I ordered 4 sets of brake pads from biketiresdirect a week ago, still haven't heard anything from em yet. We'll see.
I have a set of rubino pro slicks on my litespeed and have only had one flat in 1200 miles in prospect park. I always try to avoid those pot holes on the hill though, I'm curious as to which one actually sliced up your tire so bad.
On a MTB, tubeless lets you run low pressure w/o risking a pinch flat. On a road bike, as far as I know, the only advantage is weight, if you slice THAT open, you're up the creek if you expect to be able to patch it quickly.