Eric Binnion has died(ma.tt)

60 pointsby speckx2 hours ago5 comments

zimprop31 minutes ago
I went to college with Eric and spent a lot of time working with him on projects while we were in school. He was a great developer who even then, like 15 years ago, was committing himself in so many ways to the open source community. Back then he was a big Drupal guy and had been doing free lance work in Drupal and made contributions to the Drupal ecosystem
He was a great man and fantastic developer that pushed Wordpress forwards, he pushed me forward as a peer when we were both trying to get out computer science degrees and I am glad to have known him. Rest in peace Eric
toomuchtodo2 hours ago
https://eric.blog/
https://friendsofericbinnion.wordpress.com/
- jshmrsn2 hours ago
  His last blog post was well written, to the point, and sobering. The friends website measuring his lines of code and pull requests is making me feel sick to my stomach. I feel reminded to reflect on how I would measure my own life.
  - anonymous9082132 hours ago
    The very first word on the memorial website is "Automattician". I may have an ego, but even I cannot fathom having such a large ego that I would make my memorial to someone else about me and their work on my project.
    croisillon2 hours ago
    "he will be remembered as the guy i gave an award to", looks like DJT's obituaries
    ookblah2 hours ago
    well people just need to look at the "head" to understand, but i doubt people will go that far, he has a away of sanitizing history. in any case, RIP to this man.
  - DoctorOW2 hours ago
    I think that's a symptom of Matt generating a website for "an Automattician". They had a working relationship. If I died today, my husband would remember my life as someone who laughed and cried, my work might think of me as someone more inquisitive and analytical.
    Jtarii36 minutes ago
    Father, husband, friend, generator of shareholder value
- owlninja2 hours ago
  His last blog entry was a tough read this morning as I sit at my desk for another day at the long day factory wondering if I should be doing more with the time I have because you just never know when it is up. RIP.
  - pizzafeelsrightan hour ago
    Do not pass on that contemplation without action.
    According to his blog his life was going along until it changed. I have experienced the same where the one phone call or appointment changes the trajectory of life without one's consent.
    I am prepared when "The Man Comes Around". I would hope others think deeply about that coming day.
  - toomuchtodoan hour ago
    Life is about finding balance. We cannot live every day as if it is our last, but you should be mindful and intentional about how you live your life.
- DoctorOWan hour ago
  Was the .com taken? This feels like a marketing exercise?
- Jtarii2 hours ago
  First AI slop memorial I have encountered.
  Dystopian.
  - timcobb2 hours ago
    Don't worry they'll make it "more humane in the coming days" :x
    chinathrowan hour ago
    Seriously, the audacity.
    They could have hand-done it in a few hours and rolled then.
  - upmostlyan hour ago
    I had to re-read it. I thought it was a joke.
  - fnord7735 minutes ago
    I guess his friends/colleagues didn't actually care enough to write it without AI
  - guitarlimeo2 hours ago
    Read to me as satire at first.
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  - Drakexoran hour ago
    I doubt the dead care. Also why is everything bad "dystopian" nowadays?
    icehawkan hour ago
    It's not about whether the dead care. It's not for them, just about them.
    anonymous908213an hour ago
    What part of "humans completely surrender genuine connection, automatically generate memorials with AI" doesn't sound like it came directly from a dystopian science fiction novel?
    Drakexoran hour ago
    In what way are human-made memorials "utopian"? Maybe I am too strict with language
    anonymous908213an hour ago
    The word does not mean what you appear to think it means. Being strict about your own misconceived definition is not helpful to communication. If you're going to be pedantic, you really owe it to everyone around you to hold yourself to the same 'strictness' and make sure you're actually correct about your pedantry.
    an hour ago
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themgtan hour ago
He was diagnosed end of March, told he had six months in May. Handled with incredible grace. RIP.
While the news isn’t great, not much changes for me personally. We’ll still show up and do the work as I’ve previously talked about, on the chance that we can prove the oncologists wrong. Outside of that, I’ll prioritize spending time with the kids, trying to handle as much as possible to make things as easy as possible for Sara after I die, and enjoying the days that I have left.
https://eric.blog/2026/05/24/six-months/
taybinan hour ago
"Claude write me a memorial for my employee. Make no mistakes. His life started when he joined my company."
People do weird things when grieving. This probably seemed like a wonderful tribute. From the outside, it seems tacky. But lots of things are tacky and memorials are for the living.
Eric's post was well written.
- eranation15 minutes ago
  From the post:
  > Our design team will make that less AI and more humane in the coming days.
  - bombcara minute ago
    You write something by hand, and have the PR team fix it later in these cases.
    Not an AI-edifice to yourself.
stefantalpalaru30 minutes ago
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