First - I agree with your comments. But one thing to note is that Technology Muggles don't know much (if anything) about the previous devices and thus see Apple as revolutionary. Where you and I know differently. I eventually tired of telling my friends that no, my iMate JasJar from 2005 could do more than their iPhone 3G, four years before the iPhone 3G was released. The perceived "revolutionary" iPhone compared to the realistic "evolutionary" iPhone and the ignorance in others not acknowledging that is what infuriates me.

Yes, but most of the secession threats are from people outside of Texas. We'd be happy for them to leave.

(Can't believe I'm replying to an AC).

This sounds great and all that, but that's a very unreasonable statement. Consider C. I don't know a single person who would say that C is secure or that security wasn't built in from the get-go. The same can be said of C++. But those languages offer different benefits (speed and control both come to mind). It's a trade off, to be sure. But sometimes, you have to use a language that isn't secure "from the get-go" to build an application that needs security. We don't always have the luxury of doing the perfect (or near perfect) thing.

Yes, but it's far easier to say, ".NET is .NET", or, more accurately, "Microsoft is Microsoft". i.e. Proprietary.. i.e. bad. While I don't have numbers, I'd wager that Classic ASP (which runs on the .NET framework) is vastly more unsecure than ASP.NET MVC.

Don't mistake my comment for blind support for Microsoft. But, when a study fails simply acknowledge this very basic fact about the Microsoft ecosystem, it's numbers really don't mean much.

Don't forget the other savings you get for using AWS (or other cloud providers). Facilities (and associated maintenance), power costs (cloud centers are almost always more efficient), and hardware administration. Obviously, you have to run the numbers yourself, but remember it isn't JUST hardware costs that are saved by moving to a cloud.

Assuming you already own a Windows Server (or Windows 8 or greater), Hyper-V comes with your OS. Obviously you may have to purchase the OS that is going on your VM if you are installing a proprietary OS, but there's no explicit charge for Hyper-V anymore.

"Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 is a stand-alone product that is available as a free download via the Microsoft Download Center. Hyper-V is a technology built into Windows Server 2008 R2. If you own Windows Server 2008 R2 then you already own Hyper-V. Find out more information on how to buy Windows Server 2008 R2."

Yes, but cleaning physical toilets doesn't pay nearly as well as cleaning digital toilets. I have no problem getting my digital hands dirty for my salary.

Yes, we have a smallpox vaccine. However, it's efficacy is dubious against a weaponized form of smallpox. I'll refer you to the book "The Demon In The Freezer." Towards the end, the author points to real research and publicly accessible information on how to make smallpox effective even against immunized individuals. It's apparently so easy, the author did it on a different pox virus in a lab.

That book scared the living crap out of me.

If you were leaking Botulism Toxin, they'd never know it when you were driving down the road. BT is has an incredibly high potency at almost untraceable levels. Especially in real-time. And it would take some time for your acetylcholine receptors to get blocked. That being said, if I caught you driving down the road dripping liposuction reclamation material, I'd beat you senseless...

Question for you. You mention that healthcare is cheaper in Europe, but that does not mean it is the best system. Do you know anyone in Europe (or any 1st world single payer system) that would trade their healthcare coverage for the US's system? I don't mean a rich guy coming down from Canada for a Knee Replacement. I mean actually trading the whole system. I don't know of any, but perhaps they are out there in numbers.

My investigation from HealthCare.gov for a family of 6 was much more affordable than what i was previously offered from insurance companies prior to Obamacare. And this is even without subsidies.

I was with a start-up for a little over a year. One of the conditions I had for joining with them was that they would cover my COBRA expenses, because a) I couldn't afford it with my start-up salary and b) I couldn't get independent coverage because of a few preexisting conditions with me and my family. People forget about that clause. And lord help you if you are pregnant or have a pregnant wife (or want to get pregnant soon). Impossible to get coverage (or so I was told by two different brokers). Say what you want about Obamacare, but just the change of getting reasonably priced insurance even with preexisting conditions is enough for some people to have the freedom to jump into start-ups. Whether it's "right" or "wrong" is a completely different story.

I feel for you guys. It was tough for me. I had to move to North Carolina from the mid-atlantic in order to find work. But I got some experience and came back a year later and found employment quickly. Sincerely, best of luck to you all.

Mean is an understatement, but yes. I've experienced it, along with practically everyone I've talked with from my previous profession. .Some examples I was told to me would absolutely floor you. I wish I could be more specific, but it's hearsay... But I believe them. Take that for what it is. And this was almost 20 years ago. Thanks for the compliment, too.

My advice to her would be get some sort of a job either for a temp agency (which often has turnover and often is more relaxed in hiring practices, better or worse) or as a last resort, work as a nursing assistant (which is what I did). While your brain-dependent nursing skills might atrophy, your hands-on skills stay sharp and hospitals DO look for that. That will give you her an edge over the newer candidates both with staying in the field and not being shy around handling her patient's ADLs.