Did you know you can customize your screensaver on a Mac? It's in System Preferences > Desktop and Screen Saver > Screen Saver > Screen Saver Options... .
I probably only know a tenth of everything on my computer I should know, and a hundredth of everything I could know. Make that a thousandth.
The thing I currently covet: Mac Studio. One of the few instances where a manufacturer actually came out with exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately I bought a nice little Mac Mini in 2018, brand new, and it's got quite a few more miles left on it. You know what they say: Oh well.
Mike
Computers and Photoshop have this in common. Both have many, many layers of complexity. As others have reminded us, you needn't understand all the ins and outs of an internal combustion engine to operate an automobile and you needn't be able to write code to operate a computer... or Photoshop.
I have said for years that computers should be more like appliances and less like courses in quantum mechanics. I am a mid-level skills person and can do most of the things I need to do with my current tools. For the rest, Google is my friend. This became apparent to me when my aging in-laws had increasing difficulty using a computer until ultimately it became impossible.
I was awaiting an Apple silicon desktop when I ran out of patience and ended up ordering a tricked out 2020 iMac. It runs well but I don't really use the monitor since I have a nice calibrated (Spectraview) NEC.
My machine was too expensive. The market for such a machine is likely to be quite limited should I try to sell it. So, I'll sit tight and try not to look at those beautiful Apple Studio machines because mine really does do everything I need to day and likely well into the future.
You're probably in the same position though you might have an easier time selling your Mini.
Good luck on this one Mike.
I just realized my reply was longer than your post, sorry.
Posted by: Eric Brody | Saturday, 03 December 2022 at 12:39 PM
I (very) recently bought an M1 iMac from Apple’s refurbished store. It had the config I wanted- 512GB storage, and 16GB memory. Machines with 16GB memory don’t come up often on the refurbished store so you need to keep looking, but refurbished machines always offer big savings.
And the 24” 4.5k screen on the M1 iMac is very good.
Posted by: Tom Burke | Saturday, 03 December 2022 at 02:53 PM
Mike, it’s time to crowd source your Mac Studio.
$2,200. Ask eight of your Patreons to kick in $200, and eight more to kick in $100. Finally ask another eight to pay $50 towards the income tax you will owe on what should be qualified as a gift not income. Maybe selling the mini overs that?
I’m good for being one of the first eight, find seven more.
Posted by: Jack Mac | Saturday, 03 December 2022 at 03:19 PM
I’ve never enabled the screen saver on my Mac. I simply set the screen to go to sleep after 15 minutes. Why bother with a screen saver?
[I was making a new backup and I didn't want the computer to go to sleep. --Mike]
Posted by: Khürt L Williams | Saturday, 03 December 2022 at 09:46 PM
I make a folder of small jpegs of my 'keepers.' Then I set my screen saver to use those images, one at a time for about 10 seconds each. Sometimes it's interesting to be reminded of an older photo or an older direction. With two monitors, they are sometimes in sync and sometimes not; so when there are two different images on display, those relationships can be interesting also.
Posted by: Greg Heins | Sunday, 04 December 2022 at 08:56 AM
I've got a nice new Mac Mini in 2020 and just offered myself a Mac Studio.
ON1 Photo RAW on the Mini always was dreadfully slow. Now, with the Studio, it flies. Literally.
The Mac Mini sold nicely for what I had hoped.
Haven't regretted it for a minute.
Posted by: Ralf R. Radermacher | Sunday, 04 December 2022 at 04:26 PM
For at least a decade I have used the MAC screensaver to show a slide show of my own photos. It started with some photos I especially liked from the farm, expanded to include travel photos and now we live in the city and visit art galleries every Saturday, I include photos of artworks I like.
Much more satisfying than a blank screen or some saying....
Posted by: JH | Sunday, 04 December 2022 at 10:47 PM