So sad to hear this. Condolences to his family and to all my former colleagues at Red Hat. This is a huge loss for the open source community.
Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
21–30 of 415 posts
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#22When will we stop tolerating the flagrant waste of life that occurs every day as a result of our addiction and worship of the automobile?
Probably the day after we stop tolerating the even more egregious waste of life that occurs every day from mass over consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and, well, food.[1]
Accidents are only 7th in the top 10 killers, and automobile accidents are a fraction of that category[2].
If we want to tackle major causes of death, this is the place to start:
1. http://www.policymic.com/articles/24365/9-leading-causes-of-...
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#23At some point in the future we will look back on the era of the automobile as the era of carnage; the amount of life lost is staggering. I bike to work every day in a pretty bike-friendly city (compared to most) and it is still unnerving most days.
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
He was killed by an automobile driver. The U.S. is notorious [1] for bicyclists (and pedestrians) being hit by cars at a relatively high rate, because it prioritizes automobile infrastructure and speed (and culture) over bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure/accessibility/safety. [1] Not to say it's the worst, just relatively bad for an advanced country.
You've never been to China then. I've never been to any country where the drivers are more courteous to pedestrians than the USA.
The US is a big place. Some areas are OK for pedestrians and bicyclists. Many are not so friendly or accommodating.
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is this a joke? What part of this death is due to automobile worship?
He was killed by an automobile driver. The U.S. is notorious [1] for bicyclists (and pedestrians) being hit by cars at a relatively high rate, because it prioritizes automobile infrastructure and speed (and culture) over bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure/accessibility/safety. [1] Not to say it's the worst, just relatively bad for an advanced country.
The U.S. is huge and spread out. Not everyone has the luxury of having all their needs within a 10 minute bike ride. We need that automobile infrastructure to get places so it makes sense that it is prioritized.
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#26This is terrible, but I wonder if there's a technical way we can provide a black box for bicyclists so that these sorts of injustices don't go unpunished. RIP :(.
Maybe the answer is self driving cars that via sensors are less likely to make these types of errors.
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#27So very sad. I personally think the world would be a much better place if cars were relegated to intercity travel and walking/biking/public transit were the only means of intracity movement. The world would be cleaner and in all likelihood much healthier, and needless accidents like this would be avoided. RIP.
Unfortunately, this is not remotely feasible in many of the most populated cities of the US, nor many of the rural cities. [0] It's a nice thought, but not one that could ever happen.
Till we learn to drive responsibly and be aware of our environment as a matter of course, these accidents will continue to happen.
RIP.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/05/c...
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is this a joke? What part of this death is due to automobile worship?
He was killed by an automobile driver. The U.S. is notorious [1] for bicyclists (and pedestrians) being hit by cars at a relatively high rate, because it prioritizes automobile infrastructure and speed (and culture) over bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure/accessibility/safety. [1] Not to say it's the worst, just relatively bad for an advanced country.
I quit biking because I realized it was unsafe.
I am not sure why ostensibly intelligent people would engage in any activity where you are one texting teenager away from crippling injury or death.
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#29When will we stop tolerating the flagrant waste of life that occurs every day as a result of our addiction and worship of the automobile?
Is this a joke? What part of this death is due to automobile worship?
No, this is not a joke. Having heavy motorized vehicles zooming around our urban landscape is incredibly dangerous and violent. Worse, the pilots are inattentive and feel entitled to the asphalt in front of them. Automobile worship has completely dominated city infrastructure, demanding that cyclists and pedestrians simply learn how to use a road designed for automobiles. Automobile worship has also reshaped how we've done city development, making it more difficult to do anything but drive.
Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's one of the both wonderful and sad things about our field; it is so young and burgeoning that we get to interact with many of its founders and grandmasters on a daily basis, but we also get to see them pass away. We miss you, Seth :(
the human condition?
You will likely see Gates, Stallman, Torvalds, Lessig, Knuth, Norman, Minsky, Alan Kay, Abelson, Rivest, Sussman, [...] die in your lifetime. Sure, Turing, Church, Curry and others have already died, but their numbers are low compared to the ones that have not yet (and some of the older users here might actually have been alive at the time of their passing).
If you were in a field such as chemistry/philosophy/biology/etc., you would also be alive for the deaths of some eminent people in your field, but not in the same proportions.