Gmail notes

My workplace is in the process of moving all staffers away from desktop email clients and into the expanding embrace of Google: Gmail for all! Change is always annoying, but I’m generally fine with the idea; I use Gmail in my non-work life, for the ease of access and its no-nonsense spam filter. Oddly, the work Gmail account doesn’t seem to have spam filtering activated; I’ve had to manually delete about thirty junk messages today. Most likely, one of the IT wunderkinds forgot to throw a switch or check a setting or something.

Anyway, dealing with Gmail at work this morning prompted me to make a personal change. Like many people, I have a slew of email accounts, including a POP account that predates Gmail and still serves as my main personal email addy. The problem lies in the mental blinders I wear; I could easily forget to fire up Thunderbird and check that mail for a couple of days or even longer. In comparison, I’m always on top of my Gmail missives because iGoogle stares me in the face nearly all day. It finally occurred to me that I could have Gmail fetch my POP mail. It took just a moment to set it up, and it seems to work seamlessly. I can even respond while listing my POP address, rather than the Gmail addy, as the reply-to. Efficiency achieved!

On another Gmail-related note, NY Times Design Director Khoi Vinh is right. Gmail, though wonderful in a functional sense, is hideous. Vinh makes a modest proposal that would greatly improve the interface and spare my middle-aged, presbyopic vision.

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