Category: news

From The Register, it looks like telecom company Marconi isn’t doing very well. Though their stock price reached $17.70 in 2000, it’s now fallen to $.03. I did web development work for FORE Systems (now a part of Marconi) during the summer of ’99, and I hope they can pull out of this slump.

Once a cash-rich operation, Marconi ended with 4.3bn pounds ($6.6bn) in debt following an acquisition spree when it paid $4.5bn in cash for ATM-switch maker Fore Systems Inc and $2.1bn for Reltec, a manufacturer of last-mile access products. At the time, the company bragged that the deals would move it up into the same league as Cisco, Nortel and Lucent. […]

Andrew “Bunnie” Huang wrote a paper explaining a security flaw in Microsoft’s Xbox gaming system. Before presenting it, his advisors had legal concerns — in case Microsoft would wield the DMCA against them. But... they didn’t.

Microsoft told Huang and Abelson that while it might prefer that the paper not be published, it would be inappropriate to ask MIT to withhold the paper. […]

That’s, err, such a non-evil attitute to have. Yeesh, I’m completely surprised. Then again, I still won’t be upgrading to WinXP ;).

I drove back from Hershey today. Of course, yesterday was Brian’s funeral and visitation.

Many of my friends from Virginia Tech attended, so it was nice to be able to talk to them about Brian and even just life in general. It seems that almost all of them live in Northern Virginia these days, and it’s probably been almost a year since I was last in that area (visiting Brian).

The funeral service was held at The Evangelical Free Church of Hershey. Some people said some words about Brian, and there was actually a good deal of hymn-singing. I hadn’t been to a funeral before this one, but I can’t say that I expected so much singing. And, I’m not sure whether it was intentional, but I thought it was oddly appropriate that the first hymn was #404.

At the end of the day, I ended with an uplifted feeling. I think just talking with other people about Brian made me feel better.

Roxanne e-mailed me this info on Brian’s funeral, in case you had wanted to attend:

Date of Service: Tuesday, July 30
Church Name: Evangelical Free Church of Hershey
Address: Hilltop Road, Hershey PA, 17033
Closest Airport: Harrisburg
Parents Address: 305 Cocoa Avenue, Hershey PA, 17033
Visitiation: 1PM
Funeral: 2PM
Reception: return to church

[Roxanne also writes:]
Please call my cell phone if you need anything. 703-926-0673