What happened to #12?

Thread Starter

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
@#12 has been absent over 2 months. I didn't see anything in his last few posts to indicate that he was embroiled in any drama and I don't see him active on any other forums either, so his disappearance is a bit worrisome to me. I know he is famous for going on sabattical from time to time but that is usually out of frustration, in response to having recently been dealt a hand of uncommonly stupid and/or ungrateful noob posters. This feels different. He usually checks in with me before he goes off the grid, he usually doesn't stay gone this long, and you can usually clearly see his reason for leaving by skimming his most recent posts.

I've sent him PM weeks ago, no response. Is anyone in contact with him outside forum or did he check in with anyone else before he left? I can understand why he might not give me a heads up, as I've been all but gone myself the last few months. If you know something but don't want to publish his business publicly, please PM me just to let me know he's alive.
 

Aleph(0)

Joined Mar 14, 2015
597
his disappearance is a bit worrisome to me.
Strantor me too:(! So I know he's POed with me tnx to my big mouth and I don't blame him at all:oops:! But that doesn't change fact that I like and respect him and I've been worried abt his absence cuz like you say disappearing for no obvious reason just isn't like him:(!
 

Hypatia's Protege

Joined Mar 1, 2015
3,228
Oh c'mon, @strantor isn't the only one wondering about what happened. Do we really need to keep secrets here? If there are privacy issues I understand, but the only people that care are the few of us that ... care.
No 'secrets' --- It's merely that I have some old contact info (for @#12) I hope may be of help -- I didn't feel at liberty to 'publish' it on the open fora...

With sincere concern
HP
 

Glenn Holland

Joined Dec 26, 2014
703
Ya know, I've been wondering what happened to "GopherT" also.

He/she suddenly disappeared from the board and I've never heard from him/her since. Is there a Bermuda Triangle or a black hole on AAC where members suddenly vanish without a trace?
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
More generally I think the issue of a member disappearing has been raised before here, whether it's a appropriate to perform a "wellness check". I think that would mean someone like jrap himself (someone with access to member data) sending off an email to inquire as to the status of the member.

I'm guessing this is currently an ad hoc process. Plenty of members drop off the radar all the time. Triggering a wellness check would only be relevant to members that were once regulars, perhaps the so-called "fanatics" or "experts", and have disappeared unexpectedly. (Some departures/flame outs are well-documented.)

Maybe this is rare enough to just handle on a case by case basis.

I'm not sure the internet in general has come to grips with what happens to a persons's digital footprint when they pass way.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,619
I've been in contact with him via the email address provided in PM. He's alive, in good health. Everything is OK. He didn't cite any reason for his absence but he did mention being very busy, so maybe that's all there is to it.
I contacted him a little while back and he mentioned he was tied up with life's demands.
But he would keeps tabs on.
Max.
 

Mickster

Joined Jan 10, 2010
32
Ya know, I've been wondering what happened to "GopherT" also.

He/she suddenly disappeared from the board and I've never heard from him/her since. Is there a Bermuda Triangle or a black hole on AAC where members suddenly vanish without a trace?
Gopher has been active over at ETO

Regards.
 

Thread Starter

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
Received another communique from #12. He says he isn't coming back. He's moved on to another chapter of life. The online forum thing was just a phase that is over now. I let him know that he will be missed and that he has made a permanent positive contribution to the world here.
 

joeyd999

Joined Jun 6, 2011
5,237
A unique blend of broad expert knowledge, personality and engagement over time will do that I guess.
18,000+ posts doesn't hurt, either.

#12 and I got along swimmingly for a while. He had some interests that perfectly coincided with mine, and we collaborated on a few things in the background.

It seems my strong advocacy of Linux rubbed him the wrong way at some point, and we had a falling out. I never fully understood why.
 
Top