When in doubt, block it out
An opt-in Flash blocking plugin for Safari. Since Safari is my browser of choice, and since Apple is far from being as open as the framework Safari is built on, you really need to dig to find solid plugins for Safari that truly enhance your browsing experience. ClickToFlash is a Safari plugin that, in my experience, works really well — I’ll keep you posted if I run into issues.
The plugin stops Flash instances in web pages from loading until you’ve approved it. Instead of loading Flash with the rest of the page, ClickToFlash displays a Safari themed graphic with a short prompt text to briefly describe what might load upon approval. Want to view it — click it, and the SWF loads as if the page just rendered.
Want to whitellist a whole site to load as normal? No problem. There seem to be a lot of smart options built in, including the ability to load YouTube videos in h.264 using Quicktime. I’ve been running the new Beta 1.6b2 for close to two weeks now and loving the new found speed, loading pages without all the Flash.