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Analog Designer Bob Pease Dies In Car Crash
EdwinFreed writes "It's being widely reported that Bob Pease, well known analog circuit designer and author of Pease Porridge, has died in a car accident. He reportedly was driving alone in his 1969 Beetle and failed to negotiate a turn."
I'm sorry he died, but he wasn't wearing a seat belt. He presumably understood the risk that entailed.
As an analog designer, I've come to appreciate Bob's many contributions over the years. He was a good writer and a terrific engineer, and he knew both theory and hands-on practice better than most of us. He could explain complex concepts in simple language, and it seemed he was a no-nonsense kind of guy yet had a good sense of humour. The electronics field, from hobbyists, to other engineers, to semiconductor companies, owes him a debt of gratitude. He will be missed.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
I used to live for his regular columns. I loved his wit, and curmudgeonly attitude. I met him a few times and found him the same in person as he was in print. He will be missed. Yeah, VW beetles were dangerous little cars. I drove one for years (a 1964 model) and I was very careful, and knew what a death trap they could be. But how many of us ride motorcycles, or other dangerous vehicles. Life is a series of risks. I guess we could wrap ourselves in cotton balls and stay home. He was not a "damned fool" just a human being who chose to do something he knew was risky, who no doubt weighed the risks, and decided to go ahead.
The worst part is that Mr Pease was coming back from the funeral of Jim Williams, another analog great working at Linear Tech.
Mostly random stuff.
Bob Pease and Jim Williams (who also died recently) were legends in analog electronics.
Bob was still an active contributor to many columns.
His last is here http://electronicdesign.com/article/analog-and-mixed-signal/What-s-All-This-Solo-Hiking-Stuff-Anyhow-.aspx
RIP Bob
46137
I appreciate all the insight you lent me and the fact that you opened my eyes to a better way to troubleshoot and think about systems.
Bleh!
We don't know if he died "stupidly", whatever that may mean. For all I know he had stroke/heart attack and was unconscious when it was time to turn the steering wheel.
By the way, Bob was coming back from a memorial service for Jim Williams, another of analog circuit design great minds. He missed the end of the service by half an hour.
I'm getting drunk tonight in their memory. All I know in analog circuit design I've learned from my dad and them, I'd say they all share equal influence on me. Bob and Jim were great teachers, seriously down-to-Earth, no-bullshit guys.
A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
It wasn't vandalism. He did write such a book, which got decidedly mixed reviews. I haven't read it.
In this case the his driving (and seat belt) probably had nothing to do with it. He was 70, recently diagnosed with diabetes, and had just come back from a memorial for a good friend. He was most likely dead of a coronary event before his car left the road.
a ridiculous godwin is a good godwin. and it was kind of meant as a joke on the heated trolling/discussion below regarding "seatbelts: useless, or nanny state murder device?"
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
Bob was one of the most clearheaded problem solvers out there, regardless of domain. When I was designing high-voltage CRT drivers, his books and columns were invaluable. When I moved on to digital, then FPGA system architecture, then management, again his thinking was almost always mappable in some way to the problems at hand.
When he wrote a self-published book on driving, _How to Drive Into Accidents and How Not To_, I bought and read that too (472 pages on driving).
For those that say Bob was not serious about seatbelts because he apparently was not wearing one, he talked in detail about how that Beetle had rotted belts, how he had purchased nylon webbing to repair them, and his difficulties in finding a good, robust way to sew them. He made the point that a seatbelt "holds you down firmly and helps you AVOID having an accident." [Bob's emphasis]
The man was not perfect, and I'm sure his actions did not always match his intent (did you ever see pictures of his desk? or the back seat of the Beetle?), but we've lost a great thinker, and he will be greatly missed.
You're a damned fool in making assumptions. There's nothing out there so far (else post links) that indicates that seat belts (or their lack) played any role in the outcome. Shut up.
You've made four comments saying pretty much the same thing. Maybe you should close the window and do something else, there's no point getting stressed over a Slashdot comment (or four).
Also, if you don't wear a seatbelt I strongly suggest you reconsider that decision. At the very least, you must wear one when sitting in the back, as that will prevent you from crushing the person in the front seat in a collision.