Last post was about friction. Found another gem out there tonight that solves a simple problem, but does it really, really well.

New hotness for my laptop: Sidekick

Sidelick uses geolocation to automatically configure various system and application settings based on pre-defined geo-fences I set up.

So

Work

• set the wifi to a static IP so it circumvents the company firewall
• connect to company file server
• connect to network printer
• set volume to X

Home

• set wifi settings to automatically assign an IP on the network
• set brightness to Y

[Local Coffee Shop, If We Had Any]

• turn brightness to Z
• turn off bluetooth
• start Cloak.app
• etc

That is some super cool stuff. Some of it I found Alfred workflows for, but the fact that it handles it all automatically, so I just pull my laptop out of my bag and it's ready to go is super, super cool. Other people have added some neat plugins, such as one for 1Password that if you're at X location unlock the 1Password keychain automatically and leave it unlocked while you're in the vicinity. Perfect for at home, but the minute you leave that geofence it locks it back up.

Really clever stuff!