Obituary for Michael S. Hart (1947-2011)

The founder of Project Gutenberg and creator of the ebook has died.

I was stunned. This didn't even make the news...sad times we live in indeed:

Michael S. Hart

From Project Gutenberg, the first producer of free ebooks.

Obituary for Michael Stern Hart

Michael Stern Hart was born in Tacoma, Washington on March 8, 1947. He died on September 6, 2011 in his home in Urbana, Illinois, at the age of 64. His is survived by his mother, Alice, and brother, Bennett. Michael was an Eagle Scout (Urbana Troop 6 and Explorer Post 12), and served in the Army in Korea during the Vietnam era.

Hart was best known for his 1971 invention of electronic books, or eBooks. He founded Project Gutenberg, which is recognized as one of the earliest and longest-lasting online literary projects. He often told this story of how he had the idea for eBooks. He had been granted access to significant computing power at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. On July 4 1971, after being inspired by a free printed copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, he decided to type the text into a computer, and to transmit it to other users on the computer network. From this beginning, the digitization and distribution of literature was to be Hart's life's work, spanning over 40 years.

Hart was an ardent technologist and futurist. A lifetime tinkerer, he acquired hands-on expertise with the technologies of the day: radio, hi-fi stereo, video equipment, and of course computers. He constantly looked into the future, to anticipate technological advances. One of his favorite speculations was that someday, everyone would be able to have their own copy of the Project Gutenberg collection or whatever subset desired. This vision came true, thanks to the advent of large inexpensive computer disk drives, and to the ubiquity of portable mobile devices, such as cell phones.

Hart also predicted the enhancement of automatic translation, which would provide all of the world's literature in over a hundred languages. While this goal has not yet been reached, by the time of his death Project Gutenberg hosted eBooks in 60 different languages, and was frequently highlighted as one of the best Internet-based resources.

A lifetime intellectual, Hart was inspired by his parents, both professors at the University of Illinois, to seek truth and to question authority. One of his favorite recent quotes, credited to George Bernard Shaw, is characteristic of his approach to life:

"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable
people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress,
therefore, depends on unreasonable people."

Michael prided himself on being unreasonable, and only in the later years of life did he mellow sufficiently to occasionally refrain from debate. Yet, his passion for life, and all the things in it, never abated.

Frugal to a fault, Michael glided through life with many possessions and friends, but very few expenses. He used home remedies rather than seeing doctors. He fixed his own house and car. He built many computers, stereos, and other gear, often from discarded components.

Michael S. Hart left a major mark on the world. The invention of eBooks was not simply a technological innovation or precursor to the modern information environment. A more correct understanding is that eBooks are an efficient and effective way of unlimited free distribution of literature. Access to eBooks can thus provide opportunity for increased literacy. Literacy, and the ideas contained in literature, creates opportunity.

In July 2011, Michael wrote these words, which summarize his goals and his lasting legacy: “One thing about eBooks that most people haven't thought much is that eBooks are the very first thing that we're all able to have as much as we want other than air. Think about that for a moment and you realize we are in the right job." He had this advice for those seeking to make literature available to all people, especially children:

"Learning is its own reward. Nothing I can
say is better than that."

Michael is remembered as a dear friend, who sacrificed personal luxury to fight for literacy, and for preservation of public domain rights and resources, towards the greater good.

This obituary is granted to the public domain by its author, Dr. Gregory B. Newby.

Maybe We can Say Thank You Ahead Of Time-Timothy Kask

Timothy James Kask (born 1949 in Moline, Illinois) is well known for his work on the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game, as a developer and editor.

Kask was the first full-time employee of Tactical Studies Rules, soon thereafter known as TSR, Inc., in Fall of 1975 and was hired by Gary Gygax to be editor for the company product line and eventually spin off what became TSR Periodicals, which he started in early 1976.

Kask’s first assignment at TSR was editing, developing and contributing to the Blackmoor supplement (1975) of the original Dungeons and Dragons (OD&D) game.

He then took over The Strategic Review at Issue #5 (Tactical Studies Rules, later TSR Hobbies Inc). He stayed on as editor of The Strategic Review, which transitioned into The Dragon magazine. He resigned from TSR in 1980.

He was editor of The Dragon Magazine (named later changed to Dragon Magazine)starting in 1976, devoted to fantasy and fantasy gaming, he edited the first 33 issues and parts of 34, 35 & 36.

Kask is an ardent proponent of the “old school” of RPG'ing, where in terms of rules, “less is more”; D&D was originally intended to be loose, free-wheeling and not strictly bound by the parameters of the rules.

He returned to gaming in 2006 as “Celebrity Auctioneer”, with Frank Mentzer, at Gen Con Indy and then in 2007 and 2008, he joined Mentzer as an honored attendee to the Lake Geneva Gaming Convention (LGGC), sponsored by Troll Lord Games.

Having been enticed back into the gaming and publishing industry, rumor has it that he is hard at work on writing new adventures and campaigns for RPGs.

Kask has also just reunited with his good friend and long acquaintance - James M. Ward, managing editor of The Crusader magazine (published by Troll Lord Games) to write a monthly column.

Read more at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Kask

(All quotes courtesy of Wikipedia)