Install the stuff you'll need to compile the new kernel
     aptitude install kernel-package libncurses5-dev fakeroot wget bzip2

Download and unpack the new source
     cd /usr/src
     wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-2.6.14.3.tar.bz2
     tar xjf linux-2.6.14.3.tar.bz2

Create a symlink named linux and go there
     ln -s linux-2.6.14.3 linux
     cd linux

Copy the existing config file that you'll be able to load with menuconfig
     cp /boot/config-2.6.8.1 oldconfig
            
Clean everything for the compile
     make clean
     
To edit the configuration (add modules, like oh I don't know: CARD READERS!!), make sure to load the config previously saved before adding or removing stuff
     make menuconfig

Compile the thing
     make-kpkg clean
     fakeroot make-kpkg --initrd --revision=custom.1.0 kernel_image

Just need to install it !
     cd ..
     dpkg -i kernel-image-2.6.14.3_custom.1.0_i386.deb



   ______________________________________
  |&&&&&&&                        &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&                        &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&                        &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&         .\^/.          &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&       . |&&&| .        &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&       |\|&&&|/|        &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&    .--'&&&&&&&'--.     &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&     \&&&&&&&&&&&/      &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&      >&&&&&&&&&<       &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&     '~|/~~|~~\|~'      &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&           |            &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&                        &&&&&&&|
  |&&&&&&&                        &&&&&&&|
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



I RULE !!!