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Google Executive Dan Fredinburg Among Victims of Everest Avalanche

Posted by samzenpus on from the rest-in-peace dept.

alphadogg writes: Dan Fredinburg, privacy director for the company's Google X team, and an engineer who worked on many of Google's most exciting projects during his 8 years with the company, died over the weekend in an avalanche on Mount Everest. The 33-year-old worked on projects such as Google Loon, the company's balloon-based Internet access effort and self-driving car. He also was involved in Google Street View Everest, leading expeditions to gather imagery of the Khumbu region around Mt. Everest. Fredinburg's career began in a much less glamorous fashion as a "dock rat" and as a farm hand in Arkansas.

83 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Re:That's too bad by EmeraldBot · · Score: 1

    That's too bad. Why is this on slashdot?

    Does every story have to be a political trollfest? Can't we have some actual tech related news, for once?

    --
    "Set a man a fire, he'll be warm for the rest of the night. Set a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
  2. vs the other thousands... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Granted the other 1000+ who have died are mostly poor, but on the other hand, they have not done the social harm that Mr Fredinburg has in working for the biggest destroyer of privacy on the planet.

    And the 10's of thousands of others who didn't die but were displaced and had their homes destroyed cannot easily afford to replace them. Possibly because they did not enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else's privacy.

    1. Re:vs the other thousands... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      The death count is currently at 17 with approximately 30 injured.

      The earthquake's death toll is currently over 2500.
      Source: CNN, BBC, and Red cross.

      Those people matter just as much as some rich guy climbing Everest who the earthquake killed via avalanche.

    2. Re:vs the other thousands... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The avalanche was caused by the earthquake. It's the same event, and the deaths are from the same root cause as all the thousands who died buried under buildings that tumbled down on them: the ground shook and they were buried under things shaken loose, snow or bricks.

      But you knew that, didn't you? You just wanted to pretend otherwise, because then it wouldn't be so obvious that some people dead in the quake are being singled out for special treatment in the news media because they are rich.

    3. Re:vs the other thousands... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If Google didn't exist, then Yahoo or Microsoft would be the biggest destroyers of privacy on the planet, and they would be doing exactly what Google is doing (in fact, they already are).

      If none of them existed, then some other tech company would do it. In any parallel universe, the existence of the Internet will motivate the creation of tech giants with search engines, which will in turn motivate the mass collection of personal data.

      Google is just the company that got out in front. The loss of privacy is (and always was) inevitable.

      Human nature is to follow incentives. That's all there is to the story, really.

    4. Re:vs the other thousands... by ckatko · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The biggest destroyer of privacy on the Internet is the fucking US government, not a single corporation. You can always choose not to use a company's products (minus Comcast, eh?), but the government literally sifts everything regardless of your choices.

    5. Re:vs the other thousands... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      working for the biggest destroyer of privacy on the planet.

      Indeed, he was a true monster and deserves to be vilified. We should start a kickstarter to buy pitchforks for all. I'll organise a press release.

      This post is authorised by the NSA, TSA, FBI, CIA, US Government, NATO, EU, UN, Allied governments of the USA, and enemy governments of the USA.

    6. Re:vs the other thousands... by neilo_1701D · · Score: 1

      Those people matter just as much as some rich guy climbing Everest who the earthquake killed via avalanche.

      Every single life matters as much as the next person's.

      With a disaster like this, it's very easy to dissociate from those affected because there's no personal connection. By mentioning Dan Fredinburg, no matter what you think of him, he is a name that you at least know and draw some connection to.

      2,500 dead, and I've heard of at least one of them. That connects me more to that event, and makes me reach for the card to donate to Red Cross much more than, say, all the killings in Yemen. An Australian was killed, and again that connects me more to that event than what Boko Harem has been up to in Nigeria.

  3. At least he died doing what he loved. by Grog6 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Base Camp on Mount Everest; not a bad place to kick off, all thing considered...

    Hopefully there was a pitcher of Mai-Tais and some native girls. :)

    --
    Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
    1. Re:At least he died doing what he loved. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The native girls died, too, but nobody cares because they weren't rich white tourists. At least they died doing what they loved, being exploited by someone with more money than them, so that they could eat.

      Were there any more corporate executives that died in the earthquake, so that we can give a shit about them?

    2. Re:At least he died doing what he loved. by Rei · · Score: 1

      Thanks to Google's project Calico, I would like to be the first to wish Dan a speedy recovery.

      --
      "...but Republicans plan to come back with a new plan, where they just slash the tires on all the ambulances."
  4. Re:That's too bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Go away, no one likes you.

  5. Re:Starlight Glimmer 2016 by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

    I'm voting for Fluttershy, you insensitive clod!

    I mean, if it's okay with you...

    --
    Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
  6. Mt. Everest fad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    With all due respects to Mr. Fredinburg, climbing Mr. Everest is now the "in" thing to do for the elites, to the point that the area is strewn with garbage and human excrement that would take years to be cleansed by natural means even if all climbing were to cease today.

    1. Re:Mt. Everest fad by Rei · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm just waiting for someone with money to bring the situation to its obvious parodic conclusion and be carried up to the top on a gilded litter dressed like Xerces.

      --
      "...but Republicans plan to come back with a new plan, where they just slash the tires on all the ambulances."
    2. Re:Mt. Everest fad by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      For all you know this Google person - who was to have been a Twitter person next year - was shitting when the end came. Is THAT any way to die?

      It was good enough for Elvis.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Mt. Everest fad by rHBa · · Score: 1

      What are you talking about? Elvis Lives! He faked his own death on the toilet.

    4. Re:Mt. Everest fad by Chewbacon · · Score: 1

      It just smelled like he died in the bathroom. My wife says the same thing about me.

      --
      Chewbacon
      The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
    5. Re:Mt. Everest fad by t_ban · · Score: 2

      climbing Mr. Everest

      My wife does every this every night, yeah!!

      --
      First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win. -Gandhi
    6. Re:Mt. Everest fad by pnutjam · · Score: 1

      My urologist is a Sherpa.

      --
      Cheap storage VM.
  7. Re:That's too bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    That's too bad. Why is this on slashdot?

    Google is a company that does a few things with internet technology. Here's their website if you're interested in checking them out: http://www.google.com

  8. Americentred worldview by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    2,500 people died and a poor country is devastated and all that makes the news is one dead American. Disgusting.

    1. Re:Americentred worldview by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 2

      My, you're dense.

    2. Re:Americentred worldview by rubycodez · · Score: 2

      I'm thinking you are, linking to a story claiming social *could* help in such disasters, with a closing sentence that one family marked themselves safe on Facebook! HAHAHAHA, yeah tweets and facebook likes will stop falling rocks and bring food/shelter/medical aide to the victims. Let's all paste a white and grey ribbon on our social media pages because "we care" and "to raise awareness" while we're at it.

    3. Re:Americentred worldview by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 2, Insightful

      2,500 people died and a poor country is devastated and all that makes the news is one dead American. Disgusting.

      Moron.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    4. Re:Americentred worldview by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The dipshit that modded my post down should have clicked the link. Since braincells are at a premium here I'll spell it out:

      AC at +4 said:
      2,500 people died and a poor country is devastated and all that makes the news is one dead American. Disgusting.

      And what do you see when you click my link?

      7.8 Earthquake Rocks Nepal, Hundreds Dead

      Same site, only a day earlier.

      'Moron' not only describes the AC, but the people who modded his post up and mine down.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    5. Re:Americentred worldview by physicsphairy · · Score: 2

      If Slashdot's editorial duty is to emphasize news items based on their humanitarian importance, it fails with every article that isn't about death, poverty, slavery, etc. Of course, then it wouldn't be a tech website and we probably wouldn't visit it, so that all is fairly moot. This is about Dan Fredinburg because he was relevant to tech and known in our community (and he's certainly worth remembering as a person as well, regardless of what else is in the news). It's not here because it was the most important thing to happen in the past week.

      I think it's on us to give the events in Nepal their due emphasis. Personally, I have donated to Doctors Without Borders, which is sending medical aid. I invite anyone else to do the same, and maybe to bring up the topic with family, friends, and coworkers.

      But I am very glad and thank you for remembering the other Nepali. Maybe if we let the editors know that we would like them to setup a donation button or organize something in that vein so we can help out as a community, they would oblige.

      --
      When things get complex, multiply by the complex conjugate.
    6. Re:Americentred worldview by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 1

      Ah, so you think that the second story is silly -- never mind the first, straight-news story, which the doltish AC apparently missed.

      So, overlooking the irony that you're here on a Web forum mocking people instead of Bringing Aid To The Victims yourself... no, I find that I can't actually overlook that irony. HAHAHAHA, as you say. But, for the sake of argument, what would you have people do on Facebook? Or here? Perhaps you'd prefer that people in the affected area refrain from tweeting, and restrict themselves to decorous registered post?

    7. Re:Americentred worldview by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      A. Finding out your loved one is safe is valuable.

      B. Your comment is outside of the context.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    8. Re:Americentred worldview by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      Well, why don't you submit an article to the moderators about the 2,500 people who died and see if they choose to post it. Then we will kick back and see how many people read it.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    9. Re:Americentred worldview by rubycodez · · Score: 1

      I actually donate money to organizations that help victims of big disasters

      fuck that social media and awareness bullshit

  9. An honorable way to die by stox · · Score: 1

    It dies with its teeth in the enemy's throat,

    It dies with its name on the enemy's tongue.

    For just as mere life is not victory,

    Mere death is not defeat;

    And in the next world I shall kill the foe a thousand times,

    Laughing,

    Undefeated.

    --
    "To those who are overly cautious, everything is impossible. "
    1. Re:An honorable way to die by kwoff · · Score: 1

      Nice jihad, asshole

    2. Re:An honorable way to die by Venotar · · Score: 1

      Nice jihad, asshole

      Don't you mean: "Nice veS quv", asshole?

  10. How did he even get that job? by slashmydots · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Climbing Everest is stupid, irresponsible, dangerous, pointless task for people with severe mental problems like constantly needing approval from others or pathological levels of arrogance or constantly feeling inadequate. So I have to wonder how he even got that job at Google with the personality of an Everest climber.

    1. Re:How did he even get that job? by oodaloop · · Score: 5, Funny

      Climbing Everest is stupid, irresponsible, dangerous, pointless task

      To be fair, slashmydots thinks the same thing of leaving the basement.

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    2. Re:How did he even get that job? by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      FTFS:

      He also was involved in Google Street View Everest [...]

      So it was work-related.

    3. Re:How did he even get that job? by quantaman · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Climbing Everest is stupid, irresponsible, dangerous, pointless task for people with severe mental problems like constantly needing approval from others or pathological levels of arrogance or constantly feeling inadequate. So I have to wonder how he even got that job at Google with the personality of an Everest climber.

      Do you play computer games?

      If so do you play on beginner mode or hard mode? Personally I go for the harder modes because accomplishment is a lot more satisfying when there's a legitimate challenge involved.

      Climbing Everest isn't anything different. If you really like to climb it's the most accessible major challenge out there, it's true that not everybody who climbs Everest is a dedicated climber who's "earned" the right to take on that challenge, but I see no evidence that Dan Fredinburg was one of those people.

      The fact that climbing Everest doesn't personally appeal to you doesn't give you grounds to make up some BS rationalization for insulting those who do.

      Personally I have no desire to take on an even moderately dangerous hobby, but I think nothing less of those who do.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    4. Re:How did he even get that job? by batistuta · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I wish I had points to mod parent up. I couldn't have summarized this better. Kudos for doing it in such a respectful way.

    5. Re:How did he even get that job? by quantaman · · Score: 1

      This is not such a good comparison. For one thing, a video game gives you continues

      Fine, mountain biking, martial arts, skydiving. There's risk in all of those, I assume you disapprove?

      and, other than a factory worker in korea, doesn't exploit poorer cultures in dangerous ways.

      Working as a Sherpa can pay an order of magnitude more than other occupations in that economy. That doesn't mean there isn't an ethical dilemma involved but your argument is almost like saying we can't pay them Western salaries so we shouldn't hire them at all.

      There's a more subtle problem with your line of thinking that slashmydots pointed out, that the pursuit of everest is selfish. You do not "conquer" this challenge yourself

      Neither do the Stanley Cup Champions.

      as you might by biking up the col de ventoux

      Or riders in the Tour De France.

      There is great expense involved, and you would need support from what is practically an aboriginal people.

      Climbing without support would be a greater accomplishment, and as I said there's some very dubious expeditions, but they're still accomplishing an extremely difficult task.

      (You also cannot actually survive the summit, so you need all of industrialized society behind you to supply you with air/gear).

      So? Is scuba diving also immoral?

      This is just bad ethics.

      You know what is actually bad ethics? Accusing other people of being unethical for relatively arbitrary reasons because you disapprove of their subculture.

      See how many chin ups you can do, or what your fastest run of X distance is, or the fastest bike or swim at some interesting location. Climbing everest proves only that you had about 65 thousand dollars to set on fire, and are sadly lacking in imagination.

      Oddly enough I find the list of typical everyday activities to be lacking in imagination.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    6. Re:How did he even get that job? by quantaman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There's no chance of dying from a video game and I start on normal because I play to have fun, not to prove anything to anyone.

      How arrogant are you to presume you know what motivated him?

      If I play on hard, it's just to see if I can do it and because I got better at the game. But I'm glad you think he "earned" the right (aka he's a stuck up rich asshole who can afford the travel costs and expensive gear) to climb Everest. I think he earned the right to have an avalanche fall on his head.

      There are poor people living in awful neighborhoods who wish they could afford a security system or a gun or to move and they're in danger every day. Then there's this rich asshole who's just so bored with his career and life, he has to travel around the world and climb a mountain. He got what he deserved and frankly every poor person he offended agrees with me.

      Are you posting this from a poor village in Africa where you're volunteering to give subsistence farmers a better life or are you posting from a nice home in the West working a typical Western job?

      You probably spend a similar portion of your wealth on recreational activities as he did. The only difference is he had a lot more money so could spend more. You're a rich asshole who's just so bored with his career and life, he has to surf the Internet on his fancy computer posting on forums. I think you earned the right to have a router fall on your head.

      --
      I stole this Sig
    7. Re:How did he even get that job? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Climbing Everest isn't anything different. If you really like to climb it's the most accessible major challenge out there,

      In which case he should have been on K2 which is the more challenging by all accounts. But with Everest you just have to drop the money and it can get you to the top with the least amount of effort.

      Regardless, I wish that this did not befall him. R.I.P.

    8. Re:How did he even get that job? by justthinkit · · Score: 1

      You do not "conquer" this challenge yourself, as you might by biking up the col de ventoux, or by free-climbing el-capitan. There is great expense involved, and you would need support from what is practically an aboriginal people. (You also cannot actually survive the summit, so you need all of industrialized society behind you to supply you with air/gear).

      He did

      --
      I come here for the love
    9. Re:How did he even get that job? by pnutjam · · Score: 1

      The big question is which are you?

      __ Stooge for the wealthy (I'm sorry you are so easily mislead) __ Sycophant for the wealthy (I'm sorry you are so greedy) __ Wealthy (I'm sorry you are a sociopath) __ suffering from a brain injury (I'm sorry your parents dropped you) __ suffering from heavy metal poisoning (I'm sorry paint chips are so delicious) __ Dumb (I'm sorry for your mental limitations)

      --
      Cheap storage VM.
    10. Re:How did he even get that job? by benjymouse · · Score: 1

      Climbing Everest is stupid, irresponsible, dangerous, pointless task for people with severe mental problems like constantly needing approval from others or pathological levels of arrogance or constantly feeling inadequate. So I have to wonder how he even got that job at Google with the personality of an Everest climber.

      He was privacy director at Google. Hello? Being away climbing mountains 11 months a year was a core qualification.

      --
      Reading slashdot one-liner: (irm http://rss.slashdot.org/Slashdot/slashdot).rdf.item | fl title,desc*
  11. Re:That's too bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    No, because some asshole that did nothing of praise but was latched to a big "tech" biz "living the life" "doing what he loved!" is worthy of front page news unlike the common native peasant carrying his luggage on donkeys up the camp, because "those "weren't living the life" and "doing what they love", but who cares, they are poor because they chose to.

  12. Meh, not impressed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When these amateurs start climbing it again WITHOUT a slew of sherpas, and oxygen tanks and using ACTUAL expert mountaineers to hold their hands, then I'll be impressed.

    Comparing the conditions under which people like Sir Edmund Hilary climbed to today's rich, trendy yuppies like this guy -- well, clearly times are different.

    1. Re:Meh, not impressed. by russotto · · Score: 1

      Even Hilary went with Sherpas. Also oxygen. First climb without oxygen was 1978. (unless the Sherpas had been doing it since forever, who knows?)

  13. More than 2,200 have died by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It was very tragic for the Nepalese people as well.

    I feel sorry for the people grieving today for lost loved ones. But I'm getting a bit tired of the tiny number of climbers and tourists that died completely dominating the news. Thousands of Nepalese died. Their loved ones may have trouble even surviving, going forward. Let's not forget about them.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:More than 2,200 have died by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      I feel sorry for your inability to keep your knee from jerking.

      We already discussed the incident in larger scope. If you missed it, nobody cares.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  14. Re:That's too bad by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

    Why is this on slashdot?

    For one, because there may well be some slashdotters who worked with him and can expand on what affect this might have on one or another Google project. Something you wouldn't find on a mainstream site.

  15. Re:That's too bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's too bad. Why is this on slashdot?

    Google is a company that does a few things with internet technology. Here's their website if you're interested in checking them out: http://www.google.com

    Not trying to be a web design critic here, but somebody should be fucking fired for that homepage. Like a single search box is supposed to tell me something about a company named Google?

    (Pretend you had never heard of Google. Now you might understand just how fucking stupid it is to direct someone to google.com to learn about Google)

  16. Re:That's too bad by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    Like a single search box is supposed to tell me something about a company named Google?

    Yes. Just type "google" into the search box, and they click "I'm feeling lucky".

  17. Re:That's too bad by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's too bad. Why is this on slashdot?

    A better question is: Why are you on Slashdot?

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  18. Answer by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 2

    So that annoying pedants like me have an excuse to point out that Everest is not the tallest mountain in the world (merely the highest) and that the thousands of people who insist on climbing it are overpaid, pretentious dicks who would rather brag about nearly dying of cerebral edema or hypothermia than do something like climb Kilimanjaro (the tallest above-sea mountain in the world), which is a longer and much more scenic climb.

    1. Re:Answer by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Informative

      So that annoying pedants like me have an excuse to point out that Everest is not the tallest mountain in the world (merely the highest)

      Actually, it is neither. The tallest, measured from its base to its summit, is Mauna Kea. The highest, when measured from the center of the earth, is Chimborazo in Ecuador. Everest is just the highest above sea level.

      Previous earthquakes in the region have changed the height of Everest, usually by pushing it up even higher. I have not heard about any effect on its height from this quake. Does anyone know?

    2. Re:Answer by ColdWetDog · · Score: 2

      It will probably take a while for a satellite flyover to check. IIRC there is a hyperaccurate GPS on, or near, the summit so that might give us some info. Remember the Himalayas are pretty active with some areas getting as much as 1 cm / yr in vertical displacement.

      Obviously, this is not the high priority right now.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    3. Re:Answer by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 1

      Yes yes, lovely fancy pedantic answers, but I still think Kilimanjaro deserves mentioning as the mountain that involves the longest vertical distance traveled for a mountain climber (assuming we discount all of these pesky underwater mountain climbers and center of the earth mountain climbers.)

      Clearly, this is intuitively what people imagine when they hear of a "tallest" or "highest" mountain. Go up to the peaks of these mountains, look down at the ground level where you started--the one that is the farthest from that ground level, the one that involves traversing a longer vertical distance, the one that gives you the farthest clear view to the horizon--that is the tallest mountain. And the name of that mountain is, from my understanding, Kilimanjaro.

  19. Re:That's too bad by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No, because some asshole that did nothing of praise but was latched to a big "tech" biz "living the life" "doing what he loved!" is worthy of front page news unlike the common native peasant carrying his luggage on donkeys

    False. We discussed the death of peasants yesterday. Today, a whole day later, we're discussing the death of a googler. You're either disingenuous, a dipshit, or both. But then, you didn't log in, so we knew that.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  20. Re:That's too bad by msobkow · · Score: 1

    Some people see everything in life as being politics, and Slashdot has enough of a population that there will always be a few such people showing up to post on every article/topic, so, yes, every story has to be a political trollfest.

    Myself, I find it sad that this one person is being singled out for discussion while 1799 equally worthy human beings are being ignored and forgotten because they weren't "in tech."

    --
    I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
  21. Re:That's too bad by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This isn't Hacker News, for crying out loud. We don't use the word "disingenuous" here. We aren't hipsters.

    I was using the word 'disingenuous' on Slashdot before Hacker News existed.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  22. Sherpa? Is that an ice cream flavor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Apparently we don't care about a terrible natural disaster unless some famous white guy, livin' the dream for his Googlionaire foundation, dies in an avalanche.

    The world has looked the other way for a long time at the exploitation of the Sherpa and the other problems caused by rich Westerners, many not well-qualified, who feel they just have to make the Everest attempt. It's mostly the Sherpa who pay the toll.

    1. Re:Sherpa? Is that an ice cream flavor? by sexconker · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Apparently we don't care about a terrible natural disaster unless some famous white guy, livin' the dream for his Googlionaire foundation, dies in an avalanche.

      The world has looked the other way for a long time at the exploitation of the Sherpa and the other problems caused by rich Westerners, many not well-qualified, who feel they just have to make the Everest attempt. It's mostly the Sherpa who pay the toll.

      I've never understood the sherpa thing.
      If you're going to climb Everest, shouldn't you at least do the work yourself? Claiming you climbed Mt. Everest and not acknowledging the people who hauled your ass up there is like claiming you trekked the Grand Canyon and not mentioning that it was a bus tour and all you did was get out for a few photos.

    2. Re:Sherpa? Is that an ice cream flavor? by t_ban · · Score: 1

      Also consider how we mostly hear about Edmund Hillary, and not so much about Tenzing Norgay the Sherpa who was Hillary's partner, and was arguably the first to reach the summit.

      --
      First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win. -Gandhi
    3. Re:Sherpa? Is that an ice cream flavor? by DeathElk · · Score: 1

      Just stay away from the Sherpa stew...

    4. Re:Sherpa? Is that an ice cream flavor? by Feral+Nerd · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Apparently we don't care about a terrible natural disaster unless some famous white guy, livin' the dream for his Googlionaire foundation, dies in an avalanche.

      The world has looked the other way for a long time at the exploitation of the Sherpa and the other problems caused by rich Westerners, many not well-qualified, who feel they just have to make the Everest attempt. It's mostly the Sherpa who pay the toll.

      I've never understood the sherpa thing. If you're going to climb Everest, shouldn't you at least do the work yourself? Claiming you climbed Mt. Everest and not acknowledging the people who hauled your ass up there is like claiming you trekked the Grand Canyon and not mentioning that it was a bus tour and all you did was get out for a few photos.

      I've never understood the whole Everest thing and I have heard a number of people who climbed Everest say the same. They either almost got their ass killed climbing up there or they walked past people who didn't make it and either lay there dead beside the path or were in the process of dying. Apparently it's an unwritten rule that you leave people to die if they can't make it and there are some pretty chilling stories by people who summited Everest of dying people laying there next to the path pleading for help. So why climb Everest? It's been done, what's there to prove? Those last two sentences aren't my words they are the words of an American who got the idea in his head to climb Everest and lost his nose and most of his fingers and toes in the process. Most of the people who 'summit' Everest are literally carried up there by Sherpas. If I ever get the notion to 'summit' Everest I'll take a helicopter, jump out, take a few snaps and fly back down again and even that would be (1) a stupid risk and (2) something that has been done before: Didier Delsalle, Eurocopter AS350 (It kind of surprised me that it was done by a little flea like the AS350, you'd expect the first chopper to summit Everest to be some big burly monster like a Black Hawk brimming with horsepowers.)

    5. Re:Sherpa? Is that an ice cream flavor? by dave420 · · Score: 1

      I always hear about Tenzing Norgay when Edmund Hillary is mentioned. I guess it depends on your sources.

  23. Slashdot! Your source for breaking news! by taxtropel · · Score: 1

    ...days later...

  24. Re: That's too bad by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Guess you are a hipster, then.

    You sound like the insecure dumb kids back in junior high school. If my crime is sounding smarter than you're comfortable with, mission accomplished.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  25. He was 33 by plopez · · Score: 1

    It was time for a reduction in head count.

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  26. Re:That's too bad by quantaman · · Score: 1

    No, because some asshole that did nothing of praise but was latched to a big "tech" biz "living the life" "doing what he loved!" is worthy of front page news unlike the common native peasant carrying his luggage on donkeys up the camp, because "those "weren't living the life" and "doing what they love", but who cares, they are poor because they chose to.

    Yes! Lets show off our empathy and great social conscience by calling a dead person an asshole!

    --
    I stole this Sig
  27. Re:That's too bad by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 2

    (Pretend you had never heard of Google. Now you might understand just how fucking stupid it is to direct someone to google.com to learn about Google)

    Pretend you're an arseclown and can't use the links on an entry page for a company, to find out about a company. Oh wait - you don't have to pretend.

    In todays tech news someone from a tech company died. In arseclown news yet another arseclown couldn't find arseclown.org so trolled as anonymous coward on slashdot instead. When interviewed the arseclown said "I hate tech, it's full of smart people who make me feel stupid, when I'm not busy pissing on people's furniture I like to troll on /. and talk about my genitals, the shrink says it makes me feel less (rightfully) socially marginalized"

  28. GOOG expiry by m3ntos · · Score: 2

    His GOOG palm crystal changed color.

  29. Re:That's too bad by Prune · · Score: 1

    Wow, I never thought the day would come, but I actually agree with drinkypoo on something!

    --
    "Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."
  30. Mod parent down by Prune · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I climb mountains as a hobby, and know many climbers, a large proportion of whom are geeks who are disinterested in team sports. It's a hobby like any other physical hobby. It brings risk, but also enormous enjoyment from the combination of experiencing the raw beauty of nature where there are very few others with the challenge and thrill of reaching a summit. We climb a peak not to show off; we climb it because it is there. A tiny fraction of mountaineers are interested in bragging rights (except, perhaps, amongst themselves in a good-spirited manner), so your slight against us is rude and ignorant. Fuck you!

    --
    "Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."
    1. Re:Mod parent down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Well said. Besides, nobody goes climbing to die... They go there to *live*. Shit does occasionally happen, but that has nothing to do with the reason why folks go outdoors.

    2. Re:Mod parent down by dargaud · · Score: 1

      I'm a climber too but the GP has a point: there are a few summits, namely Everest, Mt Blanc and Denali, which attract inexperienced idiots. On those 3 you find people who have never put on crampons before, or even gone camping ! I've seen it firsthand. Climb on !

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
  31. Re:That's too bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Maybe reading can help? There is an "About" link right there on the front page.

  32. Re:That's too bad by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

    Why are you trying to break the internet?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  33. Re: That's too bad by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    I doubt it. Much as I hate to say it, he both spelled and used it correctly.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  34. Re:That's too bad by Holi · · Score: 1

    Just type Google in the search bar, Duh.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  35. Re: That's too bad by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Pretty much. It's not like any of us knew them personally, is it?

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  36. "Climbing" Everest became an abomination... by Grey+Geezer · · Score: 2

    long ago. The oxygen bottles, sherpas, packaged guide services, gourmet food, bridged/extension laddered/roped route "improvements", and instant cell phone/radio communication have made it a circus. I understand why it still appeals to arrogant assholes though... but, it's similar to state of the art "sport" fishing and hunting, which, (in a similar way) "enhanced" by sonar fish locators, high speed fishing boats, carbon fiber rods, laser sighting, tree stands, scent masking, baiting, and "canned" hunts, has become spiritually bankrupt. I wish we could all stop admiring these narcissistic activities.

    --
    The USA is only 4X older than me...perspective