So, I haven't posted in a while (it's been almost a year), and this seems to be a pattern. I think Facebook has become my "blog" of choice, but to be honest, I really don't like having to sign in via google and/or jump through other hoops to make blog entries. I'll be looking into the software that alienBOB uses for his blog soon, but for the time being, I have an important entry to make. I received a mail from Mikhail Zotov a few days ago, and rather than resummarize what is essentially a summary already, I'm going to post (more of) the entire email (with his permission).

*begin message*

This time, I am bothering you with a request. Grant Coady, a long-time Slacker, an AOLS regular, the author of a few patches for the kernel, the author and maintainer of http://bugs.id.au, and just a nice, intelligent and open-hearted person was taken to a hospital around two weeks ago in a critical condition, which has not improved much since then.

The MRI indicates Grant has severe brain damage. The diagnosis is not fully clear but the docs say the long term prospects for Grant can be very bad. His arms and legs have not moved to this day, he doesn't talk, however his neck is getting stronger, he is moving his head now and focusing his eyes on you, not staring aimlessly past you, and even smiles at jokes.

Grant is 55, doesn't have a family but a brother and sister who live in other places and haven't been found by the police yet. It seems the only friends of Grant are John Sharkey who lives there nearby (Bendigo, AU) and the Net community. John visits Grant in the hospital every day and spends as much time with him as possible.

John has found us via AOLS. He has asked if we, the Slackware community, to which Grant belongs for years, can support Grant with a little gesture of (Linux) friendship by sending him a postcard or some funny Linux stuff, e.g., Tux.

I have made a post on AOLS and wrote to a number of LUGs in Australia (w/o any of them having replied). I would like to ask you to post something on the subject in your blogs, if you find this appropriate.

The postal address of the hospital is as follows:

Attention I.C.U.
Mr. Grant J. Coady
Bendigo Health hospital campus
Lucan Street
(PO Box 126, Bendigo 3552)
Bendigo Vic 3550
Australia

All enquiries (03) 5454 6000

Personally, I have found some cheap Linux toys at

http://www.bytelove.com/
http://www.thinkgeek.com/
http://www.kleargeargeektoys.com/

And, surely, there is store.slackware.com :-)

Best regards,
Mikhail

*end message*