1st November 2001

Gretchen and I went to lunch the other day - nothing out of the ordinary. I noticed that the restaurant accepted orders by FAX. How odd, I thought, that they didn't take them by e-mail. I suppose they'd have to check their Inbox every other minute. Unless, of course, they were using Outlook with a properly configured print rule turned on! This way, the mail client could turn into a virtual 'FAX receiving machine' whenever it needed to. Using e-mail, nonetheless. They could set up a mail alias (or separate e-mail account) just for food orders. Then, in Outlook, click Tools | Rules Wizard | New | Check messages when they arrive | With specific words in the recipient's address | Print it. How's that for a workaround? Of course, you could also use this trick to automatically print your favorite *cough* e-mail newsletters as soon as they arrive. I'm sorry to report that Outlook Express does not have such a print feature, and that HP recently discontinued their Instant Delivery service. C'est la vie in the game of ones and zeros.