Jeber’s

Bruno: Goodbye my dear friend

Fran, one of our outstanding administrators at Scot Finnie’s Newsletter Forums, has composed a fitting tribute to our dear friend Bruno, who passed away this last Saturday.

Sadly, yesterday, February 20, 2010 at about 10:00 AM local Amsterdam time, Bruno slipped away…no more pain, no more sorrow. This is a soulful time for me. I really miss Bruno very much. But am so relieved that he will no longer have any pain to contend with. No one should have to suffer the horrendous pain that accompanies pervasive cancer that they can’t fix …

Fran also links to several other wonderful tributes to this gentleman who managed to present an often contentious topic, the
Linux operating system, with patience and respect not often encountered among OS enthusiasts.

I urge you to read Fran’s post as well as the other comments from his friends and fans.

I, and hundreds of other people, will miss Bruno. We wish his family and friends peace.

Bruno … Remembering a dear friend

The Last Act of Courage…

To Bruno Knaapen: God Speed

The World Is Mourning The Loss Of Bruno Knaapen – Linux Advocate

Bruno Knaapen of Amsterdam

Good-bye dear friend

I just learned today that a dear friend is dying from cancer that has spread to his brain and other organs. It’s not treatable and he is resigned to his fate.

I’ve known this gentleman for 5 years or more. He lives in Europe, I live in California. We have never met.

Yet I know as much about him and what he holds dear in life as I do many of my off-line friends. He is passionate about Linux. When I was ready to give up and confess that I would never understand this foreign operating system, he encouraged me to keep trying, offering invaluable advice and direction that eventually had me up and running and never looking back…until tonight. Now I can’t help but look back and realize how profoundly he affected my enjoyment of computing and taught me about operating systems and, more importantly, how to persevere and stay focused until success was achieved.

I know he has a loving family that means all the world to him. While he is a very private person he was so excited about his daughter’s wedding that he shared pictures of the event with all his on-line friends, pictures from which he was conveniently absent. He is justifiably proud of his family.

He is extremely humble about his knowledge and influence. He is solely responsible for teaching a lot of us that Linux can be enjoyed without the typical animus that often exists between Linux users and those on Windows or a Mac. When writing about Linux, he prohibits the term “newbie” which he perceives as demeaning. His goal is to introduce Linux in a friendly and helpful way to anyone interested. In this he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

Being non-religious I’m at a loss in offering many of the hollow platitudes folks so often trot out at times like this. I know he will be profoundly missed by his family and friends. I know that we’ll miss his moderate attitude, his patience, his encouragement, his humor, his presence. He will leave a hole in all our lives that no one else can fill. We are saddened because of what the effect of his passing will have on us left behind. Our lives will be poorer for his absence.

I join all who know this wonderful gentleman in wishing him love and peace through his remaining time with us. May his last days be free of pain and filled with joy. May he pass from us fully aware of how significant he has been in our lives. May he know he will not soon be forgotten.

Cleo, my love

It has been a year since there was a dog in my life. I had forgotten what a wonderful addition they are to a person’s life, especially a single-person-who-spends-too-much-time-in-front-of-a-computer-keyboard’s life.

A few weeks ago Cleo entered my world and I remembered all the great reasons for having a dog around.

Cleo and me

We’ve gone for long walks together, visited leash-free parks where Cleo has been able to make new friends and play to her heart’s content. She insists I take frequent breaks from the computer to go outside and toss her favorite ball so she can chase it down.

Cleo is an amazingly well behaved and calm puppy. She’s only 17 weeks old yet behaves better than other dogs I’ve taken through training classes and spent months trying to impress. She goes to work with me every day where she is now the official greeter. The customers love her almost as much as I do. Some of them bring treats from Petco, half a block away. We even have customers who come in just to visit with her though they don’t need to purchase anything.

Everyone who meets her remarks first on her interesting appearance, then on her mellow personality. She not a barker, not a digger and walks on a leash like she’s been doing that for years.

I could go on for many more sentences extolling her virtues. She is a dream dog, the dog I’ve been hoping to find all my life.

She’s also the last dog I’ll probably ever own. I’m 54. If she lives out a normal lifespan of 12 to 14 human years I’ll be in my late 60s and too old to find another companion. I may still have cats as I do now, since they’re rather self-sufficient. But most likely Cleo will be my last canine roommate.

Please, if you like dogs but don’t currently have one, consider adopting one from your local shelter. There are so many wonderful dogs there waiting for a good home. Many of them are only in shelters because their families just couldn’t afford, in money or time, to properly care for them anymore. They will introduce an element of joy into your life that no other creature can.

If you’re ever in my neighborhood come by and say hello to Cleo. She’d love to meet you.

Cleo time

I’ve had quite a few dog companions over the last three decades, but never one as special as Cleo.

This morning we walked up to the local Starbucks so I could get some coffee and Cleo could receive all the attention she always gets from anyone who passes by. She’s incredibly well behaved, waiting patiently while I get my dose of java.

When she accompanies me to work, she has her own bed where she’s happy to snooze in between walks and greeting customers. Whether at the store or at Starbucks she instantly wins friends and receives all the attention a puppy could want.

Chris Pirillo, Birthday Gnome

Today is Chris Pirillo’s birthday. If you’re new to the internet or have just emerged from a cave, here’s a brief introduction;

Chris Pirillo (born July 26, 1973(1973-07-26) in Des Moines, Iowa) is the founder and maintainer of Lockergnome. He spent two years hosting the TechTV television program Call for Help before parting ways with the company. He also hosted the first annual Call-for-Help-a-Thon on TechTV. He now hosts videos on several internet sites, including CNN.com, YouTube and his own website.  (Wikipedia)

Chris was born the year after I graduated from high school.  That means today he is 35 and I’m as old as dirt.

By virtue of my advanced age I was a geek while Chris was still learning to go potty by himself.  In 1976 I was working with a Cray supercomputer and various in-house built systems at the National Security Agency as a member of the Army Security Agency.

In the 80s and early 90s I was living in Idaho, far from any connection to the world of computing and computers.

Chris, though, was busy learning all about technology, gaining the knowledge he would later employ to help others find their way on the newly created information superhighway.

Chris had already made a place for himself on the internet by the time I got involved in personal computers.  He had a successful email newsletter, had written a book and started an online community forum for those who needed answers to their cyber-questions.  The forum was where I first encountered this whirling dervish of all things tech.

Since joining the forum I’ve unashamedly followed Chris around the web, getting involved with nearly every activity he’s started.  I do so because I admire Chris on both a professional level and a personal level.

Not only is he a walking knowledge base of Windows (and now Macintosh) systems and online communication, he uses every venue imaginable to share that knowledge with everyone.

In the personal, non-tech world he’s a wonderfully compassionate person.  When I couldn’t find a way to attend my dad’s funeral a couple of years ago, Chris made it possible.  He’s been a true friend on so many levels that if he were to retire from the internet tomorrow I would still count him as one of my few close friends.

And yet I still have never met him in person.

Chris is a class act.

The internet is a complex world.  Chris has dedicated himself and his vast Lockergnome enterprise to making that world more comprehensible to the rest of us.

Head on over to his web page and wish him a Happy Birthday.