Jolt Country

The Final Monty

Forgot, did we ever talk about why so many celebrities die at the end of the year? I mean they're mostly old but why now.

Why would anyone choose another year of this?

Niklaus Wirth, creator of the Pascal computer programming language, has died at age 89.



Commander, would you like to say a few words?

PASCAL was the 2nd language I ever learned.
Looking at code snippets today, I remember NOTHING about it. Its like I never used it.

Never knew original Pascal, but Turbo Pascal 7 on DOS together with MASM was lots of fun. Well, for me. My friends preferred going out meeting girls and shit, but really, programming VGA copper bars and plasma effects with Pascal + MASM is so much more fun. Right?

RIGHT?

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:04 am Niklaus Wirth, creator of the Pascal computer programming language, has died at age 89.



Commander, would you like to say a few words?

Nicklaus Worth (pronounced "Vert")¹ also was responsible for Algol 60, an extremely important language that lots of languages used as a base. As an example, what is the keyword your language uses to describe a loop incrementing a variable? If it is something like do I = 1 ...it's derived from FORTRAN or PL/1. If it is something like for i=1 to ... it's derived from Algol 60. Basic, C, C++, Pascal, Modula, and Oberon, among others, are all derived from Algol 60. Worth also invented those last 3 languages.


¹ Worth joked just as Pascal has two ways to pass parameters to a subroutine, by name (where the calling subroutine can change the parameter), or by value (changes are not returned to the caller), he noted that Americans pronounce his name by name ("Worth") while Europeans pronounce his name by value ("Vert").

Sorry, but we had to give up on you, baby.

Casual Observer wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2023 5:42 am Forgot, did we ever talk about why so many celebrities die at the end of the year? I mean they're mostly old but why now.

Tax purposes.

Champion Bodybuilder Chad McCrary Dead at 49: 'Just an All-Around Good Man'


Champion bodybuilder Chad McCrary, who continued competing after a 2005 motocross accident left him paralyzed, has died. He was 49.

McCrary's brother, Lance McCrary, shared a video Friday confirming his brother's death, with the caption, "RIP Chad McCrary: April 1, 1974 - January 2, 2024."

Shawn Barber, Olympian and world champion athlete who came out as gay, has died at 29


Shawn Barber, a world champion pole vaulter who came out publicly as gay, has died. He was 29.

According to reports, Barber died on Wednesday [Jan. 17] at his home in Texas due to what is being described simply as “medical complications.”

Barber, competing for his home nation of Canada, won gold at the 2015 World Championships. Over the years he also took home gold at the Pan American Games, as well as a silver and bronze at the Commonwealth Games. He competed at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, finishing 10th.

Californian Post-Punk Musician Dead at 44
Luis Vasquez, the Californian post-punk musician known as The Soft Moon, has died, The Messenger can confirm

Luis Vasquez, the Californian post-punk musician known as The Soft Moon, has died, The Messenger can confirm. He was 44 years old.

The news was announced on Soft Moon's Instagram account early Friday morning, with his representatives further confirming his death later in the day.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/ca ... fbe5f&ei=5

4 dead in Arizona hot air balloon crash

Four people died when a hot air balloon crashed in Eloy, Arizona, on Sunday morning, police said.

A fifth person was in critical condition after the “tragic” crash, Eloy police said.

The balloon went down about 7:50 a.m. in the desert area of Sunshine Boulevard and Hannah Road, the police department said. Eloy is about 50 miles northwest of Tucson and 65 miles southeast of Phoenix.

The passengers and the pilot were killed, the police department said. The balloon was also carrying eight skydivers who jumped from the balloon before there were any problems with the aircraft, it said.

The cause of the crash remains unknown, according to the department. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were on the scene and took over the investigation.

Those killed were identified by police Monday as: Chayton Wiescholek, 28, from Union City, Michigan; Kaitlynn Bartom, 28, from Andrews, Indiana; Atahan Kiliccote, 24, from Cupertino, California; and the pilot, Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37, who is originally from South Africa but lived in Elroy.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/4-dea ... 6349&ei=68

Tdarcos wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 3:32 pm Californian Post-Punk Musician Dead at 44

Damn! Same age as me! (I admit I don't know who this was or even what "post-punk" means but I will look it up)

Tdarcos wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 4:50 pm The balloon was also carrying eight skydivers who jumped from the balloon before there were any problems with the aircraft, it said.

That will definitely affect the flight plan going forward..

Some CEO died sky diving into a company event. Not the strongest 12 months for some members of that profession.

checkmate

I imagine that it doesn't stand the test of time, but I remember thinking back in the 90s that the "Alien Nation" tv show was better than the movie. I mean, the movie was an okay take on racism, but the tv show was much more imagination in terms of its sci fi predictions and other things. Although, truthfully, I don't remember the plot to a single episode so I could be totally wrong.

I agree with you completely.