This lens is constantly being updated! 

snag the rss feed above to be notified of updates as they come along...

As you can probably tell, this lens is under construction (argh, I know!). I wanted to get something up quickly because my Firefox & Greasemonkey lens was nominated Lens of the Day (woot!) and I thought maybe folks might come wandering over to this lens to check it out.

I'm working solely on this lens this week and while it will never be finished (bcz the 'stuff I'm into' is always changing), if you snag the rss to the right, you can be instantly notified of changes. Also add to your favorites to check back soon. In the meantime, you can read the entertaining story below about how I met Firefox and why we fell in love...

A Foxy Love Story 

once upon a time, there was a browser infested with porn...

Firefox and I have had an affair going for some time now. Truth be told (and I am not pulling your leg here), I first downloaded the browser in 2002 when my boyfriend at the time downloaded a virus on my computer that attacked my Internet Explorer. Here's the good part - every time I booted the browser, any word on any page that had "anal" in it (as in "analyze", "analysis", etc) was hyperlinked to a porn site...yeah...

I was in the middle of finals week when this started and you can imagine how distracting it was to be doing online research with all of those words hyperlinked. My computer geek friend told me that I could download FF for free and maybe that would solve my problem - and he was right! Thus began my loving relationship with Firefox.

When I switched to The Fox I really had no understanding about its potential to be something other than a treatment for a nasty case of porn-infested IE. I used it as a barebones IE subsitute - no extensions, no bells and whistles, nothin'.

Over the last few months everything changed for me and Firefox. I have been home with a back injury (see my very first lens Spine Fractures & Back Pain 101), and quite literally Stumbled on my first Firefox extensions. The rest is history...

Okay well maybe not, but let's just say I am now the proud owner of 33 Firefox Extensions (I topped out around 40 and then had to purge a bit).

Have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about or want more details? You can get complete step-by-step background and instructions on working with Firefox (and its extensions) on my lens Firefox & Greasemonkey: Pimp Your Web. I also include a description of each extension and why each one holds a special place in my heart.

And if you aren't already a convert, check out Lifehacker's excellent Top Ten Reasons to Switch to Firefox and then you can hurry over here to download Firefox for free

In the meantime, below is a hit list of my favorite Firefox Extensions:

• AdBlock Plus & Adblock Filterset.G Updater
  
• All-In-One Sidebar
  
• Book Burro
  
• Colorful Tabs
  
• Copy Plain Text
  
• Del.icio.us Post
  
• Favicon Picker
  
• Forecastfox Enhanced
  
• McAfee Site Advisor
  
• Menu Editor
  
• Restart Firefox
  
• RSS Ticker
  
• Squidoo
  
• Tab Mix Plus
  
• Target Alert
  
• UI Tweaker (formerly Toolbar Cleanup)
  
• Well Rounded
  
• Greasemonkey
  

Feed Me the Best RSS: Make Blog 

#5 coolest feed on EARTH (read on for all 5 of my favorite feeds)

The folks over at Make Magazine are so creative they make you want to do incredibly useful spontaneous crafty things like turning an altoids box into a battery-powered USB charger (I'm so not kidding, check it out):



If MacGuyver had a blog, this would be it. Errr..you know...if he was a real person...

Martha Stewart (bless her cold, black heart) can go back to working on her line of pinstriped clothing, bold silver bracelets and solid iron sphere jewelry as far as I'm concerned...


Here's the latest from Make:

DIY: Sinusoidal Acrylic Bracelet

The people over at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories have an interesting project. You can download the...

Group Tetris Costume

I really like this Tetris costume because it's easy to make and won't break the bank. My only concer...

Maker Faire Austin: Life-Size Mousetrap

Mousetrap was a fun board game to play when you were a kid. Now imagine a life-size version. Sounds...

President-o-lanterns

The AP has released PDF patterns of the presidential candidates, their parties and their spouses - g...

Status: Stinky - Web-enabled deodorant docking station

Want someone to know how many times you applied deodorant today? Neither do the creators of Zero Pri...

Amigurumi Awesomeness 

"amigurumi" means "crocheted doll" in Japanese...

I found out about the Amigurumi craze from my crafty friend Casey who sent me a base pattern for a doll. Next thing I knew I was hip-deep in patterns, flickr slideshows, and brand new yard from a Michael's craft store binge. For the curious, I've listed some amigurumi resources below. Despite how fabulous they look, these little dolls/animals are actually very, very simple. They can be easily made by a beginning-to-advanced crocheter.

Below are some links to patterns, galleries and other fun Ami stuff. Don't have any idea how to crochet but you want to make Ami's anyway? Check out this excellent lens and find yourself a tutorial. Better yet! Find a friend who crochets to teach you - you're in for loads of fun...Happy Stitching!

BTW, I'm working on obtaining the url for squidoo.com/amigurumi so that I can expand this to a proper lens. I sent an email begging the lensmaster who snagged it forever ago but hasn't yet posted anything, to transfer it to me so that I can develop it. I'll post a link to the page here if that happens...

Live Journal: We Love Amigurumi

This is a great place to get inspired and share your creations. There's lots of photos and you can comment on the Ami's you like the best.

CrochetMe: Amigurumi Double Ring

This is a photo tutorial for making the starter ring for your Ami's so that they don't have holes where you begin the project (kinda important, man!).

CrochetMe: Base Pattern for Amigurumi Dude

This is essentially a base pattern for any Ami that you would like to make. Gives you instructions for increasing and decreasing to make head, arms, legs, and body. I found that the hea on this pattern is a little bigger than I like. In that case all you have to do is just stop increasing before the pattern indicates and start decreasing earlier. The nice thing is that you can't really mess up an Ami - if it was supposed to be a bear but it looks like an alien, then make it an alien!

CrochetMe: Amigurumi Deconstructed

Tips for making Ami's: "There's no one way to make amigurumi. And how. They're small and quick to make, so experiment. Experiment lots. Here are some tips you might find handy!"

CrochetMe: Assembling Amigurumi

Another photo tutorial detailing how to put your fuzzy friends together...

Amigurumi Along

Excellent site with loads of free patterns, tutorials, and lots of photos. Since Amis are often made freehand, there appears to be a shortage of good patterns out there. This is a site that actually has quite a few!

CrochetMe: Gallery

More adorable Ami's!

New RSS: Add Your Own Feed 

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Ami's from Others... 

a flickr slideshow of ami work around the web...

Crochet girly

Crochet girly

WIP

Enteropollo

alicia y amiga.

Evagurumi (by Mymy)

Manuelitas

Corazones

Manuelita

Greasemonkey 

that funky monkey...

Below is a list of my absolutely favorite Greasemonkey scripts. You know the best part about being a GM fan is that you don't have to know a cotton-pickin' thing about programming, you just browse around online and when you find a script that sounds interesting, you download it. Period, end of story. Okay well I guess you do have to have some understanding of how to download...or what Firefox is...but, hell, a MONKEY can do that! AHAHAHAHAHA I kill me. Anyway I guess my point is that the open source movement kicks ass.

Have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about or want more details? You can get complete step-by-step background and instructions Firefox (and its buddy Greasemonkey) on my lens Firefox & Greasemonkey: Pimp Your Web. I also include a description of each script, why I can't live without it, and maybe why you can't either.

In the meantime, below is a list (I told you I loved lists!) of my favorite Greasemonkey Scripts:

** Note: all of the following scripts have been tested (by moi) to work on FF version 1.5.0.4. If you have an earlier version, you're on your own...

• Familiar Taste
  
• Google Image Relinker
  
• Greased Lightbox
  
• Linkifier
  
• MySpace Auto-Login
  
• Netflix Queue Manager
  
• RSS Panel
  
• Search Term Highlighter
  
• Zoom Image
  

Feed Me the Best RSS: The Business of Life 

#4 most sweetest feed EVER

Have you figured out I'm into lifehacks yet? This feed from The Business of Life Blog is another one chock full of hip wisdom. Kinda like having a superstylish, genius/technogeek big sister but instead of raiding your closet and stealing your boyfriend she keeps you lifehacked to the max. The topics of this blog are more thoughtful than some other more masculine lifehack blogs, too, and we know that balance is always a good thing. Here's a list of some of the categories:

* Aging with Grace and Grit
* Career
* Caregiving
* Checklists (you know I love this one!)
* Death and Dying
* Divorced and Widowed
* Legal Matters
* Marriage and Weddings
* Meaning, Passion and Purpose
* Organizing and Practical Tips
* Parenting
* Personal Development
* Retirement
* Rules of Life/Lessons Learned
* Spirituality, religion and rituals
* The Sexes
* Wealth, Financial Planning


Here's the latest from The Business of Life:

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Amazon Woman 

stuff I'm jonesin' for...

Here's a short list of some stuff I'm dyin' for. If you feel like checking out the whole list you can see it here. Oh and feel free to buy me stuff if you want...I'm really good about doing Thank You notes...!

Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 Lens (Black)

This is the camera I'm going to buy soon. My brother just hired me to photograph (and photo edit) his wedding this July 4th so I have a really good excuse to buy the camera now. Woot!

Amazon Price: $849.85 (as of 10/13/2008)

Greasemonkey Hacks: Tips & Tools for Remixing the Web with Firefox (Hacks)

by Mark Pilgrim

I'm excited about this hot-off-the-press book from the O'Reilly series...because as you can tell up top, I'm a big fan of the Monkey...

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 10/13/2008)

Bad Childhood---Good Life: How to Blossom and Thrive in Spite of an Unhappy Childhood

by Laura Schlessinger

Surprised to see this one on here? Believe it or not, I'm a Dr. Laura convert. By convert I mean that I used to think she was a raving bitch from hell...and now I kinda like her...don't ask me to explain. All I can say is to not pass judgement until you listen to a few shows and read at least half of one of her books (that's what did it for me - my Mom sent me "10 Stupid Things Women Do". I was going to read it out of spite so I could tell my Mom that she was full of crap and instead I ended up with a grudging respect for the bitch).

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 10/13/2008)

Life Strategies: Doing What Works, Doing What Matters

by Phillip C. McGraw

I'm going to start a new jewelry/t-shirt line that says: "WWDPD?" Because I pretty much think Dr. Phil whoops some serious ass....

Amazon Price: $11.16 (as of 10/13/2008)

Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey into Manhood and Back

by Norah Vincent

I heard this author on NPR - she apparently 'became' (dressed, walked, got made up with fake stubble, etc) a man for a year to do an expose on gender in the United States. I'm a big fan of gender stuff so I'm curious to see what she came up with...

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 10/13/2008)

T-Fal 7822762 8-Tray Swiss-Style Raclette Grill

If you've never tried Raclette, you haven't lived. I had it for the first time with my French host family back in 2000. It's a super yummy wintertime dish made with broiled cheese and veggies (the Racklette appliance itself is like a mini broiler) over baked potatoes. Each person has their own little tray that they use to cook their veggies and cheese. So we didn't have any way of getting them back in 2000 (they weren't available in the US) so I smuggled a little tiny two-person raclette home with me in my suitcase! Except that the plug was for a French socket so I had to buy a transformer and a plug kit and even then the damn thing still smelled like burning plastic. I guess that's just a really long way of saying I need a new one...with a 'Merican plug...

Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)

Made in America

by Bill Bryson

This book is s'posed to be really good. Me want.

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 10/13/2008)

A History Of The World In Six Glasses

by Tom Standage

Yeah I'm a big fan of wine...and beer...and booze in general.

Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 10/13/2008)

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

by Jared Diamond

Jarod Diamond is fantastic...I just finished his book "Why is Sex Fun?" (yeah, no comments about that being the world's dumbest question - it's about evolutionary anthropology dumbasses) and I loved it.

Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 10/13/2008)

Any Time Now

My friend Jadine who has the best music taste of anyone I know says that I would love this CD. I pretty much bow to her awesomeness about these kinda things so on the list it goes...

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 10/13/2008)

I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking

by Alton Brown

Do you know that I have bought this book for no less than FIVE of my friends, but has anyone gotten it for me? Noooooooooo...

Amazon Price: $21.45 (as of 10/13/2008)

Since

I think Richard Buckner's acousticness is so sexy. Makes me wanna...uh...cuddle that's right, cuddle...

Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)

Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World

by Mark Kurlansky

Another book that I have bought for all of my friends...you'd think that somebody would have at least kicked down a used version to borrow...jeez....

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 10/13/2008)

Feed Me the Best RSS: 43 Folders 

#3 most loved feed ever

43 Folders is Merlin Mann's site about personal productivity, life hacks, and simple ways to make your life a little better. Topics that come up a lot include:

* productivity and time management tips
* "life hacks" to improve efficiency
* interesting Mac OS X programs and technologies
* ideas about modest ways to improve your life and reduce stress
* cool or helpful shortcuts that make life a bit easier

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Del.icio.us Distractions 

a list of my favorite del.icio.us bookmarks...

Module Under Construction: Check Back Soon!

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Feed Me the Best RSS: Slacker Manager 

#2 most favoritist rss feed EVER...!

Awesome feed from Slacker Manager: "paving the path of least resistance so you don't trip and fall..."

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Feed Me the Best RSS: Lifehacker 

#1 most favorite feed EVER!

Lifehacker, will you marry me? That way I can have hundreds of your highly productive and organized babies...!

As you can see, this blog is my absolute #1 Most Favorite RSS feed. I highly recommend you try it out. If you hate it...well that's sad for you.

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My Want List 

want more, need more, love more, feed more...

This wishlist is powered by Wishlistr, a sweet new way to keep track of all those wants...

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Feedback 

praise, boos, thoughts, comments, suggestions from visitors...

Got something to say? Want to post a comment or a suggestion or report a dead link? Dying to tell me that you love my page? ;) Well why are you still reading this? Send me some feedback already!

Stuff In the Works 

comin' down the pike next

No doubt some of this stuff will evolve into its own lense but for now I'll just list them and we'll see what happens. Remember, you can subscribe to the RSS feed for this lens and be notified of changes as they occur!

• Stuff I can't live without:
  - Yahoo (for email)
  - Google for search + other stuff
  - Amazon
  - Wikipedia
  - MySpace
  - craigslist
  - del.icio.us
  - Yahoo! widgets
  - Listible
  
  
  
• Other fun stuff:
  - StumbleUpon
  - Flickr
  - Squidoo
  - Photojojo
  - DeviantArt
  
  
  
• New Stuff I'm Feelin' Out:
  - 43 Things
  - iTunes
  - Pandora
  - Wishlistr
  - Radio 365
  
  
  
• Other tools:
  - PDF Creator
  - Rollyo
  - Del.icio.us Director bookmarklet
  - ToRead
  
  
  
• Other:
  - Geography
  - Motorcycling
  - Poker
  - Graphic Design
  - Photo Restoration
  - Coffee
  - Dog the Bounty Hunter
  
  
  

New Make A List