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Stefan Constantinescu just made $2,600 in less than a month. While you might not think that’s anything special, read on and you might reconsider your opinion.

Stefan, a 19-year-old student from Keller, Texas, was stuck with an old, outdated PC and badly wanted a new one. He had to work full time as a waiter to provide for his mother and his little brother, thus considering his poor economic situation he couldn’t afford to replace his aging electronic companion.

The fact that Stefan had his hopes up for a relatively expensive Apple-computer, a 20-inch iMac with Intel processor, didn’t make things seem any less complicated.

What do you do, then? If you are Stefan you ask people to donate money to you out of their own pockets. Insane? Well, it worked!

On April 11, 2006, Stefan set up his blog Help Me Become a Switcher, the same day he received his first donation of $1. Within two days donations were up to $500.

I guess I just picked the wrong audience…`

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Only 55 percent of consumers who contacted free manufacturer’s tech support had their problem solved, according to the latest Computer Tech Support Survey from the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Along with the tech support survey results and Ratings, the June issue of Consumer Reports also includes the latest Ratings of desktop and laptop computers, and a step-by-step guide to easy PC fixes.

Consumer Reports surveyed more than 20,000 subscribers with computer trouble and asked how they solved problems with and without manufacturer’s help. Consumer Reports survey respondents noted that most manufacturers provided dismal free tech support with two exceptions: Apple’s support for desktops and laptops and IBM (Lenovo) for laptops. Apple solved 76 percent of survey respondents’ problems, and IBM (Lenovo) solved 64 percent.

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US President George W Bush has referred to the “war on terror” as “World War III” during a television interview.

Mr Bush told the CNBC television network the revolt of passengers on the hijacked flight 93 on September 11, 2001, was the “first counter-attack to World War III”.

He said he agreed with the description by David Beamer, whose son Todd died in the crash, in a Wall Street Journal commentary last month the act was “our first successful counter-attack in our homeland in this new global war – World War III”.

Mr Bush said: “I believe that. I believe that it was the first counter-attack to World War III.

Bush is the decider. If he thinks this is WW3 and he’s decided, I guess that makes it so.

I’m still waiting for his Waterloo decision.

Lipizzaner Stallion Neopolitano Bonaira with horseman Redha Gharsa rehearse for the opening of their 36th Anniversary UK tour at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England, Friday, May 5, 2006. (AP Photo/ Steve Parsons, PA)