Progress!

Router problems are solved.  Mostly. My laptop still loses the connection to the internet every once in a while. It stays connected to the router, but the net goes away. My wife's laptop (in the same room) never drops. I played with about 50 settings last night, per a ton of web postings, and it seems to be an "occassional" issue now, rather than a "frequent" one.
Are you watching the continuing Katy Couric interviews of Sarah Palin? Choice clip from yesterday on the link.

Couric-Palin, Round Four

Couric's extended interview with Palin: This exchange is telling: "COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed [...]