Jonathan Corbet

Dan Simmons is gone.

https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/02/hyperion-author-dan-simmons-dies-from-stroke-at-77/

There are people saying that he was not an entirely pleasant person. I know nothing about that. I do know that I found the Hyperion series to be mind-blowing; I wish I could write like that. May he rest in peace.

"This winter wasn’t just a bit warm or slightly unusual. It was a complete failure of the cold‑season that the West depends on, and the consequences will extend far beyond a lack of snow along Colorado’s Continental Divide. When winter fails this profoundly, the disruption radiates outward through every system that relies on the steady rhythm of cold, snow, and gradual melt. Water managers lose the natural reservoir that mountain snowpack is supposed to provide, leaving cities, farms, and entire states in the Colorado River Basin facing increasingly uncomfortable decisions about how to stretch a shrinking supply. Reservoirs that should be quietly refilling through winter will instead stumble into this spring underfilled, offering far less protection against the triple punch of summer heat, irrigation demand, and wildfire suppression. Millions of Americans who depend on the Colorado River will feel the consequences of this winter long after our snow-starved peaks fade from the headlines."

https://bouldercast.com/a-complete-failure-of-winter-across-the-west-and-what-it-means-for-the-rest-of-2026/

*sigh*

I encountered this gathering in Japan; was really tempted to post it as another Maintainers Summit group photo but ... resisted ...

In 2017 Randall Munroe posted a strip called "Seven Years" about being the caregiver for a loved one dealing with cancer: https://xkcd.com/1928/ That strip literally made me cry, it was such a clear telling of what that experience is like; much of it could have been about my own life. Except that my own experience had a different ending. Today he put out "Fifteen Years": https://xkcd.com/3172/ This one made me want to cheer. What a joy to see a story that has played out so differently, so much better. I have never crossed paths with Mr. Munroe, but I rejoice in his and his family's good fortune as if he were a good friend. Here's to many more years.