Tips: AOL Jacked your firefox search.

So you use the URL bar to search google, all the time. One day, after installing AIM, your search magically changes. What should have been Google results in Firefox are now AIM results. Your search has been hijacked by AOL. Not the first time they've done something shady but, fortunately there's a solution.

1. Open firefox, type in "about:config" in the keyword box
(where you usually type you web addresses).

2. Type in "keyword.url" at the top where it says "filter"

3. Right click "keywork.url" from the results and select reset.

That's it. Problem solved. You're welcome.

Firefox Addons: Clipmarks

What can I do with Clipmarks? Save your clips on clipmarks.com. You can save clips publicly for others to see, post them to Facebook, or embed a widget of them on your own site. You can also save clips privately for your own viewing later. Your clip collection is searchable from any computer with an internet connection (including your iPhone, Blackberry, etc). Post anything you clip directly to your blog. It's by far the quickest way to update your blog with compelling things you find on the web. Supports Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, LiveJournal and more. Email anything from a web page without ever leaving the page. Import your contacts to instantly email friends and family interesting things from the web. The content you clip and a link to the page is automatically included with each email. Print just the parts of the page you really need. Save paper, save money, save trees.

Google Labs

If you haven't visited Google Labs it's about time you do. There are several really cool apps that Google offers for free. Take a look.

Here are a few of my favs:
Text Google from your phone
Text from Firefox
Google Suggests(Kind of like autocomplete from google)
Google 411, just call 1-800-466-4411 (1800 Goog 411)

Firefox: Tips & Add Ons

Firefox Tips:

KeyBoard Shortcuts & Mouse Shortcuts

Move through tabs quickly:
Use Ctrl + Tab to switch between open tabs quickly. Hold down the Ctrl button and cycle through by tapping on Tab. Incidentaly you can reverse the direction by Holding down Ctrl + Shift while tapping on tab.

Keyboard shortcut to address bar & Seach Bar:
Atl +D, you can also hit tab to move to the search bar from here or use Ctl + K to go directly to the search bar.

Tips

Multiple Homepages:
Let's say you constantly visit the same 3 or 4 pages when you open your browser. All of us know that we can set a page as our homepage but most people don't know that you can set multiple pages (using tabs) as your home page.

Simply open up firefox and all the pages that you want as your homepages, each in their own tab. Then hit Alt + O (or go to Tools>Options) and hit the "use current pages button.

Add custom search engines:
You can add almost any search engine you wish to Firefox. Most of them are already made just click on the drop down for selecting searches and select manage engines. Here you can change the order of the engines and even add more search engines. Just click the link to add more search engines in the dialogs box that pops up. If you don't see the engine you're looking for on the main page just scroll down to "Additional Resources" and select the first option "Browse through more search engines at mycroft.mozdev.org" or just click the link above. If you can't find it there you can still create it.

Firefox Add ons:

1. All in one Gestures
: This little add on allows you to use your mouse more efficiently to move through the web and control tabs and window.

ie: You want to close the tab you're looking at. Hold down the right mouse button and draw an L anywhere on the screen. Move back: hold down the rt mouse and draw a line from right to left. Move forward: hold down the rt mouse and draw a line from left to right. New tab: hold down the rt mouse button and draw a line from bottom to top.

2. Tab Catalog
If you've used the latest version of internet explorer you'll notice that it has a feature that allows you to visually see what tabs are open. This extension does just that but takes it a step further. The extension allows you to see a grid off all the open tabs as thumbnails. You can see the page title and even click on a close button or links (You'd have to set some of this up in preferences).

ie: You click the right and left mouse buttons simultaneously or hold your mouse over the new icon that is to the right of your search bar. A grid with all open tabs will appear in thumbnail format. You may click on any thumbnail to switch to that tab. You may also hold alt + tab to see the grid temporarily.

3. Image Zoom:
This little extension simply lets you zoom into an image. It doesn't make the image clearer it just stretches it out so you can see a little more in the image. Although it's not perfect it does come in handy every once in a while when you can't see some detail in a small pic. You can even make images smaller, the type that fill your whole screen and go off the screen in some cases.

ie: Just hold down the right mouse and scroll the image will resize, up or down, depending on the direction you choose to scroll.