Roll your own kernel

First get some dependencies

    ~$ sudo apt-get install build-essential module-assistant
    

Download the Kernel Sources

Visit kernel.org and decide on a kernel. There probably is a “latest stable release” version that is clearly highlighted.
Copy the link.
In my case, I’m using the link to the “latest stable” 3.8.4.

Make yourself root

    ~$ sudo -i
    ~# cd /usr/src/
    ~# wget https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/linux-3.8.4.tar.xz
    ~# tar -Jxf linux-3.8.4.tar.xz
    

Configure the kernel as normal user

Running the following command will check your current kernel configuration and prompt you when there is a new option available in your new kernel. Most of the time, accepting the preselected values is fine. Sometimes, this is a short process and sometimes it may take a while. If you already know that you want to accept the recommended values, holding the “enter” button down will work just fine and the script will exit back to your working directory.

    ~# cd linux-3.8.4/   
    ~# make oldconfig
    

BUILD AND INSTALL THE KERNEL

Now, the standard build routine with a module install sandwiched inside.

    ~# make
    ~# make modules_install
    ~# make install