We are powerless unless you consider living without technology an option. I can't think of a single motherboard, monitor, laptop, smart phone, or tablet available today that isn't manufactured in mainland China or Taiwan. I'll go out on a limb and say that 5% of consumers would be willing to pay extra for technology made in the USA or another socially and environmentally responsible country - hell people are willing to pay stupid amounts of money for hybrid cars with dubious evnironmental benefits. Combined with a slick marketing campaign I suspect this could be a profitable niche.

Cisco is the Microsoft of networking...or should I say Apple?

That being said HP or Brocade/Foundry for enterprise grade stuff and ASUS or Buffalo for consumer grade.

"Happy System Administrator Appreciation Day"

I don't think I know any Happy System Admins, can't we have a Disgruntled System Administrator Appreciation Day? Nobody ever does anything for us!

Problem is that these trendy people are are in C level positions. They are not asking IT departments to support Apple products they are demanding it. Apple has too much momentum; it won't be able to stay out of the enterprise market for much longer.

Getting crushed under the Apple licensing/support/compatibility jackboot is even less appealing than dealing with Microsoft - which is only slightly more appealing than being kicked in the crotch repeatedly by a Muay Thai kickboxing champion.

Ah yes...I also long for the good old days when kids became popular for doing and selling drugs...all this hand-held internet access gps techno mumbo jumbo is a load of hooey!

Wait a minute...laser death rays AND scantily clad women? Vegas might be worth visiting after all.

They'll be primitive by choice. They will also be tall, blue, lanky,and have sex with their hair. Hopefully we will have the foresight to bring necessary supplies for a large carpet bombing operation.

Our desktop support guys are treated lower than dog dirt, people clap, whistle, and shout at them all day long to get their attention. They truly do have a thankless glory-free job. Working in network security is a little more glorious, especially when you explain to people that you keep the network safe from "hackers." Unfortunately it isn't enough to convince girls to have sex with me but it carries a little more weight than say an accounts payable specialist I suppose.

Start working on your Cisco CCNA certification. This is the best career move you can make if you want to stay in IT; network admins/engineers are always in high demand, even in the bad economy. I was in your shoes a few years ago and attended the hands-on Cisco Network Academy training courses at my local community college. It was a tough cert especially since I know almost nothing about networking but worth every hour and penny spent. I was offered a job as a network admin for $15k more a year before I had even taken the test. My user support days are now behind me and that is the best feeling in the world.

Exactly right, AMD's Phenom chips get a bad rap from enthusiast sites who overclock and attempt to squeeze every last ounce of performance at the expense of stability and longevity. AMD makes excellent mainstream CPUs, telling Joe computer user to buy Intel over AMD is like telling someone shopping for a family car to buy a Malibu instead of a Camry because performance wise the Corvette beats the crap out of anything Toyota has to offer. The 780g chipset is hands down the best integrated graphics chipset on the market and don't forget that AMD offers the least expensive quad core CPU. AMD needs PR help more than they need the "fastest" CPU on the market