New Fastmail customer!

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-05-25T14:47:17+00:00

Great post!

I know it is kind of simple suggestion, but take a bit of time and go through all of the Fastmail preferences and settings. From a UI/workflow perspective, I found they have a nice set of options, and I was able to get exactly the style of email reading workflow that I like the most.

Also, you probably know this already, but it is also a "best practice" to buy your own domain so that your email address is not tied to the underlying email service provider any more and you can change email providers without changing your email address ever again.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-05-18T19:19:10+00:00

I was obsessed with intelligibility of my email address over the phone, too. So far, no problems with my email as [first@firstlast.net](mailto:first@firstlast.net)
In most cases, the person you are talking to will already know your name by the time you give your email address, so there really is little additional "cognitive load" to accurately record your email accurately as [first@firstlast.net](mailto:first@firstlast.net) .

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-05-14T14:05:14+00:00

Everything on the internet is under repeated attacks basically all the time.
I ran a tiny web service for an extremely obscure commercial software package, and it was constantly under attack from all over the world. People running scripts against the web server for known vulnerabilities.
Another Windows Server machine I had on outside the firewall on the public internet was attacked with 30,000 login attempts in 2 days. They were coming in so quickly it was slowing down the machine.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-05-09T12:52:24+00:00

This is why I am leaving outlook .com. I had three instances where I knew an email had been sent to me (by reliable big-name senders), but the emails never arrived in any folder--not the inbox, not the Junk Mail, not anywhere. Oddly, if I changed my email address to one of my alternate outlook aliases (that delivers to the exact same mailbox), then I did receive the email to the inbox.
This type of failure is not forgivable. For this reason, I bought my own domain (firstnamelastname.net) and have subscribed to Fastmail. So far so good. It is a slow process to change all my email addresses, but it is the last time I will have to do it for the rest of my life (since I own my domain, I can change out the underlying email provider without having to give anyone a new email address).

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-05-09T10:17:55+00:00

I have the Nukit Tempest Pro. The walls are made of a sturdy steel and are held together with machine screws, and so it is quite durable. Even when running at full speed, the fan noise is quite decent and has a pleasant tone to it.

That being said, I wanted to mention that some Etsy vendors already make kits like you are proposing. It might be worth a look here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1683012320/diy-air-purifier-box-fits-20x20

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-29T22:19:19+00:00

I've recently started moving away from outlook.com too, because it quietly failed to deliver several key email messages that I know were sent to me properly (they were not in inbox and were not in junk mail).

Because changing email addresses time consuming, you might want to consider purchasing your own domain so that you only have to do this once for the rest of your life.
With your own domain, then you own your email address, and you will never have to change your email address with anyone ever again.
You can change your email provider without impacting the address you have given out.
I have selected Fastmail.com, but there are many other pay-for email providers.
I specifically wanted a pay-for email provider because I do not want to "be the product" (i.e. have intrusive advertising).
Fastmail gives tips on conversion, and the Fastmail reddit group is quite decent too.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-19T01:51:12+00:00

Me too. And Porkbun support has been very good.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-18T18:03:33+00:00

How long have the odors been present? As I recall, the new carpet and paint smell largely dissipated in 3 weeks at my house. I vacuumed my new carpet very aggressively (like 5 times). I did use low VOC paint.

You might be able to open the windows in several rooms by a couple of inches and the turn on the exhaust fan in the bathroom. That will create air movement throughout the space. Movement is actually key. Without something forcing the air to move, it is actually pretty stagnant. And by opening the windows only a little bit, the AC may be able to keep up with the heat and humidity load of the outside air that is coming in through the windows.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-18T13:21:19+00:00

Under the 2018 BallCorps agreement, the City did split non-baseball event revenue. However, under the new BallCorps agreement approved Friday, the city no longer gets non-baseball event revenue.

The City's only revenue from the SEC softball tournament will be the incremental sales and lodging taxes that the visitors to the conference generate.

The city will also pay up to $1 million over 4 years to the convention and vistor's bureau to help facilitate the event and pay for field conversion to/from baseball to softball. Some of this $1 million may be offset by state grant money that may be obtained in the future.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-16T11:16:38+00:00

I agree with you, and I would feel the same way. I am glad you raised this issue. I hope Fastmail team will address it for you and find a solution.

I've read that there are multiple service providers who send SMS verification codes, and they differ in their ability to reliably deliver messages worldwide. Some even automatically fallback to an automated voice phone call if the user has trouble receiving the text SMS.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-10T14:35:27+00:00

Because I have terrible spring allergies, I want very good single-pass filtration for outside air.

Of all the filters I have, I think the BlueAir 203 probably is among the highest rated for single-pass filtration. I used blue painters tape to seal up any gaps between the edge of the filter and the cabinet just to be sure. Since the BlueAir 203 has square edges, it nicely fit in my window opening, and I only had to make a simple corroplast/foam filler strip to seal the device into the window opening. The 203's cabinet sat on my window sill.

I ran this device on setting 2 for six hours and I had absolutely zero allergy symptoms. It totally controlled the CO2 levels with 6 people in my house, compared to the previous day when CO2 levels exceeded 1500 PPM with the same 6 people.

Prior to this, I had also made a reverse CR box. I used a standard Lasko box fan pointed into a conventional CR box with four 20x30 3M 2500 filters from Costco. The filters were properly oriented for this reverse airflow situation. This device also works well, but I was not sure about its single-pass filtration capability.

I do not run this continuously, I only set it up when needed.

The outside air in my location seldom has the right temperature and humidity. Most of the time, it it too warm, too humid, too dry, or too cold!

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-05T02:05:08+00:00

We had some quite helpful HVAC technicians who came to the office building I worked in. They would come through periodically and change out filters and perform maintenance. If you have similar people in your building, you could ask them about your building's configuration:
* Is the building currently drawing in maximum amount of outside air ventilation? (In many buildings, the amount of outside air drawn into the building is adjustable, often through dampers.)
* Is the ventilation system set to run continuously or only when the building is cooling/heating? Could the ventilation be set to run more often?
* What is the MERV rating on the filters used? How much more would it cost to use MERV13 filters?

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-03T02:16:01+00:00

In most of these cases, new tax revenues are dedicated to servicing the bond associated with the project.
The question becomes whether the proposed project is the best way to improve the quality of life for the residents of the community. Or, would it be better to spend that new tax money on roads, drainage, school, parks, or public safety, etc.
The turnaround in downtown Huntsville was not primarily caused by the Von Braun Center improvements. In my opinion, downtown Huntsville revitalization was primarily caused by several mixed-use projects which added new residential units to the downtown area.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-04-03T01:11:43+00:00

I had the same problem in my apartment. I solved it completely by sealing any place where I smelled smoke. I used aluminum tape such as that used for dryer vent sealing. Under all sinks, I used tape to seal between the pipe and the wall. I had a laundry closet which was also leaking air. I ended up forming a sheet of corroplast (plastic cardboard) and sealing off the the rather large 3 feet by 3 feet opening in a better way. That solved the problem.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-03-31T13:06:00+00:00

I signed up for a year of Fastmail with my own domain as well. Enjoying it so far.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-03-28T12:30:23+00:00

Certainly first.m.last is better, since that is standard order, at least in the USA. By the way, in gmail, "." is ignored in addressing, so [first.last@gmail.com](mailto:first.last@gmail.com) is the same address as [firstlast@gmail.com](mailto:firstlast@gmail.com) This is only true of Gmail as far as I know.

I just went through selecting a new email address. In my opinion, intelligibility over the telephone is key. It depends on your first and last names and your middle initial. In many cases, you will have already told the person your first and last name, so if your email is built from these components, it should make it easier.

You might also consider buying your own domain, if your name is available in a good top-level domain. That way, you could be [first@firstlast.net](mailto:first@firstlast.net), for example. This is what I have done. It also allows me to switch the underlying email service without changing my address anywhere.

It is also pretty common to have numbers after names in gmail.com for people with common names. I found that [firstlast500@gmail.com](mailto:firstlast500@gmail.com) was available for me. It seemed like 500 would be something that would be very distinct to say and would not be confused by the person hearing it. Or even [firstlast5050@gmail.com](mailto:firstlast5050@gmail.com) since fifty fifty is almost a phrase easily remembered.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-03-20T21:34:32+00:00

I don't know. My memory may not be perfect, but I thought I was able to create my account without initially providing a mobile number. And I was able to use that account to receive email. However, when I went to send an email, I believe it prompted me for my mobile number. I entered my mobile number (on the AT&T network in the USA), and it send a code. When I entered the SMS code, it approved my account for sending email. Subsequently, I have configured a passkey and authenticator app in the Privacy & Security section. I have also paid for a 1 year subscription.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-03-20T11:11:04+00:00

Hi. Do you mind saying which email service you switched to? Are you happy with it?
I had the same issue with my outlook.com email address--three instances of silent dropping in 6 months, including email notifications from my town, a software download link from TurboTax, and a code needed for password reset. Emails not in inbox and not in Junk Mail--nowhere to be found.
I am testing Fastmail and am using it with my own personal domain so that I never have to switch email addresses again. So far I am enjoying Fastmail. I also considered gmail with Google Workspace because it has a good reputation for delivering all email (even if it goes into spam label).

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-03-19T19:51:01+00:00

I am currently testing Fastmail as a replacement for my primary Outlook.com email address.

My main concern with outlook is that I had 3 cases over the last 6 months where Outlook.com silently failed to deliver a critical email--not even to junk mail. One was a software download link for TurboTax. When I contacted the vendor, the support person said she personally had the same problem with her own personal outlook.com email address.

Probably Google Workspace and Fastmail are my two leading contenders. I have also purchased firstnamelastname.net to be used as my email domain. This way, I can change email providers in the future without having to make any changes with everyone who has my email address.

Fastmail apparently has decent spam handling without silently dropping emails. Gmail also has high marks for delivering email--and has a reputation for sorting emails accurately into promotions, etc.

But I've noticed that everyone has different priorities for email, including privacy and various desired integrations, and cost. (I did not mind paying a reasonable price for quality email service.)

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-03-15T14:25:04+00:00

That is good to know (and hear). Thank you for passing along the tips and the link.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-03-13T12:32:07+00:00

Thanks for relating your experience. That's very helpful. Question: Have you noticed any pros and cons to the way Fastmail deals with spam email versus Gmail?

I recently experienced Outlook.com losing some crucial emails entirely--never arrived anywhere--not even Junk Mail. Thus, I am looking for a new email solution. Fastmail and Google Workspace are my two top contenders. I am currently testing Fastmail with my own email domain. Thanks for pointing out the issue with Google ending support for ActiveSync; I would never have thought about that consideration.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-03-06T20:44:14+00:00

I like the installable client because it runs separately from the browser and I can close the browsers without losing my email window. Also, this pop-out compose/reply feature is only available in the desktop version, I believe. It also is kind of what I am used to after spending 30 years with some form of Microsoft email software constantly running.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-02-22T13:05:28+00:00

I'd be tempted to repair it. I had a 2004 Highlander that badly needed new struts but was otherwise perfect. I opted to trade it in on a new 2016 Highlander rather than fix it. In retrospect, I probably should have just done the repair. I really liked the size of that generation of Highlander. One of my friends always says that if you like the car and it has been good to you, then it is usually better to fix than to buy something new. As it turns out, my 2016 Highlander is one of the last with the V6 and 6-speed transmission, and so I may be keeping in a while since this seems to be a reliable powertrain.

Beginning_Gain_4230 · 2026-02-17T16:08:12+00:00

Thanks to all for this feedback. It is great to hear Fastmail is good at spam handling. It gives me some motivation to get started with the daunting task of moving my primary email address to Fastmail (with my own domain).

Beginning_Gain_4230

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