Firefox Add-On Favorites

My friends at CNET Downloads tried to get me away from using Internet Explorer and onto Firefox for well over a year. I finally took the plunge a few months back and needless to say, I have never regretted the decision. As such, I have been actively converting the rest of my friends and family to the browser one person at at time.

That said, I have come to love a handful of Firefox Add-Ons that I can't live without. I shared them with the my friends and the Download Community with hopes of getting even more recommendations to improve my browsing experience further. Here's my must-have list in no particular order:

1. All In One Sidebar: This adds a handy sidebar where you can quickly access your add-ons, history, bookmarks and downloads. A must-have add-on for both work and home.
2. McAfee SiteAdvisor: I know some people prefer other applications that do the same thing, but I love my SiteAdvisor because it creates a wall between me and malicious web pages via a clear warning. But the feature I love the most is the option “Highlight Search Result Links” which actually color codes Yahoo and Google search links as Green (safe), Yellow (questionable), Red (danger), and white (untested). It makes browsing and searching the Web carefree once again as long as I stick to Green links.
3. Gmail Notifier: There are a number of these very simple add-ons out there for Yahoo, MSN, Gmail, and other Webmail systems, but this is the one like to use. It’s a fairly straightforward program that does what it is supposed to very well.
4. GooglePreview: Some people ask why I need to see a tiny image of the page in my Google Search results. I say, because it quickly gives me an idea of what type of content is on the page before I click it. It’s especially handy when you want to avoid message boards when doing searches.
5. Optimize Google: This is an excellent add-on that does nearly everything you can possibly hope for including endless search results (scroll down and more results are streamed into your browser and it works with Google Image searches, ad removal, and a bunch of others. I recommend reading all your options and trying them out.
   
6. Tab Mix Plus: Another super cool and handy add-on that gives you all kinds of options and control over your tabbed browsing.
7. Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer: You can synchronize your bookmarks for multiple computers or access them anywhere on the Web. Fantastic!!!
8. Favicon Picker: Change the icons in your bookmarks to whatever you like! A really simple add-on that's a must-have for serious bookmarkers.
9. DownloadHelper: Brilliant Firefox application that lets you save streaming music and videos. Install the app, then go to a streaming music site like Myspace Music or your favorite artist's home page. Play a stream-only track and then click the down-arrow next to the animated DownloadHelper icon and save the song.
   
10. PDF Download: Want to avoid browser crashes and long delays when viewing Adobe Acrobat PDF files? This add-on solves the problem.
11. Greasemonkey: If you don’t know what this add-on is, you’re missing out. Greasemonkey lets you add user scripts to any Web page to change its behavior. This opens up a number of additional options to change the way you experience the Web.
• Disable Text Ads (for Greasemonkey): This disables those super annoying ads that turn reading online content into navigating a mine field. A word will be highlighted within a paragraph and if your mouse accidentally crosses its path, an annoying pop-up ad related to that keyword appears blocking your view until you close it. They are created from companies like Vibrant Media (IntelliTXT), AdBrite, Infolicious (lingoSpot), Kontera, Linkworth, EchoTopic and Targetpoint.
• VOX Blog Ad Remover: Another ad remover that gets rid of other kinds of annoying pop-in ads.
• Google Image Re-Linker: This script re-links you Google image searches so that they point directly to the picture instead of the Web page that the picture is on. Super handy!
  
12. Colorful Tabs: My buddy Jason suggested I try this one out. At first I thought, what's the point, but then realized the benefit of using the "Generate Colors by URL" option which is fantastic for quickly identifying multiple tabs with from the same site.
13. FoxyTunes: To be honest, I don't use 75% of the features of this add-on. However I simply LOVE that I can see what track is playing in Winamp and iTunes. In addition, I can Play, FF, RW, Stop, and change my volume settings right within the top of my browser bar next to the file menu options.
14. IE Tab: This creates a small icon in your status bar that when clicked, will open the same window in a new tab so that you can see the way it looks in IE7. Great for troubleshooting or sites that have problems with Firefox.
15. FEBE (Firefox Environment Backup Extension): I haven't had to use this one yet and I just learned about it the other day. It's a must-have for those of us who want the same add-ons at work and at home or who want to create a backup for another computer. "FEBE allows you to quickly and easily backup your Firefox extensions. In fact, it goes beyond just backing up -- It will actually rebuild your extensions individually into installable .xpi files."
16. Firefox Showcase: This one isn't life or death, but every now and again, I do like the option to view all my tabs at the same time.

Everyone should feel free to add links to their own favorite add-ons and why you can't live without them.

J-pop, zombies, & presents for rednecks

This will be the first of the "Top 5 thing's I'm into" that I move into my shiny brand new Blog (God, it hurts to even say that I have one). Anyway, the point of a "Top 5" is to share with our friends and family some of the weird trends, bizarre sites, and interesting things we find throughout the weeks. This is something that friends and coworkers of mine have been doing for the past few years and it's thoroughly enjoyable. So here we go...

1) Brilliant Japanese visual art: Actually, I'm not sure if this even falls into the category of visual art, or just a weird Japanese pop culture (J-pop). What I do know is that the video is super cool and makes me laugh!



2) EatMeCrunchy: Tired of the soggy cereal blues? Well, worry no more because now there's a bowl that will keep your cereal "crunchier" for a longer period of time.


3) Living Dead Girlz: I know it's after Halloween, but I LOVE anything related to zombies and this parody of Kelly's Shoes cracked me up!



4) Ninja Warriors: This has to be one of the coolest shows on TV because it’s like a serious MXC (Most Extreme Challenge). Competitors from around the world try to complete insane courses built to test the limits of human strength and endurance. I watched in shock as the Olympic US Gold Medalist failed in the second level of the course.

5) The Backup: Holiday shopping just got a whole lot easier. Have you ever been worried that a large 10-point buck would sneak up in the night and attack you within the comfort of your very own trailer park? Well apparently that's what The Backup is for...

SHAMELESS Self Promotion...

I was hanging out chatting with friends (online) tonight and talking about YouTube. Then I remembered that I created my very own video a year or so ago and I completely forgot about it. So I thought I should promote myself with high hopes that I would get more comments and positive votes than the ones I submitted.



Anyway, if you're completely bored with your life and you have 40 or so mins to spare, check it out and let me know what you think. I created it for my husband's 50th birthday celebration and the concept is "pics & video of him or one about him that he took". Opinions welcome...

Top 5 for my bear buddies...

Someone sent a really funny comic about the "new gay stereotype" and it got me thinking. I personally thought “bears” were the new gay stereotype, so “bear” with me a moment while I ramble…

First, there’s the new “bear lifestyle” magazine called “A Bears Life”. It's actually pretty popular and is getting quite a bit of notoriety. Even Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks, is involved with it now.Secondly, maybe it’s probably just me, but I think its extra funny because “A Bears Life” is like an updated version of everything from my childhood. Lots of camping, spending the summer with beefy guys (who were scout masters back then), and I used to get “A Boys Life” magazine. Which makes me think, Awwe, that’s so cute; but also kind of disturbing.

Third, I had a Smokey the Bear doll until I was 13 or so; which is well, sooooo GAY! I think I actually went through three of them during my childhood and I remember being devastated once when we came home from shopping and found that one of our dogs chewed up my teddy bear. It still pulls at my heart strings just looking at a picture of cuddly little guy even today…

Fourth, I guess this falls into the category of visual reinforcement; but take a look at all these Smokey the Bear comic covers and see if you can see something twisted within each one (Tip: if you can’t find anything wrong in the 3rd image, just look at the general shape of the broken sign post).

Finally, in addition to the incredible growth of bear events, bear language, and other bearish things, feel free to draw your own conclusions from the following pictures…