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Multi-thread any command
For instance: $ find . -type f -name '*.wav' -print0 |xargs -0 -P 3 -n 1 flac -V8 will encode all .wav files into FLAC in parallel. Explanation of xargs flags: -P [max-procs]: Max number of invocations to run at once. Set to 0 to run all at once [potentially dangerous re: excessive RAM usage]. -n [max-args]: Max number of arguments from the list to send to each invocation. -0: Stdin is a null-terminated list. I use xargs to build parallel-processing frameworks into my scripts like the one here: http://pastebin.com/1GvcifYa

resize all JPG images in folder and create new images (w/o overwriting)
Convert all jpegs in the current directory into ~1024*768 pixels and ~ 150 KBytes jpegs

Print number of mb of free ram
This will show the amount of physical RAM that is left unused by the system.

Use tagged vlans
Great for sysadmins! Don't forget to pass the vlan to your port in a manageable switch. After vconfig, you should use $sudo ifconfig eth0.[VID] up Now the interface is up, you can use dhclient or ifconfig again to get an ip address.

Increase SCT of external USB disk enclosure to one hour.
So I had this 2TB Seagate external disk/USB enclosure which by default would spin-down its internal drive (it enters a standby mode) after four minutes of inactivity.. Spinning-up the inactive drive was an annoying delay when accessing files and also it severely interfered with NFS.. SCT stands for "Standby Condition Timer". To completely disable SCT: $ sdparm --clear STANDBY -6 /dev/sdb To return to original (default) SCT settings: $ sdparm -D -p 0x1a -6 /dev/sdb To verify the settings (before and after): $ sdparm -a /dev/sdb No need for vendor-provided MSWIN tools, etc.

Which processes are listening on a specific port (e.g. port 80)
swap out "80" for your port of interest. Can use port number or named ports e.g. "http"

Use Dell Service Tag $1 to Find Machine Model [Model Name and Model Number]
255 Max Characters CommandLineFu for $dellurl='http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/en/details?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=hied&ServiceTag='

Change gnome-shell wallpaper

Put a console clock in top right corner
Gives not only date but also some interesting status about the System

Reduce PDF size


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