[/caption]UPDATE
The Friends of Paul Bingman have announced the memorial to celebrate his life this Sunday, April 17th, 2011 6-9PM at the Whitsell Auditorium 1219 SW Park Ave (at Madison) in Portland, OR. All the info is posted here on Eventbrite.
There's also a volunteer sign-up here if you'd like to pitch in and help with the memorial. I'm sure there are many who are willing. I'll be volunteering to produce a video for friends and family.
Also, the organizers of the memorial have asked for donations here to cover any costs associated with the memorial service. Left over money will go to designated charities.
Thank You
I was saddened to receive the news this last Sunday (via Twitter) that a local tech giant (literally) had passed away. I had met Paul Bingman in the Beer and Blog tech community a few years back. I can't quite remember if it was a Beer and Blog or a Lunch 2.0 event, but I know the first time we met that he came to me, raised up a hand and said in a booming yet calming voice: "So you're Doctor Normal!? I watch your show!" It sort of became my calling card for the Portland tech, blogging and Open Source community that was the focus of our ever evolving Strange Love Live podcast. Meeting people like Paul was the unexpected benefit of the hard work we all put into producing a weekly podcast- and he too was a hard working member of the community- we all remember him greeting us at the door of Ignite Portland: "SLL is a sponsor tonight, Paul!" (his reaction was a smile and a wave through...).
His personal touch on the tech community is covered in some wonderful tributes to his life linked here:
Rabbi David Kominsky
Silicon Florist
Technooccult
But here's my personal reflection on talking with Paul. He was a BIOS developer. He pointed that out when I told him who I worked for. We hit it off immediately because I admire and get along quite well with those folks who program your hardware- he was no exception. I remember him as an engaging conversationalist who'd tell you about scouting locations for films, or discuss many of his other varied pursuits.
We once had a deeply personal conversation on a street corner in the summer sun after a Lunch 2.0, when I asked him how it was going. He shared with me a very personal issue that was obviously weighing on him emotionally. I listened and offered support as a friend for this very sad situation. He also shared good news with me as well, coming to me once with a twinkle in his eye at Beer and Blog.
Looking back, I'm blessed that I got to know a bit about Paul personally by attending our local blogging and tech community events. I will miss seeing him there. I offer my heartfelt condolences to his close friends and family.
Mike a.k.a "doctor normal"
