News:Grave news, dear friends
From libsecondlife
In Second Life, as a general rule, nobody knows who you really are behind the avatar. Some people take this as a novel opportunity, acting exactly how they cannot in real life. Others treat it as simply another social medium, thus acting exactly as they would in real life. From what I can tell, Jesse Malthus was somewhere in the middle. As a stowaway teenager on the main grid, he could not be forthright about his real identity. However, the intelligence and friendship he constantly exhibited was certainly no act.
On Thursday evening Jesse Malthus, whose real name was Jesse Higginbotham, succumbed to injuries sustained in a car accident the previous morning. Jesse was very active in all aspects of Second Life, from social and cultural discussions to development. Although only seventeen, Jesse had been on the main grid since coming into Second Life just under a year ago. His first rez day was today. On behalf of the entire libsecondlife project team, I extend our deepest sympathies to Jesse's parents and loved ones.
Jesse was a brilliant individual, and I am confident he would have made significant contributions to the future global technological infrastructure through his work in virtual worlds. His memory lives on not only in the hearts and minds of those who knew him, but also in the software that he created, that will be used by individuals for years to come. We will remember him as a genius, taken from this harsh world at far too young an age.
We have setup a memorial on strace island, please feel free to come and talk, or leave something that reminds you of Jesse. Thursday evening I came across a solitary lolcube owned by Jesse in the basement of my factory in Pi. It brought tears to my eyes. I don't know when Jesse had rezzed it, but if the grid ever eats it I will be heartbroken.