ciao

24 May 2024 at 08:00

窓からは柔らかな光が射し込み、
[Soft light streamed through the window]
窓の外では鳥たちが歌う美しい朝に、
[Outside, birds were singing on a beautiful morning]
私に撫でられながら眠るようにそっと逝きました。
[As I petted her, she passed away gently, as if falling asleep]
長い間かぼちゃんを愛して下さったみなさま、本当にありがとうございました。
[To everyone who has loved Kabo-chan for a long time, thank you very much]
かぼちゃんは世界一幸せな犬だったと思います。そして私は世界一幸せな飼い主でした。
[I believe Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world, and I was the happiest owner]

Kabosu, the beloved Shiba-Inu behind the globally popular Doge meme, has passed away peacefully at home today at the age of 18.

This sweet girl, abandoned by a shuttered puppy mill, had ended up in a kill shelter before being rescued and nursed back to health by kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato in 2008. She was named "Kabosu" after the round fruit that her furry head resembled. Photos of a wary Kabo-chan from Sato's blog formed the basis for the popular Doge meme circa 2013, which spread into a whole series of Shiba-centric lore, the mascot of an ironic cryptocurrency, and even got her a lovely statue (and a manhole cover) in her hometime prefecture of Sakura. Sato gamely documented Kabo-chan's charmed life (and her feline friends) on her blog and YouTube channel; a brush with leukemia and liver disease in 2022 (previously) elicited a wave of support and love from around the world, and she soon made a "miraculous" recovery and lived happily and well for another 18 months. For locals, a farewell gathering is planned for Sunday, May 26th, from 1-4pm at dog-friendly hangout spot of Kaori Flowers in Narita, with a larger event planned for the beautiful Sakura Furusato Plaza when the weather cools later in the year. Sato's obit post closes:

かぼちゃんは今もまだにこにこ笑ってシッポを振って [Kabo-chan is still smiling happily and wagging her tail] 私に寄り添ってくれていると思います。きっとこれからもずっと [I believe she is still staying close to me. Surely, from now on and forever.]

Gordon Bell, an architect of our digital age, dies at age 89

Ars Technica

Benj Edwards

21 May 2024 at 14:53

A photo of Gordon Bell speaking at the annual PC Forum in Palm Springs, California, March 1989.

Computer pioneer Gordon Bell, who as an early employee of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) played a key role in the development of several influential minicomputer systems and also co-founded the first major computer museum, passed away on Friday, according to Bell Labs veteran John Mashey. Mashey announced Bell's passing in a social media post on Tuesday morning.

"I am very sad to report [the] death May 17 at age 89 of Gordon Bell, famous computer pioneer, a founder of Computer Museum in Boston, and a force behind the @ComputerHistory here in Silicon Valley, and good friend since the 1980s," wrote Mashey in his announcement. "He succumbed to aspiration pneumonia in Coronado, CA."

Bell was a pivotal figure in the history of computing and a notable champion of tech history, having founded Boston's Computer Museum in 1979, which later became the heart of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, with his wife Gwen Bell. He was also the namesake of the ACM's prestigious Gordon Bell Prize, created to spur innovations in parallel processing.

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Alice Munro, 1931-2024

MetaFilter

Kattullus

15 May 2024 at 06:29

Alice Munro, master of short stories, wove intense tales of human drama from small-town life is the Globe and Mail obituary [archive] for the Canadian literary giant who passed away Monday night. She received the Nobel in literature in 2013 among countless other prizes. She also cofounded Munro's Books in Victoria, British Columbia, who posted a remembrance on Instagram. The New Yorker, where many of her stories first appeared, has a section with links to her short fiction, as well as personal essays, appraisals and an interview and an obituary [archive]. The 1978 classic Moons of Jupiter was recently featured on their fiction podcast, and it is also available as text.

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