November 17, 2003

Intel and Microsoft, competing directly against many companies in consumer electronics industry, are mounting new charge to make personal computer heart of home entertainment systems; arrival of all-in-one PC's that combine television tuner, video game machine, stereo jukebox, DVD player and digital photo archive, is aimed at letting computer industry make big inroads into consumer market as digital television replaces conventional analog TV; new device known as Media Center PC, with processing designed by Intel and software by Microsoft, leads computer industry's invasion; photo (M)

Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, more than five weeks after entering residential treatment center for what he described as addiction to prescription pain medication, is expected to draw one of his biggest audiences, both fans and critics, when he returns to airwaves on November 17; photo (M)

Anthony Tommasini reviews Berlin Philharmonic concert series, conducted by Simon Rattle, at Carnegie Hall; photo (M)

New generation of self-service machines is slipping into daily lives of many Americans; they are being embraced by public whose faith in technology has grown as its satisfaction with more traditional forms of customer service has diminished; many customers now prefer machines to live people; businesses eager to save money on labor costs are stepping up pace of automation; in addition to ATM's at banks, there are self-checkout systems in many retail stores and supermarkets, automated kiosks at airports and automated ordering stations at some fast food restaurants; sudden influx of machines heralds what economists see as eventual roboticization of large chunks of service sector; their arrival has prompted retooling of people's reliance on machines, and each other; devices appeal to antisocial impulse that critics find troubling; photos (M)

Gray areas in world of philanthropy allow charities to raise money and use almost all of it for overhead and expenses; watchdog group American Institute of Philanthropy rates charities on how much money goes to actual cause; salaries and telemarketing can consume as much as 90 percent of donations; AIA says groups should give away at least 60 percent of what they collect to get favorable rating; telemarketing companies keep up to 90 percent of what they collect on behalf of charities and direct marketing approaches are expected to increase; gray area in foundations concerns fees paid to trustees and other officers, many of whom are wealthy; photos (Special section, Giving) (L)