• “(500) Days of Summer” and “I Love You Man” were great movies
• Modern Warfare 2 is quite an addictive game
• Grooveshark is awesome
• I hate spelling and grammar errors, but feel that they are necessary when being mushy with Amy
• Picking others’ brains is as important as picking your own

Today Eugene Roman (an executive at OpenText) came to have lunch with us co-op students. He spoke at length during and after lunch about some principles that he has adopted in his work and personal life that have gotten him where he is today. Pretty rad exec, if you ask me. I really liked when he answered the question “How do we find jobs in this market?” with “With hard work and cleverness.” I have already asked to have a sit-down with him next Thursday to find out what exactly makes a guy like him tick. Should be quite a learning experience, I say.

There’s some saying that I will, in a matter of a few words, begin butchering via paraphrase: “A humble student has innumerable masters.” There’s also the “A true student is always ready to learn.” Something along those lines is what I’m applying here. There are two kinds of successful people in my opinion, those who are lucky, and those who know what they are doing. Given that someone successful knows what they are doing, surely there is something to be gained from first knowing their road to success, understanding it, and eventually integrating the lessons learned into your own adventure. I am pretty excited.

• 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, a proprietary part of the ECM suite that OpenText makes and markets itself. I am generally very wary when people make suggestions to me about how to do things, especially if I’ve never used whatever tools they recommend. It takes approximately 5 seconds to recommend an application or a system to get a job done with, and anywhere from a day to many for me to figure out how to use it clumsily before moving on (usually a mismatch of my needs and the app’s capabilities). Back to Webforms! Bhupinder then volunteered to give me a quick tutorial on how to start a template up, create views for it, pull reports back out using SQL queries, link the information to a database that’s already hooked into Livelink… Just an all around AWESOME suggestion.

Without his help, I would be anxious at best about my project’s success/final level of functionality. After having spent maybe at most 30 minutes speaking with Bhupinder, listening to his insights, and learning about some of the basic tools at my disposal, and getting set up (it’s frustrating wanting to try different tools but not having anyone to show you how to get set up to start testing!), I am pretty confident that this will be the way to go. There’s plenty of documentation on our Intranet that I will be using to teach myself, and the direct feed in and out of one of our established databases is one of the major selling points. I am extremely grateful to Bhupinder (and the others who have offered me their suggestions too) for his great idea and coaching. I’m pretty excited to get to work today.

• 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!

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).

Preparing Gmail

If you have not done so already, you will need to enable IMAP for Gmail. Go to Gmail’s web interface (that is, go to your Gmail inbox via your Internet browser), and click on “Settings” in the top right corner.

First, set up advanced IMAP controls by enabling it via the Gmail Labs tabs. Head to the “Labs” settings tab, and enable “Advanced IMAP Controls” (about halfway down the list). Now, follow the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab to view your settings. Configure these settings to match mine.

Note: It is important but not essential that you select the “Do not automatically expunge messages” option. This just means that when you click “Delete” in Postbox (or any of your IMAP clients), automatically expunging will instantly and permanently delete that message, while my setting of not doing so will simply mark the files for deletion, but not actually delete them (until you do something like empty your trash bin). It is safer to tell Gmail to not automatically expunge items, in my opinion, as you can recover items accidentally deleted. Do be careful when using the auto-expunge option.

Gmail labels! IMAP has a way of organizing emails into “folders” via labels/tags. You’ll want to head to the “Labels” settings tab, still in Gmail’s web interface. Have yours set up to look like mine (I’m sure you can specify some others to show in IMAP without problems, but these are the main ones you’ll want to show for sure). For the purposes of setting up Gmail on Postbox (or any IMAP email client), you’re interested in the very last column of check boxes and not the “Show / Hide” toggles in the left column.

Gmail, now, should be primed and ready for Postbox goodness!

Note: Be sure to hide the “Sent Mail” label from IMAP (i.e. leave it unchecked). This prevents your sent emails (which are automatically labeled with the “Sent Mail” tag by Gmail’s servers) from showing up again as unread items in your inbox after sending from Postbox.

Configuring Postbox

Now, we switch back to Postbox. You will want to add a new mail account from “File > New > Mail Account”. Here’s the beauty of it: Postbox will pretty much have everything working great from this (as of version 1.1.1), as long as you enter your email address + password correctly. However, for older versions or people having trouble configuring their emails to work for whatever reason, I’ve taken some screenshots of my settings to help you out. Do enjoy.

1. Adding the new mail account
2. Server settings (note the “Move it to this folder: Trash” where you must click and select your email accounts’ Gmail trash folder; also note the “Clean up (“Expunge”) Inbox on Exit” setting, explained below)
3. Copies settings (defaults, in 1.1.1, will do perfectly, but older versions may not use the folder settings as shown, so just click the drop down menus and select the folders from the Gmail accounts; note that you do not need to enable any sent email copying because Google’s email servers will automatically copy your sent emails to the “Sent Mail” folder for you)
4. Junk settings (SpamAssassin is good; I set mine to move them to the “Spam” folder on Gmail, as well as auto-deleting junk mail older than thirty days, because of a Wordpress file backup system I’m running—another post for another time!)

Carl’s Unnecessarily Detailed Notes

When setting the server settings, the default values will work for the most part, except the inbox clearing. I am someone who loves having a clean inbox, so I like archiving or deleting all my mail as soon as possible. Most mail clients fail to offer the ability to perform these actions properly with Gmail (because of Gmail’s philosophy of favoring archiving over deleting) since many clients don’t support true “archiving” functions to be analogous to Gmail’s “Archive” button. This is where a bit of cleverness comes into play, in the form of enabling the “Clean up (“Expunge”) Inbox on Exit” toggle. This essentially takes all the emails you archived or deleted (they must be read) and removes the “Inbox” tag from them.

The problem with other clients is that they often don’t offer you the option of archiving or deleting things properly. Archiving on Gmail essentially marks the email as “All Mail” and removes the “Inbox” tag. Most clients can mark emails for deletion, but usually cannot handle archiving properly (usually, it’s the “Inbox” tag that is not removed, resulting in your emails collecting in the inbox until you go to the web interface to archive them manually). Enabling the expunge on exit will remove the “Inbox” tag from everything you’ve read through and moved, leading to no clutter in your web interface (when next you need to access Gmail from not your computer) while not having to auto-archive/delete everything you come by.

If your folders (like “Spam” or “All Mail”) don’t show up in the drop down menus when selecting where your copies of emails should go, you should right-click your account name in the main window and go to “Subscribe”. Here, scan through the list of possible folders from your Gmail and check off the ones you need to be able to see. Now you should wait awhile for the settings to update, and then you’ll be able to select those folders within the settings menus. If you followed my instructions for the Gmail labels prep, you won’t need to do this.

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)

• 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.