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Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

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Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

#31

Post by josh2600 »

technotony wrote: post #16
josh2600 wrote: post #12

This 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 :(.

Google Glass?

That's a really interesting comment. I think there are battery limitations, but maybe you could design Google Glass with an App that triggers on abrupt physical displacement (IE a collision).

I wonder if that would help. You definitely couldn't stream continuously because of battery and bandwidth limitations.

Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

#32

Post by moskie »

bti wrote: post #25
_delirium wrote: post #13

Earlier 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.

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.

But you've got it backwards. The point is that the "spread out" nature you're talking about was created with the idea in mind that everyone will have a car and will drive. That was a conscious decision, and not a necessary one.

Also realize that it was by design that you don't view having a car to be the luxury.

Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

#33

Post by eterm »

Terretta wrote: post #22
joonix wrote: post #6

When 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-... 2. h…

But if you were to sample leading causes of death among 18-40yr olds then car accidents would be top.

Smoking is abhorrent but it still tends to kill the older, car accidents kill young people.

Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

#34

Post by dusing »

antr wrote: post #15
josh2600 wrote: post #12

This 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 :(.

A camera mounted on the bike/helmet is the best solution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqSp4XZX0CU

Funny how the video also shows them running a stop sign. I think you have to follow lights and stop signs even in the bike lane, right?

Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

#35

Post by jonknee »

josh2600 wrote: post #31
technotony wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Glass?

That's a really interesting comment. I think there are battery limitations, but maybe you could design Google Glass with an App that triggers on abrupt physical displacement (IE a collision). I wonder if that would help. You definitely couldn't stream continuously because of battery and bandwidth limitations.

Just have it powered by the bike...

Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

#36

Post by Bosence »

Terretta wrote: post #22
joonix wrote: post #6

When 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-... 2. h…

I do feel though, that more innocent people are killed by other peoples driving mistakes than other peoples alcohol/smoking/diets.

Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

#38

Post by cagenut »

I just met Seth in-person for the first time at ansiblefest a few weeks ago, after having crossed paths with him on irc for nearly a decade. Every time I renewed a RHEL subscription at work his was a specific name I had in mind that I wanted to fund the work of. I've built my entire career on the redhat/fedora/centos/yum/cobbler/func/ansible projects he's been a major part of.

He wasn't just a prolific contributor, he was a really good guy. He helped people out in irc channels near constantly. After my first ever conference presentation he came up to me and complimented and thanked me for it. He was both a code and cultural pillar of the greater redhat community, I will miss him.

Re: Seth Vidal, creator of yum, killed in hit and run accident

#39

Post by hillbillyjack »

_delirium wrote: post #13
akivabamberger wrote: post #9

Earlier 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.

Without living in the US it is hard for you to come up with a valid argument against prioritizing automobile infrastructure.

Population density alone makes it an issue outside of large cities like New York, because of that you'll also find most cities have pretty lackluster public transportation.

It is tragic that people are hurt and worse because of automobiles but they are a fact of life in America and cyclists are a very minor subset of the population for which taxes rarely cater.

One of the major problems with bicycling is the lack of respect between the cyclist and the motorist, it goes both ways but there are plenty of motorists who do not understand the laws and despise cyclists. But there are also many cyclists who fail to follow the laws which helps perpetuate the hate from motorists.

If more cities had the budget for dedicated cycling paths and road usage I'm sure they would use it but as it is now only some "greener" cities are able to do anything.

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