dreamshark: (Default)
Now that Minicon is over it's time to look for a new mail program. I drifted into using gmail some years ago when Pegasus stopped working with my anti-virus program. I always intended to find another mail client, but never got around to it. It is handy having web-based mail that can be accessed from anywhere. And Google seemed to be an organization that understood their users' desire for privacy. The Google Buzz disaster put that notion to rest. Now that Google has decided they want to be the new Facebook, I think it's time to reconsider our relationship.

I never really liked the gmail user interface anyway, especially their fixation on the idea that if you have tags then you don't need mail folders. Gmail is okay for casual email, but trying to manage the flood of Minicon programming email without folders was a nightmare. I had the same problem when I was doing a lot of selling on ebay.  It just doesn't scale up.

So I'm looking for recommendations. Ideally I would like a mail client that supports both hierarchical folders AND tags. I'd like to be able to have multiple mail logins, each with its own settings (From, Reply-to, default sigfile, etc.).  It doesn't have to be free, but preferably not business-level expensive.  Any suggestions?
dreamshark: (Default)
We did end up seeing "District 9" at the Riverview last night and it was very good. It's a very creative small movie produced by Peter Jackson, written and directed by a talented newcomer from South Africa, Neil Blomkamp. Although about half the movie is CGI, it is a true science fiction movie, not just some mindless CGI-fest. It's only $4 at the Riverview - a true bargain.

We had dinner at the Town Talk Diner on East Lake Street, and we both heartily recommend that as well. It's yet another of those unpretentious-yet-hip neighborhood restaurants with high-end food at middle-brow prices, presented along with a uniquely quirky ambience. The quirks at this particular place are:
  • An old diner space sort of half-transformed into a modern bistro: formica-topped diner tables and checkered linoleum mixed with raw brick walls and heavy cloth napkins. It's noisy, but cheerful. The only thing I really disliked about the space was the bizarre entrance. You have to enter through a tiny doorway, push past a hanging red curtain (?!) and then slither through the cramped little wine bar into the restaurant proper. Definitely not handicapped-accessible, and not very pleasant for borderline claustrophobics like myself.
  • A gregarious owner who likes to say hello to every table full of diners.
  • Quick, friendly service. In fact, the staff is so exceedingly warm and friendly that you feel vaguely guilty not inviting them home for dinner with you. They're not excessively familia, just exceptionally smiley and all "Thanks so much for eating here! Come back again!"
The food leans heavily towards upscale, creative versions of familiar comfort food (free-range burgers, yuppie meatloaf, that sort of thing). We had two appetizers: tempura asparagus and a baked brie platter, which included fresh grapes and a couple of kinds of home-made chutney. Richard ordered the seared sea bass and I got the meatloaf (again with the home-made sauces and chutneys on the side). We split a whiskey bread pudding for dessert. All of it was delicious, although erring just slightly on the side of sweetness. The total bill (before tip) was about $50: not a bad deal for two appetizers, two entrees and a dessert that was plenty big enough for two.
dreamshark: (Default)
I'm just making this entry to remind myself. People are always recommending books that sound fascinating and then I forget them.

Survival of the Sickest, a medical maverick discovers why we need disease
Dr. Sharon Moalem, with Jonathan Price, William Morrow, 2007
Recommended by [livejournal.com profile] magentamn in LJ today.

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
Recommended by many people, most recently [livejournal.com profile] mle392.

Away by Amy Bloom
Review in the Strib A&E section today.

Anybody have anything else to recommend?

Profile

dreamshark: (Default)
dreamshark
May 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2025

Style Credit