Mac Geek Gab — Apple Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

Polka On a Flatbed

Oct 27, 2025

Discover quick tips for macOS, from alphabetized settings to efficient Spotlight searches. Learn how Apple and Google Maps enhance navigation with smart intersection awareness. Explore accessibility features, like eye control and full voice navigation on iOS and macOS. Get answers to listener questions about fixing calendar sync issues and managing Mail quirks. Plus, check out intriguing gear picks, including a handy vacuum and a smart door lock, all wrapped in a humorous story about polka on a flatbed!

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ADVICE

Fix Unresponsive Built-In Apps

If a built-in app like Books is unresponsive, try deleting and reinstalling it first.
If problems persist, consider a hard restart or joining the beta only if comfortable with betas.

ANECDOTE

Quick Keep-Only Text Trick

Dave suggests copying the text you want to keep, selecting all, then pasting to delete the rest.
Robert confirmed and planned a Keyboard Maestro macro to run it with one keystroke.

ADVICE

Manage Browser Tabs Fast

Right-click a Safari tab and choose Close Other Tabs, or use Command-Option-W to close all but the current tab.
Reopen closed tabs with Command-Shift-T or Edit > Reopen Last Closed Tab.

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Polka On a Flatbed — Mac Geek Gab 1113 episode image

This week, you roll right into another round of Quick Tips, laughs, and lessons learned with Dave, Pilot Pete, and Adam! From macOS Tahoe’s alphabetized Settings to Spotlight searching everything—including those hidden menus—you’ll uncover new tricks that keep your Mac life humming. The crew digs into Apple and Google Maps’ smart intersection awareness, shares shortcuts to open Terminal right where you are in Finder, and explores accessibility superpowers like controlling your screen with your eyes and using full voice control across macOS and iOS.

Of course, there’s time for listener questions, from fixing calendar syncs and Mail zoom quirks to selecting inverse text the geeky way. You’ll even get their latest Gear Picks, like the Scosche ScoVac mini vac, Sifely smart door lock, and Matias Tactile Pro keyboard—all topped off with a detour into absurdity: Polka on a Flatbed. Stay sharp, have fun, and as always—Don’t Get Caught!

00:00:00 Mac Geek Gab 1113 for Monday, October 27th, 2025
- October 27th: National American Beer Day
- MGG Monthly Giveaway – Your license to PowerPhotos!
- The MGG Merch Store is Live!
Quick Tips
- 00:00:01 Bill-QT-macOS Tahoe Settings in Alphabetical Order
- 00:03:30 Spotlight searches Settings, too
- 00:05:47 A welcomed detour for some love for the show…and all of you!
- 00:07:39 TheDaveAbides-QT-Apple and Google Maps understand intersections
  - Fantastical’s “magic” parsing of text
- 00:09:51 Polka On a Flatbed
- 00:11:58 David-QT-Open Terminal To The Folder Path You’re in, in Finder
- 00:12:58 In Finder Copy Pathname to Clipboard
- 00:17:52 Harvey-QT-Enhancing Assistive Touch
- 00:20:57 Accessibility-Control the screen with your eyes
  - forScore app
- 00:24:30 Using full voice control on macOS and iOS
- 00:25:32 Barb-QT-1111-Bluetooth Menu Bar item shows Mouse Battery Percentage
Sponsors
- 00:26:30 SPONSOR: Framer. Ready to design, iterate, and publish all in one tool? Start creating for free at Framer.com/design, and use code MGG for a free month of Framer Pro.
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Your Questions Answered and Tips Shared!
- 00:30:00 Mark-My Books App Won’t Launch, how can I resolve this?
- 00:38:22 Robert-How do I select the inverse of my selected text?
- 00:40:55 QT-Close other tabs in your browser
- 00:41:43 QT-Command-Shift-T Reopens Last Closed
- 00:43:22 Fist shake about mis-interpreted clicks, taps, and keystrokes!
- 00:45:24 Peter-How to change the zoom level when composing in macOS Mail.app?
- 00:50:44 Scott-How do I fix calendar syncing?
- 00:55:00 The AWS East-Coast Outage
Sponsors
- 00:56:23 SPONSOR: PAKA makes performance apparel from sustainable alpaca fiber, softer than cashmere, warmer than wool. To grab your PAKA hoodie and free pair of alpaca crew socks, head to PAKAapparel.com/MGG and use code MGG.
Gift Guide
- 00:57:57 Pete-GG-Scosche ScoVac 4 in 1 Mini Vac & Duster $69.99 (with the $10 coupon)
- 01:00:07 Dave-GG-Sifely Fingerprint Smart door lock
- 01:07:35 Adam-GG-iFixit Essential Electronics Toolkit
- 01:10:17 Dave-GG-Matias Tactile Pro Keyboard for Mac
- 01:12:00 The Severance Keyboard
01:15:17 MGG 1113 Outtro
- MGG Monthly Giveaway
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- MOAR Geeks
  - 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!
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