Federico Rojas: The father of the father of Engadget
I've never written much about my personal life in the three years, three months, and two weeks since I started Engadget, but for this Father's Day I wanted to talk about the person who inspired my love of technology: my father Federico Rojas, who passed away very unexpectedly this past Wednesday.
My father wasn't a exactly a geek -- he was just a physician whose interests ranged far beyond medicine -- but he was most definitely a classic early adopter when it came to anything related to electronics, and I remember being in awe as a young boy whenever he'd bring home his latest discovery. Whether it was an 8-bit computer, an HDTV, a Laser Disc player (and then a DVD player), a surround sound system, etc, while I was growing up he was always consistently ahead of the curve and constantly wowing me with whatever new toy he was installing.
[That's my dad at right, in a picture from 1979 or 1980. I'm there on the left, my brother is on the right.]
One of my earliest memories of my father and technology dates back to 1980 when he bought a VCR. The VCR he'd purchased was a boxy, clunky affair with a wired remote, but we were all amazed that we could just watch a movie anytime we wanted, as many times as we wanted. At least when we were able to find videos to play on it. There was no such thing as a video store back then (at least not in Merced, California, where I grew up), but I remember vividly the first two VHS tapes he bought: Alien and Blazing Saddles, neither of which I was allowed to watch at the time. One day my dad brought home a copy of Empire Strikes Back way before it was officially released. I don't know where he got it from, but I do remember that we had so many people over to watch it that my dad split the signal from the VCR and set up a second feed on a TV in another room just for the kids. It seemed like magic to me that you could even do something like that.
Early the next year I had my tonsils removed and had to miss about two weeks of school. To help me pass the time my dad did what any responsible parent would do: he bought me an Atari 2600, which instantly made me the most popular kid in the neighborhood.
My father never took much interest in gaming -- he thought it was a little frivolous, if harmless. He was interested in computing, so not long after buying me the 2600 he bought an Atari 400 (and then later an Atari 800) for the family and then started to teach himself BASIC. My dad was never much of a programmer -- the only application I ever remember him creating was a very simple racing game -- but around this time he did take me along to a few meetings of the local computer enthusiasts group he belonged to.
From then on there wasn't a time when we didn't have a computer in the house. He realized pretty early on that computers were going to be the future and when I was about ten years old I remember him telling me one day that I needed to stop playing King's Quest and get better at using MS-DOS.
If anything, though, my father was an A/V guy at heart. He was an audiophile who used to tell me stories about how he'd been so obsessed with music that when he was a teenager he installed a portable turntable into the family car so they could listen to 45s on the road, a plan which backfired not because the needle would constantly skip (which it did), but because one day he parked the car in the sun and accidentally melted all of his favorite records. His quest for audio perfection led him to buy the first CD player sold in the US (the Sony CDP-101, which I actually found in a stack of old A/V components here in his house) and immediately started building a collection of CD's that numbers somewhere around 30,000 today. He did his best to get me hooked as well, and for my 13th birthday he gave me a Sony D-88 Pocket Discman, which was designed primarily for playing 3-inch CD-singles.
[Pictured at right: my dad in 1985 with the A/V rig he had set up in his bedroom. Note the Pioneer LaserDisc player at the bottom with the Sony CDP-101 just above it.]
As he got older it became more difficult for my father to keep up with the latest technology -- he just never got totally comfortable with spending time online -- but he was a lifelong photographer who dived right into the digital revolution, picking up one of the first digital Canon digital SLRs and converting our family room into a digital photography workshop, complete with a large-format Epson printer that he used for giant prints he sold to corporate clients. He loved being able to edit and correct his photos using a computer rather than a darkroom, and he spent hours scanning and organizing the tens of thousands of slides and negatives he had from before he made the switch to digital.
My father instilled me in his love for technology, but the most important things I learned from him have nothing to do with gadgets. Even though he loved gadgets and electronics, he never made them his life; they were just tools to make life easier or more enjoyable and were never a substitute for the friends, family, and patients that he always put first. (He was a fierce advocate for his patients; in all his years as an obstetrician he delivered almost 8,000 infants and never lost a single mother.)
What always amazed me about him was how multifaceted he was. He was an intellectually curious physician living in a small town who had traveled the world, read at least a book a week up until he died, could continually kick my ass in Scrabble even though he didn't learn English until he was 23, and knew practically everything there was to know about classical music, Spanish wines, and French cinema. All I wanted to be when I grew up was as smart as my dad.
I knew that on some level I disappointed him when I decided not to follow in his footsteps and become a doctor. He never really put much pressure on me to go to medical school or anything, but he did express his hope that I'd love medicine as much as he did. It took me a few years, but when I did finally figure out that I wanted to write about technology for a living he was tremendously supportive, and I remember how he'd always ask for extra copies of Red Herring so that he could send them to his brothers in South America. And when he told me that one of his patients had asked him if he was related to me, I knew he was proud of what I was doing -- and to show it he even started asking me for advice about what gadgets to buy.
It's difficult for me to write this. I've never shared much of my personal life on the site, mainly because I know that all of you read Engadget for the gadgets, not to hear me (or anyone else) whine about the details of what they did that day. But I also know that there wouldn't be an Engadget without my father -- and not just because he inspired my passion for technology, or that it's always been his dry, irreverent sense of humor that I've tried to emulate in my writing. He was the person who I turned to when I was wrestling with the decision to quit Gizmodo and start all over again with a new site, and he gave me the push in the right direction I needed.
My father grew up in an impoverished developing country where the only ticket out of poverty was to get an advanced degree and get a "safe" job as a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer, so it was a big deal for me when he said that I needed to take a risk and toss everything aside to start Engadget. When I was home for Christmas in 2003 we stayed up late almost every night talking, and he gave me the confidence I needed to take the plunge and create the site when I was terrified about taking a chance on something that might fail. Even though he had worked all his life for the kind of financial security he never had growing up, he also believed that you should never spend a second of your life doing something you didn't care about, and he knew how much I loved blogging. He saw potential in me that I didn't see in myself.
That's why one of the happiest moments in my life was when he was able to come to an Engadget reader meetup in San Francisco. It meant a lot to me for him to see how successful Engadget had become, and it was so gratifying seeing him geek out with our readers, showing off his Canon EOS 5D to a fellow photographer and talking about and playing with all the gadgets on display like everyone else.
So maybe it's not all that surprising that this past Sunday the very last conversation I had with my father -- just three days before his untimely death -- was about gadgets. He wanted to tell me about the new HDMI-enabled A/V receiver he'd just installed and about how this new universal remote he'd bought wasn't working properly. He even wanted some insider info on whether he should buy a replacement or whether there was a new version that wasn't announced yet that he should wait for. I advised him to wait, and promised that when I was back home in California next month I'd help him get everything set up.
I expected I'd spend this Father's Day on the phone with him, maybe talking about the new two megapixel cameraphone he was using for casual photos (he'd just bought a 1GB microSD card for storing more pictures on the go) and my upcoming wedding that is now just six weeks away. Instead I'm spending it in his home, surrounded by his family and friends, wishing that I had one last chance to help him troubleshoot his Sonos, or watch Da Ali G Show with him, or sit at his computer while he showed me photos from his last trip, or talk about what it was like growing up in Peru (he had so many amazing stories which I'd love to hear him tell again). I'll never have a chance to do any of that again, but I'm beyond grateful for the 32 years I was able to spend with him.
My father was an intensely private person who'd probably be embarrassed that I'm even talking about him here, but he was a good, honest, highly principled man who did everything he could to give his family a life that was better than the one he'd had growing up in Peru -- and the world deserves to know it. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to live up to the example he set for me. Thanks for letting me share this with you.
My father wasn't a exactly a geek -- he was just a physician whose interests ranged far beyond medicine -- but he was most definitely a classic early adopter when it came to anything related to electronics, and I remember being in awe as a young boy whenever he'd bring home his latest discovery. Whether it was an 8-bit computer, an HDTV, a Laser Disc player (and then a DVD player), a surround sound system, etc, while I was growing up he was always consistently ahead of the curve and constantly wowing me with whatever new toy he was installing.
[That's my dad at right, in a picture from 1979 or 1980. I'm there on the left, my brother is on the right.]
One of my earliest memories of my father and technology dates back to 1980 when he bought a VCR. The VCR he'd purchased was a boxy, clunky affair with a wired remote, but we were all amazed that we could just watch a movie anytime we wanted, as many times as we wanted. At least when we were able to find videos to play on it. There was no such thing as a video store back then (at least not in Merced, California, where I grew up), but I remember vividly the first two VHS tapes he bought: Alien and Blazing Saddles, neither of which I was allowed to watch at the time. One day my dad brought home a copy of Empire Strikes Back way before it was officially released. I don't know where he got it from, but I do remember that we had so many people over to watch it that my dad split the signal from the VCR and set up a second feed on a TV in another room just for the kids. It seemed like magic to me that you could even do something like that. Early the next year I had my tonsils removed and had to miss about two weeks of school. To help me pass the time my dad did what any responsible parent would do: he bought me an Atari 2600, which instantly made me the most popular kid in the neighborhood.
My father never took much interest in gaming -- he thought it was a little frivolous, if harmless. He was interested in computing, so not long after buying me the 2600 he bought an Atari 400 (and then later an Atari 800) for the family and then started to teach himself BASIC. My dad was never much of a programmer -- the only application I ever remember him creating was a very simple racing game -- but around this time he did take me along to a few meetings of the local computer enthusiasts group he belonged to.
From then on there wasn't a time when we didn't have a computer in the house. He realized pretty early on that computers were going to be the future and when I was about ten years old I remember him telling me one day that I needed to stop playing King's Quest and get better at using MS-DOS.
If anything, though, my father was an A/V guy at heart. He was an audiophile who used to tell me stories about how he'd been so obsessed with music that when he was a teenager he installed a portable turntable into the family car so they could listen to 45s on the road, a plan which backfired not because the needle would constantly skip (which it did), but because one day he parked the car in the sun and accidentally melted all of his favorite records. His quest for audio perfection led him to buy the first CD player sold in the US (the Sony CDP-101, which I actually found in a stack of old A/V components here in his house) and immediately started building a collection of CD's that numbers somewhere around 30,000 today. He did his best to get me hooked as well, and for my 13th birthday he gave me a Sony D-88 Pocket Discman, which was designed primarily for playing 3-inch CD-singles.[Pictured at right: my dad in 1985 with the A/V rig he had set up in his bedroom. Note the Pioneer LaserDisc player at the bottom with the Sony CDP-101 just above it.]
As he got older it became more difficult for my father to keep up with the latest technology -- he just never got totally comfortable with spending time online -- but he was a lifelong photographer who dived right into the digital revolution, picking up one of the first digital Canon digital SLRs and converting our family room into a digital photography workshop, complete with a large-format Epson printer that he used for giant prints he sold to corporate clients. He loved being able to edit and correct his photos using a computer rather than a darkroom, and he spent hours scanning and organizing the tens of thousands of slides and negatives he had from before he made the switch to digital.
My father instilled me in his love for technology, but the most important things I learned from him have nothing to do with gadgets. Even though he loved gadgets and electronics, he never made them his life; they were just tools to make life easier or more enjoyable and were never a substitute for the friends, family, and patients that he always put first. (He was a fierce advocate for his patients; in all his years as an obstetrician he delivered almost 8,000 infants and never lost a single mother.)
What always amazed me about him was how multifaceted he was. He was an intellectually curious physician living in a small town who had traveled the world, read at least a book a week up until he died, could continually kick my ass in Scrabble even though he didn't learn English until he was 23, and knew practically everything there was to know about classical music, Spanish wines, and French cinema. All I wanted to be when I grew up was as smart as my dad.
I knew that on some level I disappointed him when I decided not to follow in his footsteps and become a doctor. He never really put much pressure on me to go to medical school or anything, but he did express his hope that I'd love medicine as much as he did. It took me a few years, but when I did finally figure out that I wanted to write about technology for a living he was tremendously supportive, and I remember how he'd always ask for extra copies of Red Herring so that he could send them to his brothers in South America. And when he told me that one of his patients had asked him if he was related to me, I knew he was proud of what I was doing -- and to show it he even started asking me for advice about what gadgets to buy.
It's difficult for me to write this. I've never shared much of my personal life on the site, mainly because I know that all of you read Engadget for the gadgets, not to hear me (or anyone else) whine about the details of what they did that day. But I also know that there wouldn't be an Engadget without my father -- and not just because he inspired my passion for technology, or that it's always been his dry, irreverent sense of humor that I've tried to emulate in my writing. He was the person who I turned to when I was wrestling with the decision to quit Gizmodo and start all over again with a new site, and he gave me the push in the right direction I needed.
My father grew up in an impoverished developing country where the only ticket out of poverty was to get an advanced degree and get a "safe" job as a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer, so it was a big deal for me when he said that I needed to take a risk and toss everything aside to start Engadget. When I was home for Christmas in 2003 we stayed up late almost every night talking, and he gave me the confidence I needed to take the plunge and create the site when I was terrified about taking a chance on something that might fail. Even though he had worked all his life for the kind of financial security he never had growing up, he also believed that you should never spend a second of your life doing something you didn't care about, and he knew how much I loved blogging. He saw potential in me that I didn't see in myself.
That's why one of the happiest moments in my life was when he was able to come to an Engadget reader meetup in San Francisco. It meant a lot to me for him to see how successful Engadget had become, and it was so gratifying seeing him geek out with our readers, showing off his Canon EOS 5D to a fellow photographer and talking about and playing with all the gadgets on display like everyone else.
So maybe it's not all that surprising that this past Sunday the very last conversation I had with my father -- just three days before his untimely death -- was about gadgets. He wanted to tell me about the new HDMI-enabled A/V receiver he'd just installed and about how this new universal remote he'd bought wasn't working properly. He even wanted some insider info on whether he should buy a replacement or whether there was a new version that wasn't announced yet that he should wait for. I advised him to wait, and promised that when I was back home in California next month I'd help him get everything set up.
I expected I'd spend this Father's Day on the phone with him, maybe talking about the new two megapixel cameraphone he was using for casual photos (he'd just bought a 1GB microSD card for storing more pictures on the go) and my upcoming wedding that is now just six weeks away. Instead I'm spending it in his home, surrounded by his family and friends, wishing that I had one last chance to help him troubleshoot his Sonos, or watch Da Ali G Show with him, or sit at his computer while he showed me photos from his last trip, or talk about what it was like growing up in Peru (he had so many amazing stories which I'd love to hear him tell again). I'll never have a chance to do any of that again, but I'm beyond grateful for the 32 years I was able to spend with him.
My father was an intensely private person who'd probably be embarrassed that I'm even talking about him here, but he was a good, honest, highly principled man who did everything he could to give his family a life that was better than the one he'd had growing up in Peru -- and the world deserves to know it. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to live up to the example he set for me. Thanks for letting me share this with you.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Elias @ Jun 17th 2007 1:06PM
You reflect him well, Pete. Thanks for sharing.
G-man @ Jun 17th 2007 5:30PM
My condolences to you and your family. Your tribute to your dad is the best father's day gift any dad would give his right arm for. Engadget is really your dad's legacy. Keep up the great work, Peter.
TMZisclassless @ Jun 17th 2007 10:37PM
Your father sounds like he was a very principled man who lived his life to the fullest. You should be proud to call him your dad. I don't have my father either, but when I was 32 years of age I married the second girl I ever fell in love with. You see, my dad was a brilliant piano player who really shone when playing jazz or Elvis. Seriously. He recorded a few albums, played Vegas - even showing up the band in the main room so much the other band had to stop playing - and loved football. I can happlliy say that my wife and I have a wonderful and playful son named Jude (notice the musical reference). My dad died the month before my son was born and while I wish he could have seen his grandson just once for me to witness, I know he saw him somewhere. My son has played the piano almost every day since his this past April. He is only 3. I guess what I am saying is that there are many people out here reading your views everyday and appreciate you humor and respect your ratings and opinions. I refer your website to as many people as I can, frequently even going online right then to show them an article of yours. Your father-inspired passion for gadgets makes me wish my father and I had the relationship you had with yours. So good luck with the website and maybe you can pass along your wisdom with your child. By passing along ALL of his loves of medicine, gadgets, music and more, your father couldn't chouse which one you took to. That is a difficult thing to deal with as a parent as more and more messages are put out there with marketing, movies, celebrity culture and the like. I hope to be able to pass along my love of life in a manner similar to the way your father passed his along to you. Hopefully, he will cherish his time with me and write something as beautiful and thoughtful as you have done here. Thank you for your courage to share this and keep up the excellent service you provide to people to enhance their knowledge of everything Engadget.
Benji @ Jun 18th 2007 3:24PM
Wow, Peter, that is the only Engadget post that I actually cried after reading.
I'm really sorry for your loss, your father seemed to be a great man. May he rest in peace.
Kathy Morehouse @ Jun 21st 2007 9:38PM
Pete,
I was a patient and a friend of your fathers. He became very close to our family this year. We shared our triumphs and heartaches, excuse the pun, over heart surgeries. Beginning in August your father and I kept in touch by phone quite frequently. We would discuss the pros and cons of heart valve redo surgery. Around October and November our phone calls became more frequent as my husband's surgery was close at hand. The months of November, December, and Januuary seem like a blur. But, I do know that your dad was ever vigilant about checking in on us and likewise us with him. We last heard from your dad last month when he called here to see how my husband was doing and to say he had an article on the latest heart surgery research to send us. The clock stopped the day I received the phone call about your dad. I honestly can say I cried most the day. I am proud to say he was my doctor and my friend. I am glad he touched my life. I will miss him.
IoHek @ Jun 17th 2007 1:11PM
My condolences to you and your family, Peter. Very nice piece.
Dustin @ Jun 17th 2007 1:14PM
I'm sorry for your loss and dont even think your readers don't care about you. People are here everyday to read your site it is a real gift.
John Doe @ Jun 17th 2007 1:14PM
*Waits for the first person to make some horridly inappropriate remark*
In the mean time; you have my sincere condolences Peter. May your memories of him comfort you on this fathers day.
kyaking_wizz @ Jun 17th 2007 1:15PM
brilliant heart wamrming piece of writting im sorry for your loss
g3n3tiX @ Jun 17th 2007 1:16PM
Very nice and moving article, actually reminds me of my own father.
Condolences.
jF
The Grand Master @ Jun 17th 2007 1:16PM
Lovely tribute Pete. Glad you shared, thanks.
jrgriggs @ Jun 17th 2007 1:18PM
Very touching. This is the first father's day I'm spending without my father as well, he passed away last September. I'm sorry to hear about your loss, and thanks for sharing with us.
David Scott @ Jun 17th 2007 1:19PM
My condolences, he sounds like a wonderful man, thank you for sharing.
darkstar @ Jun 17th 2007 1:20PM
this is the best article i've ever read from you.
your dad is a great man!!!
thanks for sharing,
tung.
Barry B @ Jun 17th 2007 1:21PM
Very sorry for your loss Pete.
At the same time I am very happy to read a side of you that you have chose to make public. Your father and I would have got along great!
As I was reading I read and saw things that my children see in me. I always had to have the latest thing myself -if I could afford it. I still have my first LD player, my first flip phone (its a huge Motorola), and my first computer (IBM 8088) sitting in boxes somewhere.
Your father was a huge inspiration for you Pete. Thank -you- for sharing!
Tonicboy @ Jun 17th 2007 1:22PM
Peter, that was really moving, and a great story too - wow, a pirate copy of Empire Strikes Back?!. I'm sorry about your father though, but I'm sure he's very proud of what you've done here.
Davinder Sachdeva @ Jun 17th 2007 1:22PM
A beautiful tribute to a well deserving Father.
Cheers Mate !!
We might lose the entire world, its just family that we got and that all that matters.
Brian @ Jun 17th 2007 1:24PM
heartwarming
Leonardo @ Jun 17th 2007 1:26PM
My condolences to you.
William @ Jun 17th 2007 1:27PM
Condolences to you and your family. A beautiful and moving account of your father who was obviously very important to you.
All the best and good luck with continuing this great site.
jon @ Jun 17th 2007 1:27PM
I also recently lost my father, and my mother sooner than I expected. For me the memories come in waves, and I still struggle with it. But I remember how happy I made them and how proud they are of me to be doing what I am doing and being the best I can.
Obviously your dad is proud of you. He raised such a successful and wonderful son!
paul34 @ Jun 17th 2007 1:28PM
My condolences to you and your family, Peter.
Kyle Matthews @ Jun 17th 2007 1:29PM
I'm sure he'll be watching your wedding from where he is now, and my condolences to you and yours. Good piece, people can say what they want, but I think its great you took time to put up a digital memorial to your Father here. A great Dad's Day gift for what seems like was a great Dad.
Larry Akins @ Jun 17th 2007 1:32PM
I thank you so much for sharing this story. I too lost my father at a younger age than most at 31 and share so much of your story. Although my dad wasn't a doctor they sound like very similar types of men. Everything down from the Atari 2600, photography, and audio. Most of all we are both lucky men in that they supported us and gave us the love that we will always carry until our time has come as well. My best to you and your entire family. Stay strong and I have no doubt your father is very proud of this posting.
Meltz; @ Jun 17th 2007 1:32PM
My condolences as well. Thanks for sharing
MightyTwin @ Jun 17th 2007 1:32PM
Sorry to hear about your loss, Pete. He must have been a great man to know. :)
-And, it certainly doesn't bug me that you are writing about your father, especially when he was so important to this site/community. Your almost perfect, and touching writing style fits this blog post like a glove.
Many condolences from Norway, and it's a shame I didn't get to know your father better than just reading your descriptions of him here.
-MightyTwin.
dac @ Jun 17th 2007 1:33PM
Your Dad would be proud... again.
Ray Valdez @ Jun 17th 2007 1:33PM
Very well written...you're a great guy and I my heart goes out to ya man.
John @ Jun 17th 2007 1:34PM
My sympathies for your loss. I'm glad your father got to realize just how many people you have hooked on your site. Thanks for sharing.
Brian @ Jun 17th 2007 1:36PM
Engadget is something I really look forward to, but I've never read the entire copy for any article till this one. I'm inspired. Thank you.
Dalton @ Jun 17th 2007 1:36PM
Peter -
My sincerest condolences. I'm really sorry to hear about your loss. Great piece.
TrafficGeek @ Jun 17th 2007 1:37PM
Your father would be proud of you for the tribute you wrote and the success you created here at Engadet.
Best wishes to you and your family during this difficult time and thank you for sharing your loss with us.
mike @ Jun 17th 2007 1:37PM
Peter, your moving words fit perfectly into what Engadget is and should continue to be. Your father would be proud of what you have written - for it shows us not as strangers with a common interest, but as friends who care deeply about the world in which we live. Thank you for sharing with us at such a difficult time for you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Scott @ Jun 17th 2007 1:37PM
Wow. Your generosity is a great Father's Day gift. You've done well by your father with this site.
Noor Tazudeen @ Jun 17th 2007 1:37PM
Wow, what a cool guy.
Paul @ Jun 17th 2007 1:40PM
That was a very deeply moving article. Your dad sounds as if he was a wonderful person. My condolences for his death. Through the whole of this article, I was smiling and laughing, especially when it came to the new Atari, or the Star Wars movies. I can just imagine your dad, running around with his portable camera and taking pictures of anything that moved. As a new reader of Engadget, I greatly enjoy the short to the point articles, and can see now how greatly your father influenced you.
Best of wishes, Paul.
P.S. I hope your wedding goes well :)
Mike M. @ Jun 17th 2007 1:40PM
It was really nice to read this Pete, it's great to see how much your father inspired you. You no doubt made him proud. Sorry for your unfortunate loss. Thank you for everything you do at Engadget.
Ryan @ Jun 17th 2007 1:40PM
Most moving post I've ever read; I am sorry for your loss, your father sounded like an amazing person and a dedicated father. Keep his personality in mind and immortalize it.
~Ryan~
Robert @ Jun 17th 2007 1:41PM
my condolences to you and your family.
vehektor @ Jun 17th 2007 1:42PM
My heartfelt sympathies Peter
Your Father sounds like a good man which is all any of us can hope to be.
illiane @ Jun 17th 2007 1:42PM
What a beautiful tribute for an inspirational man. It is a wonderful way you chose to celebrate his life and his memory. My condolences to you and your family.
megan @ Jun 17th 2007 1:43PM
Pete, thank you for writing about this. The reason I visit your site almost daily is that you - like your father was - are intrigued by the potential for gadgets to enrich a well-lived life...to deepen our humanity rather than distract us from it. Consider the etymology of the word 'technology': 1615, "discourse or treatise on an art or the arts," from Gk. 'tekhnologia'
Thanks for your artful approach to gadgetry on engadget - it enriches many lives, including mine (despite the fact that it routinely reminds me how mad I deserve to be at my Treo 700p!)
I'm sorry for your loss.
jbstingray @ Jun 17th 2007 1:44PM
Thanks for this great post about your father. It is a good reminder that life doesn't revolve around the latest cell phones or Apple news.
My father is very similar in that he was the person who got me interested in technology. Seems like your dad was a little more quick to spend his cash on the newest stuff; my father always waits a few years... so it is funny that, even though you are older than I am, it seems like we got a lot of the same stuff at the same time!
I know it may not mean a lot from an anonymous voice on the internet, but you also have my sincere condolences. I am sorry for your loss and, again, thanks for sharing it with all of us.
Mishaal @ Jun 17th 2007 1:45PM
My sincere condolences to you and your family.
Amol @ Jun 17th 2007 1:47PM
Pete, that was some really moving piece of writing there. My condolences, and may your father rest in peace. Thanks for sharing this - it was a very engaging read.
And, good luck with your wedding and the life thereafter. Maybe your sons/daughters will see in you what you saw in your dad. I s'pose it's a karma kinda thang.
-- Amol
Scott-O-Rama @ Jun 17th 2007 1:47PM
What a beautiful tribute.
Just as you were lucky to have him as your father, he was lucky to have you as a son.
My heartfelt condolences to you and your family.
ayyadavid @ Jun 17th 2007 1:49PM
thank you pete for sharing the story! I gotta call my dad right now!
Jordan @ Jun 17th 2007 1:50PM
Thanks for your story Peter it was truely touching, my condolences to you and your family.
Mike @ Jun 17th 2007 1:50PM
Thank you. My grandfather is almost the exact same. I'm lucky that both he and my father are still here and it saddens me that someone that good and full of life is no longer with us. My thoughts are with you and if it means anything, you've given me a lot to think about.
justdot @ Jun 17th 2007 1:52PM
My condolences, thanks for sharing this with everybody