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.
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.
https://youtu.be/ntG1-jDIuOk Chuck Joiner, Marty Jencius, David Ginsburg, Jim Rea, Brian Flanigan-Arthurs, Eric Bolden, and Web Bixby discuss the black market for stolen iPhones, focusing on how even locked devices are shipped overseas and dismantled for parts—a...
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.
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.
The April 2025 update highlights new content from the NAB Show and recognition as a top computer podcast by MillionPodcasts. Upcoming plans include the Road to Macstock event and possible reductions in presence on lesser-used social media platforms.
The MacVoices Update for 2024-07 covers the doubling up of new content and the “Road to Macstock” series and why you should care about Macstock even if you didn’t attend. A couple new items for MacVoices are teased, some updates on scheduling, and the month’s Support Report conclude the update.
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.
The Road to Macstock Conference and Expo is getting short, but we’re not done yet. Jeff Gamet of The Context Machine (among other projects) talks about how his presentation will approach to smart home automation, and why it probably won’t start where you think it will. He will also share his best tip for taking on the automation challenge. Jeff and host Chuck Joiner are also doing a session together, talking about how to get more for your Apple (and tech) dollar. Find out the kinds of things they will be discussing and why you should attend before buying any new tech.
The MacVoices Update for 2024-06 covers a very productive June series of shows, the new MacVoices Discord, why you should be paying attention to MacVoices Magazine, why you should attend Macstock Conference and Expo, and the month’s Support Report.
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Check out the MacVoices blog for the latest news and catch up on Chuck's guest appearances on other podcasts.
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