The Inner Child Keeps on Growing

I've just heard about John M. Ford. Bugger.

I only met John M. Ford (or Mike as everyone seemed to call him) a couple of times at WisCons. At the dead dog party this year we talked computer gaming for several hours, where he described his adventures in Oblivion at great, and being who he was, highly amusing length.

Looking at his output he was a true renaissance man: poet, novelist (his The Dragon Waiting is as fine an alternative world novel as you will find), humourist (his Hemingway pastiches collected in Heat of Fusion and other stories are an absolute joy), gamer and game-writer (his Paranoia scenarios are classics) and all round good guy.

I wish I'd known him better, but I am happy to have known him at all.

Dammit.

Just saw that John Spencer, Leo in The West Wing has died of a heart attack, aged 58. What a shame - he was a fine actor. And 58 seems awfully young this days (though frankly I think he looked older - that's what alchohism will do for you).