Kurt Vonnegut Dies!

From the New York Times:

Kurt Vonnegut, Counterculture’s Novelist, Dies
By DINITIA SMITH
Published: April 12, 2007

Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Cat’s Cradle” and “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater” caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died last night in Manhattan. He was 84 and had homes in Manhattan and in Sagaponack on Long Island.

Read more here.

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Say It Ain't So Joe...

Joe Murphy was a podcaster on the Dragon Page family of podcasts. One of the first podcasts I ever discovered was Wingin' It. Joe Murphy was an irreverant personality who liked to use the term "Brilliant" whenever something impressed him. He passed away April 1, 2007 of a rare cancer. I never knew him but listened to his voice every week for a long time. I was surprised to find out about his death as I had not been listening to the podcast for a long time.

Just one word about Joe: "Brilliant"

From a Wikipedia entry on Joe Murphy:

Joe Murphy (July 10, 1972 - April 1, 2007) was an American book reviewer, XM Radio Personality, and podcaster. His other profession was that of a speech pathologist and audiologist, having received his MA from Western Illinois University.

He started out on the Dragon Page Cover to Cover podcast as a book reviewer. His comments were so concise and pithy that he quickly became a fan favorite. From there he joined with Summer Brooks as co-host of the Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas podcast and became one of the main contributors to the popular Slice of SciFi podcast and XM Satellite Radio show. He was also a frequent guest on the Wingin' It podcast and established himself as an integral part of the Farpoint Media family.

In 2006 the Kick-Ass Mystic Ninja podcast - its hosts being Joe, Summer Brooks and David Moldawer - was nominated for a Parsec Award for Excellence in Podcasting in the category of Best Fan Podcast. The award ultimately went to The Scapecast.

His contributions to the Wingin' It podcast inspired the Beatnik Turtle Song, Mason Rocket: Spy Extraordinaire, which was their Song of the Day on April 2, 2007.

Joe was diagnosed at the end of 2006 with Leiomyosarcoma, a very rare form of cancer that attacks the smooth muscles of the body and the inner lining of blood vessels, and passed away on April 1, 2007.

Go to Joe's Memorial Page for More info...

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