Saturday, May 18, 2013

Tech Rant - How to setup Gmail in Outlook 2013 thanks to DarkTips.com

So this has been an ongoing issue with me for a while now. I Love my Dell XPS One 27" Windows 8 desktop.

She is sleek, powerful, and runs great even without a touch screen.

And with the release of Office 2013 I was able to get a discount on the full suite through Microsofts Home Use Program (HUP) where I was able to buy the Office Professional 2013 for just $10 bucks!! (retail is $399!!) and so far love the new office and how it interfaces with Windows 8. Project 2013 is leaving something to be desired but I'm learning to use that now.

ANY WHO

one of the things I love about Outlook is its ability to load my Gmail account so all my mail and calendar appointments are in one place. but if you're half as tech savvy as i am, the interface has been far from perfect.

if you use the regular Account setup settings, it doesn't import or sync your mail accounts correctly. also if you use the POP3 settings, you get access but it doesn't sync everything. also there was this nagging error that every time i'd send an email through Outlook it would generate two sent emails in Gmail. SO ANNOYING!!

 it took me forever to finally find instructions that explained to me the difference between POP3 and IMAP.

but found them I have!!

thanks to the fine folks at DarkTips who posted "How to setup Gmail in Outlook 2013" (same process should work for Outlook 2012 users) that walks you through how to setup your Gmail in Outlook 2013 both under POP3 and IMAP, and explains the difference from both.

below are the instructions from DarkTips so check them out and the entire site since they have awesome information for the pro and novice users.

o_O



How to set up Gmail in Outlook 2013

Written by  on January 20, 2013 in Software - 13 Comments
With an intuitive interface and a plethora of useful features, Gmail is no doubt the best platform to manage your mails. Still, there are reasons why people would want to set up their Gmail account in Microsoft Outlook. Like, when you have several email accounts to manage, you will prefer a single platform on Microsoft Outlook to do that. You might also want to use outlook as a backup software to store your Gmail messages locally on your computer.
For whatever the reasons, here’s how you can set up your Gmail in Outlook 2013 using either POP3 or IMAP.

POP3 and IMAP: Which one to choose?

POP3 and IMAP are both protocol that allows you to connect to a mail server and fetch your emails. With POP3, all your emails are downloaded to your computer first before you can view them in an email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Thunderbird. When you read an email in Outlook, your email will be marked as read automatically in the software, but it will still be marked as unread on the mail server, e.g. in your Gmail account. The same applies if you delete an email in Outlook – you will still see the email through the web-based version in Gmail, although you have already deleted it in Microsoft Outlook.
In contrast with POP3, IMAP syncs all the changes you’ve done on your mail client (Microsoft Outlook). You should use IMAP if you access your email through multiple devices such as your office computer, laptop, tablet or your mobile phone. This is because if you have deleted an email when you were accessing your inbox on your laptop, and then log into your inbox again on your tablet, you wouldn’t want to see emails that you have previously deleted, right? Your previously read emails will also be marked as read across all your devices.
I recommend you to use IMAP over POP3 as it will save you both time and space if you use multiple devices to reach your inbox. If you intend to use Outlook for back up purposes, then use POP3.

Set up Gmail using POP3

1.Before you set up Microsoft Outlook, you will first need to enable POP on your Gmail Account. To do that, navigate to the small gear-shaped icon at top right corner of your screen. Click on Settings from the drop down menu. Then go to Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
Gmail in outlook 2013
2.In the second section related to POP download, enable POP and choose from the first two options, Enable POP for all mail or Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on.
Depending on what your needs are, tweak the settings related to action taken when mail is accessed with POP.
3.Start Microsoft Outlook and navigate to File at the top and click on the button Add Account under Account Information.
How to set up Gmail in Outlook 2013
4.In the Add account window, check the option at the bottom, manually configure server settings, and then click next.
5.Select the first option Internet Email and click next.
6.Enter your name and email address under user information. In the server Information, select POP3 as the account type. Enter the incoming and outgoing mail server. For Gmail, the incoming mail server is pop.gmail.com and outgoing server is smtp.gmail.com. Under the Login information, enter your username (your Gmail email address) and your Gmail password.

Setting up Gmail in Outlook 2013

Setting up Gmail in Outlook 2013 – (Click to Enlarge)

7.Now, go to More Settings. Navigate to Outgoing server and enable the first option My Outgoing server requires authentication. Select the first option Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
Advanced setttings in Gmail Outlook 2013
8.Navigate to Advanced tab and enter the appropriate port numbers. For the incoming mail server, enter 995 and enable the option this server requires an encrypted connection. In the outgoing mail server, enter the number 465 and choose SSL from the drop down list.
Gmail port settings for Outlook 2013
9.Once you’re done with that, click OK and return to the Gmail settings window. Under the Test Email Accounts settings, enable the option Automatically test account settings when Next is clicked.  Then click on  Next. Outlook will send a test email message to your account. If the email was set up successfully, you will receive the test email in your inbox.
Test Gmail settings in Outlook 2013
Once you set it up successfully, you don’t need to fuss with the settings again. It’s time to sit back and relax while you can use the simple interface of Microsoft Outlook to send and receive emails from your Gmail address.

Set up Gmail using IMAP

Setting up Gmail in Outlook 2013 using IMAP is almost the same as for POP3 except that it uses a different incoming mail server address and ports.
1.Repeat step 1 as for POP3 and next to IMAP access in your Gmail account, chooseEnable IMAP.
Enable IMAP in Gmail account
2.Repeat step 2-5. In the Add Account window, select IMAP as your account type.
Use the following settings:
Incoming mail server: imap.gmail.com
Outgoing mail server: smtp.gmail.com
Enable imap in gmail account
3.Then click on More Settings, go to Advanced tab.
Use the following settings:
Incoming server(IMAP): 993
Type of encrypted connection: SSL
Outgoing server(SMTP): 25
Type of encrypted connection: TLS
Imap port settings for gmail in Outlook
Then click Ok.
4.Now you should be back on the Add Account screen. Click Next to complete the set up of your Gmail account in Outlook 2013.

Fetching your emails

Whatever the protocol you have chosen above to connect with your Gmail in Outlook 2013, the steps to fetch your emails from Gmail servers is the same. On your Outlook main window, click on Send/Receive tab at the top. Then click on Send/Receive all Folders.
Fetch emails outlook 2013
That’s all folks! I know it’s a long process in order to set up Gmail in Outlook 2013 but it’s worth the pain.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

cuz

Cause I don't wanna lose you now
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space that now you hold
Show me how to fight for now
And I'll tell you baby, it was easy
Comin' back into you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
It's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me
I couldn't get any bigger
With anyone else beside of me
And now it's clear as this promise
That we're making two reflections into one
Cause it's like you're my mirror
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me...

Movie Rant - Start Trek Into the Darkness


Star Trek Into the Darkness was simply an awesome fucking movie!!

granted I had to watch it in 3D (HATE 3D movies, i always get a headache and the glasses and 3D shit always distract from any movie I've ever seen using this gimmick) but even with that the movie is pretty much perfect

the action scenes are great, the cast awesome with the type of fluid and funny interactions you've come to love and expect, and the bromance between Kirk and Spock is more bromancer!! OH and the villain while a little expected was executed PERFECTLY!! i was worried they were going to go all time travel/time line mash up on us again but no, they pulled off this introduction flawlessly.

so if you haven't made plans to see it, DO IT TO IT!!

o_O

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Crossing Paths

it's Mothers Day 2013 today, and I had an uneventful day

i'm not sure why I get so closed off

or why it even happens at this point

but i do

and it impacts my family and friends

yet something struck me today when i found myself shutting down internally

from a movie no less (movies = the educators of my generation)

"Develop A Strategy"

it's from the movie The Silver Linings Playbook and came about after the main character Pat (played by Bradley Cooper...woof) who is diagnosed as bi-polar late in life and tries to reconcile with his wife after he catches her cheating on him and beats the living shit out of the guy

after a short snit in a mental hospital where he's released into his parents care as part of his release he has to undergo regular visits to a psychiatrist who recognizes his trigger: he looses it whenever he hears the song from his wedding night come on

so, he tells Pat that he needs to develop a strategy for dealing with his trigger so he doesn't loose it anymore

i think i need to do the same

this feeling of loneliness and despair that comes over me out of no where

i need to develop a strategy

something i can do to counteract it

to keep me from, not unlike Pat, losing control

sinking

it's good that i'm finally feeling like my old self again, but i hate all the shadows in my life

i hate how scared i am at the idea of opening up again

that my barriers are still up, still 100 feet tall, and i'm not sure i could take them down even if i wanted to

even if it was the right time

the right guy

i guess i need to let go, i just don't know how

not when i can't forget

even when i want to

sigh...........

maybe it's for the best. maybe i'm better off alone.

OR

i could develop a strategy

because clearly watching chick flicks all day isn't working anymore

o_O


Monday, May 6, 2013

WTF mate?


so I had a very lively conversation/argument last night with someone I thought was both an adult and a good friend.

first, let me be clear. i'm an asshole. i'm brutally honest. i hate bullshit. i can't stand men who sugarcoat their thoughts or feelings because they fear offending or hurting you, which i take as this assumption i'm not strong enough to handle his truth, which goes back to hating bullshit. or men who pride themselves on being 'yes men' as if always saying yes is always the correct answer.

dating is a choice 

A CHOICE

you choose to date. to actively pursue a relationship with another man or women, or you don’t.

you're either looking for love and to build a life with someone, or you're not.

and my idea of dating is quite different than most gay men these days. thanks to the onslaught of mobile apps dating isn't what it used to be.

you don't meet a guy, go on a few dates, talk/get to know each other and see where it goes or if it even could develop into something more.

nowadays it's all about instant gratification. you either meet the guys profile requirements or you don't. you either know before you've ordered the appetizer that you're meant for each other, or it’s a waste of time. and if the answer is no? 

who cares when all you have to do is boot up an app and find another guy who is.

there's zero investment made up front because you both come to the table with this understanding that you're both disposable.

instantly replaceable.

all at the click/swipe of a finger.

that isn't how i view dating. it isn't how i started out this life of mine. there’s is a clear difference for me between something being purely physical (casual sex/hook ups) or emotional (dating/relationships)

to me, if i say i'm open to dating, that means i'm looking to possibly establish a life with another man. i want to date. to go on dinners. be taken or take him to places he or i have never been. to try things we've never tried before. talk about our histories, present day lives, and where we see our futures going. learn about each other’s dysfunctional yet functional families. to spend all night talking about nothing yet everything. to have that amazing feeling of uneasiness and anticipation after not seeing each other for a few days. to get butterflies when the phone lights up and it's a text or call from him. the not 'knowing' where it's all headed but excited for the possibility of what it could become. 

that to me is dating.

and it’s a lot, as it should be, because in my mind dating means you’re ready for more.

so with all of that, i had a friend who made it clear once things with Gary ended that he'd like to date or have casual sex

in turn i made it very clear while flattered at that time i was not in any position or state of mind to date or humor any type of relationship with anyone

purely physical or romantic

i was depressed. i needed time to process and heal. to find myself again.

and to me it would have been disrespectful to open another person up to me knowing full well I’m not ready or in a position to give him what he wants.

he acknowledged my position, said he respected it, and when/if i was ever ready to talk about dating to hit him up

totally reasonable right? this is how two adults should behave. you discuss your wants, desires, and goals and if they match up, great! if not, you thank each other for playing and move on.

but that's not what happen. he would constantly text, call, email, instant message hitting me up for dates and sex

all of which i'd either ignore or decline

once a man has made his position clear and you've had a honest conversation about it, i don't see any point in repeating myself

but last night i reached a tipping point.

i had just gotten back into town after spending a weekend visiting my BFF and attending her baby shower with my kid brother by another mother. it was amazing to get to spend the weekend with my two very best friends on the planet, to see her glowing and the love she and her husband have for one another, and to meet her new friends, and to spend time with her family I haven’t seen since middle school. it was a lot for me to take on in my current state of ‘unknowing’ but when you love someone like family, you put yourself aside and do what needs to be done for them.

so after driving home 3+ hours from a lovely but emotionally taxing weekend, he hits me up and is brazen in his invitation, or more correctly, his self-invitation to my house to have sex because he’s horny and it’s time we finally do it

that did it.

i was done being nice.

respectful.

so i told him the following:

"Look. We've been over this multiple times over the past 2 years. I get you're interested in me, and while flattered, your constant pursuit of me for casual sex and/or dating is highly fucking annoying and has turned into a major fucking turn off. You are now 100% unattractive to me because you couldn't respect my decision that I wasn't ready to date or have sex with you. So, since you didn't fully comprehend our previous conversations let me be as clear as I possibly can be at this point: Fuck off. I do not want to date or fuck you now or anytime soon. If you don't like this? Tough shit. Delete my number, defriend me, and tell every homo you know what an asshole I am because none of that crap means two shits to me."

well, this sent him into a gay tizzy and all of a sudden I was the asshole

i had been leading him on, making it seem like i was interested when all i had to do was tell him i wasn't from the start

so i said, hold for a minute

scrolled through my phones IM history, took a screen capture of the last time he asked me out/wanted sex and my reply that said "thanks but i'm still not ready to date or fuck around bud. Have a good night." attached to a text message and hit send.

yet after receiving that he still bitched and claimed I was the asshole and he the wronged party.

It was so Dawson’s Creek while the endless texts kept streaming in I called At&t and has his number blocked.

WTF IS WRONG WITH MEN THESE DAYS?!

this only furthers my position that no matter how much i miss my ex, still want to have a relationship and build a life with someone, i'm not ready.

maybe i'll never be.

and you know what else?

I'm TOTALLY ok with that.

maybe bachelorhood isn't such a bad deal. maybe my dream ever since i was a starry wide-eyed teen to find the man of my dreams, fall in love, build a life and home together with kids is just that…

the dreams of a kid.

and it's time to wake up and face reality.

this is my reality. i'll never find a guy to accept me and all my faults. 

that was my past.

i need to focus on me and my future.

alone.

o_O

Saturday, May 4, 2013

It's funny

How much I miss you. I hate that I do or when I have to talk to people about what happened and have to give them the bullshit story I've used that says a whole lot of nothing.

It doesn't make sense to me that as much as I've grown and moved on and am hopeful for the future the more I miss you.

The little things. Holding hands while driving. Running errands. Having a quiet night in just the two of us. Playing video games together. Chatting all day because we weren't just partners but best friends. Your pet names for me.

I miss us.

So why can't I tell you that? Why do I keep on this path?

Because I don't know how you feel or what you want. You've never been great at communicating.

So I'm lost.

Drifting.

Going through the motions as if nothing's wrong.

Sick of it.

o_O