Submitted by rickeyre on
I never met the late Mark Colvin in person but, like many people, I had a number of conversations with him on Twitter over the years. A wonderfully knowledgable and witty person who is being missed by so many people today.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Clive Rice has died at the age of 66 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was one of cricket's greatest all-rounders in an era of truly great all-rounders. But unlike Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee, Rice's achievements register barely a blip on the international cricket radar.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Richie Benaud meant so much to so many people, and despite his extreme modesty you know he accepted the good humour of it all. And unlike many of his contemporary ex-player-turned-commentators, you could never accuse him of being a curmudgeon.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Peter Roebuck, cricketer, coach, writer, broadcaster and advocate, died tragically on Saturday night in Cape Town at the age of 55. Much has already been written about his acclaimed legacy. Much more will be written about his complexities. I just want to share one anecdote.
Submitted by rickeyre on
"RIP Steve Jobs. You left your mark on our desks, on our ears & in our hands."
- Darren Rovell, CNBC sports business reporter, Twitter, 5.10.11
I loathe Apple Inc. Never owned an Apple II, Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad (let alone Lisa or Newton). Uninstalled iTunes after a few months because I considered it malware. I loathe Apple's monopolistic practices, their aggressive litigiousness, their Chinese labour exploitations. But for all that, there is no doubt that Steve Jobs was a truly great man whose influence will be missed following his death, following multiple battles with cancer, on Wednesday aged 56.
Submitted by rickeyre on
A giant of 20th century mathematics died on Friday, Benoît Mandelbrot, the man who gave prominence to the theory of fractal geometry.
Submitted by rickeyre on
It's probably corny to describe Dennis Hopper as an "icon among iconoclasts", but the mark he left on motion picture history was notable and much admired. And not just because he lived to the age of 74 despite decades of drugs and alcohol.
Hopper died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. He was meant to visit Australia last year to open an exhibition of his photography in Melbourne. He had to pull out at the last minute, and made no further public appearances.
Submitted by rickeyre on
I was not a fan of Michael Jackson. I didn't hugely go for his music. I found his persona and general behaviour in adult life to be repugnant. He was either a pedophile, or dangerously and recklessly naive in his attitude to children.
However, his impact on late 20th century culture was undeniable. I don't doubt the sincerity of the grief shown for him today, even if I am not a part of it myself.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Hearing the news in the past hour of the death of Bud Tingwell from prostate cancer at the age of 86 is a bit like feeling that part of Australia's heart and soul has just passed away. A great, lovely, Australian.
Submitted by rickeyre on
There was a time when Charlton Heston, who died yesterday at the age of 83, was a hero of mine. Then I began to appreciate some of the subtleties of screen acting. And well before he became chief evangelist for the Gun Lobby. In the tradition of my Jack Palance obituary, here is my Top Ten List In Chronological Order of my favourite Charlton Heston screen appearances:
