Remembering Rodney

I remember when Rodney first burst on the Mac writing scene. I had been there awhile and was concentrating on being cool, calm, and logical.

Then Rodney blew the lid off Macintosh commentary. He went where few of us could go. It’s ironic for me because I have always had a deep respect for Harlan Ellison, a man who has had so big a helping of life that his passion and outrage can hardly be contained.

Rodney was like that. There was no containment. He wrote with passion. He took names, and he kicked ass. At first reading, if you read too fast, you could be offended. But upon further study, you’d find that Rodney mostly nailed all the bullshit. He cut through the crap and exposed all those things the rest of us glossed over. Rodney was the Harlan Ellison of Macintosh commentary.

The only good that comes from losing Rodney is the fire he leaves in our minds. Now, every time we sit down at the keyboard, we’ll write with more passion and less inhibition. But, damn it Rodney, we’d rather have you still here to provide further instruction.

John Martellaro
Denver, Colorado