Requiescat: Gary Gygax - 1938-2008
Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons passed away on Tuesday, March 4th. CNN has this listed under "cnn.com/technology" which perhaps illustrates the enormous impact this man had on the lives of the people currently on this planet's cutting edge.
If you're a computer programmer, or if you work in just about any other highly technical field, the odds are pretty good that you've played Dungeons & Dragons. It's likely, in fact, that your brush with it was during your formative years, and that you (like me) count those experiences among the ones that most shaped your imagination.
CNN's article was kind of dry. If you want a good tribute, check out Rich Burlew's illustrated tribute over at Order of the Stick, and the gorgeous single-panel nod over at Penny Arcade.
As for me... I believe that Gary has gone to a place where his imagination can be writ large, and where mere dice and tables can't describe the outcomes. That God who gave us all life, and who invites us to choose wisely as we write the stories of our lives must certainly smile when a universe-builder like Gary finally comes home. He's probably got pencils and paper spread out already.