On the first ever Geek Cred Live which I hosted on Saturday, one of the discussions we had was about online friends. Through forums, games, or IRC chat, you can meet great people, and becomes just as good friends with them as with people you know in real life. Life can have a cruel sense of irony. Last night I lost one of those dear friends, Jim Vestal. Jim was a textbook example of a great friend you can have online. I first met Jim years ago, on EFNet. Jim was a very special person who didn’t judge you, and would welcome anyone to his channel with open arms. He loved computers, and practically lived on IRC, as Narnia777/Jimmy777/Jim. He was admitted to the hospital a few days ago with chest pains and passed away late last night. In another cruel bit of irony, his IRC client is still online, holding ops in his channel, but there’s nobody home now. I will miss the late night conversations and words of encouragement. It’s hard for me to say goodbye, especially so abruptly, and so before your time, but I know that you are in a better place. Here’s to you Jim.
R.I.P. Jim Vestal, 1965-2007
Greg here. It’s amazing the sort of contacts you find while searching the web, I found one of Jim’s friends who I’ve never met but have only heard mentioned in passing. I’m working on getting his email address now, but the internet is just a fascinating, amazing conglomeration.
So back to Jim. I miss him.
Greg
I barely knew Jim, but he seamed like a awesome guy to be around. I’m sorry to hear the bad news and I hope only the best for his family and close friends. I really don’t know what else to say other then best wishes.
It’s amazing. You come to know these people you talk to on a semi-nightly basis, but somewhere deep down, you still don’t see these words popping up on your screen as coming from another real human being.
At least, that’s how it is for me sometimes.
It’s at times like this when the reality of our brief (and sometimes not-so-brief) crossings on the Internet hits home. Suddenly somebody you were having a good conversation or repoire with has vanished. They are now gone, and you can only imagine the sadness their passing has brought to their family. In your own little corner of the world, you feel sad, too, but somehow, the cacophony of the web at large prevents it from being the show-stopping event that it should be.
Rest in peace, Jim. I only knew you through a few exchanges on #GeekCred, but nonetheless, I’ll be here in my own little corner of the world, feeling sad about not having had the chance to know you better, and thinking of you and yours.
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