Rhymed Code Asides no longer working

I use the rhymed code for posting asides which is NOT dependent on a tag but rather on using two loop queries. After updating to 2.1, my “asides” are not separating out.

In the index, I have as follows:

<?php $wp_query->set('cat', '-26'); ?>
<?php query_posts(''); ?>

and in the sidebar where the “asides” appear

<?php query_posts( 'category_name=asides&showposts=4' ); ?>
<?php if( have_posts() ) : ?>

Any explanation?