Firefox safety that doesn't suck

If you care to look, there are approximately 72,983 things you are supposed to do to make yourself safe while browsing. Most of them start with, "Item one: never launch any browser ever again."

I exaggerate, of course. ...some. But, well, most security is a tradeoff between safety and convenience. For example, Tor's download page starts thusly:

Want Tor to really work? ...then please don't just install it and go on. You need to change some of your habits and reconfigure your software! ...

Dear All Security People Ever: I do not want to change my habits. They are nice habits and I have them for a reason. Convenience is more important to me than it is to you. Also, okay, it's becoming clear that some caution is called for, but I am not willing to give up functional browsing. I'm not even willing to give up playing dumb Flash games.

So, taking those constraints into account, may I present you with...

A list of good-idea addons that don't make everything stop working

(promise!)

1. What: Beef Taco. → Click to install ←
   Ad networks (Google, Yahoo, etc.) can track what site you're seeing their ads from. Most allow you to opt out, but you have to know how, which is a pain, and there are many. Beef Taco adds those opt-out cookies.
   Side effects: It may speed up your browsing. You will see more randomly-selected ads, lessening the likelihood that you may see something you're actually interested in.
   
   
2. What: BetterPrivacy. → Click to install ←
   You know how you can decide whether to allow web sites to set cookies? Probably you do allow it? Well, many web sites use small files called LSOs to sidestep those preferences. BetterPrivacy nukes those files each time you quit your browser.
   Side effects: Some sites use LSOs to track that you're logged into something, like Pandora, in which case you have to log in every time you restart your browser. To get around this, go to the BetterPrivacy Preferences, select the site you want to stay logged into, and click the "Prevent automatic LSO Deletion" button. You shouldn't need to do much, honest.
   
   
3. What: Ghostery. → Click to install ←
   Many web sites use a variety of little trackers called web bugs – invisible one-pixel images, etc. – to tell where you go as you hop from site to site. Ghostery blocks many of them. Also, it has a cute ghost! (His name is "Ghosty.")
   Side effects: By default, Ghostery adds a box for a few seconds showing what it's blocking. If you don't like it, you can turn it off. Also, you may want to UN-block Google widgets if your iGoogle widgets misbehave. (It's easy, just click on the little Ghosty in the bottom right of your Firefox window.)
   
   
4. What: Adblock Plus. → Click to install ←
   You often see ads when you're browsing, such as banner ads across the top of pages. They blink, make noise, and generally do their level best to be a pain in the rear. Adblock Plus does a pretty good job of – er – blocking them.
   Side effects: No ads. Also you will have to choose a filter in the config file right after you restart; go with the default.
   Sadly, this makes things suck after all. :-(
   
   
5. What: Flashblock. → Click to install ←
   Instead of Flash playing when you open a page, you click a little "F" button to load video. Flash-based adverts won't play, Flash-based web-tracking techniques won't track you (unless you click on them), you can open YouTube pages in tabs without them all loading at once, etc.
   Side effects: If you like the default behavior, it could be annoying to have to click. Your browser won't crash nearly as often.
   

For each of these, you'll have to go through a dialog box to install, then restart your browser. You can install several and then restart only after they're all in. To mess with preferences or disable/uninstall anything that doesn't work for you, go to the Firefox Tools menu, and go down to Add-ons.

So hey, try clicking on the clicky-things! And if you have problems with some site afterwards, leave a comment. (My beloved adblock failed this test.) Inquiring minds want to know!