Yearly resume refresh

I'm working on my yearly resume refresh and have been considering some changes. Before I make the changes, I'd like some sanity checking.

By way of background, I'm in software development, with twenty years of experience. I've held titles all the way up to VP of Engineering. I usually keep two resumes handy (ready to be fine-tuned to whatever job I am applying), one tech-oriented and the other management-oriented. I tend to lean towards smaller, near-startup companies.

• Traditionally, my resume has included my name at the top center, below which is shown my street address, email, and phone number. Is it still necessary to include my physical address? An address may give an incorrect impression of my socioeconomic status. Google Streetview may show my cousin's beat-up pickup truck currently being stored. It may falsely imply that I'm not willing to drive a given distance or pick up and move to be closer to a job. Initial contact in this day and age will be by email or voice, not via snail mail. Will leaving out a physical address be considered S U S P E C T?

• For my technical resume, I usually place technological keywords in a section immediately after my contact information. Quick and easy to visually scan, but I tend to leave out technologies that I'm either not interested in (VB6?) or are no longer relevant (OS/2, anyone?). In this refresh, I'm leaning towards removing the keyword section at the top and placing a more complete list of tech keywords and tools-used below my bulleted job descriptions. A computer scanner shouldn't care, but for the human reader, it splits my keywords into multiple locations in the resume and placing the initial location below the fold. This makes me nervous. Should I leave a summary of proficiencies at the top for the human scanner? Should I include in-depth lists with each job description? Should I do both?

• For my first draft, my resume now runs to 3-4 pages. How bad is a long resume for a veteran of twenty years? Should I cull it down to the major highlights?

• I took most of a year off after my last startup to enjoy my young family. During the subsequent round of job-hunting, that time off was often brought into question and my simple explanation was looked askance at. To avoid unnecessary questions, should I just include years (2000 - 2004) include of month/years (September 2000 - July 2004), or does that look like I'm trying to hide something? (Obviously, if the exact dates were needed, I'd be able and willing to provide them, I just want to remove a reason to immediately toss the resume in the circular bin.) I should also clarify that I left the startup due to a layoff during a tough time for the company. I had enough cash stashed away to take the time to be with my wife and baby.

Thanks! bagpiper

Edited to finish the last section, which had the last 1-1/2 sentences missing.