Every year that passes, the more likely it is that certain folks pass on. It would seem that 2006 and 2007 have both been a little more tough than normal, not necessarily for me directly, but for the many folks around me.

Brian Lyons, the founder and creative spirit of Number Six Software up in DC, was killed in a motorcycle accident last night. I never had the pleasure of being close to Brian, but I did learn an awful lot from him. Brian taught a lot of the training courses N6 would host and was one of the authors of the UML 2 Toolkit -- a book that was indispensable to me for quite some time.

Brian had that creativity and energy that makes working in the technology world so much fun. He was always the highlight of company get togethers and meetings, both formal and informal. I'll always remember the last company meeting I attended. I'm still not sure what the heck he was talking about, but I do know I'll never be able to look at penguins again without at least smiling. The memory of Brian on a tear and Chad's perplexed facial expressions as we watched and tried to follow the metaphor holds a special place in my mind. It didn't matter what he was saying, he was just so much fun to listen to.

N6 gave me a chance right out of college. I've been programming my whole life but I graduated with a business degree and had never so much as even touched java. I learned a tremendous amount while working for Brian's company and there's no way I'd be where I am today without that experience. My thoughts and my prayers go out to his family and friends.

For any fellow former sixers, or for those otherwise interested, take a look at the great tribute posts going on over at the N6 blog.