I'll tell you how I bloody well got my computer knowledge!
Necessity!
I got stiffed by the guys who sold me my PII233 system. I was faced with the task of building a new PC. That PII233 had to be fixed 3 times in the first year so I decided to sue the manufacturer and build my own from scratch without the flaky parts from that machine. So I pinched a copy of Scott Mueller's "Upgrading and Repairing PCs, Linux edition". I read all the bits that interested me and would help me put a computer together. And I am pleased to say I have fiddled lots and not broken anything yet.
I continue to read stuff on the internet, but mainly I have left magazines behind. They are behind the times, very limited and too beginner oriented. Also, I think guys on the net know more than many magazine writers. Like a reviewer did a whole review on a PC thinking it had an Athlon inside when it had a Duron instead. This was in a big magazine here. They only found out the next month. I mean, didn't he even fvcking look at the board inside? What kind of reviewer was THAT?