According to a mutual friend, MRC (who was born July 19, 1956) is suffering from brain cancer. How he's managed to remain functional this far is a testament to how brilliant he is.
I knew MRC intimately back in the 1980s. He prided himself at being difficult to get along with. He once said to me, "I'm so good at what I do, I don't NEED social skills!"
It was true. He was (and still is) effing brilliant when it came to computers and anything else that interested him. He could learn just about anything he put his mind to learning. He had strong opinions back then; since then, his opinions are equally strong, and in some cases he's done a 180 degree turn from where he was back then. For example, back in the 80s he was strongly anti-gun. Later he became a gun enthusiast and NRA member.
People talk about him being "difficult" because he was hard to get along with if you didn't fit into his idea of "okay." He hated cats, children, small dogs, and looked down upon anybody who believed in a religion.
Nonetheless, he has contributed much to the world of computing, and that will be his legacy.
I knew MRC intimately back in the 1980s. He prided himself at being difficult to get along with. He once said to me, "I'm so good at what I do, I don't NEED social skills!"
It was true. He was (and still is) effing brilliant when it came to computers and anything else that interested him. He could learn just about anything he put his mind to learning. He had strong opinions back then; since then, his opinions are equally strong, and in some cases he's done a 180 degree turn from where he was back then. For example, back in the 80s he was strongly anti-gun. Later he became a gun enthusiast and NRA member.
People talk about him being "difficult" because he was hard to get along with if you didn't fit into his idea of "okay." He hated cats, children, small dogs, and looked down upon anybody who believed in a religion.
Nonetheless, he has contributed much to the world of computing, and that will be his legacy.
If he reads this, I wish him peace.