Subscribe via RSSI’ve been working on what is turning into a series of articles for those of you who get the itch to write a book. If you are just joining the conversation, I encourage you to take a few minutes to read Part 1 and Part 2. In this article I want to cover a few…
More Fun with PowerShell Thrillers
Last week I posted a Friday Fun article about using PowerShell to create a synopsis for a hypothetical thriller novel. Naturally I wasn’t satisfied to leave it at that. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good start. But I needed to take the next logical step. I had a script, but that meant having…
So You Want to Write a Book – Part 2
A few days ago I posted an article on what to consider when you get the crazy idea to write a book. If you are still motivated, then allow me to offer some additional tips and guidance on the mechanics of writing a tech-related book.
Friday Fun: PowerShell Thriller Revisited
A number of years ago I shared a fun PowerShell script that generated a description of a new thriller you might find in the action thriller section of your local book store. I modeled it after the works of authors like Vince Flynn, Ben Coes and James Rollins. I’m a big fan and of these…
So You Want to Write a Book
I received a message on Twitter looking for some guidance on writing a technology-related book. Like many of you, he has no previous publishing experience. Notice I didn’t say “writing experience”. If you are thinking of writing your first book, I am assuming you already are writing. Even if it has been nothing but blog…
Join Me for a 2 Day PowerShell Scripting Workshop
I am very happy to announce a 2 day public PowerShell learning event. In association with the fine people behind the Techmentor conference, I will be presenting a 2 day PowerShell Scripting workshop in Dallas, TX on February 4-5, 2019. There is an option to attend virtually, but you’ll really get the most out of…
Creating Colorful HTML Disk Reports with PowerShell
I have no idea what possessed me, but the other day I came across an older script that uses PowerShell to create an HTML report showing drive utilization for a group of computers. The utilization is displayed using a color gradient from green to red to provide a visual reference. As I looked at the…
PowerShell Calendaring Revisited
Early this week, I came across an old snippet of code in my scripts folder, originally published by Lee Holmes. It was an old script, from 2008, on using PowerShell to display a calendar with out of office information. I seem to recall that I had been trying to do something similar — display a…
Searching for a CIM/WMI Class with PowerShell
I got a question on Twitter about an older function I has posted to get antivirus information via WMI. The function continues to work fine with Windows 10, although there’s always room for improvement. However, the question was that the function did not seem to work when querying a server running Windows Server 2016 or…
Converting PowerShell to Markdown
I have been working a lot with markdown documents over the last year or so, primarily due to all the books I’ve been working on published at Leanpub.com. With the growing use of markdown in projects like Platyps for generating help files and documentation, you will most likely be using markdown at some point. With…
Making Short Links Long with PowerShell and WPF
Sometimes, when I have nothing better to do, I kill some time giving Todd Klindt and Shane Young a hard time during their podcast. You should join me sometime. Anyway, during a recent show Todd mentioned a bit of PowerShell code he put together to resolve short links. You see these all the time in…
Talking PowerShell
Hard to believe the year is almost have over. Other than the PowerShell Summit, most of my travel this first half of the year has been for private PowerShell classes. After taking some well-earned rest with my family I will be back on the road towards the end of the summer. I have a number…
PowerShell Practice Makes Perfect
I have been teaching and presenting about PowerShell for over 10 years. I always put a great emphasis on doing as I firmly believe that is the best way to learn something like PowerShell. I’ve also heard a number of people over the years say that they want to learn and do more with PowerShell…
Get Git Configuration with PowerShell
A few weeks ago I was teaching a PowerShell fundamentals course. Towards the end of the week we start creating simple scripts and functions. One night after class I was thinking about giving them another example and I was working on a project using git. At some point I was looking at my git configuration…
Friday Fun: Perk Up Your PowerShell Prompt
I haven’t written a Friday Fun post in quite a while. Often these posts don’t have much practical value but hopefully illustrate a concept or technique. Although what I have today is something you could use immediately. I have a version of a PowerShell prompt function that will color code your location based on the…