Heading into the Fourth of July holiday here in the US, we have two articles for you. First, Adam Engst shares The Password Game, an amusing Web puzzle that pokes fun at password requirements while giving players an excuse to pick up new research skills. Then he turns his attention to the significant air quality problems caused by smoke from wildfires in Canada. Read on to learn more about the Air Quality Index, how to find accurate readings for your area (don’t believe weather apps), and how you can adjust your behavior in response. Notable Mac app releases this week include 1Password 8.10.8, Mimestream 1.0.4, Audio Hijack 4.2.2, and URL Manager Pro 6.2.
If you enjoy puzzle games and the absurdity of password requirements, try Neal Agarwal’s The Password Game.
Stressed out by unhealthy air quality levels caused by smoke drifting south from wildfires in Canada, Adam Engst explores resources that report outdoor and indoor air quality to inform decisions about how to react.
Watchlist
Brings a grab bag of improvements and bug fixes to the password manager. ($35.88 annual subscription, free update, 4.8 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Maintenance release focused on bug fixes for the Gmail-specific email app. ($49.99 annual subscription, free update, 12 MB, macOS 12+)
Brings several accessibility improvements to the audio-recording workflow app. ($64 new, free update, 36.6 MB, macOS 10.15+)
Adds Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete options to a bookmark's contextual menu. ($34.99 new, free update, 23.1 MB, macOS 10.13+)
