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Update on Jason Haas Car Accident
kTag sent us a page of daily updates from the wife of Jason Haas, LinuxPPC developer. For those who hadn't heard, Jason was in a bad car accident a bit over a week ago. Keep Jason in your thoughts. Any e-mail addressed to him will be forwarded.
Cassie, Keep up the good work supporting Jason, but make sure to leave enough time for yourself to make it to the next day. Once upon a time I was married 4 months, and my wife took a spill on a ski slope. What started out as a fairly trivial knee injury quickly escalated into a life or death situation in the ER when she developed multiple blood clots in her lungs (7 or 8) including one between her heart and her lungs. She spent 8 days in the hospital with me by her side as she pumped full of dangerous drugs to remove the clots and keep her blood thin. Eventually, the catheters and the rest of it were slowly removed and she could start Rehab (which lasted months because the leg hadn't been moved in so long). Its a rough road, I won't kid you, but you need to be strong for him. And like I said, you need to make sure you keep enough to yourself that you can continue to support him day by day. Also, if you can make him laugh once in awhile that means the world. One of my precious memories was shaving exactly 1/2 my face after letting a 8 day beard grow (I spent my nights sleeping in a hospital chair so I figured why not) and getting her to laugh at that after a major medical setback. My best wishes and prayers are with you. BTW, in case you are wondering how a knee injury turns into blood clots, its smoking + the pill + overweight + having a major limb in a brace for a week. Also, sorry for the AC post but she would kill me if she found out I was talking about this (she made a full recovery and doesn't want the attention for it).
There's several different approaches we can use to try and explain this that might get through to your reptilian little brain.
First...the Darwinian/game theory approach: we are social animals; those who show some degree of altruism and care for the welfare of others benefit in the long term from the support such a society provides. Those who care are more likely to be cared about, and reap the benefits (exchange of favors, trust, etc) that that entails. It's a form of contract where we as a group agree that if you look out for my interests, I'll look out for yours, and we'll mutually benefit.
Second, the value of the individual: each person has a unique set of abilities, knowledge, and potential. The loss of that individual thus would rob us as a group of a valuable resource. It is in our best interest to look out for each individual's welfare.
Third, the tribal approach: Jason is one of our own. He has contributed greatly to the Open Source community, and will likely continue to contribute once (if?) he recovers. His continued health benefits all of us.
Fourth, the empathic approach: You've just had a car accident and you're in the hospital, gravely hurt. You are being fed through a plastic tube run through your nose and down into your belly. Another tube goes down your throat to your lungs, breathing for you. You have IV needles in your arm and you have to piss through a catheter. You're blind in one eye, and looking at the world through a drug induced haze with the other, at a mixedup world that doesn't make much sense to you. Despite the drugs, you are in incredible pain. Your memories all run together in a nonsensical jumble and you vaguely remember what thinking coherently felt like, but only distantly. And now imagine you're going through all this and nobody cares. Pretty bleak, eh? It could be you in that bed, fighting to come back, needing all the help and encouragement you can get. Starting to understand a little?
--WhiskeyJack
I just made a donation in honor of Jason and Cassie. They'll be in my dreams.
----------------------------
Stop blaming everything on SUV's. Clearly, the driver of the SUV was at fault; he (she?) was drunk.
However, take a look at those pictures. Jason managed to do one hell of a lot of damage to the SUV (if I remember right, he was on a motorcycle; that gives you an idea of the difference in scale). All other things being equal, had the driver been using a Bug it would simply have been torn apart, and Jason would be just as hurt (plus the driver would have been hurt even worse than he (she?) may be now).
So please, don't blame the car for the accident. It was the driver who was at fault, not the vehicle. Jason was on a motorcycle, so thype of vehicle that hit him wouldn't have made any difference. SUV's are not "huge killing machines." They're just cars, like any other; it's the driver that matters.
It won't work. Petrol (gas to those of you that choose to so describe the liquid with which you fuel your car) costs the equivalent of nearly US$6/gallon here in the UK, and the roads are still full of them.
"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
Consider this: These people aren't part of the community. To truly be part of a community, you have to care about it. These people obviously don't care about anyone but themselves, so they don't apply. They are parasitic infestations and nothing more.
I don't see how anyone can be like that, though. There are very few people I would ever wish an accident like this on - not even Bill Gates deserves to nearly lose his life to a drunken idiot (not to say I'd mind if his little empire collapses, but that's another story).
As a LinuxPPC user, Slashdot reader, and car crash surviver, I wish Jason the best of luck.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
- Jeff
Exactly. Woz recovered well, although I'm not certain he was quite as bad off. Woz may be one of the few cases where someone nearly loses their life because he was trying to figure out a coding problem.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
- Jeff
It's a nice gesture, and the sentiment might make Jason (an Cassie) feel better. In this case, you can consider prayer 'rooting' for him to get better.
Prayer seems kind of dumb to me anyhow. If there were a god, why would he/she take votes on whether or not a person should get better? Is there a limit to good deeds or something, and he/she decides by a democratic vote who survives?
Anyhow, it's a nice gesture, whether or not it does anything.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
- Jeff
---
:>
but He prefers us to take an active participatory role.
---
Why?
Humans are flawed in comparison, correct? My point was: could a human sway "god's" opinion and somehow change the result? If so, is this a good thing? If this god takes these suggestions seriously, doesn't that taint his/her actions? If he/she doesn't, doesn't that make our input worthless? I'm just trying to figure out if this would be a representative democracy, or a dictatorship.
Either way, I don't think my input would exactly be wanted.
(note: This post assumes for the sake of this discussion the existance of a god.)
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
- Jeff
Sure, us piss-poor college students stuck with the only 30 year old gas-guzzling car they can afford will really appreciate that. So will the logistics industry.
logan
Some others have commented on brain damage. I don't think such speculation is warranted. I'm sure his neurotransmitter levels aren't quite normal, and that may be all it takes for now. After all, he's healing and that's very stressing for the body -- because it takes a lot of brain activity to assess and repair the damage.
Like Unix, our bodies have various processes that have various priorities. A fairly high-priority high-energy (aka high CPU) process is maintaining temperature. At times of great stress, we block out (not a matter of consciousness so much as a matter of priority) stuff. For example, if I'm so tired that I'm getting cold, carrying on a conversation with me is futile.
Just think of Jason's processes as having been reniced. There's no indication that they won't be back to normal.
It may be a while to recovery, but the brain is pretty amazing. Having watched someone (my husband) die of a stroke, I really got an education (later supplemented by a class in neurology) that helped me understand more.
While it's a trying time for Cassie (you hang in there girlfriend, let me know if you need help), she seems to be holding up well. Then again, I remember from that time that one finds reserves of strength one never knew existed.
_Deirdre
>Things like the Expedition, Suburban, and
>Excursion should require CDL's
AFAIR, the Excursion has a high enough GVWR that it *DOES* legally reqiure a class B license in Texas.
As far as how often that gets enforced... well, I'd be real surprised if it's EVER been enforced, give the number of yuppie soccer moms I see driving these things yakkin' on their cell phones while reaching behind 'em to get their mascara out of their purses...
-LjM
Drunk driving is preventable, but... there's only a finite-amount of stick-sharpening we can do as a society. Remember, for most drunk drivers, the "criminal intent" involved is simply trying to get home and making bad decisions about how to do it when their judgement is impaired already. This isn't to say it's at all acceptible, just that repeatedly trying to stiffen penalties for a crime with no fundamental underlying criminal intent is not the only way to go about preventing drunk driving. A number of other remedies can and need to be practised as well:
:) In the Milwaukee context we're describing, for example (1) a pretty efficient bus system does exist, but (2) Milwaukee and surrounding communities (Waukesha and Racine counties, for example) have separate bus systems, and (3) "after hours" bus service is all-but-nonexistent, at least in many areas.
:)
Many cities, including Milwaukee, have overnight parking bans. While these serve a variety of lesser purposes (facilitating snow removal, requiring residential parking permits), they also unintentionally contribute to the drunk driving problem: any offer of a "ride home" is always encapsulated in the subtext of "what do I do with my car?" While the people in question SHOULD have planned ahead, many do not -- and oftentimes wind up gambling when their judgement is impaired already (why do casinos serve free drinks again?).
Public transportation can also make-or-break the DUI problem. I can recall several occasions partying with friends in Chicago, where we'd ride the L back to their apartments, so drunk we could barely stand up, and late enough at night that it wasn't unusual (in a bar context) to be going home. To be effective in this battle, public transportation has to meet three criteria: (1) it has to exist -- many places have nothing. (2) it has to actually run to places where people live, and where they hang out after hours -- again, many places assume "commute only, and only within the city limits". And (3) it has to run the correct hours... again, not just "commute only", but up until after the bars close. How do taxi companies make money on the "free ride home" New Years' Eve promotions? Because the people still have to get to the bars in the first place, without taking their cars with them
I'm going to also add in the drinking age issue, because I believe that MADD's efforts to raise drinking ages to 21 were counterproductive. Why? Because they moved drinking among 18-20-year-olds (In WI, again going back to the example, the drinking age used to be 18. In ID, where I grew up, it was 19.) "underground." Instead of drinking in "public", and often in the presence of older, more experienced and mature individuals, this group of people was forced into situations like rural keg parties that all-but-invite drunk driving. Assuming they won't drink just because it's illegal is tantamount to assuming college students won't pirate mp3's because... well, you get the idea. Better to get these drinkers back into the bars where the rest of us can keep an eye on them
Now, in the interest of fairness, I will say that one of Wisconsin's DUI laws does need some stick-sharpening: even if you lose your driver's license in Wisconsin because of repeat DUIs, you can still apply for (and are all-but-guaranteed to get) an occupational license, which will allow you to drive to-and-from work, and in the context of your job. So you've lost your license, but you can still drive in the context "most important" for most people to drive in? If that's the case, what's the point of taking their licenses away to begin with? Talk about a license revocation with no teeth: let's see Wisconsin abandon the occupational licenses and require habitual DUI offenders to actually secure ALTERNATE transportation when their licenses are revoked!
Disclaimer: I am no longer a Wisconsin resident. I moved to Connecticut 10 months ago.
This is my opinion and my opinion only. Incidentally, IANAL.
MOO;IANAL.
There used to be a picture linked here.
I knew nothing about the accident, or Jason or Cassie until I read the story and Cassie's posts just this evening.
Cassie, your posts really touched my heart. Jason is very lucky to have such a supporting, loving, and caring wife as yourself. I'm sure that your brave efforts will help his recovery tremendously.
Let these words be a token of my support.
Ian.
I agree. I would also add that removing the drinking age entirely may be desireable. I have lived some time in other countries (although I am from and currently live in Wisconsin) and haven't seen the massive social desintegration that is predicted if one lowers the drinking age. In many countries (Germany was were I was at) the drinking laws are almost non-existant, if you can reach the bar they will serve you. This leads to a much more mature attitude regarding consumption of alcaholic beverages and generally makes for more reasonable, adult-like persons, as opposed to the overgrown children I see around myself every day (caveat, I am exposed to a "higher" educational system every working day, full of students)
It happens that my father is a police officer locally, he would like to see the driving laws tightened in this area as well (as well as the Huber work law, allowing people to go to/from work while in jail, inmates just wander off after work and when they are recaptured are put back on Huber.) Most of the DUIs he deals with are repeat (5-10+) offenders, many who don't have licenses (which of course does nothing to prevent you from actually hopping behind the wheel and taking off). It is the incorrigables, the people who just won't learn, that cause the most trouble, he figures that greater than 99% of the people he arrests are people he has arrested before.
-- Remember: Wherever you go, there you are!
For Jason, Cassie and everyone else:
I've been through something similar to this..I know what the frustration and misery feels like..I saw it every single day of my life for the past year or so. Through it all, I came away with a deeper understanding of why these sorts of things happen, and why they happen to good people. At first, it doesn't make sense..but given time, a few things rise to the surface and become clear.
As hard as it may be to understand right now, pain, fear and suffering are all integral parts of what it means to be alive. It reminds us that we're human. It helps define who we are, and provides us with a greater appreciation for the things we all take for granted sometimes..Happiness, good health, and the love of friends and family, among others.
If you believe in God, that's cool. He's there for you, and everyone. If you believe in yourself, that's cool too. Its the connection we all share that matters.
The old adage "That which does not kill you makes you stronger" is very true. Thats why it's been passed down for centuries..
And you know he'd be doing the same for you, Cassie..Thats why you married the guy.
Best Wishes,
Bowie J. Poag
Project Founder, PROPAGANDA For Linux (Moving to MetaLab/UNC!)
Bowie J. Poag
It seems like his brain's been really screwed up by the accident. He pretty much doesn't remember anything.
I sure hope he's able to program again, but if he isn't, the people at Slashdot are pulling for him.
US businesses that currently accept chip and PIN/signature
Not quite.
:)
.sig: File not found.
My '79 Lincoln (4661 lbs dry) would tear apart a Navigator if we were to hit head-on at identical speeds.
A lot more goes into an impact than the weight and speed of the vehicle. Cross-structure braces, etc. My car would be less damaged than said Navigator, but I'd most likely be killed - the car is only 4-some feet tall, and the Navigator would most likely use most of its bulk to crash over it.
The location of the bumpers on an SUV and braces are significantly higher than in a car for the purposes of ground clearance. If their bumper hits my Dodge Dart in the window, for instance, it's not going to help much, even at the 5-mph rating of them.
KE is only half of the equation
Despite all this, however, I am not against SUV's in the marketplace. I think they have a very strong purpose and myself sometimes considering buying them. What scares me is all the soccer mom's driving them that don't belong behind the wheel. Things like the Expedition, Suburban, and Excursion should require CDL's.
ls:
ls:
(A)bort, (R)etry, (I)gnore?
"Hey Billy, come ovah here und ztart daddy's car *hiccup*. I gots to get ta work."
"If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
As far as I know, a Honda Civic is a model of car.
If he was on a motorcycle, I doubt he would have fared as well as he did.
-Vel
Drunk drivers cause accidents. Yet nobody seems to do much about it. Why? I honestly do not know.
A drunk driver in an SUV caused an accident which almost killed a fine human being. Each day, many drunk drivers in many types of vehicles cause accidents which do kill fine human beings, or damage them for life. Piers Anythony wrote about a young girl named Jenny who can't do anything, aside from breathe and focus her attention on something, thanks to a drunk driver who hit her and damaged her spinal column. Her life will never be as full as it might have been, thanks to a hit and run.
The US has a minimum drinking age of 21 in most States. In Canada, it's generally 18 or 19. A lot of people in both countries die because of drunk drivers. So does a minimum drinking age help? Not much, because people still die. If you are going to drink, you have to drink responsibly. Cab drivers may drive poorly, but they are generally sober.
Even driving a car is a great responsibility. So do they retest people every year or two to see if their driving skills have "gone off," and need to be corrected? Heck no. Every day at every corner, I can watch cars that start their turns too early, and don't turn sharply enough (thus crossing several lanes instead of turning into one). Or people who need those extra few seconds (seconds which are averaged by every single red light you stop at) to get to work, and so swerve around a person turning left (or just stopped) -- generally right into the car or thing they were stopped for. I've been hit this way (turning left, person runs yellow. THUD). Hit and run drivers are the worst, because they can't even take the time to help the victims of their actions.
Sigh. Until your car has enough technology to gauge driver maturity and sobriety, it will basically be a large object used to assist the ability of people with poor judgement to commit random murders.
---
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Look, everybody is going to die. That's about all you can be sure of. But you go read what Cassie writes and you'll have to realize, she loves him. And sooner or later he'll get his wits back, and then he'll come to know that.
People talk about love all the time like it's a common ordinary thing. Why I don't know, maybe it's a hangover from imbibing all that romance fiction as we modern people do, but look at the real world around you, it certainly is not. To be loved like that even for a moment is so valuable a thing, it's what one lives for, yet it seems to be so impossibly rare in our Sisyphean lives (as opposed to in fiction) that it practically never happens.
So you might say, "Poor guy," and "What bad luck fell on him" but near as I can tell Jason Haas had already hit the jackpot.
Yours WDK - WKiernan@concentric.net
I hope that Jason recovers from this accident. It is a great shame that these things happen.
A cousin of mine was killed by a Drunk Driver in 1981 which prompted my aunt to start a local chapter of MADD. This was just a couple of years after MADD was created and there was very little that could leagally be done to the guy (in Tennessee at least). I think that he spent a couple of weeks in jail and that was it (I was only 11, so I do not remember a lot about the whole thing).
It is a shame that even today, the penalty for drunk driving is relatively light considering the magnitude of the crime. If someone took a gun out in the street and started firing randomly and killed someone.. that person would go to jail for a long time. Drunk drivers who injure or kill people should be treated in the same manner as people who commit murder. It is negligence, pure and simple. These people make a conscious decision to drink until they are intoxicated and get behind the wheel.
I was hit by a 24 yr old drunk driver a few months ago, it was early in the evening and this guy was driving about 85 in rush hour traffic on the interstate (in a Geo Tracker) when he hit me. Fortunately I nor any of the other drivers on the road were injured by his negligence.
> As for those out there that have ever driven
> drunk... Fuck You! You may think you're in
> control enough to drive, but that sort of
> arrogance just shows how out of control you
> are.
Its sort of a tangent but...
This attitude is very justified. People shouldn't
drive drunk, everyone says that, however, its not
so simple of a problem as can be solved by just
saying "don't drive drunk"....what is drunk?
This is something I thought about the very first
(and very few) times that I got drunk. I was 16,
and sitting on a friends couch. We were both
drunk off our asses. As I sat their on the couch,
I kept trying to asses "how impaired am I?".
I felt fine. I kept thinking "im not impaired at
all, I can't even feel it". In truth (truth that
I found out as soon as I got up off the couch) is
that I was plastered to the point that bipedal
locomotion was quite a feat!
This is the real problem I see...the impairment
caused by alcohol masks itself. With other drugs
(like cannabis for instance) I can tell about how
fucked up I am and about how impaired I am.
With alcohol, I can't.
Certainly not everyone who drinks is too impaired
to drive. It has alot to do with the individual,
the amount they drank, the time frame of the
drinking, whether they ate food that slowed the
absorbtion etc etc. Compound that with the fact
that it is hard fro an impaired person to tell
how impaired they are.
I am not sure I know the answer to this problem.
Perhaps a simple test of reflexes or some such
that one needs to pass before they can operate
their car? (such a thing could also catch overly
tired drivers also)?
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Finally, this servers as an example what drunk driving can lead to. Just don't do it. Get on a bike or bus instead ...
I agree about the bus, but DONT BIKE! Believe me, having watched dozens of students on their way home after a particularly good party wondering which side of the road to cycle on, biking is not a really sensible option. Okay - so you don't pose quite the same danger as a drunk driver in an SUV, but the end results could easily result in death or injury for you, the driver of the vehicle which hits you or swerves to avoid you, or a bystander. If you have a bike, use it as a mobile crutch - a walking stick with wheels. Oh - and in the UK you can be breathalized while cycling, be fined and have points on your driving license for cycling while drunk. Probably applies elsewhere too - you are in charge of a vehicle on a public highway when cycling.
Cheers,
Toby Haynes
Anything I post is strictly my own thoughts and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the opinions of IBM.
Well the Polish authorites answer that question with a surprising clarity. Any alcohol detectable in your blood (above the natural traces) bans you from driving. Thus having drunk half a pint you are not allowed to drive! And a drunk driving is regarded as a criminal offence rather than a driving offence.
You think it doesn't make sense? Well it makes a lot of sense actually, because different people have different levels of alcohol tolerance. As you said, some will be relatively sober after quite a few rounds but there is a minority who will be out of their minds after three. So the only safe threshold that works across the whole society is ZERO! Trying to define "drunk" in the highway code just gives those morons a legal gateway to escape prosecution when they run over somebody. In this particular case I'd argue that that's the best law a country can have.
First of all, I want to encourage all of you who know, might know, have heard of, would like to know...of Jason to take a quick minute or two and send him your best wishes. It will mean more to him and his loved ones than you will ever know.
How do I know this? Less than a month ago, my 28 year-old brother was killed in a one-car accident. His work brought him in contact with people all across the U.S. There was not enough room in the church for all the people. I can't tell you how comforting it was for us to know what a difference he had made in so many people's lives.
Take a minute to send a note. It doesn't cost anything, and your Karma points will soar!
You're right in one regard: Shit does happen and good people get hurt. But you are gravely wrong elsewhere.
Everyone is something special. Every single person that dies needlessly makes each of us that much poorer. Every single person has inherent worth, if not for what they are now, for what they might become. Maybe one day you'll understand; I just hope you don't have to go through something similar to what Jason is before you start to get it.
Your inability to show compassion for a stranger who has been hurt speaks poorly for you. Try looking beyond your immediate surroundings at the bigger picture, hey? There's more to the world than your immediate circle of friends.
Would you start caring if this Jason fellow had just figured out how to cure your mother's cancer just before the drunk driver scrambled his mind? In order for you to care, his continued health has to have a direct beneift to you personally? That's just the thing -- it does benefit you, only you're too blind to see it. His health benefits you, if for no other reason than his existence increases the number of minds out there working on the problems that affect you daily.
Even the bag lady on the street corner just down the road from your place benefits you. How? She inspires people who care to seek solutions to the problems that put her on that corner....problems that might have a bearing on your life as well.
-- WhiskeyJack, who sees no greater tragedy than wasted potential.
I'm not sure what else I can add to the conversation, except for the little bit of Jason I knew.
I met Jason Haas and Jeff Carr at LinuxWorld Expo in 1999, in San Jose. They were there to represent LinuxPPC, I was there for AbiSource. Our booths were about 30 feet apart. On setup day, they were nowhere to be found, and I wondered if their flight had been delayed. By the first day of the show, however, they had everything setup and a good crowd in their booth.
Through Jason and Jeff, LinuxPPC was even willing to lend AbiSource an iMac (running LinuxPPC, of course) to demonstrate AbiWord in our booth. Our little green iMac drew lots of attention those two and a half days. Later LinuxPPC donated a dedicated build host to AbiSource for automated builds and releases.
During a lull in the crowds (or near lunch, I don't remember), I wandered over to the LinuxPPC booth just to see what they were doing. It was there I spotted some of the portable Apple hardware running LinuxPPC, and was pretty impressed. I remember talking to Jeff and Jason about the video display, the PowerPC processor, the trackpad, external USB, and the battery life as they patiently fielded questions from other booth visitors--I didn't own a laptop, and at this tradeshow, one in two people had one. I wanted one, and these guys seemed to have an excellent plan.
So it turns out the PowerBook I'm using to type this comment came to me in large part because of Jason. It's an odd connection between the keys my fingers now touch, the smashed up cars in a junk yard in Wisconsin, and Jason, who probably doesn't yet remember LinuxWorld, August, 1999.
--
I am glad this was posted. I was always under the impression that Slashdot was a community that may bicker and argue, but was still a community with a common good. After reading a bunch of the "why should I care" and "so what" comments along with the other negative crap, I am starting to doubt that. You all know if your beloved Linus had a misfortune like this, everyone would be acting a bit different. This is a person, and if you can't say something supportive, do your self and everyone else a favor and neglect posting.
I don't know Jason, but I have always respected his hard work. I wish him and his family a speedy recovery and good fortune.
Who is the master of foxhounds, and who says the hunt has begun? -Pink Floyd
My girlfriend's sister went through a similar accident several years ago. Similar situation, drunk driver in a pick-up ran a light and hit her broadside. A few months before her high-school graduation, her life nearly ended.
She survived, and in time she got better. There is a scar on her thigh that she keeps as a reminder, and there are slight traces of the head trauma she suffered - a little slur when she speaks too quickly.
She graduated HS on schedule, thanks to aggressive rehab and the help and support of friends, family and classmates. She went on to college and finished on schedule, with a dual BS in Education and Spanish.
Things may hurt a lot now, and there is a lot of fear now. But, it WILL get better.
Jason, I have never seen your work and I do not know the person you are. But I know that you make a difference. Not only to your immediate circle and loving wife, but to a community spread the world over. I hope that the people whose lives you've touched let you know this, over and again.
As for those out there that have ever driven drunk... Fuck You! You may think you're in control enough to drive, but that sort of arrogance just shows how out of control you are. Think twice, then think again. The cost of a cab or a phone-call to a friend (or a cop; it's not a crime to be drunk, only to drive drunk; they will help you get home) is much less than that of a life (yours or that of someone else).
-- What you do today will cost you a day of your life.
Though I don't know Jason (actually I've never heard of him before (I've never dabbled with Linux PPC)), I wish him well and hope he recovers fully.
...
...
What strikes me about the articles are 3 things:
1) Cassie seems to holding up very well under the circumstances. Congratulations on handling what must be a very difficult situation remarkably well. I was amazed that Cassie still has the power to have some humor as she descibes her/Jason's situation.
2) Things like this should remind all of us how fragile our existance is. One second you're busy building cool software (or whatever else it is you're doing), caring for your familily, enjoying the good things in life, and the next you're in the hospital, your body and mind rearranged in very unpleasant ways. I think it's good to step back from time to time and realize how empty life would be without the people you care about (and how care about/for you). I'm as much as a computer geek as the next guy (maybe even more so), but it's things like this which from time to time makes me step back and look at my life, trying to figure out what's essential and what's not. Most the time it seems my software/technical side is essential and define who/what I am, but events like this one have a remarkable ability to make me doubt that. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter how fascinated with technology you are, don't loose sight of the fact that it's just one part of your existance. In the end, life is about (sharing it) with (other) people (and even animals).
3) I can't help but feel a dark fascination with the fact that such an accident can leave you seemingly lucid (ie: intact speech and vocabulary) but yet somehow detachted from reality. I think this in one way or another says something (interesting) about our cognitive processes.
Finally, this servers as an example what drunk driving can lead to. Just don't do it. Get on a bike or bus instead
Good luck, Jason; get well
Drunk driving is preventable. Jason's accident could have been avoided.
Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) accepts tax-deductable web-donations starting at $10. While I don't completely agree with everything they do, I support their primary mission of education and responsibility. I made my donation in honor of Jason Haas, LinuxPPC and Slashdot.org. There didn't seem to be a way of just tagging the donation with a name, so I sent an acknowledgement to:
(The MADD form requires something in all fields, so put something in the last name)MADD's donation page: http://www.madd.org/donations/
1998 Factoids: (from MADD's site)
I want to dedicate this small piece to his wife Cassie.
I did not know Jason very well, I saw his name a couple of time, but that's all.
What touch me in this story, is you (Cassie)... You seem to be a very strong person. It must be a really difficult time that you are going through. In one of youre e-mail you said that you need support. I'm sure that the community will do it's best to support you.
I know that it will be difficult for many month to come. I hope that the rehab will go well and that Jason will recover quickly.
When youre mood will be really down, don't forget that you have familly, friends and an entire community that is willing to help you.
Things will never be the same for you, I just hope that however different things are now, that they will increase in joy and happiness. You deserve this!
Hi. This is Jason's wife. Jeff Carr told me that Jason had been slashdotted (a fact that would have him bursting with pride, if he understood what it meant right now) and I've been reading everybody's comments. I just wanted to thank *everyone* who has posted their good wishes for Jason's speedy recovery. And for everyone who has complimented me on my fortitude and humor, thanks also. ;-) The fact is, I'm stubborn and prideful and I'd rather laugh than cry. For the person who made a donation to MADD in Jason's name, thank you for putting your principles in motion. I've considered sending them photos of the Civic for a promotional campaign, if they'd want to use them. I'll pass everyone's good wishes on to Jason. I fully expect him to recover, but it will take a long time and a lot of patience from the both of us. But I *did* promise him "in sickness and in health" and I meant it. -- cassie
Married to a Linux geek. Not Linux. Per res adversas firmitas.