Eerie.

[Warning: this is the closest I'll ever get to geeking out over something tech-like.]

So I found this great Firefox extension that lets you block ads. (Link to Lifehacker post.) Goodbye flashing ads, goodbye talking smiley faces. But once they were gone, it started to creep me out. Like being at work and suddenly, no one's around. (In Japan, for the non-JETs, this is usually a big Oh Shit moment when you try to figure out if there's an assembly in the gym that you should be at, or if it's a training session that you are mercifully left out of.) I'm sure tomorrow I'll forget I even added the blocker, but right now, it's strangely silent on the web.

Eeriness aside, if you're using Firefox, and you're willing to figure out how it all works, adblock is a great way to go. (Link to developer's site.) It's not automatic, you have to pick out the names of files you want to block, but that means complete control. And you guyses know that's perfect for me.

I'll post screen shots of the difference later.

(There's a few other good extensions, like Down Them All, a better download manager and Foxmarks, a way to automatically backup your bookmarks for the day when your computer eventually crashes.)