TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPICS: INTERNET COLLAPSE / HDTV / UBUNTU / HACKINTOSH

In today's TOURBUS, you'll find out if the Internet is going to curl up and die, as some smart people are predicting. I have some advice for folks who want to buy an HD TV, and a rundown on the new features in the latest Ubuntu Linux. You'll also learn how to build your own Hackintosh out of spare parts. And finally, some advice on upgrading your old computer monitor. Read on!

Internet Collapse - Is The Sky Really Falling?

YouTube serves over 100 million videos per day. Is that putting too much strain on an aging Internet infrastructure? Over the past two decades, there have been voices crying in the technology desert, claiming that the end is near... the Internet is doomed to collapse under its own weight.

In these apocalyptic forecasts, the culprits range from spam to viruses to video-hungry masses, even to all out cyber-terrorism as potential reasons for the Great Crash of the Internet. Are these doomsday warnings correct? Is the Internet going to go "Poof!" and vanish in a cloud of greasy black smoke?

http://askbobrankin.com/internet_collapse.html

Guide to Buying an HD TV

So you wanna buy an HD TV... but you don't even know what the acronym stands for. Let's start with a definition... HDTV stands for High Definition Television. Compared to standard-definition TV, HDTV has almost seven times more pixels on the screen. Unlike the television broadcasts of the past 50 years, you can now see the blades of grass on the football field, or that flaw in Katie Couric's makeup.

But do you know the difference between analog and digital? Should you get 720p or 1080p? And what's up with those Co-ax, RCA, S-Video, Composite, Component, S-video, VGA, DVI, and HDMI inputs? Oh, and did you know that you DON'T need to have cable or satellite service to get HDTV broadcasts?

Read on to learn everything you need to know about HD TV, and see my reviews of three HD television sets:

http://askbobrankin.com/buying_an_hd_tv.html

...and while we're on the subject, maybe you'd like to watch free HDTV on your PC, or learn how to use that big 50-inch TV screen as a computer monitor:

http://askbobrankin.com/free_hdtv_on_your_pc.html

ttp://askbobrankin.com/tv_as_computer_monitor.html http://askbobrankin.com/tv_as_computer_monitor.html

What's New in Ubuntu Linux?

Linux has long been a techie stronghold, not quite so appealing to the everyday computer user. But Ubuntu is often heralded as Linux for the average user. The new Ubuntu Linux "Gutsy Gibbon" release puts a little more polish on the Linux desktop and moves the focus toward everyday users.

Is Linux now ready for the masses? Or is it still a geeks club? Check out the cool new features in the Ubuntu Linux version 7.10 release. This free operating system just might have everything you need...

http://askbobrankin.com/ubuntu_linux_gutsy_gibbon.html

Build Your Own Hackintosh

What’s a Hackintosh? Some call it the Frankenstein of the computer world. In short, it means installing and running Mac OS X Leopard on an Intel-based PC built with off-the-shelf parts. For many years, Apple computers would only run on special hardware that was based on Motorola processors. If you wanted to run Apple software, you had to do it on Apple hardware. But ever since Apple came out with a version of OS X that runs on Intel-based computers, some techies have been on a crusade to build custom PCs and install Mac OS X on them.

Why would anyone do that? Well, reasons vary. Some enjoy stickin' it to Da Man, while others do it just for sheer techie cred. And some do it to save a buck, since Apple hardware is notoriously more costly than equivalent Intel-based machines. It turns out you can build a Hackintosh PC for about $1000 less than a similar iMac. But is it Safe and Legal? Get the full Hackintosh story here:

http://askbobrankin.com/build_a_hackintosh.html

Time to Upgrade Your Computer Monitor?

A reader asked me this question about upgrading her monitor: > "I have a really old monitor with a small screen that's
> starting to flicker. I'd like to upgrade to something nice
> that will handle web browsing, office applications and online
> video. What do you recommend?"

When Monitors Go Bad... it sounds like a bad TV show. But when your monitor starts to flicker, if the colors are fading, if the screen image is warped, or the text looks fuzzy, then it's time to dump that bad boy and look for a spiffy new monitor.

If you're still suffering with an old 14 or 15-inch monitor, you'll be surprised at the extra productivity (and reduced eyestrain) that comes with the affordable large screen monitors available now. Personally, I find it hard to do without my DUAL 22-inch monitor setup!

If you want to upgrade your monitor, here are some up-to-date, unique monitors that you should consider, from Basic to Elite to Excessive:

http://askbobrankin.com/upgrade_your_computer_monitor.html

That's all for now, see you next time! -- Bob Rankin