If you are like me, you are annoyed when a flash advertisement on a website steals the entire screen and won't give it back until I click a small “close” button, but I have to make sure my mouse is on the exact right spot or I'll be forwarded to a site asking me to buy something.

I have found no value in flash as it is currently used on the Net.  I know it can create some great UI stuff, but all it does for me is annoy me.  With SP2 for XP, a button is added in IE to Internet Options called “Manage Add-ins” under the Programs tab.  Here I was able to easily disable the shockwave add-in, and now I can't be happier.  Those annoying adds don't show up anymore, and if I need to use a site that depends on Flash, it's just a few clicks away.  In fact, if a site tries to load Flash while it's disabled, a quick click in the IE status bar will enable it for me.