apt-get pinning ? - Sarge / Stable - only install certain/specific packages from "testing"

Hi all;
I have a few quick questions about how to upgrade ONLY certain apps/pkgs...

Right now, I'm using Debian Sarge 3.1r1 (Kernel 2.6.8-2-386) -- after much
searching through the archives and also visiting the ftp://ftp.us.debian.org
testing/main site to look around myself...I need to ask firstly;

* Is "Sarge" (Stable) now considered version 3.1r2 ?

* If so, how can I make upgrade mine from 3.1r1 to 3.1r2 -- would it be as
simple as 'sudo apt-get update' ?

* Which command can I use to show/tell if I'm using 3.1r1? -- and how when I
get to 3.1r2?

~$ uname -a doesn't not seem to show that info.
I suspect that just by using 'sudo apt-get update' (or would it be 'upgrade' ?)
that I will automagically be bumped up to 3.1r2. ...maybe a 'sudo apt-get
update && upgrade' would be the magic command?

I did two "simulations" (using the -s option)
===============================
~$ sudo apt-get -s update

Hit http://security.debian.org stable/updates/main Packages
Hit http://security.debian.org stable/updates/main Release
Hit http://security.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Packages
Hit http://security.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Release
Hit http://security.debian.org stable/updates/main Sources
Hit http://security.debian.org stable/updates/main Release
Hit http://security.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Sources
Hit http://security.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Release
Hit ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/main Packages
Hit ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/main Release
Hit ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/main Sources
Hit ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/main Release
Hit ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org stable/main Packages

Get:1 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org testing/main Packages [3996kB]

Hit ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org stable/main Release
Hit ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org stable/main Sources
Hit ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org stable/main Release

Get:2 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org testing/main Release [81B]
Get:3 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org testing/main Sources [1554kB]
Get:4 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org testing/main Release [83B]

Fetched 5550kB in 12s (457kB/s)
Reading Package Lists... Done
==================================
==================================

~$ sudo apt-get -s upgrade
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
The following packages will be upgraded:
gdm libfreetype6 libnspr4 libnss3 libsasl2 libsensors3 libtiff-tools libtiff4
mozilla-browser
mozilla-psm
10 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Inst libsasl2 [2.1.19-1.5] (2.1.19-1.5sarge1 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Inst gdm [2.6.0.8-1] (2.6.0.8-1sarge2 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Inst libfreetype6 [2.1.7-2.4] (2.1.7-2.5 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Inst mozilla-psm [2:1.7.8-1sarge3] (2:1.7.8-1sarge6
Debian-Security:3.1/stable) []
Inst libnss3 [2:1.7.8-1sarge3] (2:1.7.8-1sarge6 Debian-Security:3.1/stable) []
Inst mozilla-browser [2:1.7.8-1sarge3] (2:1.7.8-1sarge6
Debian-Security:3.1/stable) []
Inst libnspr4 [2:1.7.8-1sarge3] (2:1.7.8-1sarge6 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Inst libsensors3 [1:2.9.1-1sarge2] (1:2.9.1-1sarge3
Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Inst libtiff4 [3.7.2-3] (3.7.2-5 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Inst libtiff-tools [3.7.2-3] (3.7.2-5 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf libsasl2 (2.1.19-1.5sarge1 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf gdm (2.6.0.8-1sarge2 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf libfreetype6 (2.1.7-2.5 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf libnspr4 (2:1.7.8-1sarge6 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf mozilla-browser (2:1.7.8-1sarge6 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf libnss3 (2:1.7.8-1sarge6 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf mozilla-psm (2:1.7.8-1sarge6 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf libsensors3 (1:2.9.1-1sarge3 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf libtiff4 (3.7.2-5 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
Conf libtiff-tools (3.7.2-5 Debian-Security:3.1/stable)
=======================================

I don't want to (at this point in time) to do a *dist-upgrade* to testing...I
really just want the newer version of 'hdparm' only for now ....(I'll want only
certain specific pkgs in the future) ...So; How to upgrade hdparm only? And how
to do it in such a way that the APT manangement tool will be aware of my
specific changes?

~$ apt-cache policy hdparm
hdparm:
Installed: 6.1-2
Candidate: 6.1-2
Version Table:
6.6-1 0
50 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org testing/main Packages
*** 6.1-2 0
500 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/main Packages
500 ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org stable/main Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Right now - I have 'hdparm' 6.1 installed (Sarge/Stable) -- I'd like to use the
newest 6.6

Is this possible? -- and if so, will I break any APT dependencies whilst
up*dating* in the future (mainly for Security updates) -- I think, if I wanted
to upGRADE to Testing completely, I'd use this;
'sudo apt-get update && dist-upgrade' ...yes?

Oh...only very recently did I add those "Testing" lines in
/etc/apt/sources.list after reading some archived threads about "pinning" -
specifically from a nice guy named Rick Moen
Go to <http://groups.google.com/?hl=en> use;
Message-ID: 1404$43d0214c$c690c3ba$14623@xxxxxxxxx
Odd, how gaga googlegroups crap allows no posts after the thread (or perhaps
the last response) is over 30days old.....oh well -- I need to setup my own
MUA/MTA and NG reader anyway soon.

I've also only very added recently this into /etc/apt/preferences (there was
nothing there previously)

~$ cat /etc/apt/preferences
Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 50

Thanks for your time in replying

Regards

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