Use Direct Ethernet for File Transfers (Mac only)

Here's a quick tip. Have you ever needed to transfer files between 2 macs, and didn't have a running network or firewire cable available? OSX will function as if on a network by connecting the two machines using one Ethernet cable. In case you're not aware, this will work over firewire as well.

Just make sure file sharing is turned on in the sharing system preferences panel. The network cards in the Macs will sense the connections and make the appropriate changes for you to see the other computers in the finder's shared section.

Doing this on a PC requires a crossover cable and a bit more work, but it will work as well.