Category Archives: Current events

Rest in peace, James.

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You will be missed.

I first knew of James from TechTV, when I was an intern there. I worked primarily on the web site, but I still knew of him. I was a TechTV fan first, and an intern second, and believe me when I say that I was quite a fan of James after watching him on Call For Help and Fresh Gear. He struck me as intelligent and articulate, with a great flair for educating and entertaining at the same time. So when it came time for me to work at CNET, I was delighted that I would be working side by side with one of my heroes. James never let his seniority get to his head — he was welcoming to me from Day One.

There were many times when James would come and talk to me about TechTV, and we would reminisce about the good ol days. We would gossip about who was doing what, and how the other alumni were doing. Several times, he would come and show me the latest digital audio gadget, with excitement in his eyes. James truly loved his job, and it showed. He also cared greatly for his family. Even during the TechTV days, he would show off pictures of his daughter on the camera. At work, he would give me little discount postcards for his family’s boutique store, Doe in San Francisco. He was a warm and friendly man, and that came across to every one that came in contact with him.

It does not surprise me that he gave his all to save his family. James was that kind of man — generous and warm to a fault. He gave them most of the food, and he went looking for help when things seemed to look bleak. James Kim was a hero. It breaks my heart that he’s gone. All of us who knew him mourn his loss.

Thank you for everything James. We miss you very much.

James Kim is missing

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James Kim

[UPDATE 5: HOLY CRAP, they found Kati and the kids!!! James went off two days ago looking for help! Fingers super duper crossed! (News.com)]

[Update 4: Please check out the page that some of their family made for them at JamesandKati.com.]

[Update 3: "Following confirmed sightings last Saturday night of missing CNET editor James Kim and his family at a Denny's restaurant in Roseburg, Ore., search efforts are shifting north to Douglas County, Oregon police said Saturday morning.

The Denny's sighting in Roseberg at about 8 p.m. on November 25 was corroborated by eyewitnesses and a credit card statement. Lt. Dennis Dinsmore, of the Curry County Sheriffs' Department, "no indication in any way that they ever reached" his county." (News.com)]

[Update 2: "Federal and state law enforcement officials are combing remote roads off Oregon's Highway 38 and Interstate 5 in search of missing CNET senior editor James Kim and his family, police said Friday." (News.com)]

[Update: If you want the latest information on this, please check out CNET's Crave blog entry about it (We'll be updating it when we have information). Also scroll down to the bottom of this entry if you want to read additional blog and MSM coverage of this. Thank you for your support.]

[Video added (thanks Veronica)]:

One of my co-workers is missing, as well as his wife and two kids. He is James Kim, former TechTV personality and current CNET editor for digital audio. He and his family were last seen on Saturday in Portland, Oregon. He was supposed to show up at work on Tuesday, but no one has seen him or his family since Saturday.

I work in the same team as James (we’re both in the Mobile team), and needless to say, I’m worried as all hell. If anybody has ANY NEWS at all about his or his family’s whereabouts, please contact the SFPD. The following is from the official investigation of the SFPD:

Missing Family Includes: James, Kati, Penelope (age 4.5) and Sabine (6 months). Last name is Kim

Overview: The Kim Family left San Francisco on November 17th on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest. They had thanksgiving in Seattle with family and then drove to Portland. They were last seen by their friends in Portland who they had brunch with on Saturday, November 25. According to their friends, their plans were to drive out to the town of Gold Beach on the Oregon Coast and then make their way back to San Francisco. James was expected back at work on Tuesday, November 28th. When no one had heard from him by Wednesday morning employees at the Kims’ two stores and his colleagues at CNET began to make phone calls to his family and friends to inquire of his whereabouts. Presently, the SFPD is investigating the case.

If you know anything about James’ whereabouts, you can contact the SFPD by calling 415-558-5508 during normal business hours and 415-553-1071 after hours. More information on media coverage after the jump.

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Come watch me be totally petrified!

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If you don’t know already, I’ll be on a panel at Webzine 2005 called “Leveling the Playing Field: Journalism Online” where I’ll yibber yabber about this perilous profession I’ve somehow stumbled into. I’ll also probably chime in on this thing called “blogging.” But most likely I’ll rely on the other panelists to take the show. Or at least feed me talking points. I’m so unprepared it’s embarassing.

Anyway, if you wanna support/heckle/throw tomatoes etc at me, come check it out. It’s the very first panel at Webzine, and you can check out the rest of the schedule here.

I also like it that I probably have the worst blog out of that whole list. Nice.

Joel needs your help, to help Katrina victims

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Joel Johnson, ex-editor of Gizmodo, needs your help. He’s heading to Houston and then going to the Astrodome to try to help the Katrina victims by setting up some essential wireless communications. This includes setting up a low-power FM radio station for public service announcements. Friend and co-metblogger Jake Appelbaum will be part of the crew to photograph the whole thing. I’ll just point you to the entry in question for the full details of what he needs, but the basic gist is:

  • Hella lots of “Walkman-type radios,” with batteries
  • A chemical toilet
  • Diesel fuel
  • Old laptops with working batteries
  • Walkie-talkies
  • Basic electronics components, that include cables, power connectors, UPS units, etc.
  • Access to antibiotics, anti-infectious disease vaccines
  • Basic sustenance stuff, like food, water, etc.
  • A van from Houston
  • People transcribing the radio feeds to text
  • Various other things to come

It’s a pretty hard-hitting list, but hopefully someone out there will be able to get in touch with Joel et al to get him some of this stuff (or at least access to them).

[via Gizmodo]

South Asia earthquake horror

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I got home late Christmas Day, only to read about the horrifying news of the Indonesian earthquake and the aftershocks that affected the rest of South Asia. As a Malaysian, I was especially shocked to hear about Malaysian casualties, as Malaysia has been known to be relatively safe from natural disasters. Turns out the Indonesian earthquake was a record high of something along the lines of 8.9 magnitude, causing tidal waves and tsunamis all around the region. From what my Malaysian friends told me, most people on the ground-level didn’t feel any tremors at all, whereas people living in high-rise apartments might’ve felt a shake or two.

It certainly reminds me of my own mortality, as well as the safety of my family and friends. I haven’t heard anything from my family about it, so I can only assume that everyone’s still safe and sound. My heart goes out to all those who’ve lost loved ones to this, and I can only hope that things will get better from here.