Introducing the Singapore NRIC / FIN Utility (Generator and Validator)

For developers, data analysts, and QA engineers working within the Singaporean digital ecosystem, handling NRIC (National Registration Identity Card) and FIN (Foreign Identification Number) data is a common task. Ensuring that input data follows the correct checksum logic is vital for maintaining data integrity and providing a smooth user experience.

To solve this, I have developed a streamlined Singapore NRIC/FIN Utility, built using Google AI Studio. This web-based tool is designed to simplify the validation and generation of identification numbers through a clean, functional interface.

Key Capabilities:

• Bulk Generation for Testing: Need dummy data for a database migration or a software stress test? The utility can generate valid identification numbers across various series (S, T, F, G, and M) instantly.
• Instant Validation: Quickly verify if a specific NRIC or FIN is syntactically correct. The tool applies the weighted checksum algorithm used by Singaporean authorities to ensure the prefix and suffix match the numeric sequence.
• Smart Suggestions: The tool predicts the remaining digits and the final checksum letter based on the series (S, T, F, G, or M).

Try it out here: Singapore NRIC/FIN Utility

Is this a prelude to plastic bag charge to increase to 10 cents?

Despite the implementation of a mandatory plastic bag charge in local supermarkets in July 2023, recent data reveals that consumers still purchased over 119 million disposable plastic bags in 2024. Interestingly, while approximately 70% of shoppers now bring their own reusable bags to save money and protect the environment, the report notes that overall usage rates have remained relatively flat or even increased slightly. This creates a puzzling contradiction: if the vast majority are switching to reusables, why hasn't there been a significant drop in plastic bag consumption?

To further discourage usage, experts suggest that authorities may need to increase the current five-cent fee to ten cents or introduce more robust reward systems.

Is this news or study a prelude to a mandatory plastic bag charge increase to 10 cents?

 

Recursively List All Files with PowerShell

If you are working with PowerShell and need a fast way to list all files in a directory, including those buried in subfolders, this one-liner will work:

Get-ChildItem -Path . -Recurse -File | Select-Object FullName

This script performs a recursive search starting from the current directory (.), finds all files (excluding folders), and outputs their full paths.

PowerShell Tip: Bulk Appending File Extensions with One-Liner Magic

Ever found yourself staring at a folder full of files and wishing you could batch append them all with a .txt suffix? PowerShell makes this delightfully simple with a one-liner:

Get-ChildItem -File | Rename-Item -NewName {$_.Name + '.txt'}

To expand further to include files in all sub folders, use below instead.

Get-ChildItem -File -Recurse | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.Name + '.txt' }

If you wish to rollback what you just did, use the following:

Get-ChildItem -Path . -Recurse -File -Filter "*.txt" | ForEach-Object {
    $newName = [System.IO.Path]::GetFileNameWithoutExtension($_.Name)
    Rename-Item -Path $_.FullName -NewName $newName
}

Feel free to replace the txt with a different one based on your needs!

LTA's Official MRT Map Feb 2025 - With Hume Station

Singapore's Land Transport Authority has just released an updated official MRT map including one additional station on the Downtown Line i.e. Hume Station.

Copy directories recursively from source to destination

Robocopy, short for "Robust File Copy" is an advanced command-line utility included in Windows. It's designed to copy files and directories with more features and control than the basic copy commands. If you need to efficiently and reliably replicate a large number of files and folders, Robocopy is your go-to tool.

robocopy source dest /s /e

LTA's Official MRT Map Dec 2024

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has just released an updated official MRT map including one additional station on the North East Line (NEL): Punggol Coast Line. Punggol Coast station will now be the terminating station replacing Punggol station.