Newbie to ps3 stuff needs help

[gamidi]

Hello everybody, i just ordered a 60 gb NTSC-U ps3(with emotion engine) from ebay and i live in greece(its in europe). I am aware of the fact that pal dvds,ps2 games and blue-ray movies wont work out of the box. My question are the following:
1. Can i use the ntsc-u version of swapmagic 3.6 to run my original pal ps2 games and ps2 homebrew?(it would be a pity for the emotion engine to go to waste)
2. Can i play pal dvds(or bluerays but i dont think thats possible) through linux?
3. Can i rip bluray movies or dvds to hdd and play them with vlc player?
4. I have read that the latest releases of ps3 firmware(2.40 and up) are causing problems for some ps3 users,espesially on the 60 gb models. Which is the latest release of stable ps3 firmware?
5. I heard that Ubuntu is the best linux distro to install on ps3 right now. Is there a guide on how to install it that DOESN'T require your ps3 to be connected to the internet?
6. Finally, since it will be my first time on linux, is there a good and updated pack of useful applications for ps3 linux?
Thanks everybody for your time, i know that these questions have been answered 1000 times but its really hard for a newbie to find accurate and up to date information on the subject.