On June 14th, my friend and longtime collaborator and host for various websites Stuart Carroll very unexpectedly passed away.
I had just spent a lot of time on the phone with Stuart as we moved websites, including this one, to better, newer servers, and then spent most of last week moving websites to yet another new host, since Stuart’s one-man business is in the process of getting dissolved. One of the risks of supporting small business and going with what essentially is a one-man show is of course the possibility that if something happens to that one man, you’re kind of SOOL, but in keeping with our belief in small business, that was a risk we were happy to live with. (Our new web host is also a small business, though with a handful of employees this time, because I never ever want to move that MySQL database again.)
Over the years, Stuart hosted quite a lot of websites I built for various clients and pet projects, including that website I ran for a politician a few years back. That one, he more or less hosted for free actually, because it was the only politician he’d ever come across he really liked, and I returned the favor by recounting the funniest stories about the weekly staff/dinner/campaign meetings for him. But more importantly, Stuart was a friend. I have a folder full of saved e-mail providing concrit for stories I’ve written, and he referred me to the illustrator who did the cover image of Mouth of the Lion. He got me hooked on a German soap opera via YouTube for a while (so evil!), and that wasn’t even the worst TV show he sucked me into with his enthusiasm. And last Christmas, when I made him address his Christmas card to Casper, myself, and the dog, he only complained a little about having to include the dog on his card ;-)
So rest in peace, Stuart. You will be missed.