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[Japo]

You can have Flash installed and still blocked by default when browsing, so you can allow it for your favourite flash games website, YouTube, etc. That's what I do. Not only it's safer --although the security threat posed by flash must be, if any, way less severe than the one posed by javascript (potentially)--, but all those bulky flash ads don't load and so the pages load faster and cleaner.

I also uninstalled Java since I'm still to find any use for the damn thing, but the same can be done --block by default, allow for trusted sites.

The security threat posed by cookies is moderate at worst but the sheer amount of them you get by simply surfing the web is enough argument to block them by default, and allow them only in sites where you have to log in --webmail, forums, etc. All cookies are useful for the website you're visiting, most in an innocent way, some in a harmful way. But only a tiny fraction of them are useful to oneself. That every website on Earth wants to write on your hard disc, some of them without evil intent, is no reason to let all of them do so.