Special Events
Kelly Guimont returns to The Road to Macstock Conference and Expo to talk about her session on practical, privacy-conscious home automation. Starting from zero, she will help attendees make informed choices and avoid feeling overwhelmed, with real-life examples and insights drawn from years of experience. She also shares why MacStock remains a favorite event—thanks to its community, connection, and even the karaoke.
The Road to Macstock and Macstock Conference and Expo takes us to Jill McKinley, who previews her upcoming talk on how Apple’s ecosystem helped her lose weight and build a healthier lifestyle. She will explain how the Apple Watch, Fitness+, and apps like MyNetDiary and Todoist make tracking effortless, with reminders and data centralization driving consistency. In typical Jill fashion, her session will guide attendees through the full range of Apple’s health tools with small, sustainable steps.
In a first for both The Road to Macstock and Macstock Conference and Expo itself, Marty Jencius and his son Will Jencius team up for a father-son presentation on travel tech, inspired by their podcast Gear Up and Go. They share how tech frustrations while traveling sparked the idea, how two generations bring different perspectives to gear choices, and what attendees can expect from their interactive, audience-involving session.
In this Road to Macstock Conference and Expo conversation we welcome longtime speaker Kirschen Seah to discuss her upcoming session, Passkeys Demystified. Kirschen explains the promise of passkeys as a more secure, user-friendly alternative to passwords, and why adoption has been slower than expected. She shares insights into how passkeys work using public key cryptography, addresses common concerns about biometric data, and outlines how password managers like Apple Keychain and 1Password integrate with the system. With real-world scenarios and practical examples, Kirschen aims to help attendees confidently adopt passkeys and understand the evolving standards behind them.
Mike Schmitz returns to the Road to Macstock Conference and Expo to discuss his session, “Think Different: Using AI as Your Creative Copilot.” He explains how he uses AI not to automate the end product, but to enhance the early stages of the creative process—particularly brainstorming and idea generation. By reframing “hallucinations” as sparks of inspiration, Mike shares how large language models help overcome creative bottlenecks, reduce friction, and support consistency without sacrificing originality. He also highlights specific tools that allow independent creators to scale their reach more effectively and thoughtfully.
Special Events
On this stop on The Road to Macstock Conference and Expo we pick up a first time speaker for the event. Chris Cook shares her journey as a blind tech instructor and advocate for accessibility, and previews her talk on empowering blind and low vision Mac users through a range of inclusive software tools. Chris emphasizes how accessible technology benefits everyone and encourages greater awareness and proactive approaches to digital inclusion.
The latest Road to Macstock Conference and Expo digs into AI and a presentation by Marty Jencius that will that focuses on Apple Intelligence and the practical integration of AI in education and productivity workflows. Drawing from his experience as an educator and technologist, Marty discusses how AI tools like ChatGPT can be tailored for better, safer results by feeding them curated, domain-specific content. He emphasizes the shift from one-off prompts to ongoing dialogue with AIs and highlights the importance of adapting teaching models to incorporate these evolving tools.
On The Road to Macstock Conference and Expo, Brittany Smith previews her workshop on simplifying social media posting through automation. She explains practical ways to streamline workflows using tools like Keyboard Maestro, combining personalization with efficiency while reducing distractions and technical fear. The conversation highlights adaptable strategies for customizing content across platforms without requiring coding skills.
The Road to Macstock Conference and Expo takes us to first-time speaker Mike Burke, who discusses his presentation on “digital mise en place”—a method for organizing digital workflows before beginning creative tasks. Inspired by both culinary prep and The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande , Mike outlines how he will share thoughts on structured folder systems and automation tools like Keyboard Maestro to improve productivity and aid future collaboration.
The Road to Macstock Conference & Expo finds its way to Brian Flanagan-Arthurs, who will present “Automate, But Don’t Take Shortcuts,” focusing on accessible, time-saving automation tools built into Apple devices. He will focus on simple automations, routines, and smart device usage that reclaim time and support better learning, productivity, and health—without overwhelming complexity. The session will also explore how automation and AI shape education and the future workplace.
On The Road to Macstock Conference and Expo Brett Terpstra previews his upcoming talk on Mastodon, highlighting its benefits over traditional social media platforms. He provides some thoughts on how to choose the right server, migrate accounts, and even host your own instance for better control. The session aims to guide users through Mastodon’s structure and community, helping them get the most out of the platform while eliminating confusion. Brett also shares why he’s left most other platforms behind in favor of Mastodon and Facebook.
Mike Potter, the organizer of Macstock Conference and Expo, kicks off our annual “Road to Macstock” series with information on this year’s event. Mike outlines this year’s theme, “Share,” as well as new integrating longer interactive workshops throughout the weekend. Additionally, Ecamm is announced as a significant partner, offering a dedicated demo room and a special workshop. Early bird registration (expiring soon!), venue information, and community aspects of the conference are also explored.
As the big event approaches, we wrap up this year’s Road to Macstock Conference and Expo series with one more visit by organizer Mike Potter to get the last minute information on sponsors, last-minute registrations, walk-in policies, and more. See you there!
Our next stop on The Road to Macstock Conference and Expo is with Kelly Guimont who talks about value of the “hallway track” at conferences for fostering meaningful connections among attendees. Then, she previews her presentation on enhancing attention and focus through doodling and note-taking. The conversation touches on the science behind memory retention related to writing versus typing notes, as well as the welcoming nature of Macstock.
Subscribe to the MacVoices Dispatch email newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest Apple and technology news. Get exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox and be part of our tech enthusiast community.
Check out the MacVoices blog for the latest news and catch up on Chuck's guest appearances on other podcasts.
Discover MacVoices through our exclusive Flipboard magazine! Delve into the realm of innovation and stay up-to-date with the latest trends in Apple technology. Join us on Flipboard today.