in memory of james...

i used to work for cnet a few years back, and it was by far the friendliest place i have ever worked at, which is saying a lot considering my lengthy rambling resume. cnet has a generous habit of flying in its employees to san francisco (where the headquarters are, and where james lived/worked/loved) twice a year, to have a "town hall" meeting. the meeting serves to cover company updates and to introduce any new hires. and when i first signed on, i got to attend one, got introduced to all the editorial staff, all the sales staff, and got to (o so luckily) be part of a powerpoint presentation where they introduced the newbies to the oldies.

my memory is fuzzy and i met a lot of people that day, but i believe james and kati were among them. they stick out in my mind as a kind of dorky asian guy and a cheerful white girl that were especially friendly and welcoming and warm. we chatted about nothing in particular for 5 minutes or so and then i was whisked off to some other corporate activity.

so no, i didn't really know him. after following the story about his missing family for 11 days, i've learned that he loved his family, was a tech fanatic, owned a clothing store and apothecary, and that he has two beautiful kids.

i wish the best for both the kim and fleming families. cnet won't be the same without his contributions and i'm sure everyone there will miss him. he gave his all to try to ensure his family's well-being, and that makes him a hero in my book.

rest in peace james. your family and friends are in my prayers.

link --> "in memoriam" video from cnet.com
link --> transcript of kati's parents being interviewed on larry king live, monday evening
link --> the last cnet video that james did
link --> article from news station KGW, serving oregon & sw washington
link --> a page put up by the kim & fleming families with a detailed timeline and updates. you can make a donation if you'd like.