Is anyone surprised by this?

Who's going to pay ME to use their TV? I'll even take an 85" TV, if you give it to me in exchange for some ads.

I do this and something I've changed my mind about is monitors with a curve. I thought the curve was a gimmick, but after using a 43" 4k samsung for a few months, I'm wishing I would have spent the extra $ on the curve. Even at 43" (I sit about 3' away), stuff in the corners is noticeable "far away" from stuff in the middle of the monitor.

Refresh rates on the monitors and video cards that support them are the other part of the equation. No use plugging the monitor into a video card that can't support a decent refresh rate

At this point, I've given up trying to help with the problem. I've gone through all the research and diagnosis so many times, with no impact on the phone reps, it's beyond frustrating. I've also demanded to go to the next level of support umpteen jillion times and sometimes it works, but nearly every time, the time spent waiting and going through the problem with two levels of reps isn't worth it.

So at this point, I go through the phone charade.. err script... and make up responses ("Steady green light? No... I see a bright orange light flickering randomly!"), which totally puzzles the rep ("I haven't come across something like that before..."), which almost immediately starts the RMA process.

If the different companies had a way of filtering more tech adept customers, I'd be willing to help out (and I have been for a long time now), but if they aren't investing in that option, neither am I.

When I was last looking around a few years ago, I had a company come out and say that my age (early 40's back then) might be a problem for the chemistry in the office (mostly mid to late 20s?), but they were the exception. Everyone else was interested in the projects I had worked on and the tech I had been using.

So... I'm sure the discrimination is out there, but there are also a ton of companies that value the experience a person with some time under their belt can provide.

At our school, it was part of the JROTC program, but that was something like 30 years ago, so who knows what they're up to these days.

This is exactly how I'm using it (plus streaming my kid's youtube videos to the TV). The TV's NetFlix interface is horrendous and this makes Netflix so much easier/fun to use. So... yep, I purchased a $35 dongle to make Netflix run better, but the 3 month discount eases the pain.

Thank you for the suggestions, I'll check them out!!

I tried a trackball on the preview version, but for some reason, it just didn't "click", so I'm hoping there's another way to use the surface interface without my monitor looking like my car's windows after the baby has run his hands all over them.

I guess the way I was thinking about using it was the trackball for clicks and mouse actions and then moving my hand to the right to the trackpad(?) for swipe/pinch/etc gestures.

Perhaps? I'll check it out, thanks! I've used the Logitech Trackballs for years, so i have no clue about the current state of pointer devices.

This might be out there, but I haven’t seen it yet, so some help would be appreciated.

Is there a touchpad/mousepad I can lay on my desk to act as the touch proxy for the screen? I’ve seen the Surface and the screen looked great, well... until it started being used, that is. It got all mucked up after a little bit of use and there’s _no_ way I can use that on my work machine.

So. is there some way I can use something like a mouse pad as the interface (pinch, zoom, swipe, etc, etc) without having to touch the screen?

My take on it is that the first step is to pick _something_ and start working with it. I'm not sure whatever "it" is has to be the best language, versus training your brain to go through the mental process of programming again.

The $64k question is how your accident has impacted your mental capabilities when it comes to programming, so starting with something "basic" will give you the chance to start to work with a coding project and self-analyze where you might have some holes due to lack of knowledge or due to the accident.

That being said, the concepts and languages available now versus the late 90s are very much changed, so even if you hadn't had the accident, picking up something after 15 years would be a challenge, so don't be discouraged if it doesn't "click" right away!

Seriously. As soon as you try to negotiate or assert your position, the overwhelming chances are they will balk or claim your employment contract grants them rights to your work. It's much easier to talk to a lawyer now who knows the circumstances unique to your location and can advise you hat your chances are.

Don't forget, you can also 'donate' it to your job and position yourself as the good guy, which might help you out down the line, depending on your bosses and the company. Not to mention, it's also a nice thing to put on your resume that will look great at the next interview you go to.

Ok, can you tell I watch the Disney Channel with my toddler?? My first thought was "Wobble Goggles" from the Imagination Movers! :-)

But you pointed out facts that they don't like, hence you're guilty of troll-like behavior.

Kinda like what happens to the scientists who question the whole global cooling->global warming->climate change (what will be next?) hypothesis.