From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Message-ID: <91f652d3e37e1520d9f791ec9ca9da8b@collyer.net>
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] Boyd
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 23:46:07 -0700
From: geoff@collyer.net
In-Reply-To: <6fcf6718c61f4f6a049656dfc0bf1c82@orthanc.cc.titech.ac.jp>
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I knew Boyd (and David Hogan).  I'm surprised and saddened by his
death.  I mostly saw him at Usenixes and at Bell Labs.  I think we
started corresponding after his `BIG BATS!' Usenet posting (reproduced
below; my copy of the message lacks a Message-ID and Google Groups
doesn't find it nor the referenced parent message), though I could be
mistaken; he was certainly visible in other groups, notably
unix-[wlg]izards.

There were some things I never understood about Boyd, such as why he
was happier in France than in Australia.

Perhaps someone can save a copy of the insultant.net web site before
his ISP shuts it down for non-payment?  I know software exists to copy
web sites, but I don't have it.

As brucee said in another context, `it made me smile':
---
From: boyd@inset.UUCP (Boyd Roberts)
Newsgroups: net.jobs
Subject: Re: Personal druge use
References: <1613@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Organization: The Instruction Set ltd., London, UK.
Keywords: drugs
Summary: BIG BATS!
Date:  8 Apr 1986 0755-EST (Tuesday)

I'm not scare of no mass-spectrometer sifting through my
excretions.  I get worried when the boss catches me under my desk,
killing bats with my ruler.

Black bats... bats... black bats... big hairy black bats...

BIG BATS!

But then again, after a few good hits of ether I'm someone else.


Boyd Roberts

+++
+   ...!mcvax!ukc!inset!boyd
+   boyd@inset.co.uk
+   boyd@basser.oz
+
+++ "Isn't that kind of severe?"
---