My Favorite Firefox Add-ons

Firefox. Browser of the gods. I'm a freak over it. From time to time I find myself browsing their add-ons page for hours on end looking at possible additions to my browser for new and interesting features. Then every few months I realize I've added stuff that I've never used and will never really have a use for, and I cleanse the system by deleting them. There are plenty, however, that I have kept though the years and some newer ones that I love. Here's a list for your reading pleasure.

All-in-One Sidebar (AIOS) - A carry-over from my Opera days (the browser, not the music). This puts a collapsible sidebar in to see add-ons, downloads, history, recently viewed pages, and more.

All-in-one Gestures - Although this has many other mouse gesture features, the reason I use it is because of another Opera feature that I loved which this allows in FF: forward and back through web pages with mouse clicks. Instead of clicking the back and forward arrows in the browser toolbar, simply hold the right and click the left mouse buttons to go back a page, and vice-versa to go forward.

Better Gmail2 - While Gmail is doing an excellent job recently of adding features and allowing me to delete some add-ons, there is still one feature they lack that I love in this little package-hierarchical folders, making your gmail labels more like the folders in Outlook, etc.

Clipmarks - Like many other similar add-ons, this allows you to clip sectons of web pages instead of saving the whole page. I like this one better than the others I've tried.

Cooliris Previews - One of my all-time favorites, this allows you to preview any link in a pop-up window that stays as long as you keep the mouse on it. Saves having to open new windows or tabs to see where the link leads.

Customize Google - Enhances your Google search results and lets you remove ads and spam, such as viewing your search results and Gmail without ads in the sidebar.

Fire.fm - Last.fm music streamer for your browser. While I like Pandora much better for my music, this is convenient with a toolbar in the bottom of the browser.

Foxmarks bookmark synchronizer - Synchronizes bookmarks and passwords (if you choose) between multiple computers that use Firefox. Also convenient if you regularly upgrade or reinstall your OS like I do.

Google Gears - Although it doesn't work properly with FF3 yet, it allows you offline access and backup of your Google Docs.

Quick Restart - Adds a quick restart button to your toolbar, especially useful when you add new add-ons and need to restart to apply them.

Read it Later - Lets you mark pages to read later without having to clutter your bookmarks.

Shareaholic - While I really haven't utilized this yet, I can foresee a great future for it in relation to my recent foray into social media. Allows you to share anything on the web with multiple social media sites with a few clicks.

Speed Dial - Another Opera copy, but more customizable. When you open a new tab, you get a grid of sites you choose, like a bookmark group. Simply click on the thumbnail of the site you want.

Tab Mix Plus - Many features, but I like the session restore feature. Restore previous session, the one before that, etc.

Ubiquity - The future of browsing. Set your custom open keys (ctrl-space for me). Use dynamic commands in the pop-up window to email the current page to someone, highlight text and translate it, map it, whatever. Try it and you'll see what I mean. It's awesome.

Wisestamp - Fabulous personalized signature tool for your Gmail. Set a personal and a business signature with text, html, and links to social media and IM for contact purposes.

Xoopit for Gmail - Powerful indexing tool for your Gmail. Indexes and gives quick access to any files, photos, or videos sent or received in your emails.

And while a lot of these have right-click options (I'm a context menu lover) there are a couple context menu search add-ons I really like: Context Search (go figure) and Termblaster. Both add a huge selection of search options.

And of course you need a theme to personalize your browser's look. I alternate between Noia Extreme and Gradient iCool, but there are hundreds if not thousands for you to find what fits you.

Any suggestions for something I should try? What are your favorite FF add-ons?

What's on my Blackberry

I get a lot of questions from people I know about Blackberries and what you can use to do this or that, partially because I manage a cell phone retail store and partially because I tout the Blackberry as the greatest device ever invented. So I decided to put up this post for their benefit and anyone else who may learn anything from it. I use an 8330 Curve with OS 4.5 on US Cellular.

The first thing I tell any new Blackberry user to do is to download the Berrystore app. This little app has a listing of a lot of the must-have free apps (as well as others that are not must-have), and you can download them directly from the berrystore app without having to go to each site. Just open your browser on your BB and go to www.berrystore.com. Some of the apps listed in there as "free" are actually trials, but I'll list some of the best free ones here. I'll add additional posts for options in different categories of apps and what I do and don't like about each one. Here is what I have on my Blackberry right now:

Viigo
The best mobile RSS feed reader out there, hands down. Choose from hundreds of sites in every category, create your own search channel to get just the info you want, sync your Google Reader, My Yahoo!, or Bloglines subscriptions, get weather, sports info including live scores from the NFL, NCAA, and more, local interest items like Craigslist, stocks and finance, entertainment news, and soon (can't wait) podcasts. This is one of my most used apps.

Opera Mini
This is a really great alternative web browser to the native BB browser(which is not horrible) for a couple of reasons. First, there are sites that don't render correctly in the BB browser that will in Opera. One example is the Blackboard site for our local University. With the BB browser you can get to the site, but it won't let you sing in to the site. With Opera it works just like it should. Second, Opera is smokin' fast compared to the BB browser, because it renders sites at the server end and then sends the results. I recently tried out the much touted Skyfire browser on a friend's Windows Mobile device, and there was no comparison to Opera Mini. Opera's startpage is also an improvement, with 10 "Speed Dial" bookmarks, rss feed aggregator, recent history links, saved pages, and a search bar with options to search with Google, Wikipedia, Amazon, and Ebay built in (and you can customize it with more search options), in addition to the normal address bar.

Google Mobile App
Really this is just a Google search bar with shortcuts to a bunch of other Google apps, some of which you should install but you can access with their own icons. The rest are Reader, Notebook, News, Calender, Docs, and Photos (Picasa). I should probably delete this app, but I haven't and I occasionally access things through it. You can use it to download other Google Mobile apps that you should have, like...

Google Maps
This one is indispensable. It is better all around than the native BB maps that comes built in. It will track your position through cell tower triangulation if GPS is unavailable for some reason (like being inside) and provides the excellent search features you would expect from Google. I am waiting for Google to add turn-by-turn voice navigation, but it is a non-negotiable app to have even without this.

Gmail Mobile App
You don't need this to get your Gmail, obviously. You will undoubtedly have it pushed to your Berry just like any other email. The point of having this app, to me, is when you need to search for something in your Gmail. You can see your labels, starred items, etc. just like in your browser. So at times it can be very helpful, even if you probably won't use it on a regular basis.

Google Sync
Another awesome mobile app from Google. This will sync your calendar and contacts with your Google Calendars and Gmail contacts (recently added feature). This essentially gives anyone on BIS the same feature set as BES without business-specific exchanged items. If you're a heavy Google user (and I am), the Blackberry/Google combo is really coming a long way fast in offering an incredible suite of tools to synchronize wirelessly a lot of information (not to mention backing it up in case of having to wipe your Berry or if it is lost or stolen).

Vlingo
This is a really good voice service with a rich feature set including voice dialing (better than the built in voice dialing), sending text and email messages with voice, opening apps, and even updating your Facebook an Twitter status. It learns your voice the more you use it, so it gets better with age. You can also do quick web searches with your voice, or add a new task or memo. I don't use this all the time, but I could probably make good use of it if I thought about it regularly.

Twitterberry
Mobile app for Twitter. Has all the features you need. If you are a Twitterer like me, this is a must have.

QuickText
Speed dial for texting.

Qik
Stream live video online using your Berry's video camera. (This is not in the Berrystore app)

3rd partyapps that came on the device that I use:
Facebook mobile app - newer version coming out in 2009.
Gtalk - gmail chat, IM

And of course you need a cool looking Theme. There are thousands out there for every taste, and I recommend looking through www.pimpmyberry.com, but there are many others. If you use Opera Mini, keep in mind that some themes don't allow you to see their browser menu, so you'll want to find one that is "opera friendly".

Enjoy your 'Berry!

Why I Use Linux

I am not a programmer. I am not a developer. I couldn't tell you the first thing about writing code. To me C++ is almost a B on a report card and Python is something you don't want wrapped around you. But I love Linux. Some people think I'm some kind of computer guru when I tell them that I use Linux, or they look at me sideways and ask me what exactly I'm talking about because they've never even heard of Linux. So I thought I would write a little piece to explain why I use it and what I love about it, as well as how easy it is to use for those with any sense of computer adventure at all. I'll also run through some of the downsides (everything has downsides, come on).

Let me start by explaining what it is that keeps me away from Windows or Mac systems whenever possible. I can sum up a lot of my disdain for these two in one word: proprietary. Both of these systems are hell-bent on forcing you to use their (usually costly) proprietary software systems, from media to office suites and everything in between. I don't blame them for doing so. After all, they are not non-profit organizations, so the more things they can sell the better. More power to them, I am a big believer in free-markets and capitalism. But there are better alternatives out there for most types of software, and they are usually free. Let me just address a couple specific cases that grate my nerves more than most.

iTunes
I detest iTunes. Absolutely hate it. Yes, I know, I am an outcast, a know-nothing loser. How could I hate the most beloved digital music system known to man? It is the epitome of proprietary. Unless you are fairly savvy, you fall into the endless black i-hole of downloading your music through iTunes (in M4a format), loading it on your ipod or iphone, and carrying it with you to play through your i-car's system, hook it up to your friend's i-stereo, or use it however and wherever your i-life takes you. But if I hear a song I like on it, I can't transfer it to my Zune or Sansa or Blackberry because it's a protected and proprietary file. So, so frustrating. Yes, there ways of getting past this, but these are hurdles even I don't like to jump. Another point in case: I work in the cellular industry. Most phones play digital music now, but I cannot count how many times a month I get people who have bought a new phone asking why they can't play their itunes songs on their phone. If you buy your music almost anywhere else, you can play it on whatever you like and share it with whoever you want. And don't lecture me about sharing music, either. I know all the arguments about DRM etc, but they are all crap in my view. So there.

Microsoft Office
Another issue that really gets under my skin is Microsoft office. Please, for the love of God, please tell me why, why, why anyone would pay a couple hundred dollars or more to get an office suite that can be had for free in the form of OpenOffice? Not only does it do everything that Microsoft office does and more, but it is also completely compatible with it, and allows you to save your docs, sheets, etc in .doc or .xls formats, even in the version you want (excel 2003, word 95, etc.), so that your idiot friends who refuse to see the light never have to know the difference when you send them a file. My daughter was required to take a course at her University in Microsoft Office 2003. What? That's right, not in office software, but specifically Office 2003, and was required to purchase the software for the course. This, my friends, is what they call a racket. I don't blame Mr. Gates. He and his crew are marketing geniuses, and I blame the University for this insanity, but it still gives me a bad taste in my mouth for Microsoft. Onward.

Opensource
Now you can use OpenOffice and any number of alternative media players/downloaders in both Windows and Mac OS's, so how does that bring me to Linux? I'll get there shortly, but first let me exhort the praises of opensource software. Opensource, in a nutshell, means that the software is (usually) developed by and updated by a group of computer geniuses who just want to come up with a good piece of software and share it with everyone. Then if some other computer genius gets it and says "Hey, I could make this better by...", they are free to do so and distribute it again. What a great system. There is opensource software out there for anything you need, and many times the programs are better than what you could buy at your local Best Buy or through, say, Norton's website. You just have to go look for it and download it. For instance, anybody out there use Adobe Reader for your PDFs? Try Foxit. Sure, Adobe Reader is free, too, but it's a huge bloated piece of software compared to Foxit, which does the same and more, and faster. There are hundreds of examples like this, and I will probably write a post with some links for you to other stuff, but for now you get my point.

Finally, the Point
Okay, so I've given you a brief backdrop to some of the many issues I have with Windows and Mac, now let me get on to the point of this article: Why I love Linux. Now I am not some Linux guru, as I have already stated. I have not tried all or even many of the myriad of linux distributions out there, and there are lots. I use Kubuntu linux, and I used to use Ubuntu. These are two variations of the same theme. These OS's are free to download from here, and they fit on a cd which is bootable. This means that you can download it and try it out before you install it just to see if you like it or not. One thing you'll notice after you run or install it is that there is a part of the menu called Add/Remove Programs. This is a little different than the Windows control panel item of the same name. It has a very long list of programs to install for whatever you need to do, and the list can be expanded by adding more repositories (I'm not going to get into any technical or how-to issues here). Suffice it to say that it's pretty darn easy to find what you want and install it, whether it's a photo-editing program, a scientific calculator, a virtual planetarium, or a video game, they're all there and much, much more. Just click to download and start using. Easy! ...for the most part. As I said, I'm no computer whiz. However, I do appreciate a challenge and I'm not a complete dummy when it comes to them. I will let you know on the front end that there are challenges with Linux that you may not run across with the others. It may take an extra step before you can initially play your mp3's or videos. You may have an issue with your printer that takes a bit to figure out. There are programs you can't run on it, like itunes (a plus for me), or the desktop manager for my Blackberry (arrrgghh), without having to jump through some hoops. It is not a perfect system by any stretch of the imagination, but to me the challenges are well worth the results.

The two main advantages for me are cost efficiency and not needing to run and update virus protection . The OS is free, upgrades are free, new versions of the OS are free, the software you use is free, etc. And... you have a slim to none chance of getting a virus or spyware. It just doesn't happen. Partially because of the way the OS operates, and partially because nobody writes viruses to attack Linux computers. So no more paying for Anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, or having them as one more program to keep running and taking up your RAM. But if you did get something, or if something got screwed up and your computer stopped working right, or at all, then what? Well, if this happened with your Windows or Mac system, you're paying Best Buy, Apple, or some local outfit a considerable wad to get it fixed and running again. Assuming it's not a hardware issue (hard drive goes bad, etc), in which case your screwed no matter what you're using, you will be up and running again in no time and with no cost if you're using Linux. Just pop in the cd you used to install it originally and start over. Download your programs again and voila! Just like new. BTW, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to install a linux system (this includes reinstalling all the extra programs you had), with just a few questions you have to answer (time zone, etc) vs. hours of painful waiting and clicking to install Windows (if you even have the disk to reinstall it yourself). I upgrade my system twice a year, usually (when they come out with new versions). I just back up all my files on an external hard drive or on DVDs regularly(which you should be doing as well), and copy them back onto my computer after upgrading.

The bottom line is this: if you're savvy enough to find your way around a computer, try out linux. It's free and it's fun. If you're still using Internet Explorer instead of Firefox, baby steps.

The Killers (New) Day and (Better With) Age

So I've been listening to the new Killers album, Day and Age, and it sounds great. They've always had an eighties-influenced sound, but their past efforts have had more of the post-punk early eighties rock influence, whereas the new release takes a more mature, mid-eighties type sound, making much better use of vocal melodies and harmonies and smoothing out the guitars and synths. They haven't exactly lost their edge, but I think this album will appeal to a wider audience.


You first notice the difference on the first track, "Losing Touch", which includes a great horn section blended in the mix, followed by "Human", which could almost be an old Depeche Mode song, except that it's much happier sounding. Overall there's a more synth driven sound here, and I for one am digging it. I love the sax thrown in here and there, the bouncy rhythms they employ ("Joyride"), and the generally more experienced sound throughout. I'm still a fan of older tracks like "Mr. Brightside" et al, but I love it when a band shows their range a little. I give this album a thumbs up and encourage you to check it out.