Archive for the ‘Mac’ Category
Using Commentaries in Digital vs. Print Format
Brian Tabb recently reviewed the Anchor Yale Bible Commentary series in digital format (from Accordance Bible Software) for Themelios. In the review he posts some comments about the advantages of using digital commentaries instead of in print format:
There are several advantages to owning the Anchor Yale Bible commentary series digitally on Accordance (see further the review of Accordance 10 Ultimate Collection in Themelios 38.3 [2013]: 453–55). First, on Accordance, the 87-volume set costs roughly one third of what it does in print—$1,499 versus $4,458. The Accordance version also retails for nearly $500 less than the same commentaries on Logos (reviewed in Themelios 34 [2009]: 226–27). Second, the Accordance set is compact and portable, unlike its print counterpart. The print volumes take up approximately eleven feet of shelf space, and it is challenging to fit more than one or two in a backpack or briefcase. In contrast, Accordance users may access this massive collection anywhere on Mac, Windows, iPad, and iPhone. Third, Accordance digital commentaries offer enhanced usability over print commentaries. Users may type in a Scripture reference to instantly navigate to the relevant translation and commentary. Additional search options include title (key words in a book title or section heading); English content; Scripture (references anywhere in the commentary body); Greek/Hebrew content; transliteration; translation; manuscripts; bibliography; authors; captions (for maps, illustrations, and tables); and page numbers. For example, a search for the translation “rectify” yields sixteen instances where J. L. Martyn distinctively renders δικαιόω and related terms in his Galatians commentary. A bibliography search indicates that eighteen of the twenty-six NT volumes cite Joseph Fitzmyer, while only one (Romans) refers to G. K. Beale. Caption searches for Palestine or Jerusalem lead users to relevant maps (Mark 1–8, ix; Acts, 190) that would be difficult to find going volume by volume with the print edition. Users may also create a custom group of commentaries to enable a single search within that group for a particular Scripture or keyword. This allows the pastor preparing a sermon or the student working on an exegesis paper to locate the most relevant pages in his favorite commentaries with one simple yet powerful search.
Read the rest for the full review: Themelios | Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries: Old Testament, Apocrypha, and New Testament
Academic workflows on a Mac
Over at the Macademic blog there is a list of good software on the Mac that is particularly useful for academics, teaching, writing, etc. I’ve used most of the software on this list (or at least experimented with a lot of them), but everyone’s workflow is different. Some of these will only frustrate your writing experience, especially if you’re diving into a big project like a dissertation that has unparalleled citation and formatting demands. So tread lightly and don’t make an impulse purchase, if that is your temptation. When I began writing my dissertation I had hoped to use something other than Microsoft Word, but I quickly found out that other applications would be unacceptable for submission. I wrote my prospectus in Scrivener, but I had to spend a couple of days after it was completed just converting the file into a .doc for review. That process was a real pain, particularly with in-text citations and footnotes. The writing experience in Scrivener is excellent, however, just not suitable for the parameters of a dissertation.
What software do I really need for academic work on Mac? | Academic workflows on a Mac
A. General tools
LaunchBar – a launcher and an automator (€24) /alt: Alfred, check here for comparison
TextExpander* – Mac typing shortcut utility (€35)
1Password* – password, identities and other sensitive information management (€40)
Dropbox* – file sharing (free) /alt: Box
B. File and e-mail organizing and managementHazel – file management automator, indispensable for managing reference files (€20)
Papers – managing scientific articles, also used for annotation, citation and bibliographies in writing (see D); check Macademic reviews (€60) /alt: Sente, Bookends
Foxtrot – a professional search engine; “goodbye haystack, hello needle!” ($40 or $130 for the professional version) /alt: Leap, DevonThink, HoudahSpot
MailTags – tagging mail messages in Apple Mail ($30)
Mail Act-On – processing and organizing email with keyboard shortcuts in Apple Mail ($25)
C. Calendar, task and project managementFantastical* – natural language calendaring, part of the Macademic Ninja Kit (€16)
BusyCal – professional calendar management (€40) /alt: Mac’s native Calendar
OmniOutliner* – outlining for brainstorming and project planning; also used for writing outlines (see D) ($50 or $100 for professional version) /alt: MindNote
OmniFocus* – unparalleled task management app extensively reviewed on Macademic; however tempting it is, don’t try to put all your life in there! ($40 or $80 for the professional version /alt: Things, TheHitList, TaskPaper
D. Note-taking, research and writingNValt – plain text and markdown no-frills note-taking (free) /many alternatives
Evernote* – capturing text notes, documents, images, photos and screenshots and sharing them including on iOS devices (free with some paid features)
Ulysses – a rapidly evolving software for taking and organizing notes using searches, tags and folders; I use it extensively for teaching (€37) /many alternatives
OmniOutliner* – writing outlines, also used for project management (see C) ($50 or $99 for the professional version) /many alternatives
Byword* – simple and efficient text and markdown editor for Mac (€8) /many alternatives
Scrivener – writing software, especially suitable for theses and other complex texts ($45)
Pages* – Apple native word processor producing beautifully formatted documents, features sharing through iCloud (free with OS X) /alt: Mellel, Nisus
Microsoft Word for Mac – very powerful word processor, a standard for many publishers and in the Windows world, sometimes irreplaceable but should not be over- or misused (various pricing models) /alt: Mellel, Nisus
Papers – citation and bibliography management, article annotation, also used for managing scientific articles (see B) (€59) /alt: Sente, Bookends, EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero
E. Data processing, presentation and graphic design
Microsoft Excel for Mac – an extremely powerful electronic spreadsheet (various pricing models) /alt: Numbers
OmniGraffle – vector graphic software for diagrams and other illustrations ($100 or $200 for the professional version) /alt: Adobe Illustrator, iDraw
Keynote* – the most powerful presentation software with amazing possibilities (free with OS X) /alt: Microsoft Powerpoint, Prezi
PDFPen – editing pdf files ($60, $100 for the professional version) /alt: Adobe Acrobat
Tip on How to Replace Hyphens with En Dashes in MS Word
Recently I was looking over a paper I had written for a seminary class which conformed to the SBTS Style Manual. This manual is unique to SBTS and is loosely based off of the Chicago Style Manuel (Turabian). But I wanted to submit this paper to a journal, and nearly every biblical studies journal requires SBL Style, also similar to Chicago style but much different from the SBTS style. One difference, for instance, is that SBL style requires en dashes between numerals (Gen 3:14–19) while SBTS style allows for simply hyphens between numbers (Gen 3:14-19). It’s a very small difference, but I guess editors are different people.
So who wants to go through an entire research paper and change all hyphens to en dashes?! I don’t, so after two minutes of googling I found this quick solution for those who use MS Word on a PC or Mac (I happily fall into the latter category):
- Go to “Edit” and click on “Find” or “Find and Replace” (or just Ctrl + “F” or Cmd + “F”)
- Click on the “Replace” tab
- In the “Find what” field type ([0-9])-([0-9])
- In the “Replace with” field type \1–\2 (notice the en dash in between, not a hyphen)
- Select “Use wildcards”
- Click “Replace All”
And there you have it. If you run this script all hyphens between numerals will be replaced with en dashes. If you have hyphens between words they will remain the same. Saved me a bunch of time. Might be helpful for others. Thanks to Phil Gons for the help.
Customize Your Mac Desktop
Whenever I get a new computer I spend some time customizing the desktop to fit my needs and preferences. So when I recently got a new Mac for my office (thank you UofL), I added some additional features and changed a few icons. All of this is very easy to do. If you like the way mine looks I’ve provided instructions below:
Since I have the date and time on the desktop I don’t need them in the Mac menu bar, usually on the top right. These two features are live and operated by a program called Geek Tool, which is a free app in the Mac App store and which is easy to use. Mine is in Helvetica font.
The desktop image can be found here.
Instructions for setup can be found here.
I found the .Mail, Chrome, and Safari icons by doing a simple image search on Google. I personally hate the default icons for these apps, and these are more appealing to me.
In my dock I also have the Reeder app, which has a great interface for reading blogs from your Google Reader. I’ve been using it for a long time and have no complaints. I also have Accordance software for Bible study and 1Password for managing the 50+ passwords I have online.
Enjoy!
Josh Philpot 