Roland Piquepaille Dies

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Posted by kdawson on Friday January 9, 2009 @06:33AM from the in-memoriam dept.

overheardinpdx writes "I'm sad to report that longtime HPC technology pundit Roland Piquepaille (rpiquepa) died this past Tuesday. Many of you may know of him through his blog, his submissions to Slashdot, and his many years of software visualization work at SGI and Cray Research. I worked with Roland 20 years ago at Cray, where we both wrote tech stories for the company newsletter. With his focus on how new technologies modify our way of life, Roland was really doing Slashdot-type reporting before there was a World Wide Web. Rest in peace, Roland. You will be missed." The notice of Roland's passing was posted on the Cray Research alumni group on Linked-In by Matthias Fouquet-Lapar. There will be a ceremony on Monday Jan. 12, at 10:30 am Paris time, at Père Lachaise.

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Rest in peace by ChienAndalu · 2009-01-09 06:36 · Score: 3, Interesting

I have read some interesting stories from Roland here. Most of them were tagged "ohnoitsroland", the meaning of which I still don't fully understand.
1. Re:Rest in peace by The+End+Of+Days · 2009-01-09 07:22 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Don't bother bringing truth or reason to Slashdot. There's a large contingent of users on this site who seem to have the same amount of religious fervor as your average born-again evangelical, just for a different set of causes.
  I'm not sure if I respect loving Jesus or hate Roland less.
2. Re:Rest in peace by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-09 08:31 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  True, but how would he have written it?
In memoriam by hansamurai · 2009-01-09 06:38 · Score: 5, Interesting

http://slashdot.org/tags/ohnoitsroland

--
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
slashdot^2 by FonkiE · 2009-01-09 06:42 · Score: 4, Interesting

i'll miss his blog. biotech, computers, physics ... it was slashdot^2 ... to bad he had to close down comments a few years ago due to abuse.
he was thinking ahead of his time. i would like to be that anticipating at that age.
Re:thank. fucking. god. by zappepcs · 2009-01-09 06:54 · Score: 1, Interesting

I don't know, I had a pretty good greasemonkey script that got rid of his submissions. When I first saw this story, I quickly checked to see if greasemonkey was disabled somehow. My first thought, WTF? How did that get there? Please tell me he has not changed something to get around the filter!
Sorry that he died, don't wish death on anyone... well, not most people anyway. Won't miss the stories either... I haven't been reading them, so not much affect.

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Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
Re:What happens to... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-09 06:57 · Score: 0, Interesting

Well since having died on Tuesday he's continued posting to Slashdot, so I guess he'll keep using his blog and email too.
Roland Piquepaille - Mod Him Way Up, IMHO by mfh · 2009-01-09 07:09 · Score: 5, Interesting

I liked his whit, and charming methods of describing things to the readers of this website. He truly embodied what can best be described one of the pioneers of the Slashdot effect. Some people trolled him pretty hard, but he was and will always be remembered as interesting, insightful, funny and underrated.
Roland, may the god(s) of whatever religion you believed in, forever mod you up.
RIP, bro.

--
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
1. Re:Roland Piquepaille - Mod Him Way Up, IMHO by brarrr · 2009-01-09 07:51 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  I know this is off topic but it's worth mentioning... this is the first time in several years where I've seen a post by any of you sub 1000 (non-rob) UID folks that has content and isn't about the ahem size of your UID.
  (not that I mean to rip on you guys or say that you don't make posts that I just don't see, but it is just such an infrequent occurrence in my view to be worth noting) ... and I will wait patiently for some 56 user to make a non-witty, meaningful post to prove me wrong :)
  
  --
  to email me: take my /. handle and append .net preceded by charter.
2. Re:Roland Piquepaille - Mod Him Way Up, IMHO by mfh · 2009-01-09 07:59 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  mfh--> mother fucking hillbilly? He doesn't want to be your bro and I don't blame him. And, for the records, he was MODDED DOWN.
  Roland was green-lit approximately 500 times for front page news on Slashdot, and he will be remembered for his love of technology. People like you will not be remembered in such a way, because your whole meme is insipid -- it really offers nothing.
  
  --
  The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
Re:I think I speak for all of us when... by 5pp000 · 2009-01-09 07:12 · Score: 4, Interesting

You certainly don't speak for me, Anonymous Coward.
R.I.P. Roland.

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Your god may be dead, but mine aren't!
Re:Wait a second by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-09 07:27 · Score: 1, Interesting

Do you people do that a lot?
"Hi it's Kdawson here from Slashdot, can you confirm your dad's died?"
I don't think most people posting to Slashdot, or submitting stories, expect this kind of intrusion.
Yeah... bout that UID. by mfh · 2009-01-09 08:06 · Score: 4, Interesting

Sorry to disappoint you, but -- inb4 "He Bought it on Ebay."
I first visited Slashdot when UIDs were in the low 1000's, so I have a lot of time invested in this website. I've read plenty of Rolly's posts and while I didn't agree with all of them, I always enjoyed his perspective.

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The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
Re:I think I speak for all of us when... by Fizzl · 2009-01-09 08:08 · Score: 2, Interesting

On the contrary, he very rarely seemed to understand what he was reporting about, making overly optimistic and far reaching speculations about trivial matters.
I was surprised just now to learn that he was actually so technically inclined.

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Bot Assisted Blogging
Re:Rest in Peace, rpiquepa by backslashdot · 2009-01-09 11:51 · Score: 4, Interesting

Agreed.
I was one of those folks who said bad stuff about his posts. If he read it I hope he didn't take it personally. He was a good guy and there's true bad things out there to have gotten riled up about instead. I am saddened by this news.
Re:Rest in Peace, rpiquepa by Seumas · 2009-01-09 13:03 · Score: 2, Interesting

I was initially rubbed wrong by the style of his advertising via Slashdot stories, but he did grow to be a significant fixture in this community. Like most people, there are those whose impressions of him and fondness for him slide off from center in both directions. Regardless, this headline evoked a great deal of sadness as it has clearly for so many others.
I can only join the community in giving my best wishes and condolences to his family, friends and his colleagues. Yet another in a line of wonderful people we have witnessed the death of in our many years here at Slashdot.
I fear the passing of notables in this field will only accelerate as those who were my age when the tech world began to bloom reach their senior years now. I am not looking forward to more similar headlines down the road.
Re:Translation: This is what he is trying to say. by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-09 17:43 · Score: 2, Interesting

Roland was a well intentioned soul and will be sorely missed. I found most who mocked him did so in a jovial spirit, he sparked vigorous debate even from detractors and he encouraged a focus on fringe topics that keep this site unique and interesting. We all have our quirks, and his were more entertaining than frustrating. He will live on in all our hearts as more than just a meme, but as a kindred spirit, as one of us.