next
For Perspective - Subscription Fatigue
What’s in my Raycast?
USB-C Airpods Max - Expensive? Great?