Oh and - any suggestions by chance of how to proceed if the maintainer ends up being AWOL? Looks like in this module's case in particular the maintainer has been away since 2007. Not sure I'm ready to "be" a maintainer (though heh I suppose on one this simple lol) since I don't have the skills to handle feature requests or security concerns, but would still like to get my patch applied once tested.

Yep. There's a procedure laid out at Dealing with abandoned projects. Basically, make a post to the issue queue offering co-maintainership. If no reply for 2 weeks (this creates a public record that the maintainer is inactive), then move the issue to the Drupal.org webmasters queue and someone can transfer it to you. You'll also need to apply for a CVS account once one of the webmasters team gives you the go-ahead.

There are many different ways to be a project maintainer. Some go nuts and work on their projects every day, fixing bugs and adding new features. Some only commit patches to the modules that have been reviewed and tested by the community (Drupal, in fact, is such an example). I'd say that if the module is truly abandoned, better to have some kind of maintainer than none. :) It'd be a great opportunity for you to learn and take your skills to the next level too, if you're keen.

(and hey, the video quality was spot on, for those Drupal admins seeking psychedelic 60's-like experiences har har... just kidding) :P

LOL. Excellent. That was totally my intent all along, of course. ;)