Catching Emails w/ Gmail's Multiple Inboxes

The Problem
I've got 2-4 different sources I need to keep a very close eye on.  They all come in through email so it's just a matter of organizing them well.  Here's my criteria:

1. If there's an important email I don't want to miss it.
2. I don't want to have to check multiple accounts to stay on top of things.
3. I don't want to have email from different sources mixed in with my personal email.

The Solution 
A combination of email forwarding and a gmail tool called 'multiple inboxes.'  You can see below that items from Stardust and Business Travel Connect show up in their own little blocks, and not in my inbox.

However, once I've read messages in those inboxes (or marked them as read) they slide out of the way and into little messages that tell me everything is cool.

How-To

Step 1: If all the emails are being sent to the same address, go to the next step.  Otherwise set up your other email accounts (outlook, yahoo, etc) to forward to your gmail account.  This is probably preferable to redirecting email so that you always have the originals somewhere else.

Step 2: Configure your gmail filters to automatically A) apply a label and B) archive them.

Step 3: Add google lab's multiple inbox to your account.

Step 4: Configure the multiple inboxes under gmail's settings tab.   The only important option is your 'search query.'  Type in "is:[your-label-name] is:unread".

Now when you go back to your inbox all messages that are both unread and have the labels you selected will show up in their new inboxes.  Once you've read them they will disappear from the inbox.  Or if you have a copy in another email account you can just delete them.  Good luck!

~ Micah

Avoiding MySQL 4.1+ Old Authentication Error

What I Wanted

• connect to mysql

I have a functioning site and working database running remotely on a LAMP system.  I just want to get it going locally using a WAMP system.

PROBLEM:
When I try to run the site on localhost I get

Warning: mysql_connect(): OK packet 6 bytes shorter than expected in C:\wamp\www\conn\connection.php on line 2 

Warning: mysql_connect(): mysqlnd cannot connect to MySQL 4.1+ using old authentication in C:\wamp\www\conn\connection.php on line 2 

Could not Connectmysqlnd cannot connect to MySQL 4.1+ using old authentication  

SOLUTION:
Lots of people ran into this same problem, but very few posts were any help.  I followed this guy's hints.  My wamp installation was using PHP 3.0 but my server where the code was working fine used PHP 5.2.6.  I'd like to know why this is a problem, but not badly enough to spend my time on it.  Do this:

1. Figure out what the functioning version of PHP is Create a phpinfo page, put it where you can see it, check the version and then delete it:
   
   <?php phpinfo(); ?>
   
   
2. Download that version of WAMP
   Go here to do it.  Just pick the correct version & click to download.
   
   
3. Install itShutdown WAMP if you have it running and then double click - it's self installing.
   
   
4. Restart WAMP and select your version of PHPSelecting the php version is as simple as clicking on the tray icon, going to the PHP directory, going to the 'version' directory and picking your version.  When you click on it WAMP will restart using that executable.
    
5. Check it in the browser
   God I hoped that worked... 

SEF URLs with Joomla 1.5.15

What I Wanted

• easy legible urls

What I Used

• Joomla 1.5.15
• ISP using Apache 
• Putty (to ssh into my host) 

Step 1: SSH to Host (only necessary if your server runs Apache)
You will need to understand how to log into your server and minimal familiarity with linux. I used putty (www.putty.com).  So login, then..

1. Navigate to your joomla installation (eg cd path-to/yourdomain.com/)
2. Backup your htaccess.txt file (mv htaccess.txt htaccess.txt.bak)
3. Copy and rename that file (cp htaccess.txt.bak .htaccess) 

Step 2: Configure Joomla
Login as your administrator in the Joomla admin panel

1. Go to Site -> Global Configuration
2. Set both Search Engine Friendly URLs  and Use Apache mod_rewrite to 'yes' and hit apply.
3. Reload an inside page on your site, that might have done it. 

Step 3: If that didn't do it..
There's one more good trick.  Follow instructions at http://docs.joomla.org/SEF#Fixing_Broken_Site_When_SEF_is_Enabled.  This will also require you to ssh in to your host and alter one of the Joomla files.  If you're nervous about that back up the file first.

That worked for me.

Obligatory Post #1

I'm well aware that folks that start a blog generally write their first entry as soon as the textfield pops up, regardless of whether they have anything of consequence to say.  Who am I to break tradition?

Luckily the process of creating a mindlessly (not to mention tastelessly) simple blog fits the exact topic that I want to blog about.  That is, straightforward instructions on various tasks, adequately documented and highly skimmable.

What I Wanted

• Simple blog
• ability to start immediately
• flexibility to make modifications later

Task the First » I Just Want a Blog

1. Go to www.blogger.com
2. Create login & follow prompts & wizards 

Update » Custom templates for new blogger posts  
I want to have a little box on the right side of each post for summary info so people can quickly tell if my solution is going to apply to their situation.  Unfortunately it's kind of awkward/tiresome to copy & paste the format from old posts every time (or will be I suspect).  Jennine Jacob has a simple solution on her blog.