The 2025 MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide #6 kicks off with a lively mix of community banter and practical tech recommendations by Bart Busschots, Kirschen Seah, Mike Burke, and Chuck Joiner. Picks include a rechargeable wallet tracker, travel-friendly guided tour apps, sustainable coffee gear, foldable keyboards, a compact control surface, a powerful dictation tool, and pro-level video-switching software, each reflecting the interests of the panel members. (Part 1)

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Show Notes:

Chapters:

[0:00] Gift Guide introduction [0:32] Panel welcome and format overview [1:55] Meeting the guests and holiday camaraderie [4:42] First pick: Chipolo rechargeable wallet card [7:40] Second pick: GuideAlong offline narrated travel tours [11:27] Third pick: OXO Quick Brew coffee device [18:26] Fourth pick: ProtoArc foldable Bluetooth keyboard [21:05] Sponsor message: CleanMyMac holiday edition [23:00] Fifth pick: Stream Deck Neo compact controller [25:55] Sixth pick: MacWhisper dictation and transcription [30:20] Seventh pick: Thule bike rack engineering [34:20] Eighth pick: Switcher Studio iPad-based video switching [38:39] Closing and support information

Links:

Kirschen Seah

Chipolo CARD - Rechargeable wallet tracker card, Bluetooth tracker, item locator, passport finder compatible with Apple Find My or Find Hub https://amzn.to/44YRvMT

Elgato Stream Deck Neo – 8 Customizable Keys, 2 Touch Points https://amzn.to/4oLtNuN

RoadID Apple Watch ID https://www.roadid.com/products/apple-sidekick-stainless-sport-id

Optional IDProfile https://idprofile.com

AirFly SE from 12South https://amzn.to/44PutrL

Mike Burke:

GuideAlong http://guidealong.com

MacWhisper Pro https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whisper-transcription/id1668083311

"The Holding It Together" Bundle

Gaffers Tape (2" x 30 Yards) Strong Hold, Easy to Rip, Residue-Free Professional Grade Floor Tape for Electrical Cords, Matte Finish Non Reflective, Weather Resistant https://amzn.to/48N5Xc1

BongoTies Original Bongo Ties A5-01 - 10 Pack ~ Professional cable ties made of natural rubber and bamboo https://amzn.to/44hxLUA

Paracord Planet 550lb Paracord – 7 Strand Type III Tactical Parachute Cord https://amzn.to/3XMKbjA

SOOOEC 100 Pack Reusable Zip Ties Assorted Sizes 6+8+10+12 Inch https://amzn.to/3XK5l1U

Peak Design Tech Pouch https://amzn.to/3KB1Ho4

Bart Busschots:

OXO Brew Rapid Brewer - Portable Coffee Maker https://amzn.to/3MssIKQ

OXO Good Grips Silicone Reusable Bags – 4 Piece Lunch Set https://amzn.to/48Q72A2

Thule EuroWay G2 920 Bike Rack for car https://amzn.to/4aAUxKT

Peak Design Roller Pro Carry-On https://amzn.to/3MybICR

Lego Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/star-trek-u-s-s-enterprise-ncc-1701-d-10356

Brick Popper - World's Fastest Separator Tool - Efficient Remover for Kids and Adults https://amzn.to/4ac82Rj

Chuck Joiner:

ProtoArc Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard, XK01 Folding Wireless Portable Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Full-Size Travel Keyboards for iPad Tablet Smartphone Laptop https://amzn.to/4oMWgjU

Switcher Studio https://www.switcherstudio.com

OWC 2TB Express 1M2 40Gb/s Portable NVMe SSD USB4 (Thunderbolt Compatible/USB-C) Ultra Fast External SSD Drive https://amzn.to/4aFqFNv

Lexar 2TB ES5 Magnetic External SSD, Up to 2000MB/s, Compatible w/MagSafe https://amzn.to/3XKz1Mo

Guests:

Mike Burke is a corporate technical trainer and automation enthusiast who specializes in creating structured systems that blend productivity techniques with practical technology solutions. Drawing on his background as a former high school science teacher, Mike brings a methodical, educational approach to complex technical concepts.

Through his blog and YouTube channel, he shares insights on macOS automation technologies including Keyboard Maestro, AppleScript, and shell scripting. Mike is passionate about the concept of "digital mise en place" — creating thoughtfully organized digital environments that eliminate friction and support creative work.

When not exploring new automation techniques, Mike can be found documenting his family's quest to visit all U.S. National Parks. His web site is TheMikeBurke.com.

By day, Bart Busschots is a Linux sysadmin, cyber security expert, and Perl programmer, as well a keen amateur photographer when ever he gets the time. Bart hosts and produces the Let's Talk podcast series - a monthly Apple show that takes a big-picture look at the last month in Apple news, and a monthly photography show focusing on the art and craft of photography. Every second week Bart is the guest for the Chit Chat Across the Pond segment on Allison Sheridan's NosillaCast. You can get links to everything Bart gets up including a link to his photography and his personal blog.

Kirschen Seah's background is Computer Sciences with interests in Software Engineering, User Experience, and Mac OS X / iPhone OS development. She started programming with BASIC in 1978 on an Apple ][ and have over 30 years of experience in the field.

Kirschen worked on OPENSTEP (precursor to Mac OS X Cocoa) graphical prototyping applications initially when she joined Rockwell Collins (now Collins Aerospace) in 1999, and was a Senior Principal Systems Engineer in the Flight Management Systems department focussed on the user interface for pilot interaction. Prior to joining Rockwell Collins Kirschen worked at Acuity (formerly ichat) developing interactive user interfaces for live chat customer service agents.

Now retired, there's now more time to share technical insights on her blog, develop useful scripts (Python, shell), and write Shortcuts. Kirschen is really motivated to share her experience to help fellow software practitioners develop better skills – be that in good design, implementation, or computer science fundamentals. Find her at FreeRangeCoder.com.