How to not forget to listen to Today In The Past

You are, of course, of the WONDEROUS PAPERLESS CALENDAR that is Today In The Past, and have subscribed to it in your information-Tunes software, but if you are like me, you often blithely pass an ENTIRE DAY forgetting to remember what happened TODAY IN THE PAST.

WEAR THIS VEIL OF SHAME NO MORE FRIENDS FOR I HAVE INVENTED A TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTION. We're going to make a thing what on your computer, at a chosen time every day, prompts you to listen to TODAY IN THE PAST.

First we're going to make an iTunes "smart playlist":

(you're gonna wanna righ-click and look at these images on their own) Next we're going to make an Automator action. I think only the newest, fanciest Automa

tor has the ability to make iCal alarms directly, if you can, do this, otherwise, just make "an application". To build this, find the actions in the lists on the left, then drag them over to the right, filling in the options. Use the search box to search for the actions by name.

Make sure you have at least one item in the smart playlist in iTunes, then test the Automator action by clicking 'Run'. If you are now listening to the sonorous tones of Mr. Hodgman, it's working.

Save the automator action either as an iCal alarm or as an application, if you save it as an iCal alarm, iCal will pop up and you can set the time, recurrence, etc. If you save it as an application, go in to iCal, create an event, and set the alarm to "Run a Script" and chose your automator action, set the event to recur every day.

HUZZAH!