Almost all my applications just stopped working

Question

Hey all,
This morning my computer was running just fine. I have a 10.8.5 Mac OS X with 16GB of memory. I closed it, took it to an office location that I've been to many times before with no issues, and connected it to the linksys wifi network before realizing that there was an actual network I could use. None of my webpages in Safari(don't laugh at me!) would load, and no one else in the office had any trouble with their wifi. I noticed that I could not connect to Skype either. I've had a history of my Skype being completely dysfunctional, so I wasn't surprised, but I *was* a little worried when I switched into my other account, restarted the computer, and quit all other applications and still could not access any webpages in Safari.
At this point my other applications had started failing too. iTunes took forever to launch, and everything else I tried to open would stop responding and have to be force quit and restarted to get any response--if I was lucky. iPhoto and iMessage didn't respond, and Preview wouldn't have anything to do with me either. The Activity Monitor didn't even register most of my applications as being open, and would randomly spike to one thing(such as esets-daemon) using 150% of my CPU. I also had this little thing called Flux that would tint my screen orange at night, and it disappeared completely from the toolbar and won't open.
Basically, my entire system just simultaneously decided to give me the finger. Any help is appreciated. Firefox seems to be working fine but nothing from Safari still.
Thanks

Answer 1

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models.  The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.