Every once in a while, I need to rename a bunch of files. Instead of hand-typing all of the new names, sometimes a nice regular expression would get the job done a lot faster. While there are a couple Windows GUI regular expression file renamers, I enjoy doing as much as I can from the command-line.

Since .NET exposes an easy to use library for regular expressions, I created a small C# command-line app that can rename files via any regular expression.

RegexRenamer is a powerful but simple user-friendly graphical tool used to batch rename files using regular expressions. A regular expression (or regex) is simply text that contains special characters that together defines a pattern that can be used to match text, in this case filenames. Using the power of regexes it becomes easy to apply complex transformations to large groups of files that otherwise would not be possible with plain match & replace.

Admittedly, I feel a little stupid. I’m staring at a diagram of a person with their head tilted back, aiming an hourglass device up their nose, and spraying a fine mist. The process looks every bit as graceful as using a neti pot or trimming nose hair.

But having talked to the Harvard scientist David Edwards who created this system, dubbed the FEND, I overcome my personal embarrassment. Because if it works as intended, this invention is groundbreaking. Edwards claims that if you take just two puffs with his device, you reduce your chance of exhaling COVID-19-filled droplets by 99% for six hours—which he validated over a series of studies with 92 people. In theory, it should make your own nose and throat more resistant to contracting COVID-19, too, by turning your throat into a sticky fly trap for the virus to keep it out of your lungs.

So I tilt my head back, and the device fires mist into the air. I breathe in deeply through my nose and—to my surprise, I actually do feel different within moments.

Een beetje wodka en een citroenschil. Het is geen tip voor een cocktail, wel een aanrader van tante Kaat om lastige geurtjes weg te werken. In een nieuw boek ‘Gouden raad van Tante Kaat’ verzamelt ze tips om mee aan de slag te gaan in huis, van de slaapkamer tot de bergruimte. Wij pikten er enkele uit.

Touchscreen devices like tablets and smartphones can be a great way to take notes on the fly or quickly sketch out a plan, but constant pings from notifications and alerts, coupled with a seemingly endless stream of ads, don't exactly help with focus. Plus drawing on the shiny screen with your finger or a stylus isn't anything like as satisfying as scribbling on real paper. The reMarkable 2 tablet is claimed to offer users a distraction-free, paper-like writing experience, and we've spent the last week or so trying one out.

When I first started attending press conferences and technology demonstrations on behalf of New Atlas, I would take along a pen and paper notepad. Not particularly high tech, right? I did have my laptop and smartphone with me, but taking notes the old-fashioned way just seemed easier and quicker.

I did subsequently update my toolset to include a tablet with stylus, but though just as easy and quick as pen/paper, it wasn't the same. Sure, I didn't have to type out all of my notes, I could validate factoids online as I went, and I could share my work with colleagues via cloud storage if needed. But it just didn't "feel" as satisfying as using pen and paper. So I guess you could say that I fall in the target customer base for the reMarkable tablet, now in its second generation outing.

"While reMarkable 2 appeals to a really broad range of people, we think it's ideal for working professionals, or knowledge workers," said the reMarkable team. "An increasing number of students and academics have also found reMarkable very useful."

Like most of you, I take keyboards way too seriously. However, unlike most of you, I’m an engineer. This means I need facts, data, and real evidence before I can form an opinion. And this lack of actual information has always bothered me when it comes to how the keyboard community at large tends to review switches.

Here is an example of a review I see quite often:

“Switch X feels amazing! Switch Q is better than Switch Q2. Just add some lube and switch Y will be great. Even NIB switch Z feels like typing on wet newspaper. OMFG, you like switch Q more? You…you heathen!”

What’s similar about all those subjective comments (and that I’m sure you’ve also seen if you’ve read enough about keyboards), is that they say really nothing at all.news unity

People's concept of the flying car has shifted over the last five years or so as electric VTOL designs have started to receive a ton of money and attention. But some remain unconvinced, and Greg Brown is vehemently among them. eVTOLs, Brown reckons, will be little more than short-range, low-speed helicopter replacements in the near future.

Brown, who used to fly F-18 carrier jets in the US Navy and is now flying 777s for a major airline, has spent the last 15 years working on a true flying car design – a proper high-speed jet plane crossed with a crazy luxury hypercar.

Brown's dream is a vehicle that can draw more gawping attention at a car show or an air show than any single-mode vehicle. That can out-accelerate a Lamborghini on the road, then drive onto a runway, slide out a set of tucked-away wings, fire up a pair of roaring jet turbines and take to the air in a rush of speed unlike anything in the private jet market.

Windows 10, by default, sends everything you search for in the Start Menu to their servers to give you results from Bing search—so you better make sure that you don’t type anything private into your own PC’s Start Menu. Or, you could just disable the Bing integration in the Start Menu.

Update: We now have a solution that works in Windows 10’s May 2020 Update. In our experience, this also disables the Microsoft Edge advertisements that appear when you search for Chrome in Windows 10’s Start menu.

It’s worth noting that Android’s default search and even iOS will also send your search results to their servers to try and get more relevant results—but somehow it seems different when you’re on your personal computer in your house trying to search through your personal files.

We’re definitely glad that they included a way to easily disable the web integration—it’s just worth noting that if you want to use Cortana, you don’t have any choice in whether the Start Menu uses Bing, so you’re going to have to disable Cortana to disable the web integration.microsoft pc

Dark Theme" is a set of extensions aim to bring dark color themes to popular products such as Google Search and YouTube. Each extension is optimized for a single product for better maintenance and better bug tracking. Each extension has an options page to customize color theme to your taste.

Plan je bezoek aan het recyclagepark

Google Maps has all sort of hidden features you can use to your advantage. Do you know them?

I seldom use Google Maps to actually get directions, but I open the app almost every day for other reasons that might not be so obvious. Truth is, Google Maps is useful for a lot more than just showing you how to get from Point A to Point B. Beneath all those Christmas-colored traffic patterns and high-res satellite images hides a powerful search tool that offers crowdsourced real-time data on restaurants, retail stores, professional offices, public parks and practically anywhere else you'd want to go.

Some of Google Maps' recent updates include adding a coronavirus information layer, paying for parking, improved images and sidewalk maps, and improved location sharing. Turn-by-turn directions are so last decade, comparatively speaking. If you're already familiar with this app as a navigation tool, you're only a tap, press or swipe away from these and more Google Maps superpowers.map

Microsoft Editor is an AI-powered intelligent writing assistant available for Word, Outlook, and as a browser extension. Microsoft Editor, available in over 20 languages, aims to make you a better writer. Here’s a brief look at how to use it.

Microsoft provides a basic version of Editor for free—so long as you have a Microsoft account. This version includes the essentials that you’d expect in a writing assistant, such as a grammar and spell checker. Editor’s premium features are only available for Microsoft 365 subscribers.microsoft

Enter this in you chrome browser search bar

chrome://flags/#enable-force-dark

; or Edge Beta (Based on Chrome)

edge://flags/#enable-force-darkunity

From using multiple apps at the same time to keeping your phone unlocked when you're home, Android has some awesome features -- but they aren't always obvious.

Despite all the growth they’ve made in the last few years, Chromebooks still get a bad rap or are often thought of as “just a browser.” That couldn’t be further from the truth, especially now. In fact, there are several ways that Chromebooks are actually better than Windows laptops for many users.

Now, I already know what you’re thinking: “But Cam, I can’t do this one specific thing I like to do on a Chromebook! They’re awful!” And, yeah, I would never argue that they’re not limited in certain areas compared to a more traditional laptop. Like, you know, photo editing. But with each passing day, those limitations are becoming fewer and fewer.

Let’s take gaming for example. Once upon a time, there weren’t really any games outside of basic browser titles available on Chrome OS. Then Android apps opened the door for more titles. Now Stadia and GeForce Now both allow AAA titles to be played on Chrome OS. Things have come a long way in just the last year on that front.

And, those are the changes that are happening pretty damn regularly on Chrome OS. As I said earlier, the only real mainstay that’s missing for most users now is Photoshop. And if you don’t need Photoshop (or Lightroom, etc.), then guess what?

A Chromebook is probably a better choice for you than a Windows laptop. Here’s why.

Google Docs has become just as popular and well-known as Microsoft Word, with the added advantage of being totally free. It’s also beloved thanks to the myriad of add-ons you can integrate with the app for additional functionality, like adding diagrams, citations, or photos.

The best Google Docs add-ons enhance the base abilities of Docs, letting you do more with your documents and saving you from opening up additional tabs and apps. While many of these add-ons are totally (or at least partially) free, some do require either a subscription or a one-time payment in order to use them at all. These add-ons for Google Docs are perfect for mathematicians, marketing experts, and everyone in between.microsoft

Microsoft Word is the most widely used word processor on the planet. Even so, that doesn't mean that you automatically know (or should know) how to use all of its bells and whistles. Word is a powerful program with powerful tools—provided you know how to use those tools.

The tips, tricks, and ideas on WordRibbon.Tips.Net are designed for users of Word 2007, Word 2010, Word 2013, Word 2016, Word 2019, and the version of Word provided with Office 365. You'll find just about everything you need to become productive with the program right away. (If you need help with older versions of Word, visit the WordTips site.)

In addition, we publish a free weekly newsletter called (appropriately enough) WordTips. You can sign up for the newsletter by using the simple sign-up form at the right side of this page or any page on the WordTips website.news microsoft

The capabilities of Microsoft Excel are astounding, and it always seems there is something new to learn that will help you tweek your data in new and exciting ways. Because Excel can do so much, it helps to discover what others are doing with the program and get real, "hands-on" information about things you can do.

That's where ExcelRibbon.Tips.Net comes into play. The tips and ideas you find here are designed specifically for users of Excel 2007, Excel 2010, Excel 2013, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, and the version of Excel provided with Office 365. You'll find just about everything you need to become productive with the program right away. (If you need help with other versions of Excel, visit the ExcelTips site.)

In addition, we publish a free weekly newsletter called (appropriately enough) ExcelTips. You can sign up for the newsletter by using the simple sign-up form at the right side of this page or any page on the ExcelTips website.news microsoft

reMarkable at a glance:

• Take handwritten notes, read, and review documents
• A display that looks and feels like paper
• Convert your handwritten notes into text
• Take notes directly on PDFs
• Eye-friendly reading
• All your notes, organized and accessible on all devices