I can't believe this. I went camping this weekend and I did not check the message boards. I saw "RIP Smallfry" in somebody's signature this evening and I thought that perhaps he decided to take a break from this time consuming and expensive obsession.
But it was the real thing. I'm bawling my eyes out right now. I can't believe this. I met Nate at the most recent Chicagoland meetup in April and I was very impressed with the way he carried himself and all that he had accomplished in his short life. What hurts the most is to see a young person with so much enthusiasm and smarts and good humor to be taken from this planet earlier than expected.
SmallFry constructed my Ergodox for me, which I am using to type this right now. I now have a permanent reminder of his handiwork. He sent it to me only a couple weeks before the unfortunate accident. I still find this all a little hard to believe. It's eerie, saddening, shocking to use this keyboard and read his handwriting on the package and read those PM's and see those old posts, knowing that he will never produce another one. I'm a little numb right now.
SmallFry/Nate was an inspiration because he was a reminder of what teenagers can be. You would be impressed by this kid immediately and know that he was one of the teenager's up to something good. Every time that I use this Ergodox, I will be reminded that this keyboard is a product of his commitment to quality, reliability, and helpfulness. I am absolutely sure that his positivity and helpfulness impacted many others besides myself.
I cannot imagine what things are like for his family right now. A kid with so much potential to be taken early. We never know when our time will come. Please try to be kind because you never know what battles people might be fighting.
My Ergodox, built by SmallFry:Some of SmallFry's boards from the April 2013 Chicagoland Meetup: