Rename the Way You Mean To

Posted on Mon 22 December 2025 in tech • Tagged with rustlang, cli, algorithms, dx, unix

I rename a lot of files. So do you.

I respect the Unix way — mv file1 file2 — but in practice, file1 and file2 are usually the same name failing by one to three characters. Re-typing 97% of a filename feels ceremonial rather than intentional, especially when what I want is …


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Parsm - an Everything Parser

Posted on Sun 29 June 2025 in tech • Tagged with unix, sed, awk, grep, rustlang

Introducing Parsm: A Universal Structured Text Parser

Eat More Cookie

When scientists and engineers created the UNIX system, they built utilities that each performed a specific task exceptionally well. Commands such as grep, awk, and sed have become the atoms of text and data processing workflows. However, today's computing landscape is dominated by …


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How to use ed - the original text editor

Posted on Fri 03 January 2025 in tech • Tagged with ed, unix

How to use ed

ed file.txt
1,$p         # Print all lines.
3d           # Delete line 3.
$s/foo/bar/g # Replace "foo" with "bar" in all lines.
w            # Save changes.
q            # Quit the editor.
i            # insert previous line
a            # append next line

Wow, some of my dotfiles will live forever!

Posted on Wed 07 December 2022 in tech • Tagged with dotfiles, unix, linux, oldschool

Part of my .emacs

    ;; LOL LOL - WOW mid '90s config returns from the grave
    ;; Load ladebug mode on OSF4
    (if (file-exists-p '"/usr/lib/emacs/lisp/ladebug.el")
      (load-file '"/usr/lib/emacs/lisp/ladebug.el"))

Shoutout to all those who used the C++ debugger on OSF with Digital hardware in mid-anthropocene …


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How to run Unifi controller in AWS with a small (1Gb) memory footprint

Posted on Wed 08 September 2021 in tech • Tagged with unifi, networking, unix, linux, aws, debian, ubuntu

For years, I have been hosting Unifi controller in AWS. AWS is both more convenient and reliable than hosting a local server. I am also convinced that hosting a minimalist server is about the same cost on AWS as running locally. In the past, I have purchased a one year …


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1600000000

Posted on Sun 13 September 2020 in news • Tagged with unix, epoch

I feel like I am the only one that is excited about the upcoming unix time event: 1600000000 seconds since the epoch. But I am! 😬🎉