package com.bush.util;

import java.util.Date;
import java.text.*;

/**
 * Useful Date utility methods not found in java.lang.Boolean
 *
 * @author Daniel Bush
 */
public class DateUtil {

  private DateUtil() {}

  /**
   * Convert the specified {@link java.util.Date} into a {@link java.sql.Date}.
   *
   * @param date a Date value
   * @return a java.sql.Date value
   */
  public static java.sql.Date convert(Date date) {
    return date != null ? new java.sql.Date(date.getTime()) : null;
  }

  /**
   * Convert the specified {@link java.sql.Date} into a {@link java.util.Date}.
   *
   * @param timestamp a java.sql.Date value
   * @return a Date value
   */
  public static Date convert(java.sql.Date timestamp) {
    return timestamp != null ? new Date(timestamp.getTime()) : null;
  }

  /**
   * Convert the specified {@link java.util.Date} into a {@link java.sql.Timestamp}.
   *
   * @param date a Date value
   * @return a java.sql.Timestamp value
   */
  public static java.sql.Timestamp convertToTimestamp(Date date) {
    return date != null ? new java.sql.Timestamp(date.getTime()) : null;
  }

  /**
   * Convert the specified timestamp into a date.
   *
   * @param timestamp a java.sql.Timestamp value
   * @return a Date value
   */
  public static Date convertToDate(java.sql.Timestamp timestamp) {
    return timestamp != null ? new Date(timestamp.getTime()) : null;
  }

  /**
   * Give me a String and a pattern and I will try to give you the Date representation.
   *
   * @param date a String value
   * @param pattern a String value
   * @return a Date value
   * @exception ParseException if an error occurs
   */
  public static Date parse(String date, String pattern) throws ParseException {
    SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat(pattern);
    return sdf.parse(date);
  }

  /**
   * Give me a Date and a pattern and I will try to give you the String representation.
   *
   * @param date a Date value
   * @param pattern a String value
   * @return a String value
   * @exception ParseException if an error occurs
   */
  public static String format(Date date, String pattern) throws ParseException {
    SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat(pattern);
    return sdf.format(date);
  } 

}

this

package com.bush.util;

import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;
import org.apache.log4j.*;

/**
 * Useful IO utility methods.
 *
 * @author Daniel Bush
 */
public final class IOUtil {
  
  private static final Logger LOG = Logger.getLogger(IOUtil.class);
  private static final IOUtil _instance = new IOUtil();
  
  private IOUtil() {}
  
  /**
   * Loads the specified resource from the CLASSPATH. *** Note: This
   * class is designed as a Singleton and is expected to be, as per
   * the packaging, loaded by a direct descendant of the system's
   * class loader; preferably the application's class loader. This
   * should insure that all resources requested to be loaded by an
   * application class will be visible ... Caller is
   * responsible for closing the InputStream!
   */
  public static final InputStream loadResourceFromClasspath(String name) throws IOException {
    LOG.debug("Attempting to load [{}] from the CLASSPATH.", name);
    InputStream in = _instance.getClass().getResourceAsStream("/"+name);
    if ( in == null ) {
      LOG.warn("*** Failed to load resource. ***");
      throw new IOException("["+name+"] could not be loaded from the CLASSPATH.");
    }
    else {
      LOG.debug("Successfully loaded resource.");
      return in;
    }
  }

  /**
   * And if you need the resource as a byte [] ...
   */
  public static final byte [] loadResourceFromClasspathAsByteArray(String name) throws IOException {
    InputStream in = loadResourceFromClasspath(name);
    ByteArrayOutputStream out = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
    byte [] buffer = new byte [2048];
    int bytes = -1;
    while ( (bytes = in.read(buffer)) != -1) {
      out.write(buffer, 0, bytes);
    }
    out.close();
    in.close();
    return out.toByteArray();
  }

  public static final byte [] serialize(Object obj) throws IOException {
    ByteArrayOutputStream bout = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
    ObjectOutputStream oos = new ObjectOutputStream(bout);
    oos.writeObject(obj);
    oos.close();
    return bout.toByteArray();
  }

  public static final Object deserialize(byte [] bytes) throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException {
    ObjectInputStream ois = new ObjectInputStream(new ByteArrayInputStream(bytes));
    Object obj = ois.readObject();
    ois.close();
    return obj;
  }

}

this