Alfred for Mac
Monday, January 21, 2013 at 8:30AM I get asked all the time, "Can you send me ___ again? I can't find it." or "How did you find that so fast?" The secret is search. You not only have to know WHAT to type, but you have to be using the right search TOOL.
I love "Spotlight", the built in search tool for macs. If I need to find a file, folder, or application quickly, this was the easiest way for me to find it on my computer (especially since the amount of ever increasing "stuff" I have to look though is increasingly cumbersome).
Then I found "Alfred".

Alfred is currently a free download in the mac app store. The app is not new, but it has just been updated with a better UI and the search functions are lighting fast. Not only can you search for documents and files, but you can search for applications, search the web, search your favorite websites, and more! I have only begun to scratch the surface of this application. It is incredibly powerful.
For instance: To open the app's search bar, I hold "alt/option + space".
To open "safari" I start typing "sa" and before I get to "f", Safari is my first highlighted option. All I have to do is click enter and Safari launches! That is actually FASTER than dropping my curser down to the bottom of my screen, waiting on the dock to "unhide" and then clicking safari. We are talking about milliseconds, but speed is speed.
Suggestion: In Alfred's settings, under "default results" DO NOT allow it to search Folders and Documents by default. Use the "Essential" items as suggested. If you are looking for those items, all you have to do is hit the spacebar one more time and you will see a an apostrophe appear and you are in "open file" or "find file" mode. You can also type the word "find" if you would rather.
After you launch Alfred, you can also use it for quick math by typing an equation. In Alfred's preferences, under accessories, you will see calculator. I chose to "Enable advanced calculator with keyword '='" which is based on the GCMathParser -- I'm a nerd.
Alfred also allows for custom web search. I wanted to be able to quickly launch alfred, type a book and chapter of the Bible and then see that reference. I regularly use Biblia.com because they have an NASB and several comparative texts. I love the resources and its association with Logos. But how? First, I tested a search on the site and noticed that the URL looked like this (once I selected a translation & a chapter: http://biblia.com/books/nasb95/jn1
OK, but I am not going to be able to re-learn jn1 = John 1 with all 66 books. I tested http://biblia.com/books/nasb95/john1 and it redirected me immediately to http://biblia.com/books/nasb95/jn1 ! Great news! So, I just have to "mash" the book and chapter together in the search! Alfred wants to know the first part of this URL up to where the search query is implemented: http://biblia.com/books/nasb95/
In place of the book and chapter, I inserted "{query}" per their instructions. Then I set the keyword to "Biblia".
Now, I can launch Alfred with alt/option + space, type Biblia John1, click enter and I am there. That fast! Wow. If I wanted to zoom straight to a verse, I just type Biblia John1.7. So easy! If you have already downloaded Alfred and want to add the Biblia NASB search to your list, click here.
I also created a search query for The Weather Channel. I set my "keyword" as "twc". If you have downloaded Alfred and want to add this custom weather query, click here. Just search for a zip code. If you use the city name you have to use + signs between spaces and include the state abbreviation. Little+Rock+AR for example. Still faster than opening safari, going to weather.com and typing the city or state there.
Below is a slide show with quirky comments that I pulled directly from the Alfred website.
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