Firing someone before their benefits vest would be wrongful termination and (surprise) not be good for shareholder value. Look up ERISA. What they can (an often do) offer is to give some incentive for the employee to voluntarily retire early.

Right, but have you gone into the game after changing IPs? Do you have a static/semi-static IP? Or dynamic?

Doesn't much matter *when* you are online --I'm saying as soon as you do go online it could be possible that if some component of the game, or even game/store client (I don't know if Steam or Origin do this) creates P2P connections. After changing IPs, as soon as that game/game client creates a new P2P connection, it's possible the attacker then knows your new IP.

Again, all depends on the game/client and I dont know which ones use P2P style networking to connect users.

It's also possible, though maybe less likely that if the game they are playing creates P2P connections between the players for say chat, then they could be revealing their IP that way. Like Freshly Exhumed said above though, it all just guesses without some evidence.

But what do I know, I'm a packet who got lost on his way to 127.0.0.1

It seems Google Apps accounts are opted out by default, but Gmail and other regular Google accounts may be opted in by default.

Still, they have made it very clear how to turn it off, and you would still need to comment, +1, or follow something for "Sharing" to kick in. I can kinda see how it's a nuisance, but they are being very up-front about it and making sure all user are notified via several notification methods.

I'm more bothered by the half-assed attempt to tie my Google account and real name to things like YouTube. Those prompts are (still) down right infuriating (and buggy, a few times I thought it might have change my YouTube account name).

This however, is hardly a blip for me. (Although to be fair, I use an Apps account).

Video call?

You might look at a Moto X -- nearly the same performance in a smaller form factor. (Smaller than the Nexus 4, and Galaxy Nexus but it hat the same screen size).

... to log on to website and buy insurance :)

Speedpass? Wow that seems invasive. Not sure how I feel about iPhone fingerprinting, but for a Speedpass that seems excessive.

Depends on how intensive your purposes are. :)

This is Verizon Telecom (eg FiOS) not Verizon Wireless. (Though they will soon be one in the same). The FCC only regulated wireline ISPs in it's Open Internet Rules. Thus Verizon Wireless can play all the games they want and sell their paying customers to content providers at will.

However, the case that went to federal court this week was brought by Verizon Telecom so that they could charge Netflix, YouTube, et al.. And they don't even need to degrade service, they just need to drag their feet on peering agreements.

What they are doing is purely evil. It's hostile to their own customers and they are already causing these problems. Now they are suing to be allowed to make it worse.

Another good read:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/09/fccs-wishy-washy-rulemaking-might-doom-net-neutrality-in-court/