David A. Black wrote:
> Hi --
>
> On Wed, 10 Aug 2005, basi wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> > I'm a bit tired typing:
> >
> > if a == "" or a == nil
> > if a != "" and a !== nil
> >
> > I'm sure there is a Ruby way to do this.
>
> You can normalize it to a string:
>
>    if a.to_s.empty?
>
> or, for the opposite:
>
>    unless a.to_s.empty?
>
>
> David
>
> --
> David A. Black
> dblack / wobblini.net

Thanks all for the suggestions. This solution appeals to me because I
don't have to define anything new. I wonder if, in general, this is a
good criteria for evaluating solutions.  

basi