Actress and activist Brooke Smith and cinematographer Steven Lubensky teamed up with actors Josua Malina and John Lehr to create a Mac vs PC ad that will set the record straight. Electronics companies don’t want you to know about the “conflict minerals” that are used in their devices, and which help fuel the war in the Congo. This is the deadliest war in the world, and you as a consumer can help put an end to it.

RAISE Hope for Congo is an ongoing educational and outreach effort. The effort works to protect and empower Congolese women and girls through education, raising awareness and building a movement and influencing policy change.

It is not surprising if you didn’t know that your favorite Apple gadgets — your iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac — are linked to the conflict engulfing the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo today and for the past dozen years. Most people don’t know – which is in part why the war in Congo has gone on for so long.

Essential parts of our electronic devices are made from minerals found in eastern Congo. Tin, tantalum, tungsten — the 3Ts — and gold serve such necessary functions as making our cell phones vibrate or helping our iPods store electricity.

So we tend to think that our new iPhone came from the Mac store down the street or our new digital camera originated from an online camera store. But as you see in our video, the problem arises with all the components inside.

You can help end the violence by educating yourself and helping to spread the word.

Is Apple Helping to Fuel the War in the Congo?

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I had to chuckle when this particular caller tried to start the old war… Mac vs PC! *sigh* Do you know how often I hear that? However, this guy was a bit more specific. He’s starting college, and wanted to know whether I felt an HP TouchSmart computer would be better for him, or a MacBook Pro. I hate when someone asks my opinion on what is better for them! I really do!

I cannot begin to tell you what will work best for any of you. That’s something only you can decide, and it depends on any number of factors. How much do you have to spend? What will you need the device for? These are the kinds of things you need to think about. I have no way of knowing what will fit your particular needs. You have to do your homework.

That said, I do happen to have an HP TouchSmart. It’s an excellent machine, to be sure. It’s functional, but it’s not as responsive as the interface on the iPad is, largely due to the type of screen and the technology that was used to build it. Not all touch screens are made the same, just like all cars are not built alike.

I recommend you get what you want. Ultimately, there will be one killer feature for you. If touch is the killer feature, then the obvious choice is the HP. It may boil down to price or support for you, as well. You have to decide what features are important to you, and what will fit your lifestyle the best.

Don’t take my word for it. Choose wisely, young grasshoppers.

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Should I Get a Mac or PC?

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During live calls the other night, I had a guy ask me whether I felt that Macs are becoming more mainstream than Windows machines. He went on to say how he knew that in the past Macs weren’t very “user friendly,” and that he feels they are much more so now. The user interface on a Mac has certainly changed over the years, yes.

But you have to look at it like this: it’s still completely different than what Windows users are used to. Many long-time Windows power users give up when trying out a Mac. They feel they cannot find their way around. I’ve seen it happen many times. With that said, though, it all comes down to a matter of opinion and preference. I cannot possibly tell you which is better for you – or anyone else – to use. It depends what your likes and needs are.

I made a change to Mac as my primary system back when I was completely disgusted with Windows Vista. Vista had zero usability as far as I was concerned. The Mac operating system had what I needed, and works well for me. I don’t have a problem with Windows 7. In fact, I have a machine right in my office that runs it. For my needs, though, Apple builds a better system.

The only similarity between Microsoft and Apple is the fact that they both create an operating system. That’s where it begins – and where it ends. Apple makes a piece of hardware to go with that software and attempt to control it. Some people don’t like that. However, as consumers, we SHOULD like it. We know who manufactured each and every part inside of our Mac system. We know who to blame if it goes wrong. We know who to contact if things go awry.

Apple is pretty much the only company on the planet that controls everything from stem to stern… hardware, software and service. Don’t get all freaked out because you have to pay for Apple’s One Care. You have to pay for ANY extended warranty, right? It doesn’t fail me – ever. Every problem I’ve had was covered under the repair system. I don’t have to question “who is to blame for this problem?” It was all made by Apple, and it all goes back to Apple.

If I had to wager a guess, I’d say that HP will come the closest to being what Apple is as a company. Its problem, though, is that it currently has to support another company’s operating system.

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Which is More Usable – a Mac or Windows PC?

http://live.pirillo.com/ – One of our YouTube subscribers wants to know what's better for photography: OS X or Windows.

In terms of what looks better: this may be a case of hardware comparison rather than comparing operating systems. If the PC has a better monitor than the Mac then you'll probably see the windows machine as having better graphics. Unless you're comparing similar hardware you're going to get different results – results you shouldn't blame on the operating system.

The good thing about hardware is that it's generally operating system neutral (assuming drivers are written for the system in question).

Does Windows really have more/better software than OS X? These days anything you can do on Windows you can do on a Mac. The old argument "Macs have no software" is really not a valid complaint today.

What do you guys think? Is photography better on a Mac than on a PC?

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OS X vs Windows

http://live.pirillo.com/ – Mac vs PC: who wins? While a Mac is a Personal Computer, we're talking specifically about OS X vs Windows. So which one is better: Mac or Windows?

Chris believes that buying into the Apple monopoly gives end-users a much better experience:

• The user interface is far superior to that of Windows and Linux
• With control of the hardware, Apple can almost guarantee a great experience that OEMs running Windows cannot.
• The customer service experience with Apple is also superior to most other customer service experiences.
• Since you cannot run OS X on another platform (legally) you can use OS X as a host system, and boot into Windows or Linux with parallels.

What do you think? Is Apple going to expand their monopoly and continue to chip away at Microsoft's position?

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Mac vs PC