In order to convert from using Outlook on a Mac to using Outlook on a PC, you can either use a really expensive one, like the one you will probably find easiest in Google, or you can use the software I did: Emailchemy.

For a relatively cheap purchase of $29.95 for a single-user license I was able to tell the software I was converting from OLM (exported from Outlook on the Mac) and select IMAP for output.

It converted the emails (over 10,000) and gave me a folder. I opened the Emailchemy Toolbox, selected IMAP import server, selecting that folder and starting the server.

All I had to do now was enter the server and user information Emailchemy had setup into Outlook, it was then able to access the emails on the localhost server. I then simply selected the emails and folders from the imported inbox, and dragged them into the local inbox under Personal Folders (PST), although it’s quite likely you could just export the IMAP folder to PST within Outlook for re-importing or storage, too.

Note: because some people may forget, never forget to copy your sent items. Also, never delete your original OLM file until you are sure you have a fully working copy in the new location. Lastly, always backup your OLM and PST files, and I recommend Carbonite for that. As always, I’m not responsible for you messing this up.

Lion walking over to see me at the window.

Lion surveying his land, covered in snow.

Lion profile. He seemed quite comfortable in the cold.

Snow Leopard.

Snow Leopard.

Snow Leopards play-fighting. This is the only good 'action' shot I got.

Like last year, the Wolves were out again. THIS is why I love the Winter…

Wolf alerted to a noise...

Buffalo were completely at-home in the chilling wind.

Buffalo.

Polar Bear didn't seem to like the cold!

The release and subsequent overloading of the purchase servers with massive demand aside, I’ve been quite pleased at how the community has received the content we put out. This is a taste (albeit a very good taste) of what we have in store, so I’ve been delighted to see that response, but it has got me thinking, too…

The vast majority of the positive feedback, or perhaps the users most pleased (and most vocal) have been talking about the historical content. It’s worth remembering that the cars we released were all generic ‘fictional’ 1960s cars, while the tracks (Belgium and Monte-Carlo) were extremely accurate versions of their real-life counterparts.

I expected to hear a lot of people talking about Grand Prix Legends, and I have. I expected a lot of people to say how fast and dangerous the tracks feel, and I have. But I haven’t heard anybody really saying why rFactor 2 is getting the kind of reception that it is about that content, and basing this purely on my own needs, I think I might have figured something out…

We are not the first company to include a historic car in their simulation and we’re certainly not going to be the last. In fact it looks like more historical cars are going to get released in 2012 than at any time during the history of sim racing.

I’ve known that there was a market for historic cars for a few years, but it’s only when I joined ISI that I felt this information accepted and used. I was let loose and (as has been mentioned before) licensed cars from many different eras and types of racing. So what is going to be the difference at ISI? History, of course.

ISI aren’t just licensing historic cars and giving them to you to race around todays modern and sterile racing circuits; ISI are giving you historic cars to race on historically accurate racing tracks. Much like Grand Prix Legends, and for the first time since, you’re actually racing a historical car on the claustrophobic, astonishingly fast and absurdly dangerous circuits it was built for.

To me? That’s the difference, and that’s why people stuck to Grand Prix Legends: It wasn’t just the cars, it was the feeling of doing what those brave men did on the tracks they did it… That’s what I wanted out of rFactor 2.

While I’m pursuing every license I possibly can, from all eras of racing, I’m looking forward most of all to helping sim racers look backwards in time and perhaps learn about the history of the sport. We’ll have to go a lot faster than 88mph to get there…

This year we visited quite a few times and got some really nice photos. It was very hard to get down to 12 from the year – again – and this time I included one which Sheila took of a Swan because of the amazing content she captured.

Goose chick.

Heron

Duck chick nervous about the water

Dragonfly

Bow-chica-bow-wow...

Wasp, I guess...

Butterfly

Grasshopper

Summer

Fall

Beautiful colors of Fall

Swan with wings outstretched, taken by my Wife

This has been an interesting year for B-17s. While I visited the wreck (and total loss) of one right here in Illinois, another B-17 (the Memphis Belle) has finally reached a state of restoration where it’s wings are now attached.

I selected 12 photos which I like from all the aircraft photos I took during 2011, and you can see them below:

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress "Aluminum Overcast" flying over EAA AirVenture.

Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird.

Junkers Ju-52.

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk.

Douglas A-20G Havoc.

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress "Memphis Belle" under restoration.

This is the mounted plane infront of the museum, taken from underneath.
Stole my Uncles idea.

B-17G Flying Fortress "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby".

McDonnell XF-85 Goblin.

B-17 ball turret. Posting this one for content more than quality!

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk.

B-17G "Liberty Belle" wreck. This was as close as I was able to get to the site.
Again, posting this one for content rather than quality.

This is a free Zoo, in the city of Chicago, and I believe the oldest Zoo in the United States. I love it.

I’ve become so used to shooting at this zoo that it was very hard to pick just 12 photos from the two trips to the zoo I made during the year… I left out some that I like more for various reasons.

Anyway, here are 12 photos from the zoo, all shot in 2011:

Polar Bear Underwater

Seal

Gorilla

Caiman

Monkey

Red Wolf

Puma

Fennec Fox

Gorilla

Giraffe

Chimpanzee

Tigers - This made is into my top-12 purely on content, rather than quality!

Also check out my Brookfield Zoo 12.

American Bison

Mexican Gray Wolf

American Aligator

Grizzly Bear

Seal underwater

Snow Leopard

African Wild Dog

Orangutan

Eagle

Lion

Polar Bear

Gorilla

Also check out my Lincoln Park Zoo 12.

All of these photos were taken at-home, by either Sheila (the earlier ones) or Tim Wheatley (the later ones).

You may click any photo below to be taken to those weekly photos.

One week.

Two weeks.

Three weeks. These are our Wedding bands.

Four weeks.

Five weeks.

Six weeks.

Seven weeks.

Eight weeks. This was one of my fish tanks.

Nine weeks.

Ten weeks.

Eleven weeks.

Twelve weeks. Football season.

Thirteen weeks.

Fourteen weeks.

Fifteen weeks. We entered the month of October.

Sixteen weeks.

Seventeen weeks.

Eighteen weeks.

Nineteen weeks.

Twenty weeks.

Twenty-one weeks.

Twenty-two weeks.

Twenty-three weeks. Approaching Christmas.

Twenty-four weeks.

Twenty-five weeks.

Twenty-six weeks.

I’ve only visited the area a few times now, and most recently chose to go after there had been twenty-four hours of rain. As every other time I had visited the waterfalls were dry, I figured this was my best shot at getting flowing water before they froze. I also intended to get a good look at the Eagles, but I honestly spent so much time on the waterfalls, I didn’t have time to the Eagles at their most active.

Eagle Watching

From what I have found during research, the best time to see the Eagles is between December and February. They are most active between 8-11am. You can see them from the top of Starved Rock itself, along the shoreline, or you can drive to the other side of the river and watch them from the Illinois Waterway Visitors Center near Plum Island. I saw a few the other day, but only by chance while walking the trails.

Other Wildlife

I did catch a Deer sneaking through the back of the buildings by the Lodge while I was walking through.

Hiking

This can be done anytime. The trails are quite accessible for the able-bodied person and dogs are welcome (as long as you pick up). It is also fun to climb into the canyons while they are dry and follow them as far up as you can, the rock formations are amazing.

Waterfalls

It rained for twenty four hours straight before I went. Most of the waterfalls were active.

This is what took all my day the other day. I had a huge amount of fun working on finding the right settings for my camera to try to capture the motion of the water in the way I wanted. I’m not completely happy with what I got, but you can still see the beauty of the waterfalls and the Canyons.

it can be difficult and slippery within some of the Canyons while the waterfalls are flowing, so either accept you might get wet, or tread very carefully. I got wet a few times as I either stood in the water flow, or had to jump over the river flowing through the Canyon to get to where I wanted.

There are plenty of Canyons to visit, but I didn’t go to them all. Here are the Canyons I visited, with photos and any information I think you may find useful:

Wildcat Canyon – Access to the top views of the waterfall I find are easiest from the Lodge. Follow the pathway out of the back of the parking lot and you will end up at the left side of the waterfall.

Wildcat Canyon (left overview). You can see the wooden barriers of the footpath to the right side above the top of the waterfall.

You can then walk back down from the left side, across the top of the Canyon to the right side.

Wildcat Canyon (right).

You can then walk down the steps on the right side, to the ground-level view of the waterfall.

Wildcat Canyon

Wildcat Canyon produces a double waterfall, but when I was there only one was flowing. I was told by another hiker that it runs best during the snow melt each Spring.

French Canyon – This is my favorite Canyon, wet or dry. You can walk into it quite easily.

French Canyon - You walk in on the side and when the fence ends, you continue all the way into the Canyon.

I didn’t need to get wet going into or out of it, and could have avoided it. But it wasn’t that cold and I knew my feet would dry, so I simply walked up the stream.

As you get closer, you can begin to see the main waterfall revealed behind the walls of the Canyon.

The waterfall in French Canyon has multiple levels, so is a cascading waterfall.

Probably my favorite photo of the day due to the cascading waterfall and the bright orange leaves on the rock layers.

So many pretty angles in French Canyon.

Aurora Canyon – I accessed this by walking from the parking lot by the visitors center. You have to walk by the side of the road for a short while to reach it’s footpath, and then you can follow it in. There isn’t very much of the Canyon easily accessible, and the views from the top are accessed from a path near the hotel.

I stood in the water flow to take most of my shots in this Canyon.

St Louis Canyon – I drove and parked close to this one after closely inspecting the map and finding that it was going to be a really long way to walk from the path near the hotel if I didn’t! I also had difficulty finding the parking lot so almost didn’t go, but I am really glad I did as this was an extremely pretty setting. I’m somewhat excited to visit this one again in the summer when there is much more color available.

There is a short walk to get from the parking lot to the Canyon anyway, and once you arrive you are greeted by some really interesting formations created by older waterfalls.

The waterfall is only part of the attraction with this Canyon. The rocks are stunning.

There appears to have been some work done within the Canyon to preserve it. I imagine the number of visitors which come in the summer take their toll. It actually made it really easy to get a good photo showing a large portion of the rock wall and waterfall.

In the middle of December there is still a very nice amount of color available.

I had a fantastic time. I was really pleased to see the water flowing. My only real annoyance was the lack of color in the images, but that’s what you’re going to get out of the winter I think… I will be going back in January to hopefully see the frozen waterfalls and the Eagles at their most active…