Big Brother Update:

A group of academic researchers in Toronto have provided evidence that China—it isn't clear whether it is the Chinese government or private individuals—have developed a spy network throughout 103 countries to track the affairs of the Dali Lama, by infecting computers with spyware. The New York Times' John Markoff reports on the story in today's paper.

The Chinese government has denied involvement, stating that it does not condone or participate in cybercrime, But behavior on the part of Chinese officials indicates knowledge of individuals' activities that could only be obtained through such efforts.

The Economy: How bad is it?

Microsoft has begun to layoff workers. Does that give you some notion about the relevance of Microsoft's new ad campaign? (See The New York Times' article in today's paper.)

Note: In 1992 Microsoft shares were selling for $2.50. By 1999 the price had risen to $60, and some 10,000 Microsoft employees had become millionaires through their stock options.