Some cool stuff

Great (!) all-in-one printer/scanner/fax: Canon MultiPass MP390. <$150. For the love of God, don't buy an HP 5x00 series. Look at the forums!

My browser: Firefox. Duh.

Email: Thunderbird.

Password Manager: KeePass (not KeyPass). Yes, it has autofill. But the best is, you can run it right off your USB Jump Drive. That is:

1. Store all your passwords in an encrypted database
2. Keep KeePass .exe application on your USB jump drive with the database file.
3. Plug in anywhere, execute KeePass, and access your passwords--all without loading the application on the computer.
4. Use password, Pass Key file, or both
5. Did I mention it was encrypted?
6. Did I mention Autofill for forms?

Awesome outlining/writing software: Keynote. Multi-layered, rearrangable word processing documents, in one file. Have three ideas? Maybe they are related, maybe not? Don't use three Word files. Keynote is perfect. Write/brainstrom now, organize later.

Antivirus: AntiVir. Awesome, easy, non-invasive (hello Symantec), not a system hog.

Firewall: (Get a router!) Sygate.

Active anti-trojan: ewido security suite.

Also: Ad-Aware, Spybot (with Tea Timer running) and what the hell, Spyware Blaster. Spybot also has a file shredder.

If you are running XP Service Pack 2, I would also download Microsoft's AntiSpyware Beta.

And, get Crap Cleaner.

These are all free.