the P.Pole

5 things I’ve learned this week:

• how to write SQL queries
• import/export data with MS SQL Server (more hidden than you’d expect)
• basics of using PHP with MySQL or MS SQL Server (the latter works now too, with an additional module)
• basics of using ASP with the same instead of PHP
• Bhupinder Singh is a great man (let it be known in all the lands)

Basically, I’ve got this project involving a whole lot of moving parts (database, queries, multiple user-interfaces, syncing, etc…) and I, being an expert in none of these things, was resolved to teach myself all the tools Id need to get things done how the pros do. Time-consuming, often frustrating, and I felt inefficient many times along the way. However, I am glad now, since I do have a basic understanding of how a whole bunch of things work now.

Anyway, yesterday I was on the corporate Twitter-like feed on Yammer, and I was mentioning/asking around about all these options, while being open to suggestions. Bhupinder, a wise man I met while waiting for the same bus at DC, chimed in about Webforms, Continue reading

Let it be known that yesterday was the first Valentine’s Day that:

• I have “celebrated” in a long time
• I enjoyed more than I would enjoy any other random day
• I tried the Japanese food at the restaurant previously known as “Wasabi”(beside Silverstar Buffet)
• I felt quite a bit of pride when I heard that our very own Alexandre Bilodeau win gold in the Men’s Freestyle Skiing (Moguls) event, first official Canadian gold on Canadian soil (don’t worry Jenn Heil, you won the gold, if only according to me)

So yes, yesterday was a fun day. Look what Amy made me to mark the date!

Disclaimer:

I don’t work for Postbox, but I do appreciate their software and how it actually does what I want. This is why I am promoting it to friends and family alike.

This guide is written for Postbox 1.1.1, on Mac OS X (I’m on 10.6.2 at time of writing this), so I cannot guarantee success on the Windows version via the same steps, but all the settings in Gmail + preferences should be more or less identical.

When you get this set up, you should be able to archive messages just like in the web interface to keep on the Gmail servers, delete emails to the trash (or immediately) via Postbox, and get the most out of your Gmail-on-desktop experience. I hope this also helps anyone else who has trouble getting these things to work. I spent a good hour last night figuring it out.

If you read through this and try it out on a trial version, and you like what you see, you can save $10 on the purchase of Postbox by using a referral purchase page here (you will see a small message at the top confirming the $10 discount). Students with valid photo ID will get a 50% discount too.

So this application was mentioned by Lifehacker and I have since purchased it. I do not often purchase software (opting for the awesome freewares that are offered out there instead), but after using a trial version of this app, I instantly fell in love with the level of actual, real interoperability with Gmail IMAP. Having had no success with Mail or Thunderbird working properly with IMAP (i.e. archiving is wonky, as is expunging from the inbox), I tested this alternative out and found it to do exactly what I needed (mostly without any major configuration in the newer version).

If you’re looking for a feature list, please see their site for their marketing pitch.

I’m going to go over a quick guide to set up Postbox with Gmail, such that the archiving works along with trashing, inbox cleaning, and all that jazz. Currently, I have not found any other comprehensive guide that is proven to work that takes into account both the Gmail settings and the Postbox settings to ensure things play nice. Enjoy, and I hope this helps you if you’re having trouble.

Getting Postbox

First, you’ll need to go download a copy of Postbox (free trials are available for both Windows and Max OS X). Install by following the instructions (duh, straightforward, really). Go here for the download file (you’ll need to click the button at the top to get your OS-specific download, as their site automatically detects your operating system). Continue reading

This was free-spoken by Shane Koyczan during the opening ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver, Canada.

When defining Canada
You might list some statistics
You might mention our tallest building
Or biggest lake
You might shake a tree in the fall
And call a red leaf Canada
You might rattle off some celebrities
Might mention Buffy Sainte-Marie
Might even mention the fact that we’ve got a few
Barenaked Ladies
Or that we made these crazy things
Like zippers
Electric cars
And washing machines
When defining Canada
It seems the world’s anthem has been
“Been there done that”
And maybe that’s where we used to be at
It’s true
We’ve done and we’ve been
We’ve seen
All the great themes get swallowed up by the machine
And turned into theme parks
But when defining Canada
Don’t forget to mention that we have set sparks
We are not just fishing stories
About the one that got away
We do more than sit around and say “eh?”
And yes
We are the home of the Rocket and the Great One
Who inspired little number nines
And little number ninety-nines
But we’re more than just hockey and fishing lines
Off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes
And some say what defines us
Is something as simple as please and thank you
And as for you’re welcome
Well we say that too
But we are more
Than genteel or civilized
We are an idea in the process
Of being realized
We are young
We are cultures strung together
Then woven into a tapestry
And the design
Is what makes us more
Than the sum total of our history
We are an experiment going right for a change
With influences that range from a to zed
And yes we say zed instead of zee
We are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy
We dream so big that there are those
Who would call our ambition an industry
Because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow
We do more than grow wheat and brew beer
We are vineyards of good year after good year
We reforest what we clear
Because we believe in generations beyond our own
Knowing now that so many of us
Have grown past what used to be
We can stand here today
Filled with all the hope people have
When they say things like “someday”
Someday we’ll be great
Someday we’ll be this
Or that
Someday we’ll be at a point
When someday was yesterday
And all of our aspirations will pay the way
For those who on that day
Look towards tomorrow
And still they say someday
We will reach the goals we set
And we will get interest on our inspiration
Because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks
More than backpacks and hiking trails
We are hammers and nails building bridges
Towards those who are willing to walk across
We are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss
We are not the see-through gloss or glamour
Of those who clamour for the failings of others
We are fathers brothers sisters and mothers
Uncles and nephews aunts and nieces
We are cousins
We are found missing puzzle pieces
We are families with room at the table for newcomers
We are more than summers and winters
More than on and off seasons
We are the reasons people have for wanting to stay
Because we are more than what we say or do
We live to get past what we go through
And learn who we are
We are students
Students who study the studiousness of studying
So we know what as well as why
We don’t have all the answers
But we try
And the effort is what makes us more
We don’t all know what it is in life we’re looking for
So keep exploring
Go far and wide
Or go inside but go deep
Go deep
As if James Cameron was filming a sequel to The Abyss
And suddenly there was this location scout
Trying to figure some way out
To get inside you
Because you’ve been through hell and high water
And you went deep
Keep exploring
Because we are more
Than a laundry list of things to do and places to see
We are more than hills to ski
Or countryside ponds to skate
We are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can’t wait
We are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes
A country that is all the ways you choose to live
A land that can give you variety
Because we are choices
We are millions upon millions of voices shouting
“Keep exploring… we are more”
We are the surprise the world has in store for you
It’s true
Canada is the “what” in “what’s new?”
So don’t say “been there done that”
Unless you’ve sat on the sidewalk
While chalk artists draw still lifes
On the concrete of a kid in the street
Beatboxing to Neil Young for fun
Don’t say you’ve been there done that
Unless you’ve been here doing it
Let this country be your first-aid kit
For all the times you get sick of the same old same old
Let us be the story told to your friends
And when that story ends
Leave chapters for the next time you’ll come back
Next time pack for all the things
You didn’t pack for the first time
But don’t let your luggage define your travels
Each life unravels differently
And experiences are what make up
The colours of our tapestry
We are the true north
Strong and free
And what’s more
Is that we didn’t just say it
We made it be.
— Shane Koyczan, More (Copyright © The Vancouver Sun)

This is unexpected, sneaky, and nerdy all in one beautiful burrito of awesome (found while reading through some PHP tutorials for work, while jamming out to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”).

5 things I taught myself to do within MS Excel’s macro modules:

• automatically find and “commit” existing data (by saving values and removing all formulas) in non-empty cells
• referencing + manipulating cell contents for VB programming
• automatically add to, remove from, and sort lists within ranges of cells
• create (and abuse) snarky user interaction windows/prompts
• establish a data connection with an online table + refresh the table

These things are pretty basic for advanced Excel developers, but for me, one who is in between the unwashed masses and the mildly initiated, well, I feel pretty damn good about figuring this stuff out mostly on my own (Google, Macro Recording, a coworker, and Herman were great helps along the way).

It has been said that necessity is the mother of all invention, but I think my inventions are bastardized in nature, as laziness is fact the real mother of these inventions! Like one of those secret plots, where the king’s child is actually born of a concubine (in this case, a very seductive and clever, albeit lazy concubine), but the public is kept from this knowledge, to protect the good name of the royal family. But even more secretly, the queen is fuming, but also satisfied because the child takes care of her needs… too? I am not sure this translates.

In any case, I was being a sneaky cleverist, and made a whole bunch of macros/functions/buttons for deciding how an expense tracking workbook would work. This was for the project managers here at Open Text, IT. I believe myself and any that follow would not enjoy the laborious task of manually maintaining the sheet’s infrastructure and editing the VB code to accommodate for the slightest changes, so I wrote it in a very hands-free fashion, and it will work flawlessly so long as no one decides to delete random columns/rows… Which no one ever does, right? RIGHT?! Well, i can leave documentation, and that’s about it really… Here’s to hoping no random user decides to “clean” my sheets.

Did you know that this place, the P.Pole, has been around since 2005? Did you also know that this year I, Carl K. Awesome H. Wong will be turning twenty years young? Yes, my friends, I will be at my quarter-life crisis in about three to four months from now.

Speaking of quarters, I have exactly one left over from paying for a bottle of Coke at work today. I thought I’d treat myself and drink to the Five-Year Anniversary (a “Fiversary” if you will, but you, like me, probably won’t) of the P.Pole. Effectively, I’ve been writing and posting for a quarter of my life with my lovely P.Pole.

I still remember the olden days when I first started out with her on Blogger which was, back then, a completely different beast and not the polished (and rather good-looking) face you’ll see today. I remember spending an entire day figuring out a great name for my own little slice of the Internet, and finally settled on the P.Pole (for some obvious and some clandestine reasons).

Somewhere along the line, I decided to try out WordPress, as hosted on their servers (with limited functionality without payment). I tested an “Import from Blogger” feature and a month later, I had my own hosting and domain by Dreamhost, running a WordPress install. I’ve since moved once more, to HostGator, and made a few tweaks to the P.Pole’s face (less than this woman though).

And here we are today, five years later, still posting and updating happily. Here’s to many more! *sips addictive caffeine enriched Coke*