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Ask Bob Rankin search results: Intel

What is Hulu?

"I checked out Hulu and was impressed by the amount of popular TV shows available for free there. Almost seems too good to be true, so… is it?"...

Inexpensive Photo Printers

I've already shared some of my favorite portable inkjet printers, but here is my list of photo printers that are compact, inexpensive, and perfect for family photos......

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. Since Apple started creating OS X to run on...

Cheap Desktop Computers

"I'm looking for a basic entry-level desktop computer to give to a high-school student as a Christmas gift. What do you recommend in the budget category that can handle web surfing, email and word processing?"...

Touchscreen Laptops

Laptops are incredibly versatile now. If you've been put off by typing on a cramped keyboard, or frustrated by not having a real mouse, the latest crop of touchscreen laptops may be of interest to you. Here are three touchscreen...

What is Joost?

"I've heard that Joost offers free online TV, but I'm afraid it's either a scam, or something illegal that will get me in trouble. I don't want to end up like the woman in Minnesota who was fined $200,000 for...

People Search

"I'm trying to find some old friends from high school. What are the best people search tools on the Internet? Free is nice, but I'll pay for a really good people finder tool if it can save me a lot...

Mechanical Turk

"Can you explain what Mechanical Turk is all about? A friend of mine uses it to make money by doing small jobs, but I've heard some people say it's more like slave labor. What's the deal with Mechanical Turk?"...

What is a Mashup?

"I hear the term mashup being used to describe certain websites, but I'm not sure what it means. Can you explain what a mashup is, and where the word comes from?"...

XO - The $200 Laptop

"I've read about the '$200 XO Laptop' that's being promoted by the One Laptop Per Child organization. I think it's great that these will be given to children in poor countries, but is it possible to buy an XO laptop...

Buying a Laptop

Laptops are a great option for people who need to compute on the move. In the past, laptops were bulky, heavy and slow. But today, laptop technology has advanced and today's models are fast, light and offer nearly the same...

Get Your Tech Fix

"There's so much happening with computers and technology. How do you keep up with all the latest cool stuff without getting information overload?"...

Sued For Downloading?

More and more, people are asking me if they can get sued by the entertainment industry for downloading, music, movies, games or television shows. The answer is YES, maybe. Read on and learn how to download safely, and avoid the...

What is Firewire?

"I was told that I should have a Firewire cable to transfer videos from my camcorder to my computer. I have USB connectors on my PC, is that the same thing, or can the Firewire plug in to that?"...

Science Fiction Sites

It’s sometimes difficult these days to differentiate between science fiction and fact, because the two worlds often borrow ideas from each other. If you've ever read Alfred Bester's classic 1956 sci-fi thriller "The Stars My Destination", or Ray Bradbury's space...

Weird Science

I love science, especially offbeat and weird science. During my Internet travels I've come across some amazing resources-- some informative, some strange, but all of them fascinating. Here then, are my top picks in the Weird Science category......

Facebook - Getting Started

Looking for an alternative to an oversaturated MySpace? Facebook is a great alternative for the college and professional set. A little more serious than MySpace, Facebook is more than just competing to see who can have the most friends. Facebook...

Photo Editing Software

"I take a lot of pictures with my digital camera, but the photo editing software that came with the camera is pretty lame. I looked into Adobe Photoshop but WOW it's expensive! Are there some good photo editors that are...

Run Windows On Mac

Why choose between Windows and Mac? Now you can run BOTH operating systems side-by-side on your Mac desktop. Here's the scoop on how to run Windows on your Mac......

Switching From Windows to Mac

Devoted fans of Macs and PCs have been in heated debate for years, even before those "I'm a Mac", "I'm a PC" commercials ever appeared. Let's set aside the question of which camp is "right" and focus on the reasons...

Website Gadgets

Personal websites are great for sharing your pictures, short films, poetry and ideas. Maybe you have a blog, online store or a website for a club or association. Whatever the case, if you're looking for something to jazz up your...

Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Saving Time (DST) arrives three weeks early this year (March 11), and will end one week later (Nov 4), to comply with revised Daylight Saving Time laws in many countries. Here's what you need to do to make sure...

What is Second Life?

"Some of my friends are really into Second Life, they say it's the future of the Internet. Looks like Sim City on drugs to me... What is the big deal with Second Life -- who is playing and why?"...

Remove Phone Listing

I just did a search for my phone number on Google and was shocked at the results that popped up. It showed my full name, street address and a map of my neighborhood with a big arrow pointing to my...

Play WMV on Mac

"I have a WMV (Windows Media) video file. But of course I don't have Windows Media Player on my Mac. Can I play this video with QuickTime on the Mac, or convert it to MPEG format?"...

Teacher Terror?

NEWS FLASH: Teacher Arrested at Airport -- A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide...

Currency Converter

How many Drachmas in a Dinar? How many Rupees can you get for a hundred Rubles? In what countries are the official currencies called the Zloty and the Punt? A visit to the Universal Currency Converter will answer all these...

Stock Investing

If you're a stock market investor, there lots of great resources on the Net that will help you keep tabs on your stock portfolio, keep up with the latest market news, do company research, and even do your trading online....

Windows on a Mac

"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 on a Mac?"...

One Laptop Per Child

Nicholas Negroponte has a dream... to provide a laptop with internet access to hundreds of millions of children in developing countries around the world. Negroponte's "One Laptop Per Child" is a non-profit group that has been working for several years...

Bots and Intelligent Agents

Remember back when you were a kid, watching The Jetsons and wishing someone would invent a robot to do your chores? Decades later, we still haven't realized the promise of a machine to clear the dishes off the table, but...

Internet Innovators: Dave Taylor

Back in 1995-96 I worked for BoardWatch Magazine, covering the world of Bulletin Board Systems and the fledgling Internet. One of my favorite parts of that job was interviewing prominent netizens of the day. Some may boast about being self-made...

Make Windows XP Run Faster!

"My Windows startup seems to be taking a long time, and once it finally stops churning, everything seems to run slower than it used to. Can you suggest any maintenance tips to make Windows XP start and run faster?" I...

Sex Offender Databases

"The stories of Jessica Lunsford and other abused children make we wonder if my child is safe in our neighborhood, and on the Internet. I've heard that people can use the Internet to find out if there is a sexual...

Making Windows XP Start Faster

"My computer startup seems to be taking a long time. It's sometimes three or four minutes before the hard disk stops churning and I can launch a program. I'm sure it used to boot up faster -- can you suggest...

Should I upgrade to Windows XP x64?

Recently my partner in crime Patrick Crispen answered this question in a Tourbus newsletter posting. Here's what he had to say: You may have heard about a new version of Windows XP - Windows XP Professional x64 Edition - that...

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spyware OR virus

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