Default post category per user

Is there any simple way to set a default post category per user? In other words, when a different user logs in to write a post, their default category is selected automagically. I had high hopes when I read that WP2.0 had “user-level options,” thinking that everything in the options menu would be user-specific, but the “Default Post Category” still seems to be global. As a side question, is there any way to filter the “Manage Posts” page by author?

I don’t mind hacking a little bit if I get a nudge in the right direction… Thanks!