The Ship's Wheel

MacGourmet Deluxe on MacUpdate this Friday

2009-07-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

My mom is a fabulous cook. One of those "a little bit of this, a little bit of that" kind of cooks.
I finally got her to record some of her favorite recipes and ultimately got them into MacGourmet
Deluxe. Now, instead of calling her and writing down her directions, I can look in my MGD and
start cooking! One of these days I plan on creating "Mom's Cookbook" in MGD too. It's one of
these no-brainer things I need to do. Maybe for Christmas?? :-)

Anyway, if you are in the same boat I was, head over to MacUpdate tomorrow and snag a copy
for yourself at a huge discount. Your mom will be impressed.

Mike

StoryMill Promo Extended Until July 5th

2009-07-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Have you always wondered if you have a novel in you? Most everyone has, either in
passing or seriously. StoryMill helps you get your ideas out of your head and onto your
Mac. Don't get me wrong, you still need to supply the creativity and discipline to write,
but StoryMill makes the first step all that much simpler.

Still unsure?

Check out our online video tutorials, or better yet, download a trial copy to see for yourself.

And if all that doesn't convince you, how about this? Until July 5th, purchase StoryMill for
less than $35!

Happy writing!

Mike

MacGourmet Deluxe

2009-06-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Nice!

Shortly before its first year anniversary (this Thursday), we were alerted we finally got
MacGourmet Deluxe into the Apple Stores (not all, just some for now). This is fabulous
news and will hopefully expose MGD to thousands of potential buyers that weren't
familiar with the product.

Mike

My Story Can Beat Up Your Story!

2009-06-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Our pal Jeff Schechter, the heart and soul behind Contour, recently held a screenplay development seminar in Toronto called, "My Story Can Beat Up Your Story!" This was sort of a "dry run" before an all-day seminar to be held in Los Angeles toward the end of August. In his seminar, Jeff breaks down the Contour system of writing a screenplay and shows anyone from newbies to seasoned writers how incredibly impressive this process is (and our software isn't too bad either :-) I'll blog about Jeff's upcoming seminar a little more once we get closer to August but if you are serious about writing a screenplay and you happen to be in LA in late August, Jeff's seminar is a must.

Mike

Mariner Write in themacbundles.com bundle!

2009-06-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings!
Mariner Write, our popular word processor for Mac OS X is one of several apps in the first bundle of themacbundles.com. If you are in the market for some first rate apps, check out the list below (and all for $50!)...

Cover Stream – Enjoy desktop Cover Flow. Pick a song from your favorite album or playlist. Control, browse, and search your music without leaving your work.

Default Folder X – Award-winning system-wide enhancement that makes Open and Save dialogs and Mac OS X easier to use by adding hierarchical pop-up menus and keyboard shortcuts.

Drag Thing – The award-winning original dock designed to tidy up your Macintosh desktop. Put all your documents, folders, and applications just a click away.

GraphicConverter – More than 1.5 million users worldwide swear by award-winning GraphicConverter — from amateur photographers to professional designers.

HoudahSpot – Houdah Software's bestselling file search tool for the Mac. Unleash the full power of Spotlight to find, manage and clean up your files.

iPrint – Allows you to instantly and easily selectively print just the text that you want in any program — pays for itself by saving ink, toner, time, and money!

Mariner Write – From award-winning developer Mariner Software, Mariner Write is a powerful yet streamlined Mac OS X word processor designed for the masses.

Spell Catcher – A powerful, award winning all-in-one spell checking and writing software solution — a program that's so much more than a spelling checker, its name only hints at its capabilities.

All the best,
Mike

Can it be we are back at Cannes?

2009-05-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

It's the time of year where Mariner makes the trek over the pond to the Cannes Film Festival. This year, we are joined by one of our European distributors, Application Systems and expect to give hundreds of demonstrations
of our screenwriting and novel writing apps. It's interesting to note that Montage is the only screenwriting software that is represented at the largest film festival in the world.

You make your own judgements. :-)

Mike

Paperless 1.0 ships!

2009-05-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

Hi All-
If you have a desk full of loose papers and receipts, our latest product can help you cut through the clutter.

Introducing Mariner Paperless.

Using the Paperless Optical Character Recognition (OCR), you can scan your receipts, warranty cards,
deposit slips and other paperwork and Paperless will automatically recognize and extract the important
printed information then organizes it for you, digitally. Already have your documents as PDFs or other
file formats? No problem. Simply drag and drop them into Paperless for your own digital filing cabinet.

Don't forget that Paperless is one of the first and only eco-friendly software packages available today
for Mac OS X.

Here's the best part.

In celebration of the release of Paperless, we have decided to offer up, for a limited time, an introductory
price of $34.95! Head over to our eStore and get your copy today!

all the best,
Mike

A great blog!

2009-04-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Our friend Dragos Roua from Romania who runs a popular site called eDragonu - the choice of a personal path is promoting a few pieces on his site showcasing MacJournal.

1. Habit creation in 15 days
2. How to write and ebook using MacJournal

Both articles are very detailed and include MacJournal templates downloads, which, alone, make them worth investigating. Dragos is even offering a special incentive as well. Check him out!

Best,
Mike

Mariner at the Tribeca Film Festival

2009-04-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

For the second year Apple has asked Mariner Software to present our software out at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City at the end of the month. If you happen to be in NYC for this event make sure to swing by the Apple Store SoHo to see our own Dawn Messerly present Montage and Contour. If you have never experienced the Tribeca Film Festival, it's definitely worth checking out!

Mike

StoryMill scores 4 out of 5!

2009-04-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

Our friends over at MacObserver posted their review of StoryMill today.

We'll take 4 out of 5 any day!

Here's an idea...Given the state of the economy and the belt-tightening we are all doing,
why not get around to writing that book you have been kicking around forever. For less
than $50 and your imagination, you can check off one more thing on the bucket list! :-)

Mike

Contour gets reviewed!

2009-03-27T05:06:00.000-07:00

IT Reviews, a UK-based publication, just gave Contour a stellar review. Check it out here.

Speaking of Contour, look for Contour for Windows to be released any day!

Mike

AppCraver interview

2009-03-26T04:14:00.000-07:00

The good folks over at AppCraver recently interviewed the founder & CTO of Mariner, Bill Paar, and me, regarding our initial experiences in the App Store with Mariner Calc. Feel free to check it out here.

Mike

How about a little March Madness?

2009-03-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Average Betty is hosting the Average Betty’s Big Dance Bracket Challenge over on her site.
If you are looking for a free pool with the potential of winning great prizes (cash and products), check out one of the hippest foodie sites on the internet!

Good luck!

Mike

Mariner Calc for iPhone Review

2009-03-10T10:49:00.001-07:00

After 5 days of craziness we are starting to settle into life with an iPhone app in the App Store. While no app is perfect out of the chute, we think we did a pretty damn good job. Obviously in the next few weeks we will be rolling out a few updates to fix some issues that slipped through beta testing, but for the most part, the app is holding its own.

Want some proof? Check out the review in TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) posted today.

Next iPhone app? Hmmmmm.

Mike

Mariner Calc for iPhone Ships!

2009-03-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

We finally got the green light from Apple ~ Mariner Calc is now for sale in the App Store.
Pick up a copy now for all your mobile spreadsheeting needs!

Mike

Contour Promo Extended!

2009-03-02T03:49:00.000-08:00

Due to overwhelming demand, we decided to extend out Contour promotion until this Wednesday. Make sure to check out our latest offering, especially if you are working on that screenplay that has been hanging around in the back of your head. For less than $30, Contour will walk you through exactly how your masterpiece should be written...step-by-step. Think of it as your own personal writing coach.

Happy writing!

Mike

2009-02-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

I had an interview with technewsworld.com last week. A few items were documented incorrectly but all-in-all a good read on where we have been and where we are going.

Mike

Writerspub.com is launched!

2009-01-27T12:13:00.001-08:00

Today we launched our latest "project." Writerspub.com was rolled out to the public today.

Well that's nice Mike, what exactly is this web site?

Writerspub isn't your typical writing "community." It's much more than that. When we first
started to develop software for writers we asked ourselves what else could we do to get
writers to produce the best work they possibly could. The answer was to create a site where
the focus is on critiquing other members' work, as well as having your own work critiqued.
This isn't a "flame you because you have a missing comma" kind of model, but more respectful
and constructive. "Getting a bunch of eyeballs on your work with the common goal in to
pointing out things you might have missed" kind of site.

Go ahead and join up. It's free, it's fun, and you will, if nothing else, get ideas on
how to improve your writing.

Mike

Average Betty Rocks Macworld!

2009-01-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our bud and official MacGourmet Deluxe mouthpiece, Average Betty (and hubbie, Lee), for hanging with us last week out at Macworld. Betty did a fabulous job hosting Average Betty’s Gastronomic Game Show and kept the participants on the their toes with some great questions. A good time was had by all...and here are some of the pics to prove it!

Arrrrgh. :-)

Mike

Mariner acquires ReceiptWallet

2009-01-12T22:31:00.000-08:00

While out at the Macworld Expo last week we made an announcement that Mariner has acquired ReceiptWallet, the popular Mac OS X app that allows you to scan in and manage your receipts and documents. Since the release, I've gotten a lot of questions on why we would bring on such a unique piece of software. The answer is simple. People are desperate for organization. With ReceiptWallet you can take your receipts, bills, user manuals, business cards, or nearly anything you find on paper and, using your own recommended scanner, digitally organize everything...fast. Whether you collect a few pieces of paper a month or enter dozens, ReceiptWallet lets you control your paper, instead of your paper controlling you.

Stay tuned for more info being announced soon!

Mike

The final Macworld?

2009-01-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

Hi All-
As we prepare for our annual pilgrimage next week to San Francisco for the
Macworld Expo, I'm slightly depressed that, for all intent and purposes, this may
be the last Macworld. I won't bore you with my opinion on why Apple is moving
this direction - I'm sure you have read varying speculation from a hundred
different "insiders." While I won't miss spending a boatload of cash to exhibit at
the show, I will miss the opportunity to meet all the wonderful folks who stop by
our booth every year. Obviously Macworld gives us a vehicle to announce new
products, demo our wares, meet our colleagues in the biz, and even attend
great parties. But for us, Macworld has always had that intangible draw of
meeting the people who buy our software. On several different occasions we
have went home with great feature ideas from customers stopping by and letting
us know how _they_ use the product. That's huge for us. Macworld has never
been about making money, it's about connecting with the customer.

If you are heading out to Macworld next week, make sure you stop on by the
booth (S-429) to say hi. We would love to chat. :-)

Mike

Mariner Plug

2008-12-18T13:18:00.000-08:00

One of our most creative customers, Natalie Gray, is working on a insanely funny show called
No Talent Required that she wrote with Montage. Check out the trailer on her site. It's great
to see Montage finally getting some street cred in Hollywood! Good luck, Natalie!

Mike

Contour Hits the Streets!

2008-12-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

Sometime today we will be releasing Contour 1.0. This app is a bit of a collaboration
with our friend, Jeff Schechter, who developed an app called TotallyWrite and an
Emmy Award-nominated screenwriter himself. Jeff's system of how to structure
a screenplay using step-by-step instruction was one that really appealed to us.
One of the biggest hurdles screenwriters have is either getting started or getting
half way through a concept and figuring out what you have isn't exactly what you
want.

That's where Contour steps in.

This is the same character-based structure that all the blockbuster movies use to
create solid stories. Look down the Top 50 grossing movies of all time and the one
consistent is the structure. They all follow a basic formula. Not only does Contour
show you how to do it in your screenplay, it breaks down actual scripts (which is
included in Contour). Contour basically shows you exactly what elements need to
be in your script. Call it your own, personal writing coach!

Feel free to test drive a copy here and let us know what you think!

Mike

MacUpdate Promo!

2008-12-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

It's another MacUpdate promo and MacGourmet Deluxe is included! If you are considering MacGourmet Deluxe as a Christmas gift, you couldn't have picked a better time. Get 10 apps for less than $50! If you are looking to find a way to stretch your currency of choice, you won't find a better deal than this.

Mike

LA, not so confidential

2008-11-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

This week we are enjoying the sun and fun in Los Angeles exhibiting at the
Screenwriting Expo. Screenwriters of every ilk are visiting the Convention Center to
improve their creative writing skills and, of course, to network. While we have been out
here, we also have been showing early beta versions of Contour, our script
development application set to be released next month, and Montage 2.0. The feedback
and reaction has been fabulous. Screenwriters working on a Mac will soon have the total
screenwriting solution at their fingertips. Exciting times in screenwriting land.

Mike