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The Rest in Peace Thread


SteveAJones

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RIP Doug Engelbart, the creator of the computer mouse.

The man behind the computer mouse, who transformed the way people work, play and communicate, has died at 88.

Technology visionary Doug Engelbart died from acute kidney failure at his California home after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, one of his daughters, Diana Engelbart Mangan, said.

Mild-mannered Engelbart, whose first computer mouse was a wooden shell with metal wheels, had audacious ideas. Long before Apple founder Steve Jobs became famous for his dramatic presentations, Mr Engelbart dazzled the industry at a San Francisco computer conference in 1968.

Working from his house with a home-made modem, he used his lab's elaborate new online system to illustrate his ideas to the audience, while his staff linked in from the lab. It was the first public demonstration of the mouse and video teleconferencing, prompting a standing ovation.

"We will miss his genius, warmth and charm," said Curtis Carlson, chief executive of SRI International, where Mr Engelbart used to work. "Doug's legacy is immense. Anyone in the world who uses a mouse or enjoys the productive benefits of a personal computer is indebted to him."

In the 1950s and 60s, when mainframe computers took up entire rooms and were fed data on punch cards, Mr Engelbart was already envisaging a day when computers were far more intuitive to use. One of the biggest advances was the mouse, which he developed in the 1960s and patented in 1970. The idea was way ahead of its time. The mouse did not become commercially available until 1984, with the release of Apple's then-revolutionary Macintosh computer.

Mr Engelbart's conceived the mouse so early in the evolution of computers that he and his colleagues did not profit much from it. The technology passed into the public domain in 1987, preventing him from collecting royalties on the mouse when it was in its widest use. At least one billion have been sold since the mid-1980s. Now their usage is waning as people merely swipe their finger across a display screen.

Edited by kenog
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SINGER Bernie Nolan has died aged 52 after losing her battle with cancer.

The lead singer of the hit Eighties group of sisters had been diagnosed with cancer for the second time last year after beating breast cancer in 2010.

A spokeswoman for the family said: “Bernie passed away peacefully this morning with all of her family around her.

"The entire family are devastated to have lost beloved Bernie, a wonderful wife, adoring mother and loving sister; she is irreplaceable.

“They kindly ask people to respect their privacy at this difficult time.”

Bernie shot to stardom with her singing sisters The Nolans.

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On stage ... Bernie starred in stage version of Calender Girls

The group, best known for 1979 hit I’m In The Mood For Dancing, sold millions of records around the world and enjoyed success with songs such as Don’t Make Waves, Attention To Me and Gotta Pull Myself Together.

They became huge in Japan, where they are said to have sold more records than the Beatles, and also supported Frank Sinatra.

Nolan was born into a showbusiness family - her parents Tommy and Maureen were singers - and the family group learned their trade singing in pubs and clubs.

“It got to the stage,” she once said, “where they didn’t talk about whether the new baby was going to be a boy or a girl, but whether they could sing.”

The girls’ father Tommy became their manager and after his death Anne, the eldest sister, revealed he had sexually abused her from the age of 11.

Nolan_sisters_1757646a.jpg
Stardom ... The Nolan Sisters, back row Anne and Linda; front row, Bernadette and Maureen

Bernie quit the group in 1994 and made a name as an actress appearing in Brookside and The Bill.

The Nolans reunited in 2009 for a sell-out tour, which led to a dispute with Anne and another sister, Denise, who were excluded.

Nolan, who gave birth to her daughter Erin in 1999, also took part in Channel 4 series The Games and ITV’s Popstar to Operastar.

On stage, she performed in Blood Brothers, Flashdance The Musical and the UK tour of Chicago The Musical in 2012 as well as a touring production of Calendar Girls.

THE_NOLANS_a_1757647a.jpg
Comeback ... The Nolan Sisters after reforming in 2009
ITV

Nolan, who married drummer Steve Doneathy in 1996 and whose first daughter Kate was born stillborn in 1997, was told she had breast cancer in 2010, becoming the third sister to have the disease.

In an interview last year, she told Hello! magazine she felt ”a weight has been lifted” after she went public about her illness.

She said: ”There’s no point dwelling on it, I’ve got to fight it, be positive and get on with it. I say a positive mantra to myself every day.”

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4997145/Bernie-Nolan-dies-after-losing-her-battle-with-cancer.html#ixzz2YAs7Y4h8

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  • 3 weeks later...

A great actor.. one of my favorites..

Dennis Farina could play anything.

Good guy,

Bad Guy,

Funny bad guy,

Sidekick etc... Movies, TV series, TV movies. .

I agree with you completely. Dennis Farina was a great actor. I think His best role was in Midnight Run (with Bobby De Niro). His Chicago/Las Vegas mobster as Jimmy Serrano was great. He played an no nonsense and Ruthless MotherFucker. I am sad to learn of his Passing.

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Oh, Anjin-san, thanks so much for this. I listened to it three times and will probably listen/watch it some more. JJ was one of the very, very best. So sad to lose him. I just can get over how miserable I feel.

Do love Clapton's guitar.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I can't keep up with all the people dying these days...Dennis Farina, Karen Black, Jean Stapleton, oh my. :(

But here are a couple others who passed away recently that deserve a nod of recognition.

Mick Farren, British writer and member of the 1960s group, The Deviants. Died July 27 at age 69. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/arts/music/mick-farren-british-rock-n-roll-renaissance-man-dies-at-69.html

George Duke, keyboardist with Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, P-Funk, and more; died July 29 at age 67.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/arts/music/george-duke-crossover-musician-with-frank-zappa-dies-at-67.html?ref=deathsobituaries&

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sad news from the new and "improved" Blabbermouth

Founding BLUE ÖYSTER CULT keyboardist and guitarist Allen Lanier died earlier today (Wednesday, August 14) of chronic lung disease. He was 66 years old.

Said the band in a statement: "We have extremely sad news to report. We've lost our friend and bandmate Allen Lanier. Allen succumbed to complications from C.O.P.D. [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease]. He is survived by his wife Dory, sister Mary Anne and mother Martha. Although he retired from touring in 2006, Allen returned to the stage for what turned out to be his final appearance, reuniting with BLUE ÖYSTER CULT at the 40th-anniversary show in New York this past November.

"[Don't fear the reaper] sweet man. We love you and miss you."

Added BLUE ÖYSTER CULT frontman Eric Bloom: "My great friend Allen Lanier has passed. I'll miss the guy even though we hadn't spoken in awhile. He was so talented as a musician and a thinker. He read voraciously, all kinds of things, especially comparative religion. We drove for years together, shared rooms in the early days. We partied, laughed, played. All BLUE ÖYSTER CULT fans and band members will mourn his death. Ultimately, smoking finally got to him. He had been hospitalized with C.O.P.D.

"It was Allen who heard some old college band tapes of mine and suggested I get a shot as the singer in 1968. A lot of great memories, over 40 years' worth. Maybe he's playing a tune with Jim Carroll right now."

Lanier was a member of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT since the band's inception in 1967 until his retirement in 2006.


Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/blue-oyster-cult-founder-allen-lanier-dead-at-66/#ElYZ5ObiGjEyZhey.99

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