Hacker News with Generative AI: Obituary

Remembering Matilda, the last survivor of the transatlantic slave trade (aljazeera.com)
January 13 marks 85 years since the death of Matilda, whose name at birth was Abake – meaning ‘born to be loved by all’ among the Tarkar people of Western Africa.

History, Slavery, Africa, Obituary

49 points by dxs 6 days ago | 40 comments

Aaron Swartz left us 12 years ago (twitter.com)

Social Media, Activism, Technology, Obituary

32 points by tzury 7 days ago | 2 comments

Hermit guardian of Budelli dies after three decades on paradise island (theguardian.com)
Mauro Morandi, an Italian man nicknamed “Robinson Crusoe” by the media after living alone on a paradise island for more than three decades, has died at the age of 85.

Italy, Environment, Nature, Obituary, Human Interest

20 points by akbarnama 10 days ago | 3 comments

David Lodge, British novelist who satirized academic life, has died (nytimes.com)
David Lodge, the erudite author of academic comedy and a wide-ranging literary critic, died on Wednesday in Birmingham, England. He was 89.

Obituary, Literature, British Authors, Novels, Satire

94 points by lermontov 10 days ago | 19 comments

Tell HN: John Friel my father, internet pioneer and creator of QModem, has died (ycombinator.com)
Tell HN: John Friel my father, internet pioneer and creator of QModem, has died

Obituary, Internet History, Technology, Software

1092 points by AaronFriel 18 days ago | 98 comments

We Should Have Listened to Jimmy Carter (jalopnik.com)
President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. died on Sunday, December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia, at 100 years old.

Politics, History, Obituary

10 points by rntn 19 days ago | 0 comments

Manmohan Singh, Indian ex-PM and architect of economic reform, dies at 92 (bbc.com)
Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has died at the age of 92.

Politics, India, Obituary, Economics

9 points by sonabinu 22 days ago | 2 comments

DJ Alfredo, a pioneer of "Balearic Beats", has died (theguardian.com)
DJ Alfredo, who had a significant influence on Ibiza becoming a global centre for dance music culture, has died aged 71.

Music, Obituary, Ibiza

17 points by bookaway 24 days ago | 2 comments

Gordon Mah Ung has died (pcworld.com)
PCWorld executive editor Gordon Mah Ung, a tireless journalist we once described as a founding father of hardcore tech journalism, passed away over the weekend after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.

Obituary, Technology Journalism, Tech Industry

161 points by EA-3167 24 days ago | 22 comments

Christopher Hitchens Epigrams That Aged Like Fine Wine (stevestewartwilliams.com)
The iconoclastic journalist Christopher Hitchens died twelve years ago today, after a brief but spirited battle with cancer.

Journalism, Obituary, Culture

20 points by nomilk 33 days ago | 1 comments

HowStuffWorks founder Marshall Brain sent final email before sudden death (arstechnica.com)
The week before Thanksgiving, Marshall Brain sent a final email to his colleagues at North Carolina State University. "I have just been through one of the most demoralizing, depressing, humiliating, unjust processes possible with the university," wrote the founder of HowStuffWorks.com and director of NC State's Engineering Entrepreneurs Program. Hours later, campus police found that Brain had died by suicide.

Tech News, Obituary, Mental Health, Education

140 points by CharlesW 44 days ago | 48 comments

Thomas E. Kurtz, a Creator of Basic Computer Language, Dies at 96 (nytimes.com)
Thomas E. Kurtz, a pioneering mathematician at Dartmouth and an inventor of the simplified computer programming language known as BASIC, which allowed students to easily operate early computers and eventually propelled generations into the world of personal computing, died on Tuesday in Lebanon, N.H. He was 96.

Computer Programming, History, Obituary, Technology

20 points by stonlyb 62 days ago | 1 comments

Thomas E. Kurtz has died (computerhistory.org)
With deep sadness, we say goodbye to computer pioneer Thomas Kurtz.

Obituary, Computer Science, History

618 points by 1986 64 days ago | 149 comments

Thomas Kurtz, Co-Creator of Basic, Has Passed (legacy.com)
Hanover, NH - Thomas Eugene Kurtz died peacefully at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon, NH, November 12, 2024, at the age of 96.

Obituary, Programming Languages, History

10 points by vertnerd 65 days ago | 1 comments

Steven Rudich (1961-2024) (computationalcomplexity.org)
Complexity theorist Steven Rudich passed away on October 29 at the age of 63.

Computer Science, Obituary, Complexity Theory

8 points by ColinWright 67 days ago | 1 comments

Celebrating the Life of Aaron Swartz: Aaron Swartz Day 2024 (eff.org)
Aaron Swartz was a digital rights champion who believed deeply in keeping the internet open. His life was cut short in 2013, after federal prosecutors charged him under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) for systematically downloading academic journal articles from the online database JSTOR. Facing the prospect of a long and unjust sentence, Aaron died by suicide at the age of 26. EFF was proud to call Aaron a friend and ally.

Digital Rights, Activism, Law, Technology, Obituary

27 points by hn_acker 70 days ago | 1 comments

Elwood Edwards, voice of AOL's 'you've got mail' alert, has died (nytimes.com)
Elwood Edwards, an announcer who voiced the ubiquitous AOL email alert “You’ve got mail!” at a time when many Americans were just beginning to learn how to navigate the internet, died on Tuesday at his home in New Bern, N.C. He was 74.

Technology, Obituary, Internet Culture

165 points by tysone 71 days ago | 32 comments

Elwood Edwards, Voice of AOL's 'You've Got Mail ' Alert, Dies at 74 (nytimes.com)
Elwood Edwards, an announcer who voiced the ubiquitous AOL email alert “You’ve got mail!” at a time when many Americans were just beginning to learn how to navigate the internet, died on Tuesday at his home in New Bern, N.C. He was 74.

Obituary, Internet, History, Technology, Media

7 points by damethos 71 days ago | 3 comments

Man behind AOL's "You've Got Mail" voice dead at 74 (cnn.com)

Obituary, Voice Acting, Internet History

29 points by gaws 71 days ago | 2 comments

Elwood Edwards, Voice of AOL's 'You've Got Mail' Alert, Dies at 74 (gizmodo.com)
Millennials, pour one out. TMZ reports that Elwood Edwards, the voice behind AOL’s iconic “You’ve Got Mail” audio message, has died at age 74.

Obituary, Technology, Music, Internet, Nostalgia

12 points by Krontab 71 days ago | 8 comments

Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died (nytimes.com)
Richard A. Cash, who as a young public-health researcher in South Asia in the late 1960s showed that a simple cocktail of salt, sugar and clean water could check the ravages of cholera and other diarrhea-inducing diseases, an innovation that has saved an estimated 50 million lives, died on Oct. 22 at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 83.

Public Health, Medicine, Cholera, Disease Treatment, Obituary

198 points by impish9208 72 days ago | 53 comments

Once Linux's Biggest Enemy: Darl McBride Dies and Nobody Notices (fossforce.com)
The man who, as president and CEO of SCO, attempted to sue Linux out of existence died a month and a half ago with little notice by the Linux and open source communities.

Linux, Open Source, History, Legal Battles, Obituary

38 points by marcodiego 75 days ago | 36 comments

'An incurable romantic': The boy who lived a secret life in World of Warcraft (bbc.com)
When Mats Steen died at the age of 25 in 2014 from a degenerative muscular disease, his parents, Robert and Trude Steen, were surprised to be contacted at their home in Norway by people from all over Europe, mourning his loss.

Video Games, Obituary, Disability, Online Communities

26 points by ColinWright 80 days ago | 14 comments

Phil Lesh, Bassist Who Anchored the Grateful Dead, Dies at 84 (nytimes.com)
Phil Lesh, whose expansive approach to the bass as a charter member of the Grateful Dead made him one of the first performers on that instrument in a rock band to play a lead role rather than a supporting one, died on Friday.

Music, Obituary, Grateful Dead

30 points by arittr 84 days ago | 7 comments

Philip Zimbardo, psychologist behind the 'Stanford Prison Experiment' dies at 91 (news.stanford.edu)
Philip G. Zimbardo, one of the world’s most renowned psychologists, died Oct. 14 in his home in San Francisco. He was 91.

Psychology, Stanford University, Obituary, Social Science

29 points by Jerry2 88 days ago | 16 comments

One of the Last Navajo Code Talkers from World War II Dies at 107 (apnews.com)

History, Native Americans, Obituary

45 points by thunderbong 89 days ago | 1 comments

Ward Christensen, BBS inventor and architect of our online age, dies at age 78 (arstechnica.com)
Ward Christensen, co-inventor of the computer bulletin board system (BBS), has died at age 78 in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Obituary, History, Technology, Internet

30 points by colinprince 94 days ago | 3 comments

Sammy Basso, longest progeria survivor, dies at 28 (cbc.ca)
Sammy Basso, a scientist and advocate who was the longest known survivor of progeria, has died at the age of 28.

Health, Science, Obituary, Progeria

7 points by bookofjoe 97 days ago | 0 comments

Ratan Tata Passed Away (thehindu.com)
Veteran industrialist Ratan Tata died at a Mumbai hospital late on Wednesday (October 9, 2024), a top police official told PTI.