Sad News

:'(

This is just such a bummer I can't believe it.

I'm deeply sorry for your loss. I only knew him through his work and find it very sad. I can only imagine how difficult a time it is for his family and friends.

I'm sure that you, and the others who knew him personally, will help keep his memory alive and keep those who knew him through his work will help contribute.

Leo,

Mere words fail at the enormity of the grief and loss. 35. We should have had him for a good 50+ more years. My thoughts are with you, the TWiT and TechTV family and with James's family and friends.

This is hugely, unbelieveably, indescribably unfair.

James died looking out for his family and for that we should honor him deeply.

Never forget.

This is indeed very sad news. My prayers and those of my family are with James family. He is truly a great example of what every husband and father should be.

[this is good]

I have rarely been affected so deeply by the death of someone I have never met.

I have been a long time fan of James work on web, TV and podcasts. Like everyone else I was so sure it was going to turn out well so the tragic news was even more painful.

It was also interesting that I wanted to hear from Leo. I wonder if other's feel like I do, that Leo is kind of that "father figure" to the group that includes the groups from TechTV, Podcasts, Web. I don't know if others agree or that Leo is aware of the role he plays.

I hope we will all do what we can for Kati and the kids.

Leo,

I've been following the former TechTVers off and on since the ScreenSavers days. Also, I have two daughters who are almost the exact same age as his which made this tragedy feel as though it was happening to personal friends.

I am in awe at the courage and strength of character James displayed in his struggle on foot in street clothes. Looking at this site you can follow his path and get a small sense of the difficulty involved as well as understand the decisions he made in choosing his route. As someone who has lived his entire life in the Midwest the idea that people can still get lost in the wilderness is a strange concept. Sure, there are less populous areas in the midwest but frankly it's flat here and nothing like the area we lost James to.

I don't know what to say other than that It's horribly, horribly unfair. My heart goes out to his wife and daughters at their loss. The thought of how they must feel missing their husband/father is heartbreaking. However, at the same time I am very proud of James' resourcfullness and heroic efforts to save his family. I only hope that in same situation I would be able to summon the courage to match his.

James, we will never forget you.

I understand and agree completely about Leo 'Dad' Laporte.

Leo, like it or not you are the face of the techtv/twit group and are always going to be the first one we turn to for news about any of the Twits. Thank you for doing the work that you do and keeping us up to date during this tragedy.

Leo, thanks for posting. The sudden death of James has hit us all. Many of the old tech tv fans, felt like you all have been special to us all. We are willing to help in any way.
We will not forget James.

Thanks Leo ....your'e the best.

annette

He sounds like a hero to me.

Such a sad time but a wonderful man

I pray for his family. Cnet has set up a tribute playlist on Cnet TV with some of the vidoe's he produced while at Cnet. Just from looking at them you can tell he was devoted to his work and his family.

[this is good]

This is a tragic loss. I have children roughly the same age as James' and am also 35. This makes the tragedy seem all the more personal to me, and, even though I hadn't heard of James until I heard the news of his going missing on TWiT, I find myself deeply moved by this tragedy. My thoughts go out to his wife and children. This is so close to home for us and it really makes me take stock and be grateful for all that I have.

Rest in peace, James.

I hated to hear that they didn't find him alive and well. I had my hopes up. You could tell, by his reporting, that he cared for his family more than anything else in the world. I didn't know him personally, but I feel like I've lost a friend, and his family has lost a loving husband, father, and son.

My condolences. He was definitely a person I liked from TechTV, and he really was dedicated to his family. It's a shame we lost such a noble gentleman, but it's comforting knowing he sacrificed his life to save his family. I'll keep the Kim family in my prayers.

We also posted this on our blog.
Our hearts and prayers are with his wife, children, family and friends.

I remember the first time I saw James on TechTV. He was doing a segment on cameras and he showed several pictures of his little girl (Penelope). Just from the way he talked about her, I could tell his family was the center of his life. This impression always stuck with me when ever I would see him on TechTV and later on Cnet.

It does not surprise me at all that he sacrificed his life in the attempt to save his family.

I know all of you who knew him and worked with him will miss him greatly. So will those of us who knew him from afar. My thoughts and prayers will be with his family.

I don't know why I'm so affected by this news.. I've never felt so terribly sad for someone whom I've never even met. There was just something about him... Out of all the people on Call for Help, he was my favorite. It was always fun to see him deal with a product that didn't work correctly. He wasn't the coolest, or the prettiest... but he certainly knew his stuff. There was just this incredible sense of life and love and dedication that shone through.

My condolences to his wife and girls, his parents and all his co-workers.

I'll miss him deeply. We'll all miss him.

I'm not even sure if I was at ZDTV the same time he was, but I know how tight everyone got on all those shows, and in the whole community. Kept hoping, like everyone. Hugs to all...

[this is good]

From the days I began watching him on "Fresh Gear" on TechTV to his most recent review of the Zune on CNET, James Kim was amazingly great at what he did, and being a college student interested in technology journalism, his insight and soft nature will be greatly missed. My utter most thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

As an upcoming father, there's nothing I wouldn't do for my family. James was no different, and will be missed. *says prayer

[this is good]

I think the monumental effort of James Kim could not but move those who heard about it. Just to show the strength of his spirit the story was the lead story in one of the Afrikaans papers in South Africa this afternoon. For a readership that would probably never have heard of James Kim his story transcends time and space and shows us how we should behave when faced with a dangerous situation for our family.

Truly saddening yet heroic at the same time. If anything James' dedication to his family has made me take another look at my role as husband and father. Condolences to the Kim family and rest in peace to James. Thank you for your brave inspiration, for sharing your knowledge of technology, and your endearing personality.

[this is good]

To all my GreatFriends,

Over my 20 plus years of law enforcement and executive protection I have had the distinct honor of meeting and losing outstanding individuals. Heroes!

James Kim's selfless acts and brute strength/determination to save his family rank him among one of the finest heroes I have ever met. On two occasions I had the privilege of meeting James Kim in San Francisco. I hold those two meetings close to my heart.

When I saw him and his family appear in front of me on the evening news. I was devastated and at the same time hopeful that the outcome would have turned out even more favorable than it did. I know James Kim can rest at ease knowing that his efforts were not in vain and led to the saving of his family. For that he is a true inspiration and hero.

With heroes I have lost in the line of duty over many years, I take solace in the fact that I learn something to make myself and others safer in this dangerous world. Without a doubt, the lessons I have learned from James Kim's unfortunate turn of fate will help me and others in the future.

Yesterday I got online and read an article on information/equipment needed to survive if stranded in the wilderness. I ordered numerous affordable survival items along with a small duffel bag to keep in my vehicle. I call it my "Kim" pack.

Thank you James!

"My thoughts are with the Kim family and close friends during the sadness of the recent painful events and the joyful remembrance of past fondness."

Your Friend,
Mike

Web: myspace.com/michael999

I only just heard - I am so sad for his wife and kids, loosing their dad like that, but they can rest easy in the knowledge that he died doing his utmost to save them. A true hero.

Jon

This is very sad news. I feel for his family and friends. Best wishes and my thoughts go out to his family in this very hard time.

This is indeed one of the saddest things I've ever heard of. Such a loss. So young and so much ahead, breaks my heart :-(.

Now that I've read up on the Wikipedia article of James Kim... Wow. I certainly hope that this whole ordeal will somehow increase the quality of how the world stays on top of dangerous routes and non functioning roads. Nature has taken countless lives, of those we all know and care for. Last night when I first heard about this, I was too much in shock to even sleep... Friends have comforted me well since last night, but I hope James Kim's family is as well taken care of. I'm sure the TechTV fan base and close friends are being very supportive. Thanks Leo for keeping a VOX. You updated me when I was oblivious to the other news reports. Well... There are many lessons we can all learn from this... I'll not rant on about them right now... I'm still feeling sad, yet hopeful for the family to be able to find peace...

I'm a bit flabbergasted by how enormous of a deal everyone is making of this. Yes it is sad. But do I need to remind people that we have soldiers coming home every day in body bags? Whether you agree with the politics involved with why we are in Iraq...it's irrelevant. Fathers and sons, who when our government called, they answered the call.

Chris - the loss of any life, anywhere, is heartbreaking. Yes, the loss of our friends and loved ones in the military is also heartbreaking. I don't think I would go as far as to say that I was "flabbergasted by how enormous of a deal everyone is making of this." That statement, my friend, is completely insensitive. Especially by posting that statement on the blog of this gentleman's friend. Some of us knew James through his articles, some of us knew him professionally or personally. There is nothing to be flabbergasted about - we are mourning the loss of a friend.

We all have the right to feel enormous loss when someone passes - even if we did not personally know the individual. We, as humans, feel compassion and are connected. And whether one soul passes or many pass - we are still heartbroken.

James, may you rest in peace. My prayers and deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends, and everyone who was touched by this individual.

Tammy

Guiness Drinker replied to CoastalTam’s comment:
Dec 11, 2006
Reply

Tammy--I think you missed my point. People need to see the big picture. Yes it does stink and I feel nothing but compassion for the family.

Chris, There is a time and a place to talk about that but this was a topic about James and not about the troops.. As someone that was in the USMC i can understand that but to say " a bit flabbergasted by how enormous of a deal everyone is making of this. Yes it is sad. But do I need to remind people that we have soldiers coming home every day in body bags?" when the topic is about James Kim and the feeling people have is a bit out of place. Sorry if thats not how you wanted it to sound but thats how it can across..

With that being said i pass my thoughts and prey for him and his family. I don't know them but the same way Kati kept the kids safe even after James left is whats going to help her bring up two strong girl. Gods Speed....

My condolences to the Kim family. I just viewed the Cnet tribute and then it hit me that I just viewed a Kim review for the first time. it was great to see his humor at work which is something we miss from all of these reviews.Thanks to the people for a wonderful tribute and I hope to see more of his video reviews.

Ger

Guiness Drinker replied to PeteH’s comment:
Dec 12, 2006
Reply

What I was trying to say? I say this as a US Marine that served in both Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Is everyday fathers, sons, daughters, mothers are coming home in body bags and relationships/familes are forever severed. Do we put all of these families and their hardships on the cover of People magazine?

Yes, this is true Chris. But you see they signed up to serve their country, it was expected of them to give their life, this was the deal they made with the US government for whatever reason. I would be a lot sadder if say, they were called by the selective service...but this is not the case. I hear a lot of people complaining about the national guard having to take part on foreign soil, this is also in their contract as they are doing what they are to protect our homeland, which is after all what the guard is about...not just to play army on the weekend and get a check as many around my parts think. Cynical? Perhaps, but they should know what they are getting into when they join up.

Guiness Drinker replied to 444444444’s comment:
Dec 12, 2006
Reply

Myself and my friends that serve currently don't feel when they signed for the Marines they are signing certificates of death. So I hardly say it is expected of them.as you wrote. Also you could make a strong argument that James Kim died for his family, but our troops, what are they dying for overseas? Our freedoms? Democracy perhaps.

Also my general feeling is that the gang should have done Twit last week. You're honoring his memory by sharing stories and moments that so evidently effected your lives.

Your general feeling didn't take into account that the TWiTs are still grieving over this. They're privately mourning, and most people are much more understanding. Everyone needs time. And your comparison of James Kim with the Marines' is nothing short of an apples-oranges comparison. Not to get too political here, but are the ends really democratic? Does the U.S. need to involve ourselves in external foreign affairs? When it really comes down to it, wars aren't necessary.

Let's just put the bickering and politics to rest. Our thoughts and support are with you, James.

Guiness Drinker replied to Chris’ comment:
Dec 12, 2006
Reply

Fathers die in Iraq...Mothers with children have no father. James Kim passes--same result. How is that apples to oranges? You can get into specifics. But big picture..it's the same.

PeteH replied to Guiness Drinker’s comment:
Dec 13, 2006
Reply

But by you coming into a forum that people chose to morn and post the way you did is like saying "you don't have the right to feel that way" to all of us just because we didn't put what YOU think should come first for this day. Now outside this forum i'm sure you and i would agree on the troops and things so I'm one that supports them but that does not mean everything has to be 2nd all the time. the way you post here i bet as a kid you jumped up and down crying if all the other kids didn't play with you..

It is sad that James passed away protecting his family. I remember him from Call for Help as a very quiet individual. It is my sincere hope that he passed away quietly and with no pain. I also hope that his wife and children will remember him as a hero who went to get help for them. As to mourning his passing, he deserves it. For those who did not meet James either in person or on TechTV, he was a soft spoken person who was very knowledgeable on tech 'matters.' I for one will miss him. Please do support his family during this time.
James McKenzie, Tucson, Arizona

Guiness Drinker replied to PeteH’s comment:
Dec 16, 2006
Reply

I was not saying that the troops should come first nor was I saying that James Kim's passing should come second. I was just saying look at the big picture. As for this comment :
the way you post here i bet as a kid you jumped up and down crying if all the other kids didn't play with you
Wow you're incredible man. You can sum up my entire childhood just from posting? Have you thought of opening your own psychic parlor?

Disclaimer: Please read and anything that might seem a bit worded as sarcasm was ENTIRELY meant as sarcasm.

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