I've converted my Linksys WRT54GS router over to the newly released DD-WRT v2.3 firmware. I'm blown away. This is so much better than the Sveasoft firmware I was using. I can't believe people are wasting money on Sveasoft. I'd complained in the past that Sveasoft was not releasing their source code even though it is based on GPL code. Who cares? Their firmware is now obsolete as far as I'm concerned. BrianSlayer has done some tremendous work with the DD-WRT project and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking to improve the capabilities of their Linux-based router.

Nothing like arriving home from visiting family to find 6404 e-mail messages in your inbox. All of these were returned / failed / out-of-office error messages because some spammer is using my domain name and random usernames to send spam messages. I'm still receiveing about one returned error message per minute. No telling how many actually are getting through to people.

Out of all of these messages, there was one that was different. It was a response to one of my Blog entries. It was, you might have guessed, a spam blog comment.

Mozilla Thunderbird is my favorite e-mail reader. I had some problems with the 1.5 beta, so I'm still using version 1.07. Here is a list of my favorite extensions:

• Header Scroll Extension: If you enable "view full headers" in Thunderbird, the list is way too long and you don't even have space to view the body of the message. This extension solves that by making the header area scroll.
• Track Package: Highlight a package tracking number, right-click, and select track. It figures out the shipping service and automatically takes you to the correct status page with no intermediate steps.
• Virtual Identity: My favorite extension because I have multiple e-mail addresses on my domain forwarding to one in-box. This way, when I respond, it displays the original address the message was sent to instead of my "catch-all" e-mail address.
• Remember Mismatched Domains: I e-mail server uses SSL encryption for login. The SSL certificate is a generic certificate for the server, not for each individual domain hosted on the server, so I got this annoying mismatched domain error message every time I connect to check my e-mail. And then I found this extension and it eliminated that annoyance.
• Update Notifier: Automatically checks for updates to Thunderbird, to extensions, and to themes.

Wish List for Thunderbird: I wish I had the time to figure out how to code these. This is what I feel is missing from Thunderbird:

• Prompt to Save when Sending E-mail: When you hit the send button after writing an e-mail message, this would ask you if you want to save a copy in the sent folder. Much better than the save nothing or save everything setting buried deep within current configurations.

This list has been updated for FireFox 2 - Please see this updated list.

I'm a long-time user of the Mozilla and Firefox browsers. The base feature set is amazing but the extensions are what really make this browser a requirement. Here are my favorite extensions: Required (I use constantly):

• Tab Mix Plus: If I had to choose only one extension, this would be it. It makes the tabs behave any way you want them to behave. I use it to make child tabs open beside their parent, for the title text to be blue when the tab is unread, to show page download status in the tab title.
• Adblock + Adblock Filterset.G Updater: Great for removing unwanted ads in web pages; auto-updates the blocked sites list.
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• Download Status Bar: A great replacement for the annoying download window that pops up. Less obtrusive and it give the user a bunch of options to make downloads behave how ever you want them to behave.
• DownThemAll: A download manager built inside of Firefox - no external programs to worry about.
• FasterFox: Automatically modifies settings to speed-up Firefox.
• IE Tab: Can switch the current tab back and forth between IE and Firefox, all within Firefox. Great for sites that don't support Firefox and for page design validation.
• OpenDownload: Not currently compatible with Firefox 2.0. Gives you the option to download a file to a temp location and launch it to the default Windows application. This is perfect for program install files that you don't want to keep, so you don't have to download install files to your desktop, run the installer, and then delete the file. Plus, it will automatically delete the temp downloads a few days later. This is similar to a feature offered by IE, one of the very few IE features I miss.
• QuickJava: Disable Java and Javascript quickly, in case you visit a suspicious site that you suspect may be running suspicious code.
  
• Update Notifier: The best way to see when there are updates to Firefox and any extensions.

Recommended for a Work Laptop:

• Webmail Compose: Integrates webmail in case you don't have Thunderbird or any other mail client installed on that machine. Great for your work laptop.
• Proxy Button: Quickly turn the proxy on and off. Great for your work laptop.

Recommended (I use occasionally):

• Xinha Here!: Lets you launch a client-based WYSIWYG HTML editor. Uses the Xinha editor, but I would prefer TinyMCE or FCKeditor.
• Copy Plain Text: Will not copy formatting when copying text. Prevents the need to do an Edit / Paste Special / Plain Text command in the destination application.
• Google browser sync: great for bookmark backup, but there is so much more it can do beyond that.

Old & Obsolete or "Still On the Fence" (but I'm listing them anyway):

• StumbleUpon: Helps you find new sites that match your interests.
• AbstractMouse.com Shared Bookmarks: Lets you sync your between computers and access them online. Optionally allows sharing of bookmarks with friends or everyone via a webpage or an XLM feed. Wish it was better at synchronizing All Bookmarks instead of having to individually select each folder.
• del.icio.us: Not sure I get to popularity of this site, but it allows a user to mark, save, and share interesting web content.
• IE View or IE View Lite: Since switching to IE Tab, I don't use these two. However, I do respect their small size and simplicity. These two programs let you open the current page in Internet Explorer (useful if case the web page author does not properly support Firefox).
• SpellBound (development version): Firefox 2.0 integrates a newer version of this extension, making this extension unnecessary. But if you aren't using 1.5, it is an an awesome add-in for poor spellers. Allows built-in browser spell checking of any text entry field. Great if you post online frequently and it works much faster than pop-up spell checker integrated into some websites.
• Clone Window: This extension was made obsolete when this functionality was integrated into Tab Mix Plus. Open a new window or tab and it will use the history of the current tab, so the back button shows previously viewed pages from the first tab. Just like the behavior of the Internet Explorer "new window" function. The DublicateTab extension is an alternative; it requires right-clicking on the tab to be duplicated and clicking "duplicate tab". It is a more manual process but may be better for those that do not want to automatically duplicate the existing tab every time a new tab opens.

One must-have utility for backing-up setting prior to a reformat or computer switch is MozBackup.

I finally purchased a new piece of Home Theater Equipment!  I'm the proud owner of a new Sherbourn 7/2100a 200 watts x 7 channel amplifier.  This is the first step in replacing my 8-year old Onkyo receiver.  First the new amplifier, then the 2 new in-wall Sonance Cinema Ultra II SUR surround speakers to go from 5.1 to 7.1 surround, and then finally a new Anthem AVM-50 receiver to give built-in video processing and true 7.1 sound.  (Still don't know when that one will be available.)

I know, I just got something new, and I'm already talking about the next thing.  But it's a system, and a progression.

I had originally considered a Gemstone Blue Diamond amplifier, but the Sherbourn is rack mountable (with some optional ears) and I got it for a great price.  I'm going to be using it almost exclusively for home theater, so I don't think I would have any complaints about the sound of either amplifier.