What Are the Benefits of Using Optical vs. RCA Audio Outputs? [Ask The Commenters Roundup]

Okay, beer drinkers out there... What's your favorite winter/Christmas time beer?I am wondering about the benefits of using an optical port for audio vs. RCA ports or a 3.5mm jack.Is there a site with side-by-side comparisons for Android tablets that's current for the holiday season?Anyone got a use for a PowerPC Mac running Tiger? I was thinking of using it as a home server or HTPC but early research suggests it may not be that easy to do.Any suggestions for simple holiday cocktails for a party? I want it to be festive, but plan to stick to a few ingredients rather than stock a full bar.Can you use the Thunderbolt port on a Apple Thunderbolt Display to hook a mini-displayport to DVI adapter up to a non-thunderbolt monitor?I've always lived in a very hot region of India. I'll be going to United States next year, and I believe that's it very cold there, at-least in most places. So, my concern is, how do I keep myself warm there, 'cause I've always lived in a warm place and not used the such a climate.Is there a calendar/email client combo for windows that has the feature I love in Mail/iCal where I can create an iCal event by hovering over dates or words (Saturday) in an email?My laptop is going to totally die in about a year. I'm going to college next year, and I'm looking at going into computer science. Strictly from a programming standpoint, and ignoring boot camp, what's the difference between a mac and a PC?What is a good, modern file system that's Mac-Win-nix compatible? I'm thinking that when I get a new computer, I'll make a partition to share across 3 OSs with iTunes and Steam files.Related Stories