Project Hail Mary and Lego fun

You get dropped right into geek therapy this week as you bounce from cult-favorite movies to Pixar shorts, then straight into practical Mac and iOS wins. You learn how to use the twenty-minute rule to bail on bad movies guilt-free, long-press your iPhone’s brightness to reveal Dark Mode and other hidden controls, and turn Live Listen into your stealth superpower for staying connected in noisy rooms. You also tighten up your iOS workflow by wrangling multiple photos, files, and links at once, and even rethink how often you actually need to say “Hey” to your devices. Don’t Get Caught missing the little system tweaks that make your Apple gear feel brand new again.

From there, you dig into real-world listener problems and come away with a cleaner network, a smarter Mac, and a more resilient data setup. You troubleshoot eerie eero behavior and learn how to coax stubborn 2.4 GHz-only devices onto your Wi-Fi, then set your Mac to auto-launch apps on wake with tools like Keyboard Maestro and Advanced SleepWatcher. You untangle VPN weirdness, then go full NAS-ty with guidance on migrating to a new Synology and choosing the right model using MGG’s comparison as your roadmap.

You wrap it all with Cool Stuff Found: Setapp’s new plans, rock-solid MailBackupX, US Mobile for nerdy cellular control, ForeverNotes for wrangling your brain, Titanium Software utilities, AppleCare+ plus Apple One savings, and TP-Link’s Wi-Fi Toolkit turning your iPhone or iPad into a pocket network analyzer.

• 00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1133 for Monday, March 16th, 2026
  • March 16th: Robert Goddard Day
  • MGG Monthly Giveaway – Enter to win a copy of SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba!
  • Congrats to February’s winners!
  • The MGG Merch Store is Live!
• 00:03:39 Movie Reviews and Ratings
  • RocketMan with Harland Williams
  • Hoppers from Pixar
  • Twenty Minute Rule for Movies
  • Project Hail Mary Lego
• Quick Tips
  • 00:00:01 Si-QT-Long press brightness to toggle Dark Mode and more
  • 00:09:17 Joel-QT-Use Live Listen to stay in touch
  • 00:11:25 Pilot Pete-QT-Multiple Photos, Files, Links handling in iOS
  • 00:15:55 Do you still say Hey?
• Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
  • 00:19:30 Larry-Eerie things going on with the Eero
  • 00:29:04 Setting up eero for 2.4GHz devices
  • 00:31:32 Father John-How can I launch an app when my Mac wakes up?
    • Desktop Icon Manager
  • Advanced SleepWatcher for macOS
  • 00:38:04 Michael-Why US VPN issues?
  • 00:41:05 Revelations During Geek Therapy
• Sponsors
  • 00:47:38 SPONSOR: Pocket Hose. For a limited time, you can get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Just text MGG to 64000.
  • 00:49:10 SPONSOR: Sundays for Dogs. Every bite of Sundays is clean and made from real meat, fruits, and veggies, with no kibble. Stanley loves it! Go right now to sundaysfordogs.com/MGG50 and get 50% off your first order. Or, you can use code MGG50 at checkout.
  • 00:50:43 SPONSOR: Tempo. For a limited time, Tempo is offering my listeners SIXTY PERCENT OFF your first box! Go to TempoMeals.com/MGG.
• Gettin’ NAS-ty
  • 00:51:58 Patrick-How do I migrate my data to a new Synology?
  • 01:00:47 Mike-Which Synology NAS should I buy?
    • Comparing MGG-focused Synology NAS
• Cool Stuff Found
  • 01:09:35 CSEvolved-Setapp adds new single-app purchase and subscription plans
  • 01:12:07 Mark-CSF-MailBackupX to backup your Mail
  • 01:13:01 Tony-CSF-US Mobile is built for nerds (Tony’s Referral Code: 6B9EAD23)
  • 01:14:32 bbwerner on Threads-CSF-ForeverNotes for getting your notes in order
  • 01:15:28 Niceville Steve-CSF-Titanium Software Utilities other than OnyX
  • 01:16:41 Use AppleCare+ with Apple One to get bulk savings on AppleCare+
  • 01:20:21 CSF-Wi-Fi Toolkit from TP-Link for iPhone and iPad
• 01:21:24 MGG 1133 Outtro
  • MGG Monthly Giveaway
  • 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
  • MGG Merch is Available!
  • Mac Geek Gab iOS app
  • Mac Geek Gab YouTube Page
  • Mac Geek Gab Live Calendar
  • This Week’s MGG Premium Contributors
  • MGG Apple Podcasts Reviews
  • feedback@macgeekgab.com
  • 224-888-GEEK
  • Active MGG Sponsors and Coupon Codes List
  • BackBeat Media Podcast Network