What you heard is wrong, Microsoft has said time and again that the 7/8 to 10 upgrade is NOT a subscription. After upgrading you will be able to do a full clean install directly to Windows 10 if you want to.

You are also able to preorder full OEM versions of Windows 10 right now on Newegg.

Also keep an eye on OneGet which is coming out with Windows 10. It will support Chocolatey, but also have official MS repos.

You don't need to, the 980TI is $650. It has 6GB of RAM vs 12GB in the Titan X, but benchmarks show it running neck and neck with the Titan X.

You do realize that VCs don't just give away money. There are revenue expectations that come along with it.

It looks like it should work pretty well if you use the upcoming HDHomeRUN DVR software. You do need to use one of their tuners but you might already be using one. If not you can get an OTA or cablecard 3-tuner for $90-95.

Support is being added to NAS boxes, so you could switch out a power hungry PC for a low powered NAS drive, and then watch live or recorded TV on a Amazon FireTV, Roku, Smart Phone, Tablet, etc.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1275320038/hdhomerun-dvr-the-dvr-re-imagined

Because that isn't the upgrade version. That's a new license and someone building a new machine from parts they bought on NewEgg still needs to buy a valid Windows license.

Have you heard of http://ninite.com/?

You can install Filezilla directly from them without the bundled malware and other shenanigans.

Their installer does take away choice so software will install to the default location. But it skips desktop shortcuts, bundled toolbars, and other crap I don't want.

They work especially well when you are setting up a new PC, you simply select what you want to install and it will automatically install the latest versions of everything without you needing to track down individual installers or prompting you during installation.

You say you are self taught, but if you don't have a degree and certifications that's really going hurt you in the eyes of HR. College doesn't necessarily teach you the tech skills, but if can help you develop the skills to work with other which you will need in your professional career. I'm also self taught, but I went to school. I honestly learned more from my part time programming job I had while I got my bachelors than most of the actual courses, but the later courses taught me interesting things that have come in handy when trying to come up with creative solution to some complex issues.

My experience with people who haven't had formal education is mixed, some of them are brilliant, some are idiots who think they know everything, and the worse are the people who fall in the middle. These cowboys can come up with incredible solutions, but they rarely think things all the way though which can lead to critical systems breaking at the wrong moment which can cause days or weeks of downtime.

I'm probably around the same age though I might be a little more end of Gen-X. Even with a degree and experience, getting a job is extremely difficult. I've found it hard to pass through HR, but getting in front of the actual IT managers and developers would allow your knowledge to shine. The problem is getting there, you are right about needing industry contacts. The best way to get these is networking. Look for user groups in your area and start showing up. A lot of the people going to them work with the technology in their day to day jobs. Talk to them and impress them with your skills, they might be able to tell you about a position at their company, or one a headhunter has been stalking them about.

Try seeing if there are any small/medium consulting firms in your area. Working at these allowed me to get hands on experience with a large number of technologies, as well as developing a large number of contacts with both clients and fellow employees. With a small/medium business you'd have more luck getting in from of a decision maker and getting to show off your knowledge. I was able be at one company while bouncing around different projects as I was needed. This gave me exposure to an extremely diverse number of technologies and environments without looking like I was job hopping every few months.

Finally don't rely on job postings. I was only ever hired at a single place by replying on them. My other jobs were knowing people who could recommend me, or with my latest using a recruiting firm. Try directly contacting a recruiting firm and see if you can get a meeting with a recruiter. This will allow you to discuss your skills and put you at the top of their call list when something relevant opens up. It will also give you some interviewing experience. Just be blunt, let them know that you are having issues in your job search and any advise or critiques they can give you are welcome.

It's related to the GSM network, if you had a CDMA phone (Verizon, Sprint) you didn't experience the issue.

The problem wasn't only over the radio, it also affected computer speakers and headphones. The expanded frequencies the networks use might help the problem, but I've been on CDMA for the past eight years, so I experienced it for a while.

So you're saying you'd rather keep working 80 hours a week, rather than moving and and get around the same pay but only put in 40 hours?

If you went somewhere that paid your normal rate for OT, you'd make double what you are now for those 80 hours. Or you could just work 40 and enjoy life outside of work.

Such a nice light dusting of snow.

While trying to find the average snowfall in Copenhagen that line "Snowfall occurs mainly from late December until early March, but snow cover seldom lasts long." came up.

So yes, biking there would work well in the winter. But many places in the US stay well below freezing for the entire winter and snow just keeps piling up.

Only some very special people try biking then, it's not exactly easy going through 2-3 feet of piled up snow.

Read the specs it has a full HDMI port. If you don't like metro, there are several free to commercial options that return the start menu.

The Windows 10 upgrade is the big question. But it's been rumored that it will be a free upgrade for 8/8.1 users. But that's just speculation at this point.

The PS4 doesn't do PS1 at the moment either. But Sony is reportedly working local not PSNow, PS1 and PS2 emulation on the PS4. It's been rumored to all be disk based, but no confirmed information about how the backward compatibility will work has been released.

The Blu Ray drive has nothing to do with the YLOD. Yes the laser can burn out, and I've had to do a single replacement.

YLOD is caused by micro fractures in solder eventually leading to connections failing. This is because the PS3 came out in 2006, which is the same time PC video cards were also combating the move away from lead based solder (thanks California, do you have that sign up that the state of California contains things known to cause cancer so anyone visiting or living there is aware?).

The YLOD and RROD caused both Sony and Microsoft to be very conservative with power and heat in the new console.

For the same price has the higher-end consumer stuff you can get pro-level equipment.

Grab an EdgeRouter Lite: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CPRVF5K/ for $95

and pair it with an UniFi AP: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XXMUCQ/ for $68

The EdgeRouter is not as user friendly as DD-WRT/Tomato, its OS is based of Vyatta. It has three gigabit ports you decide what you want to do with. Have one WAN and two LAN? Sure. Dual WAN fail over with LAN? Ok. WAN, LAN, and DMZ? Yup. Need more? Get the standard non-lite, or even go Pro. Software configure wise they work exactly the same.

Having an AP separate from router is also nice. Keep the router in the basement near the drop. Then just run CAT to a central area. The UniFi only has a single Ethernet connector and requires PoE which it includes an adapter for. It also supports seamless hand off, so if you have more than one, you can transition between them, and your network connection will stay open.