TechBite by Steve Bass: Newsletter #34
TechBite Technology
Steve Bass's Weekly Newsletter
TechBite's columnist Steve Bass writes weekly commentary on the technology products he loves, the strategies for getting the most out of them, and the gotchas that can cause computing misery. Plus a couple of weekly laughs.
7 Tools to Make Firefox Shine
In This Issue
Goodbye IE; Hello Firefox
7 Add-ons to Make Firefox Jump Through Hoops
Tech Tip of the Week
Tool of the Week: Notepad++
Time Wasters
Protect Your Friends
Goodbye IE; Hello Firefox
Clear the decks, I'm now an avid Firefox user. It took me a long time to give up my treasured Maxthon, an Internet Explorer shell that I truly loved. When Maxthon was first released, it had features years before they were added to IE8 -- tabs, multi-threading, groups, add-ons -- things the kids at Microsoft should have copied eons ago, but didn't.
When I first contemplated switching, my Firefox fanatic friends insisted it could do everything Maxthon did, only better. Firefox has a multitude of free add-ons, cool extras to whittle down your browser feature wish list. The add-ons let me modify Firefox to almost replicate Maxthon. (No matter what anyone says, Maxthon outshines Firefox in managing favorites, and saving sites and favorites in groups is wonderfully effortless.) The added bennie is that Firefox offers better security than Internet Explorer.
If you're an Internet Explorer user, I encourage you to look at Firefox. It's free; the transition for most people isn't a big deal (see Switching is Easy); and you don't have to give up IE to play around with it. (But I bet you will...) [top]
7 Add-ons to Make Firefox Jump Through Hoops
Here are a few of the cooler Firefox add-ons I'm using. Give them a whirl and let me know what you think.
1. AutoPager does the clicking for you and automatically scrolls through those annoying multiple-page sites--way convenient.
AutoPager is a must-have Firefox add-on.
2. If you're an advanced user with lots of extensions, you'll definitely want to install MR Tech Toolkit; it's the tool for installing and managing extensions, add-ons and themes.
MR Tech Toolkit does a great job managing extensions.
3. I use the Extended Cookie Manager to set cookie permissions. It's great for when I want to allow a cookie to be set for a session -- or for eternity.
The Extended Cookie Manager lets you change cookie permissions quickly and easily.
4. Grab Easy DragToGo and you'll be able to drag and drop links from a tab and open them in new tabs -- just like Maxthon does. [top]
5. Like living on the Firefox edge? I have just the tool for you. Tweak Network gives you a way to fiddle with the number of simultaneous downloads from a site, and more important, speed up page loads using hidden network settings.
6. How many times have you had to wait 60 seconds when downloading a file from RapidShare or MegaUpload file sharing sites? There's no more waiting if you install SkipScreen.
Bypass the "wait" screen on many file sharing sites.
7. Tab Mix Plus is an essential add-on that lets you control every conceivable tab function.
Tab Mix Plus lets you tweak tab functions.
Tech Tip of the Week
"I get this error -- caprica.dll is missing: Reboot. What should I do?"
When you write asking for tech help, most of the time I reply with a boilerplate showing you how to find the answer yourself. As much as I'd like to do it, I can't take the time to research and answer every question (and believe it or not, I don't have all the answers). The boilerplate comes from a recent newsletter, "Help Is on the Way."
In the newsletter, I mentioned using Google search variations to see if other people have had similar problems. A TechBite subscriber had a smart and simple addition to the search query: Add the word solution or solved. Obvious, I agree, and hugely helpful. [top]
Typical error messages you'll encounter one day.
Tool of the Week: Notepad++
There are dozens of terrific, free text editors that run circles around Notepad, Microsoft's puny little text editor. (Some of you might not even know you're using Notepad. It pops up every time you double-click a text file in Windows Explorer.)
Why do you need a text editor? Some of you don't, but many users find it a handy, quick alternative to opening Microsoft Word or even Google Docs for creating a small document. A text editor lets me make quick changes to INI files (yep, they're still around), modify an HTML file, or read an INF file. I use Notepad++, a good, nimble editor. It's got lots of neat features, like multi-doc and multi-view support, macros, book marking, find and replace -- things you'd expect in a full-fledged word processor. Read more about Notepad++ and download a free copy here. [top]
You can make NotePad++ open TXT files by adding Notepad's extensions in Preferences.
- United Breaks Guitars is the story of Sons of Maxwell band member Dave Carroll's trip on United Airlines. When Carroll flew United last year, baggage handlers damaged his guitar. United wouldn't take responsibility, so Carroll used YouTube to seek revenge. United finally apologized and paid up. [NPR said something about United promising to use Carroll's video for employee training--pretty funny, if true. -Editor]
- know you'll figure this out in a few seconds, but it's sure a great magic illusion.
- This dog is a master at basketball -- and ought to get an agent (and then have a talk with the Lakers).
- You know that old line about using a failing hard drive for a door stop? Here's a much better idea.
I'll bet the 500GB version keeps better time than an old MFM 30MB drive.
- Ze Frank is a creative guy. His latest cool toy is called Voice Drawing. It's a Flash program that lets you draw with your voice. Set down your mouse, pick up your microphone, and start humming. Move the line in a counterclockwise direction using a low-volume tone. A medium volume sends the line straight across the screen and a high volume will turn the line to the right.
I can't image how many hours it took Ze Frank to draw these faces. Me, I couldn't get anywhere. Instead, I played some jazz tunes and held the mic up to my PC's speakers. Give it a try -- and don't worry about Flash turning on your mic. It's not on permanently (what did you say?); it has to be turned on each time you load the page.
Don't worry about this Flash warning.
John Coltrane playing "Giant Steps" (left)
and
Michael Brecker, Stanley Turrentine
playing "You Don't Know What Love Is" (right).
- What, pray tell, is a "spite house?" It's a question you've probably never asked--but as an intrepid reporter, it's my obligation to answer it for you. It's a building or structure constructed to hassle a neighbor or slip past a government regulation. I discovered my first as an answer on BlurtIt (Dr. John Tyler's house is my favorite); the New York Times talks about one in "A Tiny, Beloved Home That Was Built for Spite" (check the slide show); and Wikipedia has a terrific entry on the topic. Finally, here's a Google image search of dozens of spite houses.
- The Miracle of Rubber Cement is a cute -- and mildly risqu� -- commercial. I love the mischievous looks on the nun's faces... [top]
Picture of the Week: Some Assembly Required
Business Update: IKEA has announced its intention to take over
General Motors and sell automobiles. Each car will
come with instructions and an appropriate tool.
Protect Your Friends
Do you know someone who is still using Internet Explorer and kvetching about it? Or maybe a buddy you suspect doesn't have the tech smarts to avoid Microsoft's Notepad? I can't imagine not. If you want to do them a favor (and, of course, boost my subscription rate) forward my newsletter to them and point them to this subscription page: http://www.techbite.com. By the way, if you're enjoying this newsletter and getting something out of it, become a TechBite member by sending us some financial support using PayPal. I promise, good things will come your way... [top]
_____________________
Steve Bass is the publisher and self-appointed Chief Content Officer at TechBite; he continues to experience the cool feeling of having his own newsletter. Send him your feedback at TechBite. To sign up for TechBite's free Steve Bass Technology newsletter, head for our signup page.
Steve's also the author of "PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer," available on Amazon. You haven't purchased your copy today yet, have you? Don't wait, supplies are limited...
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TechBite is a joint effort of Steve Bass (in very hot Pasadena) and Mike Kronenberg (in steamy Denver).
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