Amazing…Fox can occasionally put out good programming after all.

As is typical for me and reality shows, I didn’t watch the middle of My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé – only the beginning and end. I don’t endorse toying with the sacred covenant of marriage like the producers did, but I think the end justified the means.

Throughout the show, I was impressed by Randi’s humility. She was after the money not for her, but for her family. Despite the occasional profanity, she seemed level-headed and mature throughout the show. Good for her. I wish her the best.

Now, as for Forever Eden and Playing It Straight, I will not be watching these shows to comment on them here. I’m sure you’ll be able to find plenty of other places to read about this trash.

About my absence – In addition to taking a break from blogging, I’m also working on adding many features to sorrab.com. Since this is ultimately a side project for me, it could be some time before you notice any changes. Trust me – when they’re ready, you’ll know.

Windows source code leak – The big news recently has been the leak of a portion of Microsoft Windows NT 4 and 2000 source code. The mainstream media is speculating that crackers will use the code to exploit undiscovered security holes, but I’m skeptical for two reasons – first, only a relatively small portion of fairly outdated code was released, and second, the bad guys have been doing just fine without seeing the code. However, there’s no doubt that the release won’t help either Microsoft or the general public – legitimate coders won’t touch the leaked source with a 12-foot pole, for fear of compromising their work in other projects.

Mars exploration – Spirit and Opportunity seem to have faded from the public eye, but both have been hard at work on our sister planet. In other news, the Interplanetary Internet was tested recently by NASA. The test involved relaying signals from NASA‘s Spirit rover to the ESA‘s Mars Express orbiter, marking the first time that equipment from the two space agencies have successfully communicated with each other.

Janet Jackson – Ahh, yes, who could forget the famous halftime show? I was not pleased to see the indecent exposure. It may have been only 18 frames, or 3/4 of a second, but I caught it, which means many, many other people did, too. I watched the testimony of NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Viacom COO Mel Karmazin’s testimony before the House on C-SPAN. While Tagliabue seems remorseful about the event, I found Karmazin’s continued defense of the event as “gross, not indecent” to be distasteful and irresponsible. (What else is new…)

Today, we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created, for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology. Where each worker may bloom secure from the pests of any contradictory truths. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!

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It’s been an interesting news day. A lot of recent articles have caught my attention.

Mad Cow Disease – Despite the fact that parts of the cow infected with mad cow disease may have reached Hawai’i, I haven’t stopped eating meat. (I’m sipping on a Diet Coke from Jack in the Box as I write this.) It’s a little unnerving, but I believe the reports that contamination is unlikely, so I’m not going to worry about it too much.

Is There a Doctor Aboard? – For 67 year-old Dorothy Fletcher, there were 15. The Associated Press reported today that the Liverpool, England native was flying to Florida for her daughter’s wedding. When she suffered a heart attack en route, 15 cardiologists flying to a conference in Orlando rushed to her aid. Despite a five-day hospital stay, Fletcher arrived in time for the nuptials. It sounds like everybody involved will have quite a story for their friends and family…

That’s Sir Tim to You – Tim Berners-Lee, a British physicist, will soon be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Currently the head of W3C, Berners-Lee is credited with the creation of a little program called WorldWideWeb in 1990. The rest, as they say, is history. In true form for him, Berners-Lee dedicated the honor to the entire web development community:

This is an honor which applies to the whole Web development community, and to the inventors and developers of the Internet, whose work made the Web possible. I accept this as an endorsement of the spirit of the Web; of building it in a decentralized way; of making best efforts to keep it open and fair; and of ensuring its fundamental technologies are available to all for broad use and innovation, and without having to pay licensing fees.

I would venture to say that content bloggers probably fit into the category of “Web development.” I know that I’m grateful for the Web. I learn so much every time I peruse the pages millions of people have chosen to share with the world.