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undiscovered security holes, but I’m skeptical for two reasons – first, only a relatively small portion of fairly outdated code was released, and second, the bad guys have been doing just fine without seeing the code.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…)