... I eventually get another check in the mail from Intel as part of a settlement from a class-action lawsuit. The last one was for them not paying right for on-call responsibilities for salaried employees.

Who needs a pension-plan when the management at large corporations continuously practice unethical, short-sighted policies? Just think of the abuses you're suffering today as a forced long-term savings plan for your retirement fund.

(Maybe I'll cash this check when it arrives and buy an ARM or AMD based system, just to add insult to injury).