When manipulating files and directories, there are some actions that are naturally easier from the command line, and others that are easier from Explorer. For example, you might navigate to a directory using Explorer and then delete every file named foo*.txt using the CMD prompt.
I’m a big fan of the Command Window Here PowerToy as a means to get from Explorer to a CMD prompt.
But what about the opposite situation? Lets say I’ve just run a command line program and redirected the output to a file. Now I decide to attach the file in a new email message. Ideally, I’d drag-and-drop the file into the message, but I can’t because I’ve only got a CMD window.
For years, I’ve lusted after a solution to this annoyance, and it turns out that there is one. It’s amazingly trivial:
start .
Yup, that’s right: start dot. It’s obvious if you understand what the start command does, but I’ll be the first to admit I never would have though of this myself.
One perk of working in Redmond is the opportunity to steal some Windows-mojo from the folks who create it.
Update 3/28/2008:
Just discovered that the Mac OS X equivalent is:
open .
Yes that’s right: open dot. I dig the symmetry.
I’ve been meaning to learn Ruby for a while, and I finally found a suitable project. So far my experience has been fairly good. I ran into one particularly annoying problem with the DL library, which is an otherwise cool way to make calls into dynamic libraries. Before you can do this, you’ve got to tell Ruby what the function prototype looks like. That’s where I ran into this gem:
extern "int foo( char * )" # doesn't work
extern "int foo(char *)" # works
The error message is absolutely worthless, so you essentially have to discover this by trial and error.
I’ve just been promoted to “Senior Software Engineer,” which I’m happy about. My previous title of “Software Engineer II” was comparatively unimpressive.
Job titles are a curious thing. About 99% of the time, nobody knows your job title, nor do they care. For the other 1%, it means very little unless someone is familiar with your company.
It would be cool if I could just pick any old job title I wanted, subject to some oversight for obscenity, etc. Sort of like vanity plates. That would be just about as useful as the current, totally opaque system.
The next rung on my career ladder is likely “Member of Technical Staff.” My employer considers this a pretty high rank, typically achieved after 7+ years on the job. I know of other companies where “Member of Technical Staff” is given to college-hires and quite literally means you are a member of the technical staff. In other words, not the janitor or receptionist.
Here’s a plan: get hired by the latter company and then switch to mine.
I’m still digesting today’s Apple/Intel announcement. A few thoughts:
- Ditching PowerPC is a smart, albeit risky move for Apple
- I wish they had chosen AMD instead of Intel
- AMD is far more congruent with Apple’s “cool alternative” image
- They’re a lot closer to being an AMD customer than they were yesterday
- Rosetta (the PPC emulation layer) better be really good
- The WINE project may suddenly experience a giant influx patches from Apple engineers
Found this DVD on BoingBoing. Not sure if it would be really cool, or incredibly nerdy. Actually, I’ve just realized that those are the same thing as far as I’m concerned.
Shit, now I have to buy it.
He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp, or to have his eyes gouged out and his elbows broken.
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