Add-ons and interesting reads

1)  Rikaichan.  An extension for Firefox that draws a tooltip with translations from Japanese to English/French/German/Russian (you choose) as you roll your mouse over Japanese text. 
Very useful for those of us somewhat unable to break free from the tight grip of the Japanese entertainment industry. =P

Quoting from the site:

Japanese to English/German/French/Russian dictionary. Just hover the mouse on top of a word, and a popup appears. Automatically de-inflects verbs and adjectives. Detailed kanji view.

Please go to http://rikaichan.mozdev.org/ or http://www.polarcloud.com/rikaichan/ to download a dictionary file for this extension.

As usual, installing extensions to firefox is very easy:  you just click on the link that reads "install now" =]


An interesting article I found today at lifehacker.com is titled: "What happens to your email when you die?"  It reviews this article from C|Net that elaborates about the problems relatives face when a close one dies and takes the passwords to the grave.
I have always considered this, to be honest (and I doubt it'd surprise anyone, really).  Would the ones left behind be able to cancel my accounts? And how easy would that be for them?

Security update

Another MSIE (Microsoft Internet Explorer) security exploit has surfaced.  It is related to javascript, and it's been found running in the wild.

Once again, and at the risk of sounding extremely repetitive, DO NOT use Internet Explorer.  Use Firefox instead.  Firefox is much better, when it has flaws they are rapidly patched, it's more stable, and more secure.
Opera is also a good option.  (I quite like Opera.  It's my second choice browser)

Firefox plugins and extensions.

I've been asked this question a bunch of times before, and although I know I've written about this before, well... here it goes again in case someone missed it.

How do you check what plugins are installed in your firefox browser?

Open a new tab, and type "about:plugins" in the address bar (minus the quotation marks); hit enter and you will get a list of all plugins installed for Firefox and their status (working or not).  ^_^
You don't need to be online to do this.

Do not confuse "plugins" (for example, Java plugin or flash plugin) with Extensions.  Extensions are meant to extend the functionalities of your browser, giving it the ability to do something extra.  Plugins are meant to let you access information coded into a third-party's format (like macromedia's flash).
A good example of an extension is the "WeatherFox" extension, which adds to your browser the ability to inform you about weather conditions in your area.  ^_^  It's one of my favorite extensions.  Or the del.icio.us plugin, which allows you to save bookmarks to del.icio.us at the click of a button in your toolbar.  ^_^

Blogging about music

Mog.  A Music blOG.  Or at least, that is what I think they intended to go for with the name of the site.

This is some sort of not-so-popular last-fm.  Their submission engine only supports three players on only 2 Operating Systems, which leaves some of us out.  (I signed up anyway, 'cause I simply couldn't resist it)

They have some nice options for musicians (although I don't think it allows you to stream your own music, which is a moot point), and just like last-fm, it tries to build a social network of fellow music junkies.

I think the project would be more interesting if it didn't try to be an hybrid between last-fm and myspace.

So far, it's in beta mode.  I signed up when it was launched (several months ago) and I never received my confirmation e-mail.  I signed up again today with a new account and I did.  I still cannot activate my first account, and several links on the site (forums, for example, where you are told to go if you require further help) do not appear to work.

Potential? Maybe.  I'd definitely watch it, and I'm looking forward to a GNU/Linux plugin so that I can further test it.