RIP ricochet biscuit

March 19, 2024 4:55 PM

Greetings, all. I'm posting to inform you of the death of ricochet biscuit. He passed away last night after a short illness. Michael (or Warren as he was known to some) will be sorely missed. His wife, Wendy, asked me to say a few words and "do him justice." I'm not sure I can, because I don't think words are sufficient. A brilliant man, in both his natural intelligence and his encyclopedic knowledge of, well, just about everything, Michael could always be counted on for an interesting conversation. A polyglot, multi-instrumentalist, D&D (and GURPS!) master gamer, funny, passionate, ethical, and reliable; you couldn't ask for a better friend. Joining in 2008, Michael really loved the metafilter community and often told me how much he enjoyed the lively discussions found here. Funeral and other information to follow.
posted by LoRichTimes to MetaFilter-Related at 4:55 PM (191 comments total)

Will miss you.

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posted by grouse at 5:04 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]

I am really sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to his local friends and his wife. I was looking back through my photos and I see him in MeFi meetups down here (in Boston, a meetup he called, how young we were!) and up there (in Toronto, also the last meetup I was at with gman). What a kind and interesting man.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:04 PM on March 19 [14 favorites]

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posted by Kitteh at 5:08 PM on March 19

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posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:13 PM on March 19

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posted by gentlyepigrams at 5:17 PM on March 19

My condolences to his family. And what a terrible blow for our community. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but it's hard to imagine MeFi without him.

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posted by bryon at 5:26 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]

Well, fuck, this is just not fair. He'll be missed.
posted by dg at 5:30 PM on March 19

Well damn. I haven't spent a lot of time here recently but there's a name I will most certainly miss.
posted by mce at 5:51 PM on March 19

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posted by rpfields at 6:04 PM on March 19

I'm surprised and very sorry to hear this. It always seems impossible that people can leave us so suddenly; I was just laughing at a comment of his the other day (in the pee thread, fair warning).
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 6:09 PM on March 19 [5 favorites]

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posted by cupcakeninja at 6:17 PM on March 19

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posted by dismas at 6:43 PM on March 19

How terrible! Condolences to his friends and loved ones.

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posted by rmd1023 at 6:46 PM on March 19

I am so sorry. I was glad to have met him at a meetup he called when he visited Boston in February 2013—he was amazingly engaging, affable, funny, smart, all the good adjectives. Here's a picture I took of him that day—of him taking a picture, of someone else taking a picture of him.

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posted by not_on_display at 6:55 PM on March 19 [8 favorites]

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posted by Ryvar at 8:02 PM on March 19

Goddammit. Saw him at the first Toronto meetup since the pandemic, and then two weeks later bumped into him at the St. Lawrence Market and we had a good laugh about not seeing each other in almost three years, and then twice in two weeks, once by accident.

He always had a kind word or a good-hearted joke.

He will be missed.
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posted by away for regrooving at 10:24 PM on March 19

Oh no, I am really sorry to hear this. His is a username I recognize and have noted over the years for thoughtful comments and a good nature (and being a fellow Canadian of course). Wendy, if you are reading this, I am sorry for your loss. I will miss seeing him around here; my condolences to his family and friends.

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posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:26 PM on March 19 [3 favorites]

Ugh, this sucks. I really appreciated his participation here -- he was always good-humoured and always had something thoughtful and interesting to say. I met him once at a meetup years ago, and he came across the same way in person. I liked him and I'm sad he's gone. Condolences to his loved ones.
posted by Gerald Bostock at 10:53 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]

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posted by dhruva at 10:54 PM on March 19

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posted by chasles at 1:58 AM on March 20

Aw, crud. I only met him the once, almost by accident (I attended the meet up because I was at a conference a few blocks away). He was very welcoming. My condolences to his family and friends.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:17 AM on March 20

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posted by pearlybob at 3:17 AM on March 20

Sad news. I was always heartened to see his username not only because the comments were usually excellent but also because I loved the song and the idea of random-access food.
posted by chavenet at 3:46 AM on March 20

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posted by crocomancer at 4:21 AM on March 20

He was a great part of this community and will be missed here tremendously. My sincerest sympathies to his loved ones, and to all of us as well.
posted by briank at 5:11 AM on March 20

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posted by Sparky Buttons at 5:18 AM on March 20

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posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 5:27 AM on March 20

There's people who just sort of stop by, comment a bit and move on. But ricochet biscuit is someone whom I considered actually part of this community. They share their life here and this is part of their life. These words on a page are also part of how we live and talk to others.
He will be missed by many of us here.
posted by vacapinta at 5:48 AM on March 20 [22 favorites]

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posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:10 AM on March 20

Adrian and I were very sorry to hear about Michael's passing. The world has lost a great one.
posted by quaking fajita at 6:14 AM on March 20 [3 favorites]

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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:17 AM on March 20

Oof. I didn't know him well, and on the main site I mostly identified him as one among the many clever and interesting people commenting and posting here, but he was there at an extremely low point in my life when I went to MeFi Chat and just wanted someone, anyone, to validate my despair over what probably looked to be very trifling issues. He was kind and empathetic and helped me regain my equilibrium.
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posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:31 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

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posted by Wretch729 at 7:43 AM on March 20

Oh no. Oh no.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:48 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

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(That pee comment is honestly a good one to go out on, if you have a sense of humor.)
posted by praemunire at 8:03 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

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posted by warriorqueen at 8:25 AM on March 20

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posted by clavdivs at 8:29 AM on March 20

That's really awful news. He fostered so many meetups in so many places and made this place better and more of a community than it would be without him.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:34 AM on March 20 [3 favorites]

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posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:34 AM on March 20

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posted by Atom Eyes at 8:58 AM on March 20

Damn, that's a loss. Condolences to all who knew and loved him.

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posted by Lyn Never at 9:19 AM on March 20

oh no. he was such a big part of this community. my condolences to his loved ones.

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posted by supermedusa at 9:19 AM on March 20

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posted by ourobouros at 9:23 AM on March 20

He will be missed. So sorry to his fam and friends.

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posted by Lynsey at 9:27 AM on March 20

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posted by Rash at 9:33 AM on March 20

I always enjoyed reading his contributions. This community is diminished by his loss.

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posted by Optamystic at 9:34 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

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posted by snsranch at 10:09 AM on March 20

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posted by janell at 10:14 AM on March 20

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This is such sad news. I recall briefly meeting ricochet biscuit at a TO meetup many years ago, back in 2018. We exchanged a few friendly DMs back and forth trying to arrange a hangout here in the Niagara region but our plans and timing didn't line up and then we met a few weeks later at the local meetup. Their kindness will be missed. Sending my love and support to family, friends, to everyone who is grieving. 🙏🏾
posted by Fizz at 10:18 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

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posted by The Great Big Mulp at 11:05 AM on March 20

what the .... damn. a super nice human. always enjoyed his presence online and irl.
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:08 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

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posted by signal at 11:10 AM on March 20

my sincerest condolences to his family and friends. He was a tremendous asset here. I will miss him.


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posted by From Bklyn at 11:14 AM on March 20

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posted by skycrashesdown at 11:21 AM on March 20

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posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:25 AM on March 20

Terrible news. I am going to miss his voice here.

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posted by biogeo at 11:31 AM on March 20

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posted by Quietgal at 12:06 PM on March 20

He will be really missed 🙏🏻

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posted by ellieBOA at 12:22 PM on March 20

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posted by mersen at 12:52 PM on March 20

a great loss for all the communities and individuals his presence touched.

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posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:19 PM on March 20

A sad loss.

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posted by Thella at 1:32 PM on March 20

oh, no! His posts were always worth reading carefully. I never met him but his "voice" here was always one to listen to: usually good for a laugh and something to be learned.

My condolences to his friends and family, and everyone who will miss him.
posted by wenestvedt at 2:20 PM on March 20 [4 favorites]

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posted by thatwhichfalls at 2:38 PM on March 20

This news sucks.

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posted by MonkeyToes at 2:38 PM on March 20

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posted by egregious theorem at 2:50 PM on March 20

He was a fellow-keeper of commonplace books: "A thousand times this. A commonplace book is a reflection of the mind that compiled it, and cluttered and widely-read minds are often models of instructive digression. If I want to look up the exact wording of that famous line from Flaubert about human speech being like a cracked kettle, then any search engine will find it for me in 0.08 seconds. If I want to look it up in my commonplace book, I will have to ponder roughly when I read Madame Bovary and then dive into the proper volume, being distracted all the way by scraps of Robertson Davies, lines from XTC songs, absurd headlines and a limerick I heard around the same time. Looking back on these books, I find they provide a better snapshot of my mental landscape than more traditional journals I may have kept at the same time (which are usually mortifying to read decades later)."

I am so glad we have his comments here to remember him by.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:57 PM on March 20 [10 favorites]

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He was always kind, interesting, and charming. I'm sad we won't get to hear from him any more.
posted by introp at 3:01 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]

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posted by brainwane at 4:15 PM on March 20

What awful, sad news. Condolences to his friends and family.

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posted by equalpants at 7:22 PM on March 20

This news is beyond sad. I met him several times at Toronto meetups, and, yeah, he really was that smart, kind, and charming. My condolences go out to all his friends and family... I do hope everyone has the love and strength that they need at this time.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:26 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]

The good that comes of obit threads are when MeFites post their favorite comments by the dearly departed. It turns into a greatest hits parade of their wit, empathy, erudition, insights, or other triumphs.

So if you've got favorites, I want to see them!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:35 PM on March 20 [5 favorites]

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posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:32 PM on March 20

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One of a small number of usernames I recognise. He had a great answer to one of my metatalktail posts about a family mystery that was exactly the sort of answer I'd been hoping for.
posted by Mitheral at 8:39 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]

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posted by holborne at 8:43 PM on March 20

Gasped when I read this. I never met him irl but always appreciated what he had to say. To his loved ones, I am so sorry for your loss.
posted by a faded photo of their beloved at 9:34 PM on March 20 [3 favorites]

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posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:08 AM on March 21

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posted by hototogisu at 1:10 AM on March 21

Oh no, this was so sudden. RIP.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:41 AM on March 21

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posted by Athanassiel at 2:58 AM on March 21

So sorry to hear this. It's a name I always recognized and appreciated seeing below a comment.

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posted by bitteschoen at 3:12 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]

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posted by greycap at 3:17 AM on March 21

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I was just looking through comments of his I'd favorited--all so literary and clever! This one, though, stands apart for me: a striking recollection of operating a crane in a steel mill when he was younger. Here's some of it:

There were clear and obvious things to do, and I did them, and then they were done. The next day, more things needed to be done, so I did those. I had plenty of free time and money to indulge other pursuits and it gave me an opportunity to put into practice Buddhist views on mindfulness and non-duality: my crane was designed to hoist four-ton rolls of steel onto tractor-trailers and I was able to consider it an extension of my own body to the degree that I would use slack time to pick up empty and discarded pop cans of the coil floor, three stories below me, the use these grasping claws as thick as telephone poles to drop the cans into a garbage bin.

posted by miles per flower at 4:06 AM on March 21 [14 favorites]

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posted by lazaruslong at 5:00 AM on March 21

His user name always caught my eye because of my love of the Blues Brothers when I was younger.

My deepest sympathies to Wendy and everyone who was privileged enough to know and love him. May his memory be a blessing.

Hugs to those who need them.
posted by terrapin at 5:27 AM on March 21 [3 favorites]

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posted by SunPower at 6:22 AM on March 21

I'm so sorry to see this. I always appreciated and recognized his comments and presence.
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posted by drezdn at 11:38 AM on March 21

somehow in my brain i had him marked down as someone i'd like to know better, some day, like some possible future friend; always a name i liked to see.

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posted by carsonb at 3:41 PM on March 21

fuck.

wish i knew him butter

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posted by lalochezia at 7:30 PM on March 21 [1 favorite]

He was one of the first people I met from MeFi, probably at the 10th anniversary meetup in Toronto, and one of the few people who remained in my life long after I stopped frequenting the site. He was never anything other than kind and generous, and was always looking for ways to bring people together. In recent years we’d fallen more out of touch, life got busy, blah blah blah. I would always hear about his life via LoRichTimes’s weekly TTRPG sessions, and that almost seemed like the same thing, but of course it never actually was. Go see your friends when you can.

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posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:06 AM on March 22

Alas. He was a good egg. I will miss him.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:34 AM on March 22 [1 favorite]

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posted by sammyo at 2:23 PM on March 22

I'm so sorry to hear this. ricochet biscuit represented metafilter at its best: smart, warm, clever, insightful. I'm glad he was part of our community and I'll miss him.

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posted by mochapickle at 2:30 PM on March 22 [6 favorites]

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posted by Coaticass at 7:57 PM on March 22

My heart just sank when I saw this. Such a loss.
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posted by blurker at 7:50 PM on March 23

One of the few MeFites I've had the pleasure of meeting IRL. As funny, nice, and smart in person as on-line. Condolences to his family, friends, and this community. Goddammit.

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posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:17 PM on March 23 [1 favorite]

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posted by mediareport at 7:15 AM on March 24

Oh hell, I'm sorry.
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posted by dragonplayer at 4:23 AM on March 25

He'll be missed...
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posted by schyler523 at 6:08 AM on March 25

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posted by deludingmyself at 9:20 AM on March 25

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Requiem aeternam et lux perpetua.
posted by jquinby at 1:51 PM on March 25

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posted by St. Hubbins at 7:50 PM on March 25

I am sorry to hear this too.
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posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 10:51 PM on March 27

Oh no! He was a wonderful addition to this place. I always enjoyed his contributions to any discussion. Oh I’m so sad.
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posted by mubba at 4:34 PM on March 29

I don't visit metetalk so much these days. I'm so sorry, best to his family and real life friends, He was a good commenter, he'll be missed here.
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