Loss of a Colleague


One of the best things about covering a beat (i.e., technology) for so long, is getting to know the people you consistently run into. Through the years, I've come to know marketing people, executives, and other journalists on a personal level .. and it's been a pleasure.

Attend enough events and product launches, and you get to know the regulars. After competing with, say, Jim Goldman, now of CNBC, for years on the tech beat, we've become close friends, and the conversation has been less about gadgets, and more about kids, houses, and that sort of thing.

The same goes for people all over the tech industry. Many are younger, and ask for advice about the business, children, investing, whatever. Some are older, and have passed on tips about college funds, what it's like to have teenagers, etc.

Some are just about at the same stage of life that I'm in. Like James Kim of Cnet. Wife, two young daughters. Check, check. Longtime fascination with gadgets and tech trends. Check, check. Feeling lucky about what we do for a living. Check.

And, now he's gone.

It's hard to put into words just how sad this is. Someone I got to know simply because we had a few things in common .. and what impressed me was that talking about family was more important that talking about the latest Mp3 player. I always thought that was cool.

After all the news reports on the day James was found, I left the newsroom where everyone was feeling down, and driving home, I thought about what it must have been like for James to decide to leave his family and try to find help. Here's one of the many things I didn't know about James Kim: He was remarkably brave.

And what it must have been like for him to know that there was a pretty good chance he was saying goodbye to his wife and two little girls, and I physically ached just thinking about it.

Then, I arrived home, hugged my two little girls, and felt lucky all over again. And sad.