Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Paul Reynolds: A Contribution

Public Address

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:24:16 +1200

Discussion from blog post.

Alastair Thompson

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:24:16 +1200

Gosh.

I just saw him in the street a week or so ago. Seemed hale and hearty....

That's really rather shocking.

RIP Paul. And thanks....

alastair

TheotherSimonYoung

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:25:52 +1200

Gutted. Paul's office was next to ours in the HB Building, and we would always meet when either Paul or I were on our way somewhere. I remember thinking I'd love to ask him out for a proper coffee and a meal sometime ... I guess I should realise these?

Pauline Dawson

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:37:41 +1200

I am so shocked. I met with Paul for the first time when he was in Dunedin a week or 2 ago. Over a coffee we made plans, discussed ideas, drew diagrams and laughed. I was so impressed with his passion and enthusiasm and ability to see the big picture.?

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 May 2010 10:50:33 +1200

Graham Beattie blogs this morning:

He encouraged me in the first place to becomer a blogger and subsequently he taught me everything I know about blogging. I was/am pretty much computer-illiterate and I recall his great patience with me as he taught me the ins and outs of the cyber?

Robyn Gallagher

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:13:54 +1200

I'm feeling really weird about this. When I heard last night on Twitter that Paul Reynolds had died, my first thought was the namesake Telecom CEO.

Then I had a look at his People Points blog and thought, oh, yeah, that guy – __the one who asked a question at?

Alec Morgan

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:20:21 +1200

The unexpected demise of valued people provokes existential thoughts, treat everyone better, have that coffee indeed.

Paul brings back memories of the clunky past?netscape vs. explorer, ihug offers flat rate, etc. and his knowledge seemed to balloon as the years went by, mirroring the development of the internet world he?

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:24:49 +1200

Paul brings back memories of the clunky past?netscape vs. explorer, ihug offers flat rate, etc.

Yeah, for me too.

and his knowledge seemed to balloon as the years went by

Absolutely. His last few years were his most influential, as he was able to take up roles where he could?

Brenda Leeuwenberg

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:30:32 +1200

I too met Paul in the mid 90s, when he was so encouraging of webgrrls, the web, the possibilities. We had many excellent conversations then and many more over the years.

Most recently he has been a strong supporter of and advocate for NZ On Screen, keenly petitioning for the?

Pete Sime

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:32:33 +1200

It's a big loss for the library world. I remember being very impressed with him at the Library Association conference in 2007 when I was a proto-librarian and I made an effort to follow his blog and his commentary in other sectors – such as on Radio NZ – ever?

dc_red

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:34:38 +1200

Awful news. I really enjoyed listening to him on Radio NZ (Friday mornings IIRC). Great content to go with his great voice.

Don Christie

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:52:40 +1200

Very nicely put. I am trying to keep track of links because I think it is important have as much written down about Paul as possible. He was a very influential thinker.

Sticking them here for now (sorry about the cross link) but I hope that someone closer to him?

Sacha

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:57:02 +1200

I'm feeling upset at the loss of a rare intellectually-generous visionary and warm genuine man who I first met about 20 years ago before the internet loomed so large. It was a privilege re-connecting in person over the past few years after long hearing his voice in conversations about stewarding?

Jen Ferguson

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:03:22 +1200

I don't think I've ever met anyone with quite so many ideas as Paul had. I remember meeting him for a coffee a few years back when we first started doing PR for Google and feeling like the slowest person in the room – I literally couldn't keep up with?

Jackie Clark

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:11:51 +1200

I didn't know Paul, but I am tremendously sorry that someone you cared about so much, Rusell, has died. Big hugs to you, my friend.

Tim Michie

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:24:25 +1200

Always an appreciated voice on IT issues known and unknown to me and a joy each time a regular radio spot was his contribution, personably given and with warm hearted understanding for the inexperienced and industry alike.

I expect he will be missed by many.

Allison Dobbie

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:28:51 +1200

This is such a sad loss. We learned so much from Paul, he helped shape the way that Auckland City Libraries delivers its services today. He was passionate and inspiring. He broadened my horizons about what is possible. Plus he was the one who introduced me to the world of?

Hilary Stace

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:45:26 +1200

Russell, thanks for this tribute. In the mid 90s Paul came to advise the Dictionary of NZ Biography on the potential of getting such information on-line, which led to history.net and eventually Te Ara. I wasn't involved in those discussions but he was friendly, and generous with his time with?

Pete Sime

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:48:41 +1200

Paul's valedictory lecture as adjunct director of the National Library can be heard here. The National Library has archived it for posterity, but it can only be heard in house.

Pete Sime

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:50:14 +1200

I should say it has also been archived at the National Library. You can access the first link from any computer.

DeepRed

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:51:58 +1200

Isn't there also a third Paul Reynolds, from the same nation?

Sacha

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:55:54 +1200

Some more tributes to Paul:

Science Media Centre

Keteweb

Courtney Johnston of National Library

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:57:37 +1200

He just knew so much.

And had the very rare talent for making very complex matters accessible without crossing the line into patronising dumbing-down for the tech-tard hoi polloi. Reynolds was a "public intellectual" in the very best, non-wanky sense.

John Holley

Mon, 24 May 2010 12:59:28 +1200

Bugger.

I dealt with Paul on and off for close to 20 years. Paul was always someone I enjoyed talking to.

It a great loss for the ICT community and his family.

DeepRed

Mon, 24 May 2010 13:10:28 +1200

PS. Rust in peace, Paul. (sic)

Paul Brislen

Mon, 24 May 2010 13:28:55 +1200

I said this over on Janet Wilson's site (in answer to Bill R's rant about how stupid social media is):

We last caught up at the Social Media Junction where he was speaking about museums.

He was gracious as usual (?I?m not the other Paul Reynolds?) and bumptious (?These lights?

MikeE

Mon, 24 May 2010 13:47:04 +1200

R.I.P Paul.

Hadn't seen him for about 2 years (since I changed roles at work) but do remember him as a very lively and entertaining speaker at a few of my old Intranet conferences back in 2007/2008.

Will remember him for being the guy who introduced wikis, blogs and this?

Janice Greatorex

Mon, 24 May 2010 13:51:18 +1200

I'm not even sure what I am doing here, but I was so moved to hear about Paul Reynolds death that I just had to say something. I listened for him on Jim Mora's show every second week and before that with Kim Hill. Thanks to him I have learned?

James Edwards

Mon, 24 May 2010 14:01:18 +1200

I am surprised at this terrible news, and at being moved to tears in response.

I remember Paul's distinctive voice and tone as a commentator on National Radio – unfailingly worth listening to, even for the elitist teenage geek I was.

I later noticed his voice turning up at public?

Leigh Kennaway

Mon, 24 May 2010 14:36:25 +1200

He just knew so much.

And had the very rare talent for making very complex matters accessible without crossing the line into patronising dumbing-down for the tech-tard hoi polloi. Reynolds was a "public intellectual" in the very best, non-wanky sense.

Ditto what Craig said. It was always a joy to?

Robyn Gallagher

Mon, 24 May 2010 15:36:32 +1200

24 hours ago I didn't really know who Paul Reynolds was. 12 hours ago I sort of knew who he was and was sad to hear that he'd died (and feeling a bit strange that I'd existed in a different Venn diagram).

But now a funny thing has happened. I've?

AndrewD

Mon, 24 May 2010 15:57:01 +1200

I met Paul when he was a book reviewer on the Alan Gibbs version of the BBC (and of course working with Murray at Under Silkwood).

His love of the internet to me was always an echo of his first love for books. His depair at the Whitcoullisation of the?

Jason Kemp

Mon, 24 May 2010 16:09:52 +1200

Very sad to hear the news about Paul. I first met him in the mid 90's after that book came out and we kept in touch ever since.

The last time I saw him was a few weeks ago. I gave him a lift downtown after an social media event?

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 May 2010 16:10:41 +1200

There'll be an item on One News tonight. In fact, I'm being shot for it right now ....

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 May 2010 16:11:59 +1200

The last time I saw him was a few weeks ago. I gave him a lift downtown after an social media event we had both been at.

It's probably fair to say he had the Scotsman's gift for cadging a lift :-)

Sacha

Mon, 24 May 2010 16:29:35 +1200

Jim Mora's brief tribute on Radio NZ (streaming, 3 mins)

Nigel Horrocks

Mon, 24 May 2010 16:53:46 +1200

As Russell will well recall, in the early 90s, standing up publicly and saying the internet was going to change everything often put you in the category of being a quack.
Paul not only stood up but wrote books, helped groups he believed in to get online and continued to?

Sacha

Mon, 24 May 2010 17:24:34 +1200

The Big Idea add their tribute

Sacha

Mon, 24 May 2010 17:24:57 +1200

Glad to see you here, Nigel

Sacha

Mon, 24 May 2010 17:29:13 +1200

and one from Julian at Seradigm

What I loved about Paul Reynolds was the way he brought texture and richness to the digital world. He had a unique way of connecting the beautiful, tactile, physical, and even musty nature of art galleries, museums, and libraries with the expression of knowledge?

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 May 2010 17:39:55 +1200

and one from Julian at Seradigm

Aw, that's nice.

What Robyn said upthread about the creative energy Paul's passing has inspired.

Chris O'Donoghue

Mon, 24 May 2010 17:48:33 +1200

Hell, that's a blow. I always loved talking with Paul. Over the years I've known him, I have always regarded him as a compassionate, and deeply thinking person. We didn't always agree, but our disagreemnts were always discussed with integrety and good humour. A terrible loss to us all.

Steve Withers

Mon, 24 May 2010 20:10:31 +1200

I met Paul Reynolds a few years back when I worked for IBM, based on Wellington. I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours in his company in his office in Auckland. We had a great old chat and he suggested I meet this mate of his, Russell?

Emma Martin

Mon, 24 May 2010 20:22:37 +1200

I didn't know Paul personally but had a great respect for him as a commentator and thought leader. My thoughts are with his family.

Liz Hardwick-Smith

Mon, 24 May 2010 21:14:10 +1200

Paul gave a guest lecture to my Communications class at around AUT 13 years ago that changed the course of my life. His vision for the future of this new ?internet? thing was so inspiring that it shaped my future on the spot. I chased after him afterwards, bought him?

Hilary Stace

Mon, 24 May 2010 22:04:08 +1200

Wonderful to see all these first time posters. Russell, did that piece run on TV1 news? I missed it.

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 May 2010 22:50:04 +1200

I called Russell soon after and unfortunately I'd been working long hours and had a major brain fart and said "Paul McGovern" had suggested I give him a ring.
No such person. Instead, I think Russell thought he was talking to a complete nutter.

Didn't I work it out in?

Sofie Bribiesca

Mon, 24 May 2010 23:11:51 +1200

Wonderful to see all these first time posters. Russell

Noticed that too. It is lovely to see. All cuddly like. :)
Sorry for the loss of your friend Russell. he sounded like a lovely real person.Life eh? Gotta be in it.

Sacha

Mon, 24 May 2010 23:35:57 +1200

National Library's official posting.

JTH

Tue, 25 May 2010 07:37:37 +1200

RIP Paul. An amazing man who introduced me to the internet way back in 1993, in the days when the internet had no pictures and we used pine (if I recall correctly) for email. He was a wily Scot with a heart of gold, a wicked sense of humour and?

Megan Wegan

Tue, 25 May 2010 08:53:24 +1200

he came and spoke to my class when i was studying. Back in the days before Twitter, before Facebook, when Blogger was new, and I had only had a couple of email addresses.

I remember thinking at the time that he was a visionary. That he would be a good?

Lara

Tue, 25 May 2010 09:51:49 +1200

I did not know Paul, and I was not aware of a fraction of what he has done. However I always loved his fortnightly slots with Jim Mora. He was a fantastic communicator, and his passion always shone through. He will be missed.

Sarah Lilburn

Tue, 25 May 2010 10:09:41 +1200

Very shocked and sad to hear that Paul Reynolds passed away. I was a big fan of his segment on Afternoons – and the highlight of visiting TVNZ a few months ago was getting to meet and talk to him. I thought he was very cool and I'm really sad?

Mark Fenwick

Wed, 26 May 2010 19:36:48 +1200

Sadly missed by this appreciative listener, viewer and reader. I only met him the once, having invited him to a whiskey tasting led over by Ian Cameron Lowe, then the master blender for Johnnie Walker. It was product PR, Paul enjoyed it in extreme moderation and left us warmed with?

dyan campbell

Fri, 28 May 2010 16:19:05 +1200

I was very sorry to hear that Paul Reynolds has died – I knew him only slightly, but liked him very much. Paul wrote a book about the internet with David Merritt, and was one of the first people I met who was on the internet back in '93 or?

Laura Southgate

Sun, 30 May 2010 18:38:04 +1200

This is hard news indeed. I worked for Paul for two years and I'm struggling to conceive of him in the past tense. It seems almost impossible that there won't be a response to this post from him. He was such an active, thoroughly articulate person, and never happy sitting?

Russell Brown

Sun, 30 May 2010 19:07:22 +1200

Laura, Kieren Cooney's eulogy added greatly to the occasion by providing everyone present with a context for who Paul was when he came here. It was moving and funny.

Graham Beattie is hoping to post a copy, and I'll certainly link to it if he does.

Laura Southgate

Sun, 30 May 2010 22:12:10 +1200

Thanks, Russell. I'd love to see it.