Elonka wrote:
] Another site that CrankyMessiah used, pays its respects.
]
]
] When I learned that Brad "CrankyMessiah" Blines was also a
] member of the Fazed community, I dropped a line to the staff
] there. One of the sysops, Spunn, is also a longtime member of
] my GemStone community, so I wanted to make sure he knew about
] Brad's death, and then he passed the word on to the rest.
]
] Seeing the picture of Brad (
] http://www.astoned.net/Images/TNT_CrankyMessiah.jpg ) filled
] me with strange emotions. His name is so familiar, but his
] picture is not. I find myself craving more information about
] what happened. How long had he been using heroin? Did anyone
] know? Was there some sign that I should have noticed? Could I
] have made a difference if I had?
]
] If nothing else, the news of his passing has sent shock waves
] throughout the Memestreams and Fazed communities. So, perhaps,
] if even one other life is saved from this kind of death by the
] cautionary tale of Brad's mistake, there may be some small
] solace.
]
] Still though, I find myself gazing sadly at his photo today,
] and grieving for someone half-known...
]
] Our lives are so short.
]
] Carpe diem.

Elonka,

Thanks for your concern and expression. I know that it's appreciated by more than just me. I think a lot of the questions you ask are to some degree unanswerable. I did post a reply to the original thread where I espoused some more details. I am totally in sync with you on the solace that is found by the positive effect which can reverberate from such a painful moment. There's no telling how many people and in how many ways this will benefit others that Brad left behind. I know for one that the friend he was with had sought treatment for withdrawl. That's a positive step in my opinion.

I do believe that you may have met him. He attended PhreakNIC 5 and we saw your talk on Steganography. It was one of the highlights for both of us. I'm hoping to post more pictures later.

Cheers,
Scott