Unix mavens: is there a way for ls on a Mac OS X install to alphabetize its listing case-insensitively, while still preserving any other ls flags you may be using? If not, does another ls variant offered by anybody offer case-insensitivity, and if so, how can I supplant one with the other, without risk of any harm to anything else on my system? (If it matters, my shell of choice is tcsh.)
posted by WCityMike on Aug 16, 2009 - 17 answers

Traditional wisdom suggests that saving money while in debt is a bad idea: you pay hundreds of times more in finance charges on money you owe than you would get in interest on money you save. Under this scenario, your "safety net", at least until you are debt-free, would be the credit lines you are clearing out. However, in a response to a Lifehacker comment I made outlining this traditional wisdom, someone replied that given the financial crisis, companies could then lower your credit limit, regardless of cause, killing your safety net. Given this, is the traditional wisdom now wrong? [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Oct 13, 2008 - 19 answers

Website help: I'm asking for some input on (1) straightening out a problem with Google and its "description" for each page of my blog; (2) constructing a robots.txt exclusion for certain types of archive pages; and (3) the reason why something is looking for page URLs that have "function.fsockopen" at the end of them. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on May 30, 2008 - 10 answers

I'm looking for a file browsing and HTML- and media-viewing interface that can be set up on a Mac OS X machine locally and accessed through a web browser. Remote access not necessary; I'm just looking for a local interface. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Feb 7, 2008 - 6 answers

You walk into a public toilet stall. There is a metal toilet paper roll holder. One of two annoying situations is happening. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Jan 11, 2008 - 27 answers

Slightly weird one: I occasionally get what I think is a psychosomatic sinusache. It seems to be induced by looking at a sharp edge or point, and perhaps happens to me once every one or two weeks. I'm wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this, and/or has any input into what's going on (mentally or physically) and any fixes or things that alleviate what's going on. As always, [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Dec 28, 2007 - 4 answers

A few Google Reader questions, beginning with: I have a few feeds that only of use to me at home: Mac software sites, etc. Is there any way with Google Reader to set things up so that you see (everything but feeds w, x, y, and z) in one view and (feeds w, x, y, and z) in another view? The other two behind the break. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Nov 27, 2007 - 3 answers

I'm looking to streamline my process of browsing RSS feeds and websites. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Nov 19, 2007 - 13 answers

Mystery error ... possibly with MagpieRSS in WordPress' rss.php, but I can't figure out how to fix it. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Jun 24, 2007 - 6 answers

In need of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enabling/Getting the 'Mail' Unix Command to E-Mail You Stuff, for Complete and Utter Dummies." [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Sep 20, 2006 - 3 answers

I would like to build and host a del.icio.us clone on my Mac (Intel iMac running Tiger). It need not be accessible outside of my machine, although if you can advise me how to do that while still keeping my machine secure, that would be a very nice plus. I am able to build simple command-line apps in Unix and puzzle some stuff out, but I am very much not a l33t hax00r. Can anyone walk me through the process very simple step by very simple step? [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Mar 31, 2006 - 8 answers

Bookmarklet to display Amazon cover art? [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Jan 13, 2006 - 1 answer

How can I configure Firefox so that I can use Cmd-1 through Cmd-9 for bookmarks on my personal toolbar, identical to the behavior Safari uses? [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Dec 6, 2005 - 3 answers