That would be a great solution except Apple has transitioned to a build model in which all components are soldered into the machine. No RAM upgrades or SSD replacement. . .

How about, what company wants to retain long loyal customers? Their laptops have gradually shifted to being disposable appliances. Previous generations of MacBooks (Pros) were valued for long lives of usability because you could replace original parts with updated components. Now we get laptops with soldered SSD's which make the $2500+ laptop useless once the SSD dies. No thanks.

Macofalltrades offers 2 year extended warranties on their products.

I bought a late 2011 Macbook Pro back in November to avoid all this soldered-on un-upgradeable shenanigans.

Totally agree. Just bought a "new" late 2011 Macbook Pro to retain a modular system. If I wanted ultra portability I'll go with a tablet.

Unfortunately now that Apple has announced that 2012's are the cut off for Mac OS compatibility moving forward I'm thinking I'll be moving to Linux when my current Macbook dies.

They'll be making an announcement next week regarding new initiatives to share their technology with the rest of the world.

It offers a wide array of different types of games; from card games to puzzles. You can focus on the socializing or build up your character's skills and become part of a crew. It appeals to the casual gamers more than the hard core crowd.

Puzzle Pirates

Same thing happens in our home. Our sons (8 & 12) build the model then it gradually gets absorbed into the "scrap heap" and pillaged for parts for their own creations.

Also, I think that Lego has moved away from the single use pieces that only work with the designed set. This was more true in the 90's when I was a kid. I've seen a reversion to the basic bricks in the sets we've purchased in the last couple years.

I'm curious from whom you get this Verizonless Fiber. Are you in the U.S.?

The reality is Verizon isn't much better these days. Especially after their recently signed lets-be-friends-and-screw-over-the-consumer-together pact with Comcast.

What FTTP options are out there that aren't Verizon?

I just "canceled" it from my Hulu queue. There were a number of reasons for me but the top three are:
The show was way too slow for me.
It felt more like a corporate drama than a sci-fi story. The only thing sci-fi about it was that it happens in the future. I'll admit it I am a simpleton. I want my sci-fi to have lazors and space battles or dragons and wizards.
That long break between seasons mentioned above didn't help.

Fabulous, just when we have an alternative to the cable delivery system become viable. . . I am curious how much this plays into Comcast's desire for NBC. They see people making an end run around their monopoly and are implementing this plan to plug the gap.

I question their actual desire to see this succeed. In the warped multinational conglomerate thinking they're probably trying to put on a good face and attempt to bring an alternative market. In the end they get to say, "Uh nvermind it's not practical. . ." See we tried nobody bought it. . . They've been dragging their feet kicking and screaming the whole way. Do they really want to change? That's my question.