It happens to the best of us. We forget where we put things. Car keys. Flash drives. Yes, sometimes we even forget where certain files are on our computers. We can't really help you with the car keys and flash drives (although we inexplicably find things like that in the refrigerator here), we can help you out with finding missing files.

Coming from a Windows environment, you might be familiar with the graphical Search Files/Folder application. You know the one, it has the weird little cartoon dog that sometimes finds your files and folders, sometimes returns a lot of stuff you don't need, or sometimes doesn't return anything at all, even though you know it exists.

Linux also has graphical search applications. With them, you're able to configure your search parameters a little more tightly than with Windows (or maybe it just seems so, because we're not rushing to get the search done and make the freaky little dog go away). However, this usually isn't the quickest, or easiest, way to find your files.

This is definitely one of those times it's more productive for both old pro and new Linux users to use the command line. The confusing thing, even for some more experienced Linux users, is choosing which command to actually use to find the file or folder in question.

Showcased at demofall 2006 this year, Imaginistics has created the world's first shape-based search engine, 3d-seek. Designers, architects, and 3D data consultants will benefit from the technology, allowing you to draw a a rough sketch of the part you are looking for or use an existing 3D model you have, and it will fetch results based on what you draw. You can also add text to your query, which will bring back slightly better results in some cases. The technology is unique and has been in beta for the past 6 months. Already, the site has 4600+ suppliers to find parts you may need for your project.