CLI – find

CLI – We all find ourselves searching our Mac looking for a particular file or files that satisfy certain criteria. Certainly, you can use Spotlight for that, but there are also methods of searching through the command line. Those options give you much better control over your search criteria. The find command is a very flexible way of searching your machine for files.

The description of find in the macOS man page is:

NAME

find — walk a file hierarchy

SYNOPSIS

find [-H | -L | -P] [-EXdsx] [-f path] path … [expression]

find [-H | -L | -P] [-EXdsx] -f path [path …] [expression]

DESCRIPTION

The find utility recursively descends the directory tree for each path listed, evaluating an expression (composed of the “primaries” and “operands” listed below) in terms of each file in the tree.

I didn’t attempt to list the switches, primaries and operands. There are nine switches and over 60 primaries. I suggest checking out the man  page for find on your macOS machine (or on the web) to see all of your options.

One of the ways I have used find is to look for large files. In the example above, I searched a directory for all files larger than 10 megabytes. This could easily be used to search your entire disk for large files (use +1G instead of +10M to find files larger than 1 Gagabyte in length).

You can also search for files older than (or newer than) a specific date. I have used this feature of the find command many times. In the example above I have used cd to move to a directory that contains Science Fiction images I use for one of my Desktops. I am searching that directory looking for files that were modified (in my use case this means added) more than 10 days ago.

Those ae just two simple examples of using the find command. There are many other examples of how find can be used in the references listed at the end of this article. Because of the flixibility of the find command, it can be put to use for many tasks by the SysAdmin as well as the macOS/Linux/UNIX user.

To learn a lot more about how to use find, take a look at “Finding Files On The Command Line“. Yes, this is a Linux article, but the find command as implemented on macOS is fundamentally the same.

Check the macOS man page for cd for all of the available options.

References

1. 25 simple examples of Linux find command
2. 14 Practical Examples of Linux Find Command for Beginners
3. Finding Files On The Command Line

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See my other CLI and macOS articles

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macOS New App Release – Continuum 2019 (12.0.1)

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See my new macOS Software Directory and find what is available for the Mac!

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Product Announcements – Boris FX of Boston, Massachusetts has released an updated Continuum. It provides even greater time-saving benefits for busy editors and VFX artists and new support for Apple’s FCP X and Motion 5 on macOS Mojave.

The most comprehensive plug-in collection on the market keeps getting better. Continuum 2019 (12.0.1) is a significant update to the award-winning product line from Boris FX. Editors and VFX artists already praising the addition of Continuum 2019’s new Particle Illusion real-time motion graphics generator can now produce high-end animations with far speedier results and design flexibility.

Continuum 2019 (12.0.1) is a free update for Adobe, Avid, and OFX users who previously purchased the 2019 version. The update also includes new host support for Apple’s FCP X and Motion 5 on macOS Mojave with new licenses, upgrades, and annual subscription options starting at only $195.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to improve our products to provide the post-production community with the fastest, most powerful plug-ins that help get the job done” and well,” says Boris Yamnitsky, President & Founder, Boris FX. “The new Continuum 2019 (12.0.1) release includes a huge Particle Illusion performance boost especially on long clips and new emitter editing capabilities that give users more control and creative freedom when designing motion graphics.”

Yamnitsky continues, “We’ve also added Apple FCP X and Motion 5 support to Continuum 2019 as part of our unwavering commitment to delivering the most comprehensive video application support on the market. FCP X editors will enjoy faster render speeds and over 35 new easy-to-use titling and transition templates.”

“I’m so excited about the rebirth of Particle Illusion. With hundreds of high-quality presets that ship with the plug-in, it’s so easy to be up and running and adding particle systems to your projects,” states Benjamin Eshagpoor, Creative Director, beMOTION.dESIGN. “And if that wasn’t enough, it’s CPU and GPU agnostic which is a fancy way of saying that it’s blazing fast no matter what graphics card or computer you’re using. I can now composite particle systems into 4K footage on a 2012 MacBook Pro and render out within minutes…it’s remarkably fast!”

New in Continuum 2019 (12.0.1):

Particle Illusion: Adds major performance improvements both in rendering and within the interface itself; new properties group allows users to edit nearly all applied emitter settings including color, color gradient, alpha gradient, etc; adds tool tips and particle count to stage view; new preference option allows user to decide whether or not clicking on stage automatically adds an emitter. (Particle Illusion is available in both Continuum 2019 and the Particle Unit.)

16 New Particle Emitter 3D Presets including photorealistic drifting dust and snow

Apple FCP X and Motion 5 Support: Includes 20 new title templates, 19 new transition templates, and rendering performance improvements. Compatible with macOS Mojave.

Title Studio Improvements: Adds center cut title safe and action safe zones, improved C4D support, improved render quality and interactivity in Material Panel.

Enhanced External Broadcast Monitor Support: The FX Browser and Title Studio include support for external/client/broadcast monitor previews (Blackmagic Design and AJA) from a custom UI window.

Pricing & Availability

Continuum 2019 supports popular video host applications including Adobe After Effects CC and Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Apple FCP X and Motion 5, Avid Media Composer, and OFX hosts such as Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve and Magix VEGAS Pro. Full license, upgrade, and subscription options can be purchased through http://www.borisfx.com.

Multi-Host Option #1 (includes all supported host plug-ins: Adobe, Avid, Apple, OFX)
Upgrades start at $695
Annual subscription: $695
Permanent license: $1995

Multi-Host Option #2 (includes all supported host plug-ins: Adobe, Apple, OFX)
Upgrades start at $395
Annual subscription: $395
Permanent license: $1295

Individual Plug-in Host

Adobe
Upgrades start at $295
Annual subscription: $295
Permanent license: $995

Avid
Upgrades start at $495
Annual subscription: $495
Permanent license: $1695

Apple*/OFX
Upgrades start at $195
Annual subscription: $195
Permanent license: $695

* Continuum 2019 for Apple hosts does not currently support Particle Illusion

Continuum 2019 is also available as seventeen individual effect category units. New licenses start at $199. Upgrades from previous versions start at $49.95. Purchases can be made through the website.

Wednesday SciFi Flix: Short Star Wars Fan Film “Whatever Happened to Mace Windu”

Star Wars – Short Films – The short (10:26) Star Wars fan film “Whatever Happened to Mace Windu?” was uploaded to YouTube in June of 2017 by blinky500. The synopsis:

Sometime after the fallout of “Revenge of the Sith” and before the events of “Rogue One”, Mace Windu found his way to a desert planet with no name, where he prepares his counter-strike against the Galactic Empire and his nemesis- Darth Vader.

I thought that this was a pretty well-done film, though it only earned a 4.1/10 rating on IMDB. I think that the results of just four Sundays of filming turned out well.

macOS New app release – SuperTab 4.0

Product Announcements – SpriTec Software of San Diego, California has released SuperTab 4.0 for Mac. SuperTab allows users to completely replace the Mac’s built-in Command-Tab App Switcher with a vastly more powerful and flexible Switcher that provides instant access to much more than just Active Apps. With SuperTab, users can add any or all of the following to the App Switcher:

• Active Apps
• Recent Apps
• Recent Documents
• Recent Folders
• Any Files, Folders or Apps
• App Windows
• Dock Contents
• Any Folder Contents
• Dropbox Contents
• Calendar Events
• Clipboard History
• Multiple Clipboards
• Web Site Bookmarks
• Screen Shots
• Countdown Timers
• Stopwatches
• Tagged Files & Folders
• Finder Sidebar Items
• Snagit Captures
• Saved Spotlight Searches
• Saved Display Configurations

Additionally, users can customize, configure and even colorize the App Switcher to suit their own work flows and personal styles.

And with this 4.0 release, SuperTab gains the following key new features:

• Tab Row Splitting – Users can now split their Tab Rows to get more rows on screen without using more space
• Recent Folders – Users gain access to their recently accessed folders to round out all things recent: Apps/Docs/Folders
• Hand Off Support – Users can now use SuperTab to transfer to their Mac tasks started on another Apple device
• Countdown Timers – Users can create countdown timers to never again miss an important deadline or event
• Stopwatches – Users can now create stopwatches to let them track how long tasks take – no need to dig out a phone
• Video and Interactive Screen Shots on Mojave – Mojave users can now take video and interactive Screen Shots
• Enhanced Drag-and-Drop – Users can drag images and text from any app directly into SuperTab
• Application Windows – The Application Windows Tab Row now can include windows from Apps in all Spaces
• Desktop Contents – User can opt to include Disk Drives in their Desktop Folder Contents Tab Row
• AppleScript scriptability – Users can now control SuperTab via AppleScript to show it, select its items and more
• Setup Wizard – SuperTab now offers a simple setup wizard to help users install and configure SuperTab
• Auto Update – SuperTab now has built-in Auto Update to help users ensure they have the latest fixes and features

“We are excited to offer our users all our new features, but we are especially to roll out Tab Row Splitting,” explained Ando Sonenblick, owner of SpriTec Software. “Allowing users to split their Tab Rows lets them place more Tab Rows on screen, giving them more features at their fingertips, in turn making them more productive – all while taking no additional screen space. And at 50%-off its regular price, this release offers users the most “Bang for their Buck” of any version of SuperTab.”

SuperTab 4.0 is compatible with the following versions of macOS:

• “Mojave” (10.14)
• “Hight Sierra” (10.13)
• “Sierra” (10.12)
• “El Capitan” (10.11)
• “Yosemite” (10.10)
• “Mavericks” (10.9)
• “Mountain Lion” (10.8)

Pricing and Availability:
SuperTab 4.0 is free to download and install and is fully-functional for 30 days. After 30 days, it remains fully-functional but will occasionally ask users to register. Users can take advantage of a special 50%-off sale price of only $10 (USD), which is good now through April, 2019. Users of earlier versions of SuperTab can upgrade to 4.0 for $2.99 (USD).

Instrumental Music on YouTube: “Memories” by Whitesand

Music – I saw this music recommended on the Aethereal Engineer Blog and wanted to share it. You can follow the musician Marty Niaur who published his music under Whitesand.

Book Review: “Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II”

Book Reviews – “Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II” eBook was published in 2019 (April) and was written by Robert Matzen (https://robertmatzen.com). Mr. Matzen has published three books.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘G’. The book tells about the mostly early life of actress Audry Hepburn paying special attention to the years 1940-45 when she lived in the occupied Netherlands.

This book gives an entirely different look at Hepburn. Much is told of her life as an eleven to sixteen-year-old in the German-occupied Netherlands. Then in 1944, the life of she and her family take a turn for the worst when the Allies undertake Operation Market Garden. They were living in Arnhem and were in the middle of days of battle between Allied and Nazi forces.

The months, nearly 200 days, following Market Garden were not much better as they had to survive in damaged housing and with almost no food until they were finally liberated by the Allies on April 16, 1945.

I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent reading this 400-page biography. I thought that this was an interesting story of survival by a young girl who developed into an international movie star. I found it interesting that Hepburn was such an enthusiastic and talented ballet dancer before and during the early years of the war. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

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If you are interested in the WWII era of history, you may find these two pages of interest. 

The  “World War II Sources” page is a collection of more than 270 links to museums, websites, Facebook pages, and Twitter feeds with information on the World War II era in history.

The “World War II Timeline” page shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.

macOS New App Release – WhoDo 1.0

Product Announcements – SwampDog, LLC of Bend, Oregon has released WhoDo 1.0, a contact creation tool available now for macOS. WhoDo supports macOS dictation as a data source, allowing the customer to simply speak any new contact’s data. WhoDo can also transform selected text in any application into a new contact when a customizable keyboard shortcut is invoked. WhoDo uses several internal databases, Apple Foundation level frameworks, natural language processing, and data detectors to deliver its unique solution for macOS.

WhoDo for macOS provides several options which make it more powerful and more flexible than a standard data detector. WhoDo provides an assignment to a group, a default area code used whenever none has been supplied, optional nickname assignment, optional name prefix assignment, optional text to be included in the Note field, optional date and time embedded in the Note field, and offers the customer a choice of work or home label.

WhoDo recognizes personal and company names, job titles, email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, websites, instant message handles, and social media profiles.

WhoDo 1.0 for macOS has an optional Pro capability which is available as a separate purchase. The Pro capability includes seven utility functions for clearing up the crud that infiltrates most address books: locating and fixing upper-case and lower-case entries, missing area codes, contact records containing invalid or duplicated data. More utilities are already in development. The Pro capability also provides fix operations which work at the individual record.

macOS Minimum Requirements:

• macOS Version 10.13 High Sierra or later
• 20.4 MB Hard Drive space
• Internet Connection (required only for Mac App Store)

Pricing and Availability:

• WhoDo for macOS is available in 2 flavors: Basic and Pro
• WhoDo Basic 1.0 is available as an auto-renewable subscription for only 99 (USD) per year. A free 3-day trial is included.
• WhoDo Basic 1.0 is also available as a permanent license for a one time cost of $4.99 (USD).
• WhoDo Pro 1.0 is available as an auto-renewable subscription for only $1.99 (USD) per year. A free 3-day trial is included.
• WhoDo Pro 1.0 is also available as a permanent license for a one time cost of $9.99 (USD)
• WhoDo is also available for iOS

Have You Ever Wanted to Search for a Mac App?

Tech Tips – Have you ever wanted a new App for your Mac but was not sure if such an App existed? Or perhaps you do not know the exact name of an App. MacUpdate may be the answer to that problem. MacUpdate, as the name implies, is primarily a source for keeping track of the latest updates for your Mac Apps. Per their website:

MacUpdate simplifies finding, buying and installing apps for your Mac.
Search over 40,000 Mac apps. Buy apps for 50% off at MacUpdate Promo.
Use MacUpdate Desktop to perform 1-click installs of apps you find on macupdate.com.

If you follow them on Twitter (@MacUpdatePromo), you will get a tweet each day for every App that has been updated in the last 24 hours. I follow them and I get 15-25 tweets from them each day.

The other way you can use MacUpdate is to search for Apps. Just enter what you want to search for in the search window at the top of the page and a list of Apps meeting your criteria will be listed.

In the example shown to the left, I searched for “ebook”. Notice that you see the rating of the App, the number of downloads, and the price. As you can see as well you have filters at the top of the page that you can use to narrow your search. Click on any entry in the list and you can install the App.

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See my other Mac & OS X articles

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Friday WWII Flix: Short Film “Die Ablösung”

Short Films – The very short (3:03) WWII era film “Die Ablösung” was published to YouTube in October of 2017 by Nordgruppe Association. The name of the film, when translated into English, is “The Replacement”.

All of the dialog is in German so understanding exactly what is going on is a little difficult. I wish there had been English subtitles. While the quality of this short film is good I do have some issues with it:

• As dense as the forest looks, how much value are those binoculars
• Who are they going to defend against with just a pistol and a rifle
• Finally, they are FAR too neat and clean to be troops deployed in the field for long

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If you are interested in the WWII era of history, you may find these two pages of interest. 

The  “World War II Sources” page is a collection of more than 190 links to museums, websites, Facebook pages, and Twitter feeds with information on the World War II era in history.

The “World War II Timeline” page shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.

Science Fiction Artwork

If you like Science Fiction then you may want to visit the website of artist James Ledger. He has many examples of science fiction art on the site.