NC_2026_07_08

Description:
In this episode, we talk about preparing for an upcoming MacStock presentation on spreadsheet techniques across Excel, Numbers, and Google Sheets. We describe how the talk is being organized with a mind map, then refined into concise notes and a set of demo files for each app. We also explain the challenge of fitting several spreadsheet concepts into a single session and the need to keep the material flexible in case questions or timing change the plan.

We cover the specific spreadsheet topics we expect to include, such as fill down, absolute and relative references, named cells, custom formatting, concatenate, VLOOKUP, transpose, and possibly drop-down menus. We also discuss a pivot table experiment using U.S. baby name data, including a large CSV file that exceeded Excel’s row limit. That led us to sort the data and trim it so the file could be used in the presentation, and we note a few observations from the pivot tables about common names and names based on days and months.

We also talk about the practical setup needed for presenting in a bright ballroom, including screen visibility, custom display resolutions, and arranging different apps in separate Spaces with custom desktop backgrounds. We explain how we used Better Display and Moom to manage resolutions and window placement, and how we considered different ways to make notes portable between a MacBook Pro and an iPad, including Bike Outliner, PDF, Apple Books, and other file-sharing options.

Later, we review the Cookie app for managing browser cookies and related website data. We explain how it can preserve selected sites while automatically removing tracking cookies, cache, history, and other stored data in Safari and other browsers. We also discuss its browser-specific controls, automatic cleanup settings, and its usefulness for reducing the time spent managing website data manually.

Finally, we speak with Darren Altman about his app Talk For Me, which he built after losing his speech due to a variant of ALS. We discuss how the app uses custom phrase buttons, a phrase library, punctuation-aware speech, voice shortcuts, karaoke-style word highlighting, and syncing or backup options. We also talk about its accessibility work, future plans for a Mac version, and the role of AI tools in coding.

Chapters:
00:00:00 NC_2026_07_08
00:00:42 Bad Idea for My Macstock Presentation? https://www.podfeet.com/blog/2026/07/spreadsheet-macstock-presentation/
00:19:43 The Cookie App: A Convenient Solution to Online Privacy — by Steve Davidson https://www.podfeet.com/blog/2026/07/cookie-online-privacy/
00:29:20 Support the Show https://podfeet.com/patreon
00:29:55 CCATP #838 — Darrin Altman on Talk for Me https://www.podfeet.com/blog/2026/07/ccatp-838/