TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPICS: MACWINDOWS / MYSPACE / SCHOOLS

Is the holy war coming to an end? A few weeks ago Apple announced the availability of Intel-based Mac computers. But would they go so far as to allow Mac users to install Windows on a Mac? Also in this issue, an introduction to Myspace -- is it good or evil, and what do you need to know about it? Read on!

Installing Windows on a Mac?

Someone recently asked me "I've heard that Apple is now making Mac computers with Intel chips, which power Windows PCs. Does this mean I can now install Windows XP on a Mac?"

Yes! Apple recently announced new software called Boot Camp, which helps you install and run Windows XP on your Mac. And no, you don't have to give up your beloved Mac OS X operating system and files. But why would anyone want to install Windows on a Mac?" The short answer is there are many websites that are not accessible to Mac users, and many software packages with no equivalent Mac version.

So if you have an Intel-based Mac Mini, iMac, or MacBook Pro and the latest version of Mac OS X (Tiger v10.4.6 or higher), you're ready to report to Boot Camp. Read this article for complete details:

http://askbobrankin.com/windows_on_a_mac.html

Myspace - Good or Evil?

With almost 70 million members, Myspace has become one of the hottest destinations on the Web for social networking. MySpace is an online community that lets you meet and interact with your friends, your friends' friends, and all of their friends. You can use this free service to share photos, public or private journals, and build a network of mutual friends with common interests.

You can search Myspace for your friends, and invite others to join your personal network. If you're curious, you can find out how many degrees of separation there really are between you and Kevin Bacon. But even if you have NO interest in social networking, it may be wise to poke around in Myspace...

http://askbobrankin.com/myspace_good_or_evil.html

Custom Myspace Layout and Background

So you have a Myspace profile, but it's boring because it looks like everyone else's. If perhaps you were wondering whether you could jazz up your Myspace layout with a custom theme, colors & background image, I have good news.

You can do quite a bit to modify the default Myspace layout. The trick is to add some hidden HTML (web page markup) code to your Myspace profile. If you want some sample code and instructions for inserting it into your Myspace profile, continue to:

http://askbobrankin.com/myspace_layouts.html

School and College Directory

Searching for a school just got easier... here's a simple directory with a built-in search engine and cross-referenced listing of ALL public schools, private schools and colleges in the USA. It's actually three integrated websites, with a common interface:

http://www.AllPublicSchools.org

http://www.AllPrivateSchools.org

http://www.allCollege.org

Each site allows you to browse by state & city, or search for schools by name and/or location. For example, if you're looking for a list of all public schools in the city of Anaheim California, go to [ http://www.AllPublicSchools.org] click on California, then click on Anaheim. To search for all Catholic schools in Anchorage Alaska, go to [ http://www.AllPrivateSchools.org] enter "catholic anchorage" in the search box and press enter. You can also locate a school if you don't know the location. To find a college by name, go to [ http://www.allCollege.org] and enter "Rensselaer" in the search box.

Each directory provides the name, address, phone number and other information about the schools in a city. For public schools, you can see the name of the school district, other schools in that county, grades covered, number of students, full-time teachers, and the student/teacher ratio. For private schools, you'll find the same student and teacher stats, the type and affiliation, and whether it's co-ed, all boys or all girls. The college directory has listings for all colleges, universities, junior colleges, community colleges and even trade schools in the US.

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