Mashup: Top 5 Useful Firefox Extensions

In the footsteps of my earlier post about the Gmail Labs that I recommend, here is a mashup of my favourite Firefox extensions. These have all made my internet browsing easier and more productive:

1. ColorZilla

Often I’ll see a colour on a webpage that I want to use in a project. With this extension, you click on a little eyedropper icon, then on the element you want the colour HEX or RGB colour code for. The extension puts a little eyedropper icon in the bottom left of your window and is very unobtrusive! Very helpful, especially for web designers.

2. FireFTP

Another one for web developers is FireFTP. This is a free FTP program built into your browser, simply click the FireFTP icon and a new window opens and you can login to your website. Works like any other FTP program. I do find it kicks me out once and a while, but a refresh usually does the trick. Very helpful, especially for web designers and programmers.

3. Read it Later

This one is awesome! Have you ever come across a webpage that you want to read, but don’t have the time. By clicking the “Read It later” icon, you can save it in a special folder to read it later. This saves you from clogging up your bookmarks toolbar with links that may only stay there for a day or two. I use it everyday. Very helpful and recommended for anyone who is busy!

4. Smart Bookmarks Bar

Ah yes! Do you use the FireFox BookMarks toolbar? I have many sites that I visit on a daily basis and I ran out of space in this tool bar. I downloaded the “Smart Bookmarks Tab” and instead of displaying the page icon and title, it only displays the icons (you rollover the icon to see the text). I now have room for lots of website links and folders. Highly recommended for anyone who needs quick access to many of their bookmarks.

5. Web Developer

As the name suggests, this is a great tool for web developers. You can use it to see a sites CSS, styles, validate, and even draw a ruler to measure objects. 100% recommended for anyone working on websites!

Of course all these extensions are free. I believe the best things in the world are free, and these are no exception.

I am always on the lookout for tools (preferably free), that make my busy life easier or more enjoyable. What are your must-have Firefox Extensions?

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5 (Possibly) Lesser Known Travel Tips

If you don’t already know, I absolutely LOVE to travel. I’ve been to 19 countries on 4 continents, most of which has been in the last 3 years. Here are my top 5 tips that the travel sites don’t always tell you!

1. Bags, Bags, Bags: Pack extra plastic bags and ziplock bags. They are great for wet clothes, dirty shoes, and anything you are too lazy to actually pack away. Throw in a few cloth shopping bags just in case you buy too many souvenirs.
2. Twist-Ties: These can be used to tie up plastic bags or even “lock” your zippers on your luggage so they don’t accidently come un-zipped all over the airport baggage room!
3. Print EVERYTHING: Print out copies of all your reservations. It’s not uncommon for airlines or hotels to lose your reservation, so have a back-up. I keep mine in a duo tang folder in the order that I’ll need it.
4. Bring Blank DVDs: Thankfully I’ve never lost my camera or my pictures from a trip, but I know people who have. Bring a few blank DVDs and stop somewhere to burn a copy of your photos on the disk. For added security, you could mail the DVD home.
5. Wear a watch: Now-a-days many people are using their cell phones as their watch. But, on vacation many of us have them turned off, or even leave them at home. Be sure to bring a good o’ fashioned watch so you don’t miss anything on your trip!

Bonus tip for fair-skinned people: BRING SUNSCREEN! As a fair-skinned gal, I always manage to get sunburned on my vacations. Once I burned my legs so bad in Australia, that it was painful to even walk or stand. You can’t predict the weather, but at least you can prepare for it by bringing a bottle of sunscreen.

My last vacation was a 7-day cruise to Alaska (round trip from Vancouver). My next vacation is a 4-week road trip around Western US

Where was your last vacation and where you are planning next?

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Mash-up: Most Useful Gmail Labs

Gmail Labs are plug-ins that you can use in your Gmail account. Here is a mashup of my top 5 Gmail Labs:

1. Navbar Drag & Drop

This plugin allows you to reorganize the widgets in your Gmail sidebars. Just like the plugin name, you just “drag and drop.” It allowed me to put the widgets I most commonly use, near the top of my sidebars, making it faster to access what I need. Very easy to use!

2. Create a document

I haven’t used this one as much as I thought, but I can see how it can be useful. This plugin will create a Google document from an active email message with one click. Great if you want to save important information. Very easy to use!

3. Send & Archive

This plugin allows you automatically archive an email after you send it. You just press the “Send & Archive” button instead of the normal “Send” button. I’ve found this a great way to control the content in my Inbox. Very easy to use!

4. Undo Send

We’ve all regretted pressing the “Send” button at some time or another. This plugin gives you a few seconds to cancel the email if you changed your mind, found a mistake, or forgot to include something in the message (like an attachment). Very easy, extremely handy, to use!

5. Blank Canvas Gmail Signatures

Do you send mail from multiple email addresses? This is not actually a Gmail lab, but a FireFox plugin that works with Gmail. It allows you to have multiple signatures so each email address can have a unique signature. I’ve found this one a bit buggy (I often have to close then re-open my browser window for the signature to appear), but it works more often than not. Easy to use, but a bit buggy sometimes.

Those were my top 5 favourite Gmail Labs and add-ons. What Gmail Labs can you not live without?

Gmail Sidenote: Did you notice that you can now click on the “To” field to bring up your contacts in a “Compose Mail” view? It’s funny to think that this is a new thing because it seems pretty standard.

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My Top 5 Things That Melt in Summer

Yet another “It’s Hot in Vancouver”-related post. This time I am going to count down the top 5 things that are melting in my house this summer:

#5: My Chocolate Chips

I usually keep our chocolate chips in the cupboard. Now that it’s gotten hotter out, they have become a bit soft. I caught them in time and they are now sitting in the fridge. (Note: No chocolate chips died before their transition to the fridge)

#4: My Lipstick

In the Australian summer (Vancouver winter) of 2007,  Dan and I, lived in Sydney (about a 10-minute walk from the Harbour Bridge). Now that was a hot summer, but never did my lipstick start sweating. I must now keep it in the fridge (hopefully no one thinks its a Popsicle and eats it)!

#3: My “Non-Stop Mint” Stride Gum

I love Stride Gum, and it really does last a long time, except in this heat! Today I went for a stick of gum from the basket in the kitchen, to find it already soft and partially stuck to the wrapper! They are now in my fridge alongside my chocolate and lipstick.

#2: Me, Myself, and I

Of course, I am melting too! Thankfully I live in the basement so it’s a lot cooler than upstairs, but I have no air-conditioning in my car. Last week I was out interviewing a bunch of people for some articles I was writing. Being stuck in Seymour Street  traffic in downtown Vancouver on a hot afternoon was not a pleasant experience.

#1: My Ice Cream

Ice cream is #1 on my list. Why? Because to beat the heat you’d think that a nice big bowl of ice cream from my new Rival Ice Cream Maker would help to cool me down. Unfortunately, the bowl of ice cream was half melted by the time I finished serving and sat down to indulge and cool off! ICE CREAM FAIL!

I’m interested to see what you have in your house that is melting in this crazy summer heatwave. Share your melting stories below…

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