Conservatives attack Sotomayor
Perhaps conservatives have gone too far already in their criticism of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Here is what Newt Gingrich said about her:
I think that the only reason she was nominated to the Court is because
she is Hispanic. I don't believe she would have been appointed had she been white. And
the reason is, I think it was a cynical ploy by President Obama.
The Washington Times criticized the selection as serving a "narrow partisan interest" and rejected the use of "life experience" as a defense for her selection:
As the nation waits to learn more about Sonia Sotomayor, the questions
will concern not so much her talent but her character. Even her rise
from poverty and racial isolation will be less interesting than how
that experience has affected her regard for other Americans and whether
she understands how their lives and rights are affected by law and
official action.
GUIDE: Favorite Firefox Extensions – Updated
Last Update:Â 05.19.12
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1. Download them all at once
All my Essential extensions in one package. Download ffext_20120622.xpi
2. ESSENTIAL
- Adblock Plus – does what it says
- Booly -
- Copy as HTML Link – awesome for copying a page ref for blog comments
- Craigslist Image Previewer – very nice – lets you see thumbnails in search results rather than having to click into each one.
- Download Statusbar – don’t use the awful download window, use this sleek status-bar toolbar. Awesome.
- Email This! – adds ability to “email this URL” to email client of your choice. Nice.
- Google Redesigned
- - this advanced skin for Gmail is awesome! Some people think it slows
down the browser, but I love it. It started out as a Stylish template,
but then grew up to be a full extension. - Greasemonkey- naturally – here’s my fav scripts, not sure if some overlap with the Better Google extensions (below in TRYING)
- AmazonBookCover – adds button to Amazon to view full sized image, not the “Search inside” image – good if you want to save the image for a blog post, or if you want to find a big image for iTunes artwork
- Auto Add Feed – If you use Google Reader, this plugin allows you to skip that intermediate page when adding a new feed, and you end up directly in Google Reader.
- Gmail Persistent Search – allows you to build and save searches you do all the time (no longer works?)
- Google Reader Print Button – allows better printing of items from GR. (may no longer be working…)
- Mouse Rocking – if you don’t need lots of mouse gestures, just rocking, this works great.
- IE Tab – allows you to emulate IE in a Firefox tab for apps that require IE (like Sharepoint or OWA)
- Image Toolbar – nice floating toolbar like in IE
- It’s all Text – tired of typing up your comments in some puny comment box? Automatically launch your text editor of choice. Just click the ‘save’ icon to copy your text back to the original text box.
- LastPass Password Manager – I really like this password manager, a bit more than Foxmarks/FF because LP is encrypted. Also has a form filler (I’ve tried and liked both the Google and Roboform fillers, but I’ve already got LP, so will stop using the others).
- OpenIT Online – allows you to open all kinds of docs online, without local installs of apps like Word, etc. Love the open image option (use Pixlr)
- Package Mapping – select the routing number, right click and map it – mashup of shipping status and google map. Nice.
- PDF Download – enhances PDF features in FF
- PriceAdvance – when on supported sites (Amazon, Walmart, J&R, Target, etc.), shows prices for item on other sites. (See also Guide to safe, effective online shopping)
- Print Preview – Print Preview button for your toolbar. Toolbar Buttons also has a print preview button, so this extension might be redundant, except that it has a better icon for the button.
- ScreenGrab – simple screenshot util. You may alternatively like FireShot
- Traktor -
- TabMixPlus – add advanced tab control – really essential
- Toolbar Buttons – awesome to add to your toolbar.
- Xmarks – bookmark sync
3. COOL BUT NOT ESSENTIAL
- CLEO – great way to package up your extensions into one .xpi file
- ColorZilla – allows you to sample and get hex/RGB for any onscreen color. Very nice.
- Cooliris – a cool image search tool – lots of eye candy, not sure how useful
- * CuteMenus – adds nice icons to menus
- FEBE – nice way to back up your extensions – can even backup online now. Use with CLEO
- RetailMeNot – finds coupons for you automatically when visiting various vendor sites. Coolness.
- Stylish- provides alternate styles for various sites – indispensable for frequently visited sites like digg and youtube (and maybe gmail and greader too). The styles are updated often, but my favorites now are:
- Beautiful Digg – nice layout and dark theme for digg – though main nav color hard to read
- Check marking visited links – this is very cool, although on my home machine, the checkmark was somehow replaced with a small box with four numbers in it. Not sure what’s up with that.
- Digg – Fluid, Ad and Spaceing Remover (Updated) – widens it out for higher resolutions.
- Digg.com – comment tweaks 2.0 – really nice changes, with up/down ratings buttons
- Google Calendar – colorize Sat/Sun (start on Mon) – adds color to the weekend, and starts the week on Mon. They also have one that starts the week on Sunday.
- Google Maps Max Updated! – maximizes use of space on google maps. Nice.
- My Yahoo Cleaner – removes ads from my.yahoo, but I wish it did a little more
- OS X Style Google Reader – makes google reader look awesome!
- Stylish customized toolbar button – nice functional button for stylish,
- Very clean lifehacker – no ads, no wasted space
- Wikipedia – Grey Lady – a nice simplification of wikipedia
- Website: cleaner – Yahoo! Mail Beta – removes ads
- YouTube No Comments – hides comments on youtube
- Twitterbar – simple toolbar implementation – one click tweets
- WebDeveloper – great all around tool for looking at what’s under the hood.
3. TRYING
- View image links – generate album view for image links. all button has access key (the first letter).
eBay Hacks – Show only negative feedback Mod – adds two new tabs to ebay – Complaints Received and Complaints Left - MR Tech Toolkit – extension and theme manager with lots of options.
- OPIE – backs up file extension preferences (). Probably just as good as other extensions by Chuck (FEBE/CLEO).
4. RARELY USED BUT OK
- Aardvark – allows some tweaking of pages before printing, etc. – just never used it
- AideRSS – this GReader plugin gives you a numberic value of each article’s popularity – but it slows down the process too much, and I didn’t really need that info after all.
- AutoPagerize -
similar to the AutoPager GM script, but works on more sites than just
google. Not perfect, but nice – but I don’t use it because it messes
with my blog posting by adding code automatically to the exteneded
entry. - Badges On Favicon – Adds item counts (like how many unread emails) to the tabs – nice, but not really necessary for me.
- Better Gmail 2 – compilation of GreaseMonkey scripts to make gmail work better.
- Better GReader – bunch of GM scripts to enhance Google Reader
- Better YouTube – automatically loads higher res videos if available, and other GM scripts to enhance YouTube
- Bookmark Previews – gives you a visual way to flip through your bookmarks. Cool.
- bookStack – advanced bookmark management capabilities (experimental)
- Boost for Facebook – skins for facebook, nice, but easily replaced with a Sytlish skin
- BugMeNot – I still haven’t figured out how this works for bypassing mandatory registration for sites like the NYT – whatever, never used it.
- BuyLater – amazon price drop notifier (see also my Guide to safe, effective online shopping). Works fine, but I like using PricePinx better.
- Configuration Mania – shows lots of FF3 config items without having to go to about:
- Copy Link Text – right click on a link and choose from drop down
- Custom Buttons 2 – custom buttons for the toolbar.
- Delicious Bookmarks – you know what this is
- Digg Firefox Extension – nice if you want to digg pages that don’t have the icon
- *** DragDropUpload – allows you to drag and drop attachements onto gmail – Causing some problems lately
- drop.io – a file upload widget. There are so many of these popping up, but this one seems pretty usable.
- Dugged – firefox ‘mirror’ app – just not useful to me.
- EditCSS – works fine, but not as nicely as the tools in Web Developer toolbar
- Extended Copy Menu – has ‘save as html,’ but doesn’t really do what I want. Blah.
- FaviconizeTab – minimizes tabs to their favicon. Good if you have lots of tabs open.
- Feedly – basically, a social bookmark start page. Meh.
- FireBug – web development info. Nice program, but I like WebDeveloper toolbar more.
- FireGestures – same as MouseGestures, I think – but I only need the ‘rocker’ function, so I just use the Greasemonkey script.
- Firefox Activities – experimental, adds ie8 Activities functions – not too many yet, so not that great.
- FireShot – screenshot util – lots of options, but I use Screengrab instead.
- Fission – adds progress bar to address bar, like Safari
- Flash Killer – Cutemenus button or Flashblock do the same thing
- Flashblock – a nice button for your toolbar that toggles flash objects – works perfectly.
- Fuller Screen – an improved full-screen experience
- GA? – Is Google Analytics Installed
- Glue – a bookmark organizer on steroids, with some sort of widget creator for bloggers too. Hmmm.
- Greasemonkey Scripts
-
- Clean TheFreeDictionary.com – for when I get this page when searching for a definition. No more ads.
- GSpace – use your gmail accounts like disk drives to store files
- InstaClick – for laptops or mice without center button – can open link in new tab by right clicking. Works great, but not good for desktops.
- Interclue – I had some technical problems with this, not sure if they ever cleaned up the code.
- Kiobo Toolbar – Similar to stumble, but suggests sites you might like based on your browsing history.
- Krumlr – bookmarklet that marks things to tag site Krumlr, plus tweets in one shot. Nice, but I use instead a combo of Diigo, Digsby, Twitterbar.
- Mouse Gestures Redux – there are about three different gesture packages, this one was my old favorite. However, if all you need is rocker functionality, use the greasemonkey script Mouse Rocking
- Nuke Anything Enhanced – Temporarily remove anything from a page before printing – if you refresh page, nuked items return. Nice.
- OpenBook – adds advanced features to bookmark add dialog
- Pencil
- Pencil is a Firefox add-on to do GUI prototyping and simple
sketching. Works very nicely, nice substitute for using Visio for
screen mockups. - Personal Menu – does the same as TinyMenu, but with buttons. Too much learning curve for me, and TinyMenu does enough. But for the uberTweaker, this is a cool app.
- Phoenity Aura (theme)
- PMOG – the Passively Multiplayer Online Game you play from a FF toolbar. Neato.
- Print/Print Preview – Replace the default “Print” button with the Mozilla Suite style “Print/Print Preview” toolbar button/menu
- RAMBack – supposedly lets you clear Firefox memory. Didn’t make much diff in my use.
- Remove It Permanently (RIP) – selectively removes any element from a web site. Didn’t use much, and seriously goofs up some pages, and undo didn’t work. Had to uninstall to get pages to load properly.
- Sxipper – password manager, but the built in one seems good enough
- Smoothwheel – makes scrolling in firefox much more smooth and pleasurable. But YetAnotherSmoothScroller works better.
- StumbleUpon – find related sites to ones you visit and like
- Tabgroups-Plus – groups tabs – a little clumsy, or maybe it’s just me
- TabScope – popup image when you rollover tabs. Works great, but gets annoying.
- Translator – allows you to translate any web page into nearly any language at the click of a button.
- Twitkit – nice but don’t need – use a combo of Diigo, Digsby, and Twitterbar
- Twitbin – nice but don’t need – use a combo of Diigo, Digsby, and Twitterbar
- TwitterFox – nice status bar popup, but needs URL shortener and multiple login.
- Update Scanner – scans for updates on pages that don’t have RSS, or that you would like to monitor for changes (like this one!)
- VeriSign’s OpenID SeatBelt – one of many OpenID tools. I like theirs best, but honestly, OpenID is just not taking off.
- Video DownloadHelper – there are plenty others that do the same
- WOT -
community-feedback based evaluation of sites, measures
trustworthiness. Although I never rate sites, it has caught some evil
sites for me. AVG Security bar does well for this. - Zotero – helps you save online references. Might help w/ blogging, we’ll see.
The vapid shallowness of Liberalwood
Two stories that broke today set the Twitterworld afire. Each of them taken individually was sufficient enough to dampen the brightness of even Hollywood's plastic sun. However with the confluence of the events in one day, it was enough to cause succinct twits about the dreadfulness of this day. A day which forever shall live in infamy.
Not only did the California Supreme Court uphold the voter approved Proposition 8, establishing marriage as being between one man and one woman, but news leaked that filmmakers were contemplating relaunching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise with a movie that would not involve the actors who made the TV show a cult hit or creator Joss Whedon. Oh the humanity, how could they possibly survive these two assaults in the same day?
Obama and his administration setting new benchmarks for spending AND lying
I hate to be negative, but today's PajamasMedia article Where Are the Cries of ‘Obama Lied, Jobs Died’? made me realize how much leftist spin there is in the media, and how little they hold him accountable. Here's some goodness from the article:
Do the ends justify the means?
Last night 24 ended season 7 begging the question – do the ends justify the means? Jack Bauer's edged closer to death not regretting any specific action he had taken to save lives, yet somehow still regretting the path he had chosen. Tony Almeida justified virtually any action in order to enact personal revenge for a tragic loss. While Renee Walker saw the toil engaging in (and being the victim of) torture and dehumanizing tactics had taken on Jack, but still chose to continue her own descent down the same road.
The questions the characters wrestled with are the same ones that our culture and us as individuals face on numerous instances. As a general rule do the ends justify the means? Is there any end that justifies any means?
Guide: Blackberry Curve Software Resource Links
Here's my list of useful Blackberry links. See other Blackberry Guides in Guides.
Last update: 08.13.09
Added
Evidence continues to support global non-warming
Just a short note to show that (a) the ice caps are not melting, (b) the media is lying and recycling and continuing to misrepresent global 'warming' photos, and (c) ocean temps other temp data show no change. NO change.
Basically, liberals need a cause that they can leverage to take our money for centralized government, and the environment is their trump card. And they need causes to which they can devote themselves, so their eco-religion makes them totally sold on the Global Warming Panic. I have a feeling that they should, but won't hide their faces in shame when they find out they've been duped like sheep. Thanks for nothing, Al.
Liberalism’s warped morality: condemn waterboarding, condone femicide?
One accusation that both conservatives and liberals make against one another is that their opponents' hierarchy of values is out of order, if not outright contradictory.
For instance – Conservatives, how can you say you are concerned for the poor if you want to cut social programs? Why do you get so bent out of shape about homosexuality when seemingly more pressing social issues are at hand?
Conservatives, of course, have responses to these challenges, but I am not sure that they convince their liberal detractors.
But in the case of abortion, it seems hard for us conservatives to understand how liberals fail to recognize the humanity of at least the late term fetus. In light of this, their outrage at using waterboarding, a non-lethal (though not kind) interrogation technique seems laughable.
Even worse, the liberal reluctance to define the humanity of the fetus is now leading us down the slippery slope towards infanticide.
GUIDE: Blackberry Curve Tips, Tricks, & Troubleshooting Guide
OK, this is not a comprehensive guide, just things I have had to look up to solve. I’ll add to this as I solve problems. Here’s a current list:
Last Updated: 04.18.09
Quote of the Day #025: Unity at all costs?
It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error.
Obama does us a favor and refuses to participate in National Day of Prayer
Yesterday, President Obama announced that he would not participate in the National Day of Prayer. And while some conservatives see this as just another slap in the face to our Christian values and heritage, others are rightly seeing this as a good decision. I mean, how can a man who supports homosexuality and abortion be someone who shares the values of our God and savior?
You may argue that the NDOP is supposed to be ecumenical, so it should not be limited to the Christian God, and in some sense, you might be right. But just considering plain justice and righteousness, if we come to God unrepentant about such obvious sins, not to mention the others that we excuse, can we consider ourselves spiritual?
Truth be told, the NDOP is run and dominated by Evangelicals, and has been for some time, even though it is an officially declared national observance. But that was done back when we actually commonly believed in the Biblical God as a populace. Not so now.
Anyway, these are 'secondary' doctrines over which Christians can disagree, but they are not unimportant. Self-proclaimed Christians who think this way may in truth be born-again believers, but they are not thinking biblically. This is the same as saying one can be a Christian but support slavery. Sure, you *can* support such evils and be a Christian, but is your support really Godly, or sinful and a shame to yourself and God?
Reproduced below is the newsletter I received today from American Vision, entitled Why Obama Should NOT Participate in Day of Prayer. And I say AMEN.
Former Atheists: A. N. Wilson
Andrew Norman Wilson (b1950), is an English teacher and award winning writer. His biography of Tolstoy won the Whitbread Award (now the Costa Book Awards) for best biography in 1988.
Wilson entered Oxford on the path of ordination in the Anglican Church, but quit after the first year, and in the 1980′s came out as an atheist. In 1991 he published a pamphlet entitled Against Religion, and wrote other historical and fiction books critical of religion, including God’s Funeral: The Decline of Faith in Western Civilization (2000), his 2004 Jesus: A Life, which is critical of the historicity of the gospels, and his fictional piece My Name is Legion, a satire attacking both the British Press and the Anglican Church. But it seems that all those opinions may now be his FORMER positions on such matters.
