code: public static boolean parseBool (@Nullable final Object aObject, final boolean bDefault)
    {
      if (aObject instanceof Boolean)
        return ((Boolean) aObject).booleanValue ();
      if (aObject instanceof String)
        return parseBool ((String) aObject);
      return bDefault;
    }
docs: Try to interpret the passed object as boolean. This works only if the
  passed object is either a {@link String} or a {@link Boolean}.
  
  @param aObject
  The object to be interpreted. May be <code>null</code>.
  @param bDefault
  The default value to be returned, if the object cannot be
  interpreted.
  @return The boolean representation or the default value if the passed
  object cannot be interpreted as a boolean.