Mac Power Users 843: Bear and Glass Teaches Keyboard Control
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Apr 5, 2026 
Brett Terpstra, Mac developer and automation expert, and Christopher Gamblée-Wallendjack, Apple consultant and Bear & Glass co-founder, dive into human-focused Mac automation. They chat about all-keyboard workflows, Hyper key setups, search-driven clicking, hidden macOS key bindings, and tools like Marked, BlogBook, Bloom, and HandBrake.
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Brett Built His Workflow Around An Extreme Keyboard
- Brett Terpstra uses a split Ultimate Hacking Keyboard with thumb modules, tenting, and modifier layers to keep his hands planted.
- He also balances it with the MacBook keyboard because dysautonomic symptoms and stairs sometimes keep him working upstairs.
Shortcut Layers Scale Better Than More Single Hotkeys
- When shortcut space fills up, layered tools like LaunchBar, LeaderKey, and conflict palettes scale better than memorizing endless single-key combos.
- Brett Terpstra says he is effectively at keyboard-shortcut max, so sequence-driven launchers now carry more of the load.
macOS Still Hides Deep Native Keybinding Power
- macOS has long supported custom text key sequences through DefaultKeyBinding.dict, letting power users add editing commands without extra apps.
- Brett Terpstra uses multi-key combos to transform selected text, while David Sparks notes the same ideas work even on built-in Apple keyboards.