You already know how to create multiple user profiles in Firefox for various types of online work; but if you’re trying to troubleshoot an existing Firefox profile, start up the ‘fox in “Safe Mode” to disable add-ons or reset other custom configuration. Use firefox -safe-mode at the command line to get there.
Windows only: Moffsoft FreeCalc, a free download for Windows systems, looks just like your built-in Calculator tool, but feels like it’s been listening to your complaints and requests for that app since your first days at the keyboard. FreeCalc sports an optional accountant-like history ribbon to see your recent number work, and displays the number currently in your clipboard memory in its status bar to help avoid mix-ups. It can run from your system tray, adds a few useful keys (like M-), and can be resized and color-themed, making it a worthy addition to the list of power replacements for Windows utilities. Moffsoft FreeCalc is a free download for Windows systems only; be sure to grab the FreeCalc version from the download page, unless you’re intrigued by the for-pay Moffsoft Calculator 2.
Countless opportunities to waste time online have driven essayist and techie Paul Graham to an extreme solution: to disconnect completely. After trying various methods to reduce procrastination with online distractions, Graham writes: I now leave Wi-Fi turned off on my main computer except when I need to transfer a file or edit a web page, and I have a separate laptop on the other side of the room that I use to check mail or browse the web. [...]My rule is that I can spend as much time online as I want, as long as I do it on that computer. And this turns out to be enough.
