One of our own died during the interregnum.Dave D was the first goldenrod moderator, a task he accomplished in between designing things — I believe for the International Space Station, among other no doubt interesting work sites. He also set the tone for Rantburg’s chat room, the O Club that is open to any who wish to join the conversation, as Auto-Bartender, where he introduced crates of Yuengling that had fallen off the truck, strapdown beds for key denizens, and automated defense systems.
One of Rantburg’s many brilliant engineers, he applied his analytical mind well beyond the problems he was paid to solve. One of my personal saved Rantburg links is the discussion in which he first roughed out his thoughts about America’s options in dealing with the jihadi problem. It can be seen here. I felt privileged to subsequently find the edited version on his website — back when that still existed — and happened to print out a hard copy, which I came across and sent to him this summer, a very small repayment for his many kindnesses over the years.
I’m glad he had enough warning that he was able to move near one son and his family, spending his last months with those who loved him most.
I knew Dave a long time via blogs/occasional telecall. Others here knew him personally, and I hope they'll chime in. He was a smart sumbitch and someone who did not tolerate PC bullshit or mealy-mouthing. Short supply lately