Gmail's threaded messages system is confusing and you can't turn it off

I usually like Gmail, much better than hotmail at least for reliability.

But one thing that gets me is the threaded messaging system.

I don't mind the concept and see where it can be useful. But in practice it can be incredibly confusing and difficult to find individual email messages.

Gmail's groups functionality can be useful, however Gmail isn't a discussion forum or mailing list, it is first and foremost a personal email application. Trying to be everything isn't always the best way to go.

I've also found that it can sometimes also cause confusing situations of replying to the wrong person because you've picked a message out of a thread. I've found the confusion gets worst when you're switching from using Gmail in groups to sending and receiving individual emails.

But its not a mode and I'm yet to find a way to turn this feature off ... there is a Google groups thread about it here ... perhaps there is a better email service that is not as confusing !

Embedding Flickr into Websites - FlickrSlidr vs PictoBrowser vs Plug in

I've recently had some success embedding Flickr into websites and blogs and found that there are many ways to skin this cat.

The easiest is online services, of which there are two main ones ... FlickrSlidr and PictoBrowser. Both generate code which you can simply copy and paste into your website HTML.

FlickrSlidr is the easiest and has some basic configuration options. However its limitations is in end users browsing pictures.

PictoBrowser is more of a traditional gallery and also supports Picasa, however the builder uses Flash and although the interface looks simple it is in fact clunky and just about crashed my PC.

However there is a simple way, using a direct Flickr API and iFrames using a piece of code supplied on this site. The code can also be made to be standards compliant.

I'm not sure about slideshows though, and I'd prefer to randomise static Flickr images. There are plugins available to do that too.

Interested to hear any other ways people have been able to achieve it.