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Hemos is Homeless
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Sat Oct 16, 1999 09:12 AM
from the no-I'm-not-making-this-up dept.
from the no-I'm-not-making-this-up dept.
So just as proof that life doens't stop when you go to a conference, Hemos got email this morning from nate informing him that
his house burned down [?] last night. Now some rooms are missing and there is extensive smoke and water damage. Now the geek compound is 25% smaller. On the plus side, both Nate and hemos are safe and insured. Update: 10/16 11:05 by H : And to make matters worse, Chris DiBona threw my cell phone in a bucket of water. On accident. But it's pretty ironic.
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Slashdot 10-Year Anniversary Charity Auction for the EFF 327 comments
As part of our 10-Year anniversary, we've decided to have a little charity auction, with the cash going to the EFF. The items currently up for bidding are 'Triton' (the big old tower case from the first x86 used to host Slashdot from Feb 11 1998 through much of 1999... picture is attached to the story if you're curious). A low numbered UID (3 or maybe 2 digits!) so you can win those stupid low UID pissing match threads. Your URL plugged in the story where we announce the auction winners. Oh the fame! The Slashdot Grab Bag: We're putting stuff around the office in a box- random t-shirts, hats, even an old Nokia NGage. The mystery box could contain anything that we stuff in the box before the contest ends... there's a picture of what we have so far attached. A copy of the watchmen trade paperback singed in Hemos's 1999 house fire. An @slashdot.org email alias (tasteful names only ;)
The auctions will be running for like 10 days, and we'll post the results when they come up.
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Re:Ye Olde Lighting (Score:1)
to have a massive candelbra on the top of my
monitor. Had to give it up, though. Hot, dripping
wax and CRT's don't mix too well.
So much for ye olde romantic age. (When
men were men, women were women and penguins
just ate herring).
Fire safes (Score:1)
Besides, safes with a longer time rating will keep things cooler inside the safe for a short time -- after 45 minutes, a two-hour safe will be a lot cooler inside than a one-hour safe.
I wonder what would be more survivable, CD-Rs or tape media?
Meanwhile... (Score:1)
How Tom Petty dealt with his house burning down .. (Score:1)
Tom Petty's house burned down around 10 years ago -- taking his music collection, a lot of guitars, his studio, all sorts of tools of the trade. Yea he was insured, and yea he was rich, but it still really sucked.
So, his first gig after the fire, in LA, the lights go down, he comes out on the stage, the spotlight is on him, and he says:
They burned down my house. (holds up guitar) But they didn't get this. And then the band starts into an incredible set of deliverance.
In your case, your house is burned down, but slashdot.org is acccepting connections -- may it be your own deliverance.
This Mortal Coil (Score:1)
Don't even get me started on the dangers that lie beneath the plush exterior of every stuffed animal. They are killing machines!
Seriously though, glad no one was hurt. Things can always be replaced...
It's MS's fault (Score:1)
Re:Moderators! (Score:1)
Chris logging in from the slashdot booth at als
Donations? (Score:1)
THE MICROSOFT MATCH (Score:1)
Re:Zounds. (Score:1)
Re:The most important question (Score:1)
I have heard some bad things about Red Cross (Score:1)
red cross but everything I've heard about them
(except for their TV Commercials), says that
their a money grubbing instution that takes advantage of Natural Disators.
First Off I have been told by many people in the
medical profession that when you donate blood
to the red cross they sell it and make quite a
large profit off of it.
Another thing which I have been told many time
is that when you are a Volunteer like my grandad was and they show you reciving drinks, food etc as a volunteer they charge you high prices for them. Of course they don't show that on T.V.
It isn't like the red cross needs to rasie that much money. Everything the recive are donation and they don't pay volunteers for their time. I will be the first to admit that the money they make
probably dosen't go into the pockets of the heads of the companys but would some one please explain to me where it does go then?
I don't really know if the other stuff I have heard about them is true so I won't bothering posting it. But I beleive that those two things
among themselves are bad enough.
NO!! THE CODE!! (Score:1)
Nate: I burnt half the geek compound down.
Hemos: Oh my God! All my source code - it's GONE! Burned up with my Harddrive!
Oh wait, all my stuff is Open Source (tm)! It's quite a possibility others have downloaded a recent version of my source code from my computer!
Ahhh... thank god for Open Source (tm)!
* Hemos smiles at the screen with a thumbs-up.
Re:Note: I am Insured. So is Nate. (Score:2)
I don't know you, except that you're one of /.'s founders. (BTW Thanks for that) Since I have experienced a home fire too, I empathize with your situation. I hope I can lend a supportive voice. I didn't lose my whole house, so I am not in any way trying to say "I know how you feel".
The carport outside my apt. was torched by an arsonist in 1990. The place went up really quick. I was all too tempted to run back in and grab the 386/25 (a killer system back in the day), which was on loan from a good client.
Thanks to the firemen, the apt. didn't burn down. I lost my car, and my high-school teachers' Altair 8800 that was in the storage locker. The car seriously needed to be burned down anyway. =) Then there were the items of sentimental value, geez, I don't really remember what they were any more. Maybe I'm not such a sentimental guy after all.
The Altair was, practically speaking, irreplacable. I always wanted to restore it till it could boot again, just like when it was originally loaned to me. Something my parents hardwired in me - return what you borrow in good condition. Because of the fire (and my unwillingness to kick down serious $$$), I have been unable to do that.
I moved away from that apt. the following month. I guess my point is that there was loss, and it was life altering, and I didn't like it one bit. Overall, the whole experience made me a stronger person, and I am glad for that. Today it is OK, and I am writing code on a much faster box in a much bigger house. Some good came out of it, like the new car, although it was very humiliating having to tell Mr. Geekteach that I didn't have his Altair 8800 to return to him. I guess I still have a few centimeters to go on getting over that one.
I dunno what else to say. I guess there isn't anything else - sorry for your loss (or is it just a change?).
Re:Wow, sorry.... (Score:2)
Re:Donations? (Score:2)
Good lord son what are you trying to do? (Score:2)
beans to stay alive.
Damn. (Score:2)
Found it odd last night that Hemos' most recent post ended with "I'd like to know if my house will be underwater."
Well, anyway, best of luck to Hemos in rebuilding.
--
Wow, sorry.... (Score:2)
Good to hear that no one was hurt.
Some advice: a lot of hotels will let you stay
for a week or two at a reduced rate. I lived
in a hotel for about two weeks while we cleaned up
the mess. It's still no fun, but at least you
don't have to crash on someone's couch until the
place is liveable again.
Got insurance? (Score:2)
Hemos, I hope you're insured and backed up. Let us slashdotters know if there's anything we can do to help you out.
bradley
Re:yes (Score:2)
He lost a hell of a lot in that one. Several computers and things.
Re:Let's give him some space (Score:2)
I agree with you there. I lost everything in a fire about 6 years back: All of my artwork written words, films I hade made, music I created. It was such a big deal, that it sent my life into a tailspin for a long time (while I figured out why all the work that I spent my life thus far doing was destroyed).
During the fire, I spent my time risking my life trying to keep it under control while the fire dept got there.
A few months later a friend died while trying to rescue the people in his house when it burned down.
But I recovered, things are even better than before. Fire is the great cleanser, but it still rocks one deep to your core: for example you will never smell things burning the same way again.
The point is: lets try to have some compassion towards others. I know that in the 90's it is hip to be snide and cynical, but I just think (from experience) that it is a way to deal with what we are afraid of.
my 1/4 cent. thanks for listening.
Lack of a house might be a Good Thing (Score:2)
So, if his house is toast, he oughta travel the world in style and put on these conventions. The ALS once again had excellent accomodations... marble floors, grand pianos, limo service, free tshirts, and did I mention free stuff?
The people here at the ALS always do an outstanding job setting us up. Here's my thanks!
Re:Open-source the rebuilding of your house (Score:2)
---
"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.
Re:I have heard some bad things about Red Cross (Score:2)
If they're recooping their costs/making profits on blood, where does your donation go? Most of the money donated to the Red Cross goes towards disaster relief. Of the $1.964 billion spent by the Red Cross in fiscal 1997-1998, $1.791 billion or 91 percent, was spent on programs designed to meet the needs of people, leaving $174 million, or 9 percent for overall administration and fundraising.
I've worked with the Red Cross quite a few times in the past, and I have no clue what you are talking about with them charging high prices for food/drinks while working for them.
Next time consider some research. All of their audited financial reports are available off of their site, www.redcross.org [redcross.org]
-Adam
Oh, just a house... (Score:2)
How ironic! (Score:2)
holy housfires batman! (Score:2)
-earl
Don't worry.... (Score:2)
After the Andover.net IPO, Hemos can afford a huge mansion.... perhaps like the one Bill Gates has. Just make sure the bathroom is Y2K compliant [geekculture.com].
Seriously.... I hope everything turns out ok for you, Hemos.
Re:Hackers are prone to their houses burning down (Score:2)
Obviously, you weren't quite the twisted pyromaniac I was in yougnger days.
The oil in orange peels burns like the bejesus.
Re:Donations? (Score:2)
Re:Open-source the rebuilding of your house (Score:2)
Anal Correction Mode on.
Habitat for Humanity [habitat.org] is not plural.
Anal Correction Mode off.
I have volunteered for Habitat near where I live, and they tend to build housing for those who cannot afford it, I'm not sure if they do repair work (although they do buy abandoned buildings from the gov't and fix them). I believe there is some income restriction to be elegible to buy it, but if you can it is a good deal. (If you call a required 400 hours of working on Habitat jobs good... I do.) Low cost housing, with no interest.
I would encurage everybody to volunteer to help out. Quit banging on a keyboard for a few hours, bang on nails instead.
Re: (Score:2)
If there's anything we can do to help, all you have to do is ask.
Dangers of Closed Source Housing (Score:3)
If this house had been constructed using open source development under the GPL, NONE of this would have happened.
After, NOTHING ever developed by the open source community has ever crashed and burned. Of course, you have to twist bare electric wires to turn your lights on and off, but think of the STABILITY and SECURITY of a home built using open source ideology!!!
(Yes, I'm being a sarcastic troll.
Sorry to hear that your house burned, Hemos. I've had it happen twice when I was growing up and lost my first computer and a ton of good books from the second fire. We lived in a VERY old house with bad wiring...
Just couldn't resist poking some fun at the OSS nazis after reading the response to the Loki contest.)
Re:Donations? (Score:3)
Actually it was a champagne bucket. (Score:3)
Past that the whole house thing -sucks- those pictures are heartbreaking.
Chris
--
Grant Chair, Linux Int.
VP, SVLUG
You forgot some (Score:3)
7) Port a Quake II client to a mobile robot platform, and network it to your PC.
8) Put 1 Kg high explosives in each room. Fires are put out by explosions. Deprives them of fuel and oxygen.
9) Build the house underground. Underground fires are much rarer. :)
10) Buy up some SDI lasers, and target them at fire hazards. If any show thermic activity, vapourise.
Ahhh ... (Score:3)
On the other hand, the last time I looked, there weren't any trees in the rubbish bin.
Although this wasn't intended to be serious, I guess propensity to catch fire is related to aeration and low water content, neither of which hold in the compacted and very wet environment of discarded vegetable trimmings.
Hey, maybe the Eat Healthy lobby should use this in their advertising: eat healthy or your house will burn down!
Hackers are prone to their houses burning down ... (Score:3)
The moral of the story is, change your diet to a healthy one. I never heard of vegetable waste catching fire.
[Morgaine pushes pizza box deftly out of sight.]
Re:Ow. (Score:3)
They're at ALS damnit! Jeeze. They're great people. You should meet Taco and Malda in person. They were great fun to hang out with. No pretentions at all, they're just normal people trying to be friendly and run a good site for everyone. They were happy to chat with people and got annoyed when they were treated like celebrities. There is no reason to ridicule them for being unable to do anything when they're not even there.
---
"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.
How it could have been prevented (Score:3)
On a lighter side there are several ways it could have been prevented (written in a manner to hopefully avoid hurting nates pride even more):
1) Cases of penguin mints. Can't start a fire while you're sleeping if you don't sleep.
2) Cases of Mountain Dew. Good for refreshment and dosing fires.
3) Eat only Peanut Butter M&Ms. Their wrappers are plastic and won't catch fire in the trash so easily.
4) Move from the Geek Compound into the Geek Fortress. An old missle silo would do - concrete doesn't really burn well.
5) Hemos. Oh wait, this isn't a poll.
Ye-ouch! (Score:3)
Learning from other's mistakes is much less painful than learning fro other peoples, so /.ers might all take this as a reminder to check their basic fire safety - batteries in smoke detectors, extinguishers charged, outlets not overloaded by plugging six boxen and monitors into one outlet, and so on...reminds me that I've been wanting to set a fire safe to put backup tapes in. (Yeah, if I was doing really important stuff I'd have offsite backups, but like most of us I'm in good shape if I remember to have backups at all.)
Wires (Score:3)
Hemos Now Seeking... (Score:4)
I knew it! (Score:4)
Re:Note: I am Insured. So is Nate. (Score:4)
I know how you feel. About ten years ago, a roomate of mine and a friend (of his) were using a plastic bag as an ashtray. Burned out one room and destroyed most personal belongings on the top floor. The worst part: I was renting the condo from my mother.
Fortunately, while I lost every stitch of clothing except what I had been wearing, the computer and stereo, both downstairs, were unscathed. (I lost a record player, though, remember those?)
But in the end, it was probably good for me. It drive me to live alone for the first time in my life. It drove me to quite the job where they had troubles paying me on time Events like these can be learning experiences. They aren't necessarily all bad. (When it is just property that is lost.)
And now the real question. Is your insurance policy "Replacement value" or "Actual Cash Value"? That is one of the things I learned the hard way. For those who aren't in the middle of this, you want the former as it saves you huge headaches.
Note: I am Insured. So is Nate. (Score:5)
Open-source the rebuilding of your house (Score:5)
When you rebuild/redecorate your house, how about making it open-source. Sort of like the Kasporov vs. The World Chess match - but instead, The World redecorates Hemos' house!
Just think of the opportunities: Slashdot green walls in the computer room, DustPuppy themed vacuum cleaner cupboard ...
On a serious note, I hope nothing irreplacable like photos were lost.
Ow. (Score:5)
People, please leave the residents of the geek compound alone for awhile. half their house just burned down! And don't complain if in the next few days submissions get processed alittle slower.
--
Let's give him some space (Score:5)
I suspect that most of the people replying here have not experienced a house fire, if they had, the tone of the responses would likely be very different.
Perhaps it wouldn't be too much to ask that people posting to this news take a minute to think over what their feelings would be if they lost their most cherished, most irreplacable keepsakes.
Take it from some one who's been there, fires build character, they steel you for the rest of your life.
pjr