Firefox extensions (a.k.a. add-ons) get updated from time to time. As you may know, you can check for updates yourself by clicking Tools, Add-ons, Updates, or just wait for the browser to notify you (which it does automatically from time to time).

Ah, but what about Plugins, which make it possible to open PDFs right in your browser, view Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight videos, update your Google applications, and the like? Firefox doesn't do automatic update checks for Plugins (yet--one must assume that's in the works), but thanks to a new Mozilla site, you can run a check yourself.

You know those little mazes printed on kids' menus? My tykes love 'em, but usually they're done in about 30 seconds.

Enter Printable Mazes, a site that's home to--can you guess?--printable mazes. Hundreds of them, in fact, all divvied into five categories: Simple, Easy, Medium, Hard, and Difficult. (Aren't "simple" and "easy" the same thing? Just saying.)

The other day I told you how to add a TV tuner to your PC so you can record shows, TiVo-style. That's easy enough, but what about copying those recordings to your iPod or iPhone?

After all, they're free, unlike the ones you buy from iTunes for, on average, $1.99 a pop.

One of my longstanding complaints with Windows Media Center (which for the most part I love) is its lack of support for playlists.

Actually, it supports them just fine--so long as you build them in Windows Media Player. But if you want to actually whip one together from the couch, using your remote, you're sorta outta luck.

For the last two days I've offered advice on managing TV-recording storage in Windows Media Center. But what if your PC isn't equipped to record TV? Those tips won't do you much good.

So let's take a look at the missing piece of the puzzle: a TV tuner. This simple accessory lets you watch and record shows right on your PC, much like you'd do with a TiVo.

Yesterday I told you how to limit the amount of hard-drive space Windows Media Center could claim for TV recording. Today let's look at the flipside: adding more storage so you can record to your heart's content.

I'm a longtime WMC fan; for years I've had a dedicated PC at the heart of my home-theater setup. But now that I'm recording more shows in high-def, the system routinely runs low on storage--and old shows are getting prematurely deleted as a result. Horrors!

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm a big fan of the Windows Media Center software that comes baked into most versions of Vista and Windows 7.

Specifically, I use it in conjunction with a TV tuner (four of them, actually) to turn my PC into a DVR--one that rivals TiVo, in my humble opinion.

Savvy online shoppers will often use disposable credit-card numbers (which are available from PayPal and some banks) to protect their privacy.

Here's a perfect companion: inumbr, which gives you free, temporary phone numbers. These throwaways are ideal for things like Craiglist ads, where you might want to include contact information--but not your contact information.

Everyone has their favorite method of launching apps and opening folders. For example, I used to be a die-hard fan of Launchy, a keyboard-based launcher. Then, when I moved from Windows XP to Vista, I ditched Launchy in favor of the latter's similar Start-menu launcher.

Now I might just have to switch again. MouseExtender is one of the coolest, handiest launchers I've seen yet.

Reader Bill has a problem with Internet Explorer 8 running in Windows XP: Every time he starts the browser, it opens in a window rather than full-screen. He has to maximize it manually every time. What a hassle!

I feel your pain, Bill. In fact, I was having the same problem with Excel 2007. Fortunately, it's a simple matter to force any program to run maximized (i.e., full-screen) when you start it. Here's how:

As you've probably discovered after years of taking digital snapshots, keeping a photo library organized can be a nightmare. Far and away your best ally: tags, which are little descriptors attached to each photo.

Unfortunately, it's a major hassle to manually assign tags, which is why I was delighted to see the new automatic-tagging feature in the just-released Google Picasa 3.5.

Holy home runs, Batman! Google Calendar just got a lot more useful. The free Web-based service recently added a mammoth library of sports schedules, meaning you can easily keep tabs on your favorite teams' games.

Assuming you already have a Google account, just head to Calendar and click New: Sports calendars in the upper-right corner.