iMatt :: The Blog of Matt Clare

America and Canada both have issues to discuss about what enters their country from the other.

It’s telling that Canada’s highest concern is unwanted weapons and America’s is unwanted people.

Don’t see DOOM.

In Mac OS 10.3 all the messages for each inbox was stored in one file with a .MBOX ending. These files could be backed up and swapped when Mail.app (The geeky name for Apple’s Mail program) wasn’t running. This made creating backups and restoring them very easy.

The most compelling reason to use Mail.app is it’s search features, and in OS 10.4 these features have been expanded, however, to allow for the individual indexing and searching of E-Mails via Spotlight Apple spilt those big .MBOX files into individual .emlx files. So far Apple has not provided any means to import or recover these files, only to import the .MBOX standard that many other mail clients use, including the old version of Mail.app from OS 10.3 and before.

These are the steps I went through to recover my mail after I accidentally allowed a filter to delete all my mail. This might also help for people who use POP E-Mail accounts and had their computer stolen or lost a hard-drive. For most accounts I use IMAP mail boxes, but if you delete the E-Mails on the server IMAP’s ability to keep all your mail clients in sync is lost (and you look like an idiot).

Step 1: Have a backup.

I know that cuts a lot of you out right now, but I’m sure it’s not the first time you’ve been told to backup your files. (Future entries will cover how to backup your files.) If you don’t have a backup of your Mail files you might be able to make a copy of ~/Library/Mail and work from there (~ stands for your home folder).

Step 2: Ways to recover the .emlx files
Try each until it proves fruitless and move to the next strategy:
Read more... (704 words, 1 image, estimated 2:49 mins reading time)

My new Acura 1.7 EL is all mine!

After my 1997 saturn with 199,450KM on it developed serious slipping issues with it’s automatic transmission I traded it in for $3000 because the Acura dealer didn’t test drive it! Oh happy day!

Apple is getting everyone excited abou their Oct 12 event (Apple stirs product speculation over Oct 12 event, Washington Post).

Given that I was right about the G5 PowerBook never coming I’m going to speculate on this one too, we’ll see how I do.

The ‘One more thing’ will be a second core on the G4 PowerBooks.

The core of a chip is the part of the chip that does the thinking and the rest (the die, etc.) are the parts that get all the information in and out of it.

Others are predicting a video iPod, but that’s my guess. We’ll see next week. For now the best article is over at PC World, Hey, Let’s Speculate Idly on Apple’s Next Announcement!

UPDATE: OK, so I was wrong, but I gave it a try. It should be interesting though, now that Apple is getting ABC TV content into the iTunes music store it should be interesting to see what happens next.

In my first post I mentioned that one of the reasons I started blogging is I had nothing to do with the NHL lockout. Tonight the Leafs faced the Senators to open their seasons and prove why Canadians love this sport and fall asleep during baseball games.

The rule changes were noticeable. The game started with a lot of penalties, as the reff’ing is now very literal and strict and less arbitrary, which in the end is a positive development but one everyone (players and fans) will have to get used to. The removal of the red line WAS GREAT! It sped the game up and made for more scoring chances.

The most important part about tonight’s game was it was the first NHL game to be settled by a shootout. The Leafs lead the game at 1-0 until the third when it was tied at 2-2, from there after 5 minutes of four-on-four overtime the Senators won the first NHL game to be settled by a shutout. Needless to say whomever it was at TSN who responsible for buying the NHL contract this year felt vindicated that their most popular game of the whole season ended in the NHL’s first shutout.

There was a time when Senators fans spent more time booing the Leafs then cheering for their team. Senators fans where just waiting to get their chance to prove their worth to Leafs fans…… and Leafs fans didn’t care. Between 1996 and 2001 Sens fans lived on hatred of the Leafs…… and Leafs fans were pretty sure that Ottawa had an NHL team. Lately the Sens would win more games in the regular season than the Leafs did, a fact that galvanized Ottawa, and was almost unknown in Toronto. But then Sens had some great seasons and overcame serious financial trauma….. and the Leafs defeated them in the playoffs three years running and made money hand over fist.
Read more... (395 words, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)

This weekend I bought an Acura 1.7 EL. Just off lease, this tarted-up civic is a Canada only model that was created to convince us Canadians that we could get a great car without having to buy a large car. My car is a silver (like about 1/4 of the Honda/Acuras out there) 5 speed manual with a 127HP (same as the Saturn) VTEC-E engine, VTEC is Honda’s Variable valve Timing and lift Electronic Contro (more at Wikipedia) which basically improves the combustion efficiency throughout the RPM range by having a set of cams (well just lobes) for slow RPM which needs less air and one set of cams for high RPM, which needs all the air it can get. My EL also has moon roof, leather, power everything and heated seats — I don’t know how I deserved this car but it has something to do with the value they assigned to the Saturn, I guess they haven’t seen the above picture, in fact they never drove it.

I’ll let you know lots more once the deal is done and I’m behind the wheel of my Acura, for now you can read Canadian Driver’s review.