NICKSLOAN  Yes, thanks for the suggestion Michaels, KM probably is the nearest thing, and I loved its predecessor Program Switcher in OS9, but for me KM comes with a ton of redundancy, I can't get app exclusions to work properly, and it doesn't offer useful little touches like Show in Finder or the ability to drag files onto app icons to open.  
(Version 2.6)

NICKSLOAN  Who can say what lies behind the disappearance of Proteron? There could be any number of reasons, but they leave two exceptional apps marooned. I wish that somebody would pass on the code for LiteSwitch and Maxmenus to another developer—or even that someone would pick up the same concept (particularly for LiteSwitch) and run with it. The idea of a simple keyboard-controlled switcher of running apps, that supports exclusions and interactions, is too good to die. Witch could fill the role with a few tweaks, but as of now there is no viable replacement for LiteSwitch.  
(Version 2.6)

NICKSLOAN  Zooom is unquestionably best-of-class in the window moving/resizing field. MondoMouse is good, MaxiMice and Window Dragon were good, MercuryMover is very good (and a useful companion app, with plenty of added value), but for flexibility, sophistication and elegance, Zooom is way out in front to my mind.  
(Version 2.2.7)

NICKSLOAN  Ok, better late then never.

So far as I know, MagiSign provides the only way to drive a cutter-plotter directly from Illustrator on a Mac. And it works, simply and beautifully. I have been using it for years, through many versions of AI and OS X. Sometimes it takes a little while to be updated, and currently there seem to be issues with the PPC version of the Leopard driver, but generally it is good.

If you use Illustrator for design, and if you need to output to a cutter-plotter, then the chances are that you are doing both professionally, in which case the price, though high, is not so much of an issue. It is a huge advantage to be able to cut directly from AI without having to use a bridging app.

Installation is a little tricky, especially if you are having to use a serial adapter to connect to your cutter: you have to follow the instructions to the letter, but once correctly installed, MagiSign is accessed as a palette in AI, and sending a job to cut is as simple as printing, with plenty of flexibility in terms of orientation, scale, offsets etc. It is worth noting that you will need a spare USB port for the hardware key.

I am a little puzzled as to why there is not more up-to-date information on the NCS website, which often fails to show the latest version, but an email to the developer (info@magisign.com) is all it takes. There are in fact specific versions up to Leopard/CS4, though possibly not demo versions, which may explain why the last version listed here is over 3 years old.  
(Version 1.9.3)

NICKSLOAN  WhoPaste attempts the impossible, and largely succeeds. It aspires to take any text from the clipboard, analyse it, identify any name/address/phone data, allocate that to the relevant fields and create a record in the Address Book database. (or Entourage/Google)

The klunkiness of Address Book’s own editing interface, and the global availability of WhoPaste makes this an extremely useful trick, but it’s a tall order: parsing relatively predictable US addresses is one thing, making sense of very variable UK data is quite another. Yet over recent versions WP has leaped ahead in it’s fine-tuneability, and the ease with which data can be edited in the WP dialog before being sent off to Address Book.

WhoPaste is not perfect, and by its nature it probably never can be, though it is improving all the time. It could certainly do with some documentation on the far-from-simple preferences, but it is a very effective tool which I shall be keeping in my menu bar.  
(Version 3.0.2)

NICKSLOAN  Even in beta this is proving to be an extremely efficient app that serves well for the bulk of straightforward searches, both filename and content. One or two features still need to be refined or added: easier addition/removal of source folders, the path trail in the footer should be clickable, and the addition of previews to the info pane would be nice, but it already performs searches very quickly and reliably.

For more sophisticated metadata searches, HoudahSpot offers more, and since DataLore is reliant on the Spotlight database, there is still a need for apps like the excellent Find File and Find Any File for fully exhaustive filename searches, but for most day-to-day searches DataLore looks like becoming the benchmark for a balance of simplicity, speed and flexibility.  
(Version 0.91b)

NICKSLOAN  Forgot the rating below!  
(Version 1.8)

NICKSLOAN  SnapMeasure represents not only a massive improvement on Illustrator's native measure tool (no more peering in the info palette to see results, no more guessing when the cursor is just over a path) but it adds a raft of incredibly useful features which you can turn on or off as needed: readouts for radius at any point along a curve, measurement along a path, path direction. You can even measure to scale in a wide choice of units. The developers have been kind enough to implement (and improve on) some of my suggestions, so to that extent I am an interested party, but I'm connected in no other way to Nineblock: just a very satisfied user who would now find Illustrator unuseable without their products.  
(Version 1.8)

NICKSLOAN  Actually I quite welcome the new icon. It's not that close to the Incredibles, and the old one was certainly very lame.

More to the point, some of the new features look excellent. Very glad to see this app getting attention.  
(Version 4.0b (62))

NICKSLOAN  The Mac is well served for outliners, from the elaborate Circus Ponies Notebook and OmniOutliner Pro to the sleek Opal and the minimal Deep Notes. Tree is close to the minimal end, but it has a unique trick up its sleeve in “tree view”, in which all or some of the topics can extend horizontally rather than vertically. It also has all the basic outlining features plus customizable labels and background colour, but only global text styling.

There is a lot to be said for a spare and efficient outliner, but I have to agree with other reviewers that $40+ is a lot to pay, when Opal can be had for less, and Deep Notes for free. A shame, because it’s a tool that deserves to succeed, and might do well at half the price.  
(Version 1.3.2)

NICKSLOAN  This is the most interesting fish to swim into this crowded pool in a long time. It has all the essential features for efficient job timing, but with none of the redundancy (invoicing etc) that is simply bloat if you don’t need it.

myMacTime differs from most of the advanced work timers by keeping a separate document for each project. This has advantages and disadvantages. It makes the interface simpler in some ways, enables you to store the timing data in Finder project folders (or wherever you like), and makes concurrent timings across projects possible. Sessions and tasks can be organised and reorganised very easily in hierarchical lists in the LH pane of each project window. It does not however (yet) provide a centralised interface from which to control all your project timings—unless they are still in the Recents submenu.

The interface is very intuitive and Mac-like, most things can be controlled from the (optional) status item or using customisable shortcuts, and there is a useful option for the project windows to auto-hide, so that the app stays out of your way most of the time. There is even support for stopping and starting timings using the Apple remote.

There is exemplary implementation of drag and drop, within projects, between projects and even to external apps. One or two things are missing in version 1: the status item does not indicate whether or not a timing is running (though the dock icon does), iCal synch is only one-way (export from mMT) and there is no provision for adding expenses to the lists, but the developer is extremely responsive, and plans to add all these features, and more, in coming versions.

All in all, very well thought out and well designed app with a promising future.  
(Version 1.0)

NICKSLOAN  Try converting it with Amnesty Singles.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/22226/amnesty-singles  
(Version 1.1)

NICKSLOAN  Seems to be Intel-only so far.  
(Version 1.0)

NICKSLOAN  This is a very-well designed and flexible timer, which does a lot of useful things with the minimum of fuss. The developer is also extremely responsive. There are quite a few alternative timers out there (Minuteur is another favourite) but this scores very high for its clean intuitive interface, and the best implementation of a digital stopwatch I have seen.

Thank you.  
(Version 2.2)

NICKSLOAN  Why make it a widget? Some of us hate widgets.  
(Version 2.0)

NICKSLOAN  One thing I would add is that when people have paid $279 for the AI plug-in (or $149 to upgrade), to sting them $89 for 134 pattern swatches and $359 for a complete library of symbols seems very mean when such resources are included with comparably priced CAD apps.  
(Version 6.0)

NICKSLOAN  Fairly serious money, but does what it does well. For Illustrator users it makes a lot of sense to stick with the drawing environment you know. Seems to run very solid in CS4.  
(Version 6.0)

NICKSLOAN  For those who much prefer classic labels to the garish X versions, and have been waiting interminably for Unsanity to update Labels X, iconXprit could be the answer. It can colorize icons from a custom list or any free colour via a contextual menu.

In fact, though it takes a bit more setting up, iconXprit exceeds the capabilities of Labels X in several important respects: colours can be mapped to keyboard shortcuts, there is no seven colour limit, and you can still use Finder labels alongside icon colours (for those occasions when an in-your-face banner is what you really want).

And colorizing icons is only a part of what iconXprit can do: it can also apply text, copy and paste custom icons, apply from an archive, and more.

Early versions were a bit buggy, but the current version seems stable enough for me (G5, Leopard)—and it does not use APE.  
(Version 1.2.1)

NICKSLOAN  I think this guy deserves a bit more of a pat on the back for a sleek piece of freeware. In answer to Semioticmonkey's question, what SoCal does is to put up a menubar menu in which all iCal tasks are listed, by calendar and in a flat list. Most of the metadata can be edited from the menu, and tasks can be opened in iCal for editing of text and due dates. This represents an efficient way to view and interact with tasks. If they could be created and edited from within SoCal, that would be even better.  
(Version 0.5+)

NICKSLOAN  Actually, the superior searching in GyazMail was one of several reasons that I switched from Mail (on Tiger). It seemed to me a lot more predictable and comprehensive than in Mail --at least when searching emails exclusively. I miss the global integration of Mail, but whenever I consider switching back the solidity and customisability of Gyaz stop me in my tracks.  
(Version 1.5.8)

NICKSLOAN  Very flexible and effective tool for searching iCal and making batch changes to events. Quick response from the developer when I reported a problem with date formatting. Altogether a nice bit of software to have and to use.  
(Version 1.2)

NICKSLOAN  Same here.  
(Version 1.6.5)