RKMBs Forums .::Important::. off topic and offensive posts The Revenge of Frank Burns.

Bali Tiger
The Bali tiger, native to a small island in Indonesia named Bali, is the smallest of the three subspecies of tigers found in Indonesia. The deforestation caused due to human encroachment was the major factor which affected the basic existence of the Bali tiger. This was followed by extensive hunting of this species, especially during the World War II, which had a serious impact on the tiger population and by the end of the World War II the animal was virtually extinct. The last documented sighting of a Bali tiger was in form of an adult female that was killed in West Bali in September 1937.

Barbary Lion
The Barbary lion, also known as the Atlas lion, was a subspecies of lion native to Northern regions of Africa. Weighing between 440 to 600 lbs, the Barbary lion was considered to be the heaviest among the lion subspecies. Excessive hunting led to the depletion of Barbary lion population in the wild. Loss of habitat due to the expansion of agricultural lands was also a prominent cause of Barbary lion extinction. Initially declared extinct, the animal was later given the special status - 'extinct in the wild' (EW) by the IUCN as a few individuals were found to be alive in captivity in zoos and circus.

Bubal Hartebeest
The Bubal Hartebeest was a subspecies of antelope that inhabited the African nations of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. The animal was caught and domesticated by the Egyptians in order to perform sacrifices. By the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Bubal Hartebeest depleted to a large extent, and its habitat was only restricted to Algeria and Morocco. In Morocco, hunting by French further decreased the number of this species. During the same time many individuals were caught and kept in the zoos, where they eventually died. The last known Bubal Hartebeest was a female that died in a zoo in Paris in 1923 thus bringing an end to this antelope subspecies.

Bushwren
The Bushwren was a small bird, native to New Zealand, which was characterized by nesting on or near the ground. It was found in abundance throughout the country till the introduction of mustelids - predatory mammal from weasel family, was introduced on the Island. The first half of the 20th century was marked by rare sightings of Bushwren. A subspecies of the bird, Stead's Bushwren, found on Stewart Island, got extinct due to excessive predation by the feral cats. As the last attempt to revive the population, they were transferred to Kaimohu Island, where the last sighting took place in 1972.

Canarian Black Oystercatcher
The Canarian Black Oystercatcher, more popular as the Canary Islands Oystercatcher, was a shorebird found on the Canary Islands in Spain. The bird disappeared from its natural habitat in the beginning of the 20th century. It is assumed that the disturbance by the local people and predation by rats were the prominent reasons for the extinction of Canarian Black Oystercatcher. Some theories also suggested that loss of habitat was responsible for the extinction. According to the local fishermen and the lighthouse keepers, the last sighting of this species happened in 1940s. After several attempts to find this bird failed, finally it was declared extinct through IUCN Red List for 1994.

Cape Verde Giant Skink
Cape Verde Giant Skink, also known as the Cocteau's Skink, was a reptile endemic to the Cape Verde islands of the Atlantic Ocean. Loss of habitat, owing to human activities, is supposed to be the main cause of extinction of Cape Verde Giant Skink species. These reptiles were hunted extensively for food and 'skink oil' in the beginning of the 20th century. Some also suggest that prolonged drought that hit the area during this time led to the extermination of these species from the Cape Verde Islands. Attempts to breed these reptiles in captivity were of no avail, and finally Cape Verde Giant Skink was declared extinct in 1914.

Caribbean Monk Seal
The Caribbean monk seal, also known as the West Indian monk seal is a species of seal native to the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The male Caribbean monk seals could grow to a length of 3.5 meters and weigh up to 440 lbs, while the females were a bit smaller. The last recorded sighting of the Caribbean monk seal was at the Serranilla Bank in the western Caribbean Sea in 1952. It is the only species of seal, which was driven to extinction by human activities. More on Caribbean monk seal declared extinct.

Carolina Parakeet
The Carolina Parakeet was the only species of parrot native to the eastern United States. It inhabited the forests ranging from Ohio Valley to the Gulf of Mexico. There were several reasons for the extinction of this species, most prominent being clearing of forest land for agricultural purpose, which led to loss of habitat for the bird. They were extensively hunted for their colored feathers, which were used for decoration. Large-scale culling was executed by farmers, who considered these birds to be pests. Some theories also suggest introduction of honey bees and a mysterious poultry disease played an important role in extinction of these beautiful birds. The last Carolina Parakeet in the wild was killed in Florida in 1904, while the last individual of this species in captivity died in Cincinnati Zoo in 1918.

Caspian Tiger
The Caspian tiger, also referred to as the Persian tiger, is a subspecies of the Siberian tiger native to the vast regions of Western and Central Asia. The extinction of the Caspian tiger can also be attributed to the large-scale extermination of this animal by the Russian administration to reclaim land in the beginning of the 20th century. Different accounts suggest a different date, ranging from 1940s to as recent as 1997, as the last sighting of the Caspian tiger, but most of these accounts confirm that the Caspian tiger got extinct in 1950s.

Caucasian Wisent
The Caucasian Wisent was a subspecies of wisent, the European bison, native to the Caucasus mountains in eastern Europe. Until the 17th century, Caucasian wisent was only threatened by predators such as the Asiatic lion, the Caspian tiger, wolves and bears. With the commencement of human settlement in these mountains, the range of Caucasian Wisent decreased considerably. At the same time these species were confronted by a new threat - poaching. Excessive poaching and loss of habitat depleted the wisent population to a great extent, with the number falling to less than 600 by 1917, and further down to less than 50 by 1921. The failure to curb local poaching resulted in the extinction of Caucasian Wisent, with the last reported individual being killed in 1927.

Colombian Grebe
The Colombian grebe was an aquatic bird native to the Bogota wetlands in Colombia. The population of these subspecies of grebe was largely hit by loss of habitat and predation. Wetland drainage, siltation and reed harvest led to destruction of Colombian grebe habitat to a great extent. More importantly, predation by rainbow trouts and hunting by humans curbed the growth of grebe population in this area, with only 300 individuals surviving by 1968. The Colombian grebe population further declined drastically with only a few sightings reported in 1970s, with the last sighting being reported in 1977.

Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby
The Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby was a subspecies of the Nail-tail Wallaby which inhabited the woodlands and scrubs of the west and center of Australia. This animal was found in abundance in Western Australia till the onset of 20th century, but within a decade the wallaby population witnessed a steep slide. Rare sightings continued for some more time till 1920s. The last collected Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby was found trapped in a dingo trap in 1927. The species did survive in wild till 1950s, but the spread of red fox finally triggered Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby extinction.

Golden Toad
The Golden toad, also referred to as the Monteverde toad or the Orange toad, was a true toad endemic to the cloud-covered tropical forests of Costa Rica. The beautiful amphibian disappeared from the Earth's ecosystem in 1989. The extinction of Golden toad is believed to be a part of the large-scale decline of amphibian population owing to sudden climate change triggered by global warming. Among the other factors held responsible for the sudden extinction of the toad species, the prominent ones are fungal epidemic which swiped out the amphibian population and unusual warm dry climate, which led to early evaporation of pools even before the tadpoles matured.

Wake Island Rail
The Wake Island Rail was a flightless bird endemic to Wake, an atoll in the Pacific Ocean. This land bird was found in abundance in its natural habitat, until when the World War II broke out. In course of the war, the Japanese forces who occupied the island were cut off from food supply and hence were left with no other option but to hunt and eat Wake Island Rails. Being a flightless land bird, it was an easy task to capture this bird bare handedly. This extensive culling of Wake Island Rails for food exterminated the whole rail population on the island by 1945.

Western Black Rhinoceros
The Western Black Rhinoceros, also known as the West African Black Rhinoceros was a native to savanna of central-west Africa. This rhinoceros species was severely affected by heavy poaching in the beginning of the 20th century. By 1980s there were only few 100 Western Black rhinoceros left, and the number further declined to an estimated figure of 10 by 2000. Illegal poaching and failure on the part of the administration, either to curb poaching or punish poachers finally resulted in the extinction of Western Black rhino in 2006.

Toolache Wallaby
The Toolache Wallaby was a subspecies of wallaby found in abundance near Australian provinces of South Australia and Victoria. Extensive hunting, predation by foxes and loss of habitat led to extinction of this wallaby subspecies from the Australian continent. The Toolache Wallabies were mainly hunted for fur. Wallaby hunting was also considered to be a sport, and the local hunters extensively hunted these creatures to obtain trophies. Owing to all these factors, the Toolache wallabies, which were once common in Australia, became very rare. Attempts to capture and transfer them to safer sanctuaries also failed and the species became extinct after a last sighting in 1943.

Thicktail Chub
The Thicktail Chub was a small freshwater fish that inhabited the lowlands and weedy backwaters of Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers in California. The Thicktail chub was one of the most common fish in California and in fact constituted approximately 40 percent of the fish population in Sacramento river. Thicktail Chubs extinction was triggered by habitat loss due to the conversion of a large part of land in Central Valley for agricultural use. Dam building, water diversion and other such agricultural projects led to a decline in the fish population. Further more competition with exotic species and hybridization blurred the chances of recovery and the Thicktail Chub became extinct in late 1950s.

Tasmanian Wolf
The Thylacine, more commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian Wolf, was native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. Being the last member Thylacinus genus, the extinction of Tasmanian Wolf in 1936 marked the extinction of the genus itself. The most prominent factors which led to the extinction of this animal were extensive hunting, introduction of dogs and human encroachment. Although debatable, yet another factor which supposedly played a vital role was the spread of diseases. The last known sighting of the Tasmanian wolf in the wild was recorded in 1930, when a local farmer killed one specimen in Mawbanna, while the last known specimen in captivity died in 1936.

South Island Piopio
The South Island Piopio, also known as New Zealand Trush, was a passeriform bird endemic to New Zealand. A common bird at one point of time, the South Island Piopio population began to decline at a rapid rate in the last quarter of the 19th century. This was mainly due to predation by rats and cats, which were introduced to the island along with human settlements. Further decline was also observed, owing to large-scale loss of habitat and human interference. In the last decade of the 19th century, the South Island Piopio was regarded to be the rarest bird in the country, but these rare sightings continued with a few decades to follow before finally becoming totally extinct. The last recorded sighting of this species happened in 1963.

Schomburgk's Deer
The Schomburgk's Deer was a deer species native to Thailand. Their appearance had striking resemblance to Barasingha. Conversion of grassland and swamp areas to agricultural land in order to facilitate large-scale production of rice for export resulted in loss of habitat of Schomburgk's Deer. In the beginning of the 20th century, Schomburgk's Deer was also subjected to large-scale hunting which finally led to its extinction by 1930s. The last Schomburgk's Deer in captivity was killed in 1938, thus marking the end of this species.

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Ryukyu Wood-pigeon
The Ryukyu Wood-pigeon was a subspecies of pigeon endemic to Okinawa archipelago towards the south west of the Japanese mainland. The extinction of the Ryukyu Wood-pigeon can be attributed to habitat destruction. The tropical forests which were inhabited by this bird were subjected to large-scale deforestation for agricultural and settlement purpose. The Ryukyu Wood-pigeon depleted to a great extent in the first decade of the 20th century. By 1930s, these islands were completely deforested and this deforestation marked the habitat loss which eventually led to extinction of Ryukyu Wood-pigeon by 1936.

Santo Stefano Lizard
The Santo Stefano lizard was a small lizard species native to the Santo Stefano Island in the Tyrrhenian sea, off the coast of Italy. Although this lizard species was found in abundance on this island at one point of time, it just took the introduction of some predators and an endemic to wipe off the Santo Stefano lizard population within a few years. These lizards were hunted excessively by the feral cats and various snake species which brought a drastic decline in their population. Furthermore an epidemic of an unknown pathogen which broke out in mid 20th century led to wiping out of the remaining survivors. It was last sighted in 1965, before being officially declared extinct.

Roque Chico de Salmor Giant Lizard
The Roque Chico de Salmor Giant Lizard was a lizard subspecies endemic to a small islet on the Canary Islands. Initially, the only threat to this Giant Lizard was feral cat predation, but human intervention in the beginning of 20th century gave a serious jolt to the Lizard population in this area. Commercial exploitation owing to the large-scale collection of the species for scientific usage, led to depletion of the Roque Chico de Salmor Giant Lizard population to a great extent. After several attempts to revive the population failed, the species finally disappeared in late 1930s.

Round Island Burrowing Boa
The Round Island Burrowing Boa, or Bolyeria, was a reptile native to the Round Island in Mauritius. The reptile endemic to hardwood forest and palm savanna had a small habitat, ranging about 1.5 to 2 square km. Limited distribution had already made it vulnerable to extinction. Furthermore overgrazing by various herbivores triggered soil erosion, which led to loss of habitat for this reptile. By the end of first half of the 20th century, Round Island Burrowing Boa had already become rare and the last sighting was reported in 1975

Passenger Pigeon
The most common bird in North America at a point of time, today the Passenger Pigeon is only found in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) extinct animals list. The Passenger Pigeons, also known as wild pigeons, were found in large migratory flocks containing millions of birds. This bird was a major source of food for the native Indians, as well as European travelers and therefore large-scale hunting was one of the most important factor which led to a drastic decline in their numbers. The first decade of 20th century was marked by rare individual sightings, before it finally became extinct after the last confirmed sighting in 1912.

Pyrenean Ibex
The Pyrenean Ibex was a subspecies of the Spanish Ibex, found in abundance in the Pyrenees mountain range between France and Spain. Inability to compete with other species in the region and extensive poaching led to depletion of Pyrenean Ibex population to a great extent, with less than 100 individuals surviving by 1900 and eventually less than 40 in 1910. Various conservation measures ensured that the animal lived for another few decades, but the population remained negligible throughout the century, before finally getting extinct in 2000, when the last living individual of this species got crushed beneath a falling tree. An attempt to clone Pyrenean Ibex seemed successful with a young one being born in January 2009, but died within a few hours of its birth due to lung failure.

Palestinian Painted Frog
The Palestinian painted frog, also known as the Israel painted frog, was a subspecies of frog endemic to the Lake Huleh marshes in Israel. Israeli drainage of the marshes was the most prominent factor, which led to the extinction of the Palestinian painted frog. The last documented recovery of this frog dates back to 1955, wherein a single specimen was found. Although it was declared extinct by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it's still regarded as one of the endangered species in Israel.


Paradise Parrot
The Paradise Parrot was a colorful medium-sized parrot native to the Queensland - New South Wales border area of northeastern Australia. Several factors contributed to the extinction of Paradise Parrot, the prominent factors being loss of habitat due to over grazing and land clearing, extensive hunting by bird collectors and predation by several cat species. By the end of 19th century, the sighting of this bird had relatively become rare, and by 1915 it had virtually become extinct. A few more sightings took place over the next decade before the Paradise Parrot finally became extinct. The last confirmed sighting took place in 1927.

Laysan Rail
The Laysan rail, also referred to as the Laysan crake, was a tiny bird that inhibited the Laysan island in the Hawaii group. Introduction of rabbits led to habitat loss for the Laysan rail and World War II finally wiped off the species from the planet. With no predators to curb the number of rabbits, they ate the entire vegetation. There were around 2000 matured birds on the island in 1910, but within 13 years, i.e. by 1923, the number dropped to less than 10. Attempts to revive the Laysan rail population got a major setback when a US Navy landing craft accidentally broke free and drifted to islands, and all the rats onbaord ended up on the island thus colonizing it and marking the extinction of the Laysan rail species by 1944.

Little Swan Island Hutia
The Little Swan Island Hutia was a guinea-pig-like rodent native to the Swan Islands in the Caribbean. It was a slow moving creature which left the caves and lime stone crevices to feed on barks, twigs and leaves. It was assumed to be a subspecies of Jamaican Hutia, supposedly brought to Swan Islands from Jamaica. Once found in abundance on the island, the Little Swan Island Hutia population received a major blow in form of a hurricane in 1955, which resulted in loss of habitat for this creature. Eventually the introduction house cats on the island led to the extinction of Little Swan Island Hutia after occasional sightings in early 1950s.

Kaua'i 'O'o
The Kaua'i 'O'o, native to the Kauaʻi island in Hawaii, was smallest among the Hawaiian honey eater birds. The bird was abundantly found in the subtropical forests of the Kaua'i island until when the decline in its population began in the beginning of the 20th century. Introduction of the Black rat, domestic pigs and mosquitoes which were the carriers of certain avian diseases led to the fall in the population of this beautiful bird. It was last heard of in 1987. None of the efforts to revive the population of Kaua'i 'O'o yielded any results and the species was finally declared extinct.


Laughing Owl
The Laughing owl, also referred to as the White-faced owl, was found in abundance in New Zealand in the 19th century. The Laughing owl generally preferred rocky areas with low rainfall. Owing to the abuse of this species as specimens and loss of habitat due to land use changes, the population of this species began to decline in the last quarter of the 19th century. Furthermore introduction of predators such as cats also contributed to the extinction of Laughing owl. The owl had virtually become extinct by 1880 with just occasional sightings once in a while. The last confirmed sighting came from Canterbury, New Zealand in July, 1914.

Japanese Sea Lion
The Japanese sea lion, native to the coastal areas of Japanese Archipelago and the Korean peninsula, was a species of the otariidae family of sea lions and fur seals. Although, these sea lions preferred the flat open sandy beaches for breeding, they used to also bred in rocky areas in the vicinity. Japanese sea lion was exploited in large scale owing to the high value for its skin and oil in the international market. Some internal organs of this animal were also used in Oriental medicine and thus were in great demand. Overfishing of the species brought their number to less than 300 in 1915 and eventually to just a few dozens by 1930. Other reasons for the extinction of Japanese sea lion were loss of habitat due to submarine warfare in World War II and capturing of the species for circus trade. The last colony of these sea lions was sighted in 1950s, while the last confirmed sighting of an individual of this species was in 1974.


Javan Tiger
Javan tiger was a small subspecies of tiger endemic to Java in Indonesia. The Javan tiger was small compared to most of the tiger species. Excessive hunting and loss of habitat led to the extinction of the Javan tiger in the 1980s. Increase in human settlements on these islands led to habitat destruction for the Javan tiger as well as the Bali tiger. This reduction in habitat eventually resulted in competition with leopards and wild dogs for the available prey species. Excessive hunting also added to the woes of this animal. By 1950s, only around 25 tigers were surviving in the wild. The number went declining and soon resulted in extinction of the Javan tiger with the last confirmed sighting coming way back in 1972.

Hawai'i 'O'o
The Hawai'i 'O'o was a bird from the Mohoidae family of birds, which was found in abundance in the island of Hawaii. The striking plumage of this bird proved to be a curse for the species as it was hunted extensively to collect the feathers, which were used in decorations. These birds were also caught and sold as song birds, which mostly resulted its death in captivity. The introduction of musket made hunting much easier and by the end of 19th century, the bird had almost disappeared with rare appearances once in a while. The Hawai'i 'O'o was last seen on Mauna Loa, a volcano on south central Hawaiian island, in 1934.


Heath Hen
The Heath hen was a subspecies of the Greater Prairie-Chicken native to the heathland barrens of coastal New England. This species was found in abundance during the colonial regime, but extensive hunting for food brought about a drastic fall in their number and by the mid 19th century, the bird got extinct from the mainland and only a few hundreds were left on the island off Massachusetts. The number further declined and by the beginning of the 20th century the number of birds left was less than 100. However a destructive fire, unusual predators and then the blackhead disease killed the remaining population, and the last male Heath hen died in 1932, thus bringing an end to the species.

Grand Cayman Thrush
The Grand Cayman Thrush was a bird from the Turdidae family, endemic to Grand Cayman i.e. the largest of the three Cayman Islands. Soon after its discovery, this beautiful bird became a favorite among the bird collectors. More importantly, the habitat of Grand Cayman Thrust was largely affected due to excessive deforestation and frequently occurring hurricanes between 1932 and 1944. Loss of habitat made them an easy prey for hunters and bird collectors alike. By the end of the first quarter of 20th century, the bird had virtually become extinct. The last reported sighting of this species was in the north of East End in 1938.

Guam Flying Fox
The Guam Flying Fox was a small megabat or fruit bat, native to Guam the southernmost islands among the Marianas island chain. Considered a delicacy in Marianas, this species of fruit bat was extensively hunted as a food source, which led to its extinction in the mid 20th century. Other than this loss of habitat owing to World War II and predation by brown tree snakes led to extermination of the Guam flying fox from the island. The last Guam flying fox was spotted at Tarague cliff in 1967.

An old farmer decided it was time to get a new rooster for his hens. The current rooster was still doing an okay job, but he was getting on in years. The farmer figured getting a new rooster couldn't hurt anything. So he buys a young cock from the local rooster emporium, and turns him loose in the barn yard.

Well, the old rooster sees the young one strutting around and he gets a little worried.

"So, they're trying to replace me," thinks the old rooster. "I've got to do something about this."

He walks up to the new bird and says, "So you're the new stud in town? I bet you really think you're hot stuff, don't you? Well I'm not ready for the chopping block yet. I'll bet I'm still the better bird. And to prove it, I challenge you to a race around that hen house over there. We'll run around it ten times and whoever finishes first gets to have all the hens for himself."

Well, the young rooster was a proud sort, and he definitely thought he was more than a match for the old guy.

"You're on," said the young rooster. "and since I know I'm so great, I'll even give you a head start of half a lap. I'll still win easy."

So the two roosters go over to the hen house to start the race with all the hens gathering around to watch. The race begins and all the hens start cheering the roosters on. After the first lap, the old rooster is still maintaining his lead. After the second lap, the old guy's lead has slipped a little but he's still hanging in there.

Unfortunately the old rooster's lead continues to slip each time around, and by the fifth lap he's just barely in front of the young rooster. By now the farmer has heard all the commotion. He runs into the house, gets his shotgun, and runs out to the barn yard figuring a fox or something is after his chickens. When he gets there, he sees the two roosters running around the hen house, with the old rooster still slightly in the lead.

He immediately takes his shotgun, aims, fires, and blows the young rooster away. As he walks away slowly, he says to himself,

"Damn, that's the third gay rooster I've bought this month."

Liquid Crystal Display
Liquid crystal display (LCD) is quickly becoming the most popular version of the flat screen TV. For one thing, the variety of screen size is much greater. Only LCD TVs come in screen sizes less than 42 inches, making them the choice for people looking for a smaller screen. Normally ranging from 15 to 65 inches, LCDs use cold cathode fluorescent lamps to shine a light through LCD shutters and color filters to produce the picture on the screen. Their lighter weight and lowered costs have caused LCDs to surpass CRTs in sales by 2007.




Read more: Facts About Flat Screen TVs | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5082638_flat-screen-tvs.html#ixzz29Dbsoeuo

Plasma
Plasma TVs are generally more expensive than LCDs, mainly because almost all of them are 42 inches or larger. However, they are also believed to have a higher picture quality than LCDs, offering up to a 1920 by 1080 resolution that is comparable to the quality of Blu-ray discs. The picture is produced by several tiny cells containing inert noble gases between two glass panels. The gas becomes plasma when electrically charged, thereby exciting phosphors to illuminate the picture.

Shortcomings - LCDs
LCD TV screens are known for having inferior picture quality when compared to plasma sets. Because of lower contrast ratios, LCDs are especially known for poor quality with very dark colors, like black and dark gray. The video response time is also slower than plasma; while it is only a matter of milliseconds, it can cause some blurred conditions with fast-moving images, a real concern with televised sports and video games.

Shortcomings - Plasmas
The biggest problem plasma TVs can have is the same "burn-in" effect that CRT TVs can have. This occurrence, where a prolonged, frozen image can permanently burn onto the screen, is becoming less of an issue with newer models and can be avoided by not having the screen excessively bright. Some plasma TVs also don't come with built-in speakers or a channel tuner, requiring external devices for those tasks.

Power Consumption
There is some debate as to how much energy flat-panel TVs consume, especially in comparison to their older CRT counterparts. The state of California has stated that flat-panel TVs can consume 43 percent more energy than a picture tube, especially with larger screens; this is likely because many flat panels are much larger than picture tubes. TV sets are also being designed to consume less energy with each passing year. Sony has shown that its 2008 models consume less than half the energy of the 2005 models.

MISCONCEPTION #1: PLASMA TVS NEED TO BE "SERVICED,"
OR HAVE THEIR PLASMA CHANGED OUT, EVERY COUPLE YEARS OR SO.

Perhaps the only compelling thing about this idea is that it resonates with good auto maintenance know how. To many people, plasma displays are like cars: You know how to use them, but you don't know a whole lot about how they work. Which is surely how this Urban Legend gained its foothold in the popular imagination in the first place. It has certainly been utilized by any number of unscrupulous TV salespeople to push extended warranties on otherwise unknowing "marks" -- people who have already spent a few thousand dollars on a new TV and would have no compunction about shelling out another $250 more, provided it will help safeguard their investment. While purchasing some additional "insurance" against mechanical defects might be worthwhile, especially when you are buying something this expensive, using scare tactics to ring up extended-warranty sales is unethical.

MISCONCEPTION #2: THE HIGHER THE RESOLUTION THE BETTER THE PICTURE ON A PLASMA TV

This misconception has been perpetrated by manufacturers, who want to move more expensive (i.e., higher-resolution) product, and by retailers, who are repeating whatever the manufacturer tells them. True, Super HD (1080p) plasma displays are more expensive than their HD counterparts. The reason is that increasing the resolution on a plasma screen means fitting more pixels in the plasma display element (glass). A simple eyeball test will tell you, though, that this is not necessarily money well spent. First and foremost, there is very little content available in 1080p resolution. Blu Ray DVDs and Blu Ray gaming technology are it right now. Secondly, a 1080p plasma or LCD does not look any better with an 1080i or 720p incoming signal than does a regular HD plasma due to the fact that the latter is capturing and displaying every line and pixel of resolution. In this case the 1080p plasma or LCD will have to upconvert the signal to its native resolution, thus increasing the odds of motion artifacts.

MISCONCEPTION #3: PLASMA TVS ARE LIKE SHOOTING STARS—
BRILLIANT BUT SHORT-LIVED.

With a current rating of 100,000 hours to half life on some of the top tier plasma brands, it this really an issue any more? If you watch the plasma television for 4 hours a day on a medium contrast setting, that's over 68 years of use.

One important tip to remember when you first hook up your plasma TV is to turn the contrast down from that peak setting. The darker the average room light, the lower you can afford to set the contrast ratio setting (sometimes called the Picture settting).

MISCONCEPTION #4: OWNING A GOOD PLASMA TV
IS COST-PROHIBITIVE

This is really two misconceptions rolled into one. The first has to do with the pricing structure of plasma displays. We all remember, some of us too well, the days in the mid-90s when plasma TVs started at $10,000 and had virtually no price ceiling. Well, things have changed. The growing demand for plasma displays, coupled with advancements in production efficiency ("yield rates"), have conspired to bring plasma TV prices back down to earth. You can get larger, better performing plasma TVs for a fraction of the price you might have just a couple years ago. (Nowadays, you can buy an 42" HDTV Plasma for less than $1000) This is partly because fully 9.8 sets in 10 come off the production line ready for sale, compared to just 5 in 10 in 1999 and fewer than 2 in 10 in the early 90s. Further suppressing prices is the fact that the defect rate of Japanese-made plasma TVs in the U.S. has fallen to less than 1% of the total product import.