Batch text replace (using grep and sed to replace all occurances of a string in all files recursively through directories)

Easy enough, just grep for the string, and pass the returned file list into sed using xargs. But what about the details?

This site was my best hit on google using the obvious search:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1169927/using-sed-and-grep-to-search-and-replace

I used a slighly different set of arguments when I did it, since egrep seems like a royal pain for my purposes. I added a -t to my xargs call so I could monitor what it did each time it did it:

grep -l oldstring *.* | xargs -l -t sed -i -e 's/oldstring/NEWSTRING/g'

Here's a version using find that worked for me:

$ find . -name "*.htm" | xargs -l -t sed -i -e 's/oldstring/NEWSTRING/g'

Here's a novel way to just search for the files that have the string. Might be interesting to find a way to link this up with xargs for the substitution. Not sure what the extra backslash is about:

find . -exec grep -l “string to find” {} \;

The Westinghouse 1/3 HP 1050 RPM blower motor in my York furnace

Alternate title: How can there be so many damn motors?

Having taken the blower motor in my furnace apart to lubricate it, I know that the repair is temporary and I'm going to need a new motor soon. When I had it out, I tried to write down all the numbers on the motor tag, but the main part number doesn't seem to be matching up to anything that gets immediate hits on google. Maybe I didn't read it right. The searches that I have done so far have led me to realize that I'd have better luck searching by the furnace model number! Here's what I've found out so far:

From the motor:

Westinghouse S# 321PA45
HP 1/3 RPM 1050/900/800
V120 FR FU48 INSb CL.A
A7.4
Cap 7.5 MFD/370V
E46993

(the A seems to be a numeric digit in all other westinghouse motor part numbers I've found so far, but I have no idea why I thought that this was an A on the tag)
(1/3 is not a very common HP. It seems to be a 3-speed motor)
(Seems to be a 120V motor. FR FU48 is frame size 48. I've seen FR DU48 sometimes)
(The attached cap was a 7.5 uF. This appears to be what's called a "Run Capacitor")

Links from my search:

This page had a westinghouse motor, but a completely different one:
http://stores.johnstonesupply.com/155/tabid/1783/default.aspx?product_group=5723

This is a guy searching for a completely different Westinghouse motor. The answer recommends a Fasco replacement motor, and explains to get the run capacitor appropriate to the replacement motor.

http://www.justanswer.com/appliance/4asur-bad-westinghouse-blower-motor-info.html

MOT1036A from this place is a 4-speed but seems pretty similar to mine. I might be able to use a general purpose replacement if I found one with the same frame size (and shaft diameter, which of course I neglected to measure)
http://www.americanhvacparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

Update: Wow, they sell the complete blower assembly!

http://www.americanhvacparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=fc56c04bf8edf0dd4fec53724a54df59&Store_Code=AM&Screen=PROD&Category_Code=m-york&Product_Code=MOT6901A

Here's a close Fasco motor, 1/2 instead of 1/3 HP. No specs so I don't even know if it is even the same frame size, but it sure does look similar:

http://www.americanhvacparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=fc56c04bf8edf0dd4fec53724a54df59&Store_Code=AM&Screen=PROD&Category_Code=m-york&Product_Code=MOT2700D

Here's a 1/3 HP 3-speed frame size 48 motor. I'm not sure why I keep getting hits on 1075 rpm motors when Mine's a 1050 rpm.

http://www.hvacpartsoutlet.com/1/3-hp-115v-3-speed-1075-rpm-blower-motor.aspx

Here's a guy looking for a really similar motor. He was advised to hit the Grainger catalog to find a cross reference. I tried it and was rewarded, finally, with an easy-to-browse website design, but didn't find any specific cross reference info to Westinghouse.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general-archive/old-elect-motor-frame-conversion-new-95444/

Here's a close hit on Grainger:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/AO-SMITH-Direct-Drive-Blower-Motor-4KA34?Pid=search

How to set table column widths in Microsoft Word

Working in the despair-valley of M$Word 2010... although this problem has existed with many versions. Trying to freaking set the freaking table column widths using the Table Properties "column" tab and it just freaking doesn't do it.

The answer that none of the stupid web sites that Google came back with on the subject seem to be able to add is that the overall "Preferred Table Width" setting in the first tab is also in effect, and if the total column widths that I set exceed that value, M$Word just silently ignores column width settings. So, the procedure for setting column widths must include first setting "Preferred Table Width," and then setting column widths that add up to equal or less than the total width.

Microsoft Word How to paste in a section heading with a value of x.0.1

The first lesson seems to be "why are you trying to do that"

Fair enough, but I want to anyhow. If I paste in a section heading of the right indent from elsewhere in the document, it can't seem to figure out that it's supposed to be in section 10.0, and steadfastly decides that it will continue the last heading level that it was in or that for some reason continues to apply from way down where I am pasting to. Instead of 10.0.1, I'm getting 8.2.9. Who cares why, but to fix it, the solution is to paste it with the "start new list" option. Then, select "edit indent levels" which produces the screen with setting for each list level. Now the secret is that this window applies just to the list that the item that I'm editing is a member of, which is to say just itself. Assuming it says 8.0... 8.2... 8.29... for the three levels (Since I made this a new list, it probalby says 1.0.... 1.1.... 1.1.1....), I can just select the top level, set that to 10, set the middle level to 0, and viola.

There are probably some core concepts here which could be remembered for future use, but here's how to solve this one damn problem.

TortoiseProc Launch Failed The directory name is invalid

It looks like my installation of TortoiseSVN is becoming unravelled and I can no longer perform a checkout into a fresh directory. Doing things in directories that have already been checked out still seems to work.

There are many hits on Google for this problem:

http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/ds/viewMessage.do?dsForumId=4061&viewType=browseAll&dsMessageId=2329509
http://www.webtechquery.com/index.php/2010/11/tortoiseproc-launch-failed/
http://groups.google.com/group/tortoisesvn/browse_thread/thread/506470578048be52?pli=1

All of which lead to the same solution of just doing a reinstall, apparently a reinstall with a laborious cleanup.

However, nobody mentioned an obvious workaround which I tried successfully:

From one of my checked out directories where Tortoise still works, I called up the repo-browser. From that directory, I selected the folder that I wanted to check out and from a right-click selected "Check out" from there it let me enter the location that I was trying to put the new checkout into and it worked fine. This keeps me going for now until the unlikely day that I have time to wipe TortoiseSVN's butt for it.

How to exorcise the demon of saved authentication from Tortoise SVN

Working in an evironment where multiple SVN users should be able to edit files in a checked-out folder, update, and commit changes. It took FUCKING FOREVER to figure out what we were doing wrong. No matter what, whenever anybody tried to do an SVN update, commit, or even diff, it would ask the the password of a particular user rather than prompt for both user id and password.

Web site after web site advised how to clear the saved authentication data from the "Settings" dialog, which I did. I even did the nuclear clear-out option of clearing subdirectories from the "auth" folder in Documents and Settings.

What is not explained is that no matter what you do, if a folder has been checked out by a particular SVN user with "Authentication Saved", there is no way to make it forget what user checked it out.

The solution was to move the folder checked out by the previous user, then check it out again after having cleared the saved authentiation. This time, during the checkout, it asked for the user id, and I didn't check "save authentication". Now everybody can use Tortoise on the files in this folder, and it will ask for their user name for every operation.

Skinny Side By Side Refrigerators

Here is what I've learned so far about finding a side-by-side replacement for the "contractor grade" refridgerator that we currently have:

Due to the way our counters have been built right up to the edge of the current fridge, we are limited to the dimensions of the current one, although we could go higher. Our current dimensions are 32"W x 32"D x 67"H. Our over-fridge cabinets allow up to 4" extra height

We found a very good one at Lowes. It's a Whirlpool, with a very minimal icemaker ("In-Door"), 32"x32"x66". It's in black (the salesperson made the claim that they can get it in white). I was curious if it would be possible to get one with more height.

The Whirlpool site shows only two 32"W side by side fridges, but the ice dispensers don't look much like the model at Lowes, so these probably don't have the good in-door icemaker. Here are the two models:

ED2VHEXVQ:
http://www.whirlpool.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=REFRIGERATORS&cat=96&prod=2094

ED2DHEXWQ:
http://www.whirlpool.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=REFRIGERATORS&cat=96&prod=1568

The ED2DHEXWQ has handles that look similar to the Lowes model.

So, looking for skinny side-by-side models that are taller, I found the following info:

This GE fridge is taller, but has a skinnier freezer section and it's even more insanely expensive than the whirlpool models. It supposedly can be bought through Applianceland and Bray&Scarf. The stupid flash loader on this webpage is broken:

GSHF3KGZWW:
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=GSHF3KGZWW

Suggestions by Google led to this other GE model that doesn't have a broken website, and seems to fit all our needs, aside from the skinnier freezer. It's also just $800 at a sears outlet store.

GSHF3KGZCC:
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=GSHF3KGZCC

The GE models have a good digital temperature readout, but the same bad internal filter that knocks out a bunch of food space as Dad's fridge (and probably taints the water like his too).

This review page, for yet a different GE model, is interesting because one reviewer describes the model's compressor as having the exact same nasty grinding noise as our current refridgerator's. He even goes into detail as to which type of compressor it is.

http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/ge-appliances-black-23-1-cu-ft-side-by-refrigerator-gshf3kgz-reviews

The only 32" side-by-side that Kenmore sells is this model, which aside from looking miserable, is also short:

http://www.kenmore.com/shc/s/p_10154_12604_04641262000P?vName=Kenmore&cName=Refrigerators&sName=Side-by-Side+Refrigerators&prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=L1

Interestingly, this KithenAid model looks more like the Lowes one than the Whirlpool ones. I.e. short also.

http://www.refrigeratorexpert.com/kitchenaid-architect-ii-KSRV22FVSS.html