Comments:Wikinews mourns loss of volunteer John Shutt

Back to article

This page is for commentary on the news. If you wish to point out a problem in the article (e.g. factual error, etc), please use its regular collaboration page instead. Comments on this page do not need to adhere to the Neutral Point of View policy. Please remain on topic and avoid offensive or inflammatory comments where possible. Try thought-provoking, insightful, or controversial. Civil discussion and polite sparring make our comments pages a fun and friendly place. Please think of this when posting.

Use the "Start a new discussion" button just below to start a new discussion. If the button isn't there, wait a few seconds and click this link: Refresh.

Having dematerialized into the fringes for almost a dozen years, I find discovering a curious blog I had not come across so many years earlier one of my favorite ways to use the internet today.

To reset a long story shift, reviving the practice of programming eventually brought me to generators for the first time which in turn led to what they more generally represent, continuations; incidentally Mr Shutt had posted a comment related to this subject:

'I disagree with the common claim that ordinary continuations entail replacing the whole rest of computation. Rejecting this claim was key to the design of the control vau-calculus in my dissertation; in that calculus, a throw is a side-effect frame that propagates upward until it reaches its matching catch (at which point it can be canceled out). What makes the whole thing work is that the matching catch frame is also a side-effect frame, and when it propagates upward it causes changes to all its matching throws (by a non-lambda form of substitution).'

which really well captures an equivalence about verifiable causality at the core of the root of so many, many things. In turn I visited his blog and seeing the date of its posts, wanted to email the author and thank him for writing and sharing his writing--the accumulation of a lifetime reiterating what had been learned conceptually technical all the way up to the present envelope of today's reality--in case that might be the just enough motivation for them to resume posting. Sadly since that's not possible, consider that Structural Insight could be realized as a tangible collection of essays offering a refreshing synopsis contextualizing the story of science to the present day. I can quite literally picture it in a bookstore (the actual presence of a bookstore less so unfortunately), or even part of the syllabus for a course like "A History of Modern Science for the Rest of Us"...

Does anyone else share this opinion? As just a random internet user, this seems a great way that the life and brilliance of Pi zero could be commerated.

Maybe a crowd funded campaign or by grant...

Hardly anything seems to get published here anymore. Is this site even worth the servers it's hosted on?

1. While June saw rather a slump in production (about 11 articles), we published about 22 articles in May. In May 2020, for example, we published about seven (less than this June). Yes, that still means en.wikinews isn't prolific in gross output, but no one is stopping you from writing if you want to see more published. 2. Frankly, that's bullshit because the WMF literally exists to host and support the projects, not rule volunteers (closure of en.wikinews has been discussed here and here, BTW).

Seems to be happening to a lot of people lately. These sudden deaths. I wonder what it could be.

The original generation of Wikimedians aging out? He wasn't from that early, of course, but people like Brianmc were, not to mention all the Wikipedians who have died recently...

He wasn't even that old though.

If Pi_zero and Brianmc "aged out" then I am at death's door.

I wonder whether something that happened within the past couple of years might be contributing to these sudden deaths. People lived longer than this during the middle ages. (Life expectancy during that period was deflated due to infant mortality.)

Am I a conspiracy theorist for asking this?

I think it’s none of your business.

I put something on the talk page, but really: More appropriate here. I will say again: that man was the GLUE around this place. When people (and I'm not excluding myself from the list!) would get emotional or ego-driven or whatever, he really knew how to re-focus everyone back onto what really mattered. A place like this, in order to succeed, needs selfless people......and he rocked in that department. I never met you John, but I really miss you. We exchanged many comments, notes and remarks. We lost someone important around here when you left this Earth.

Your contributions to this site are invaluable. Wikinews community can't thank you enough.

You were what held Wikinews up. Now we must move on without you, all lonely.

Although I haven't been that active in years, Pi Zero was the backbone who kept the project going. However, hopefully, his loss is not insurmountable. I'm gonna miss you.

Shocked and saddened. He truly was the backbone of this project. Pi zero taught me everything I know about newswriting, and working with him on here was a great pleasure. His legacy will live on in every writing project I'm involved with moving forward. Thanks for everything man

I just found out today and still can't believe this happened. John was one of the most hard-working editors on Wikinews. I've always enjoyed interacting with him. Deepest condolences to his family and friends. :-(

Side note: I'm really starting to hate 2021 as well.

I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Pi zero. To paraphrase another Wikinewsie, he was the glue that held Wikinews together.

Rest in peace.

We all will miss you so much.

I think I saw him somewhere before. Rest in peace.

My sincere condolences for John's family and friends, and for all the Wikinews contributors, who don't only lose a companion but also their great asset in keeping English Wikinews going. With the great amount of work he gave over here, I can't hardly imagine how he can ever be replaced. He'll be surely missed! Dear John, alias Pi Zero, rest in peace. Dear regards from NL Wikinews.

With his dedication, he earned a part of our hearts and took it with him for his journey. I don't think we mind him earning it.

I am at a loss for words. This is shocking and devastating news, for the Project he so loved -- and for those who loved him. I had occasion to interact with Pi many, many times over the years. He was one of the most prolific reviewers and administrators on the Project, and plugged away tirelessly to keep Wikinews churning. His feedback was always thorough, incisive, and helpful -- I learned much from Pi, about writing articles here, about the art and the science of writing generally, about evaluating facts and information with a healthily critical eye and an ever-analytical mind. I can think of no more fitting a way for his legacy to survive -- nay, to thrive -- than in the continuing collaborativeness of this community in the days, months, and years ahead. Rest in Peace, Pi -- and thanks for everything.

I am very sorry for the death of Pi zero, he was someone who dedicated a large part of his time to the growth of Wikinews and Wikibooks. Without a doubt, his absence will be too noticeable around here.

I am saddened by this loss. We will miss Pi zero and will remember his contributions forever. I haven’t known him for that long, but I will personally miss him dearly. Goodbye :(

Shutt will be missed as a contributor who tried, and a contributor who cared. I am honoured his last work with the project was with an article of mine, and humbled by his vigour, rigour, and attention to detail. Condolences.