Tag Archive for: hazel

A Hazel Rule for Getting TV Shows Into Plex

I remember binge-watching Smallville via DVDs that Netflix sent to me in the mail. I would watch four episodes in a row, then mail back the DVD and wait days for the next one to arrive so I could get the next four episodes. When streaming arrived, it was a miracle!

Sadly, a miracle that was too good for this world. Streaming has been on a steady decline for the past several years, while prices seem to increase more frequently than new seasons of hit shows are released. Streaming has turned into cable TV, and the magic is gone.

That is until I found Plex. Check out my original Plex post for more details about setting up a Plex server.

Read more

My Triumvirate of Mac Automation Technology

This image is an illustration depicting a young man working on a laptop at a desk. The setting appears to be a cozy home office with a bookshelf, plants, and a window allowing natural light. The perspective is as if looking into a room through an open window, creating a sense of depth. The color palette is warm with earth tones, and the style is clean and modern with a graphic quality.

I have been an avid Mac and iOS automator for a little more than five years. It has, and continues to be, a positive influence on my personal and professional life, as well as a fun hobby.

However, it can be a tricky world to navigate for novices. Coincidently, I got interested in automation just as The Automators podcast was getting started, so it felt like I was being shepherded by the hosts. If you have the time and inclination, I encourage you to check it out from episode one.

In lieu of that, here is an overview of the Mac automation technology I use every day. There are plenty of other valid combinations and tools out there, but this set of tech is irreplaceable for me.

Read more

Letter of Recommendation Automation

Octobers are busy for me. Not only are there a ton of fall family adventures, but several annual school projects are active in the time of pumpkin-flavored beers as well.

Additionally, I get inundated with requests from students for letters of recommendation.

This post has resources to help you automate tedious (but important) tasks; so you can focus on what matters and what you have to do.

Read more

A Hazel Rule to Delete Old Archives

While on a walk today, I realized that I could create a Hazel rule to prevent one of my backup drives from filling up unnecessarily.

When I got home, I decided to make a screencast of me creating this rule. Here it is!

Read more

Creating an Automation Chain to Share Quizlet Progress with Students

As you can see from this post about using Google sheets to grade Quizlet progress, I have ingrained Quizlet into the infrastructure for my human body systems class. I am a massive fan of the automatic feedback and learning that happens with using Quizlet for this vocabulary instruction, and my students frequently comment about how helpful it is.

Read more