Kick-ass Context

(I’m hoping to jump-start my blog again with a few short posts about neat tricks and programs I use that save time and give me that kick-ass feeling.)

Marco Polo (freebase, versiontracker) is an app that’s all about getting out of your way. With Marco Polo you describe certain contexts where you use your computer, and what you want to happen when you’re in that context.

I’ve got three main contexts where I frequently use my laptop, and one default one to cover everything else. For example, if it’s between 5:30 and 9:15 on Tuesday and I’m on the campus network, I’m in class. If my laptop is plugged into a particular external monitor and keyboard, I’m at work. Likewise, if I’m on the wifi network at my apt, I’m at home. You can get as complicated as you please here, giving each source of evidence a confidence rating, setting a confidence threshold needed to automatically switch contexts.

Marco Polo has been flawless so far at immediately recognizing where I am.

Then comes the fun part: telling it what to do when your context changes. When I’m in class, my speakers are automatically muted. When I’m at work, my wifi is turned off. When I’m at home, my screensaver password is disabled.

The biggest place where Marco Polo can grow is its selection of actions you can tell it to perform. I imagine a bit of integration with Quicksilver would be fruitful there. On the other hand, as I was writing this blog post, Marco Polo performed an automated update that added the QuitApplication action, apparently in response to a feature request… so perhaps they’ve got that under control.

Of course, since one of the built-in actions is to run a shell script, I’m happy as a clam either way. Marco Polo’s abilities outpace my desires for the moment, which is definitely a kick-ass place to be.

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