I write this Journal entry, in a most saddened state of being.

SAD, TERRIBLY SAD ANNOUNCEMENT

My good friend, colleague and kindred spirit, Paul Lindenberg, aka: Spotlightkid passed away today: 13H00 GMT+2, 27 MAR 2011, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

On 19 FEB 2011, Paul was riding his Mountain Bike to the Roodepoort Bike Park, w/ his usual riding partners, when he suffered a stroke and fell from his bike. The fall caused a severe head trauma, in addition to the damage caused by the stroke.

Paul was rushed to hospital and remained there since the accident until his passing, Sunday.
His wife, sister and brother were constant - as they were able - under unbelievably strict visiting prohibition by hospital staff (do not get me started on that issue!) at his bedside.

Over the weeks, Paul had showed some improvement. Even as of my last update from his sister - on this past Saturday (26 MAR 2011) - it was apparent Paul was slowly improving. He was expected to be released to home-care this coming week.

His passing on Sunday 28 MAR came as a total surprise and a horrible shock.

PAUL

Paul was a consummate professional in whatever he took on to do. His photography was tight, thoughtful, engaging, informative and down-right enjoyable. His skills as a computer programmer were second to none.

Paul loved photography. It didn't matter if the subject was someone on a city street, a sleek aircraft slipping though the air, a partially hidden antelope in the bush, a kid 'hot-doggin' it on the BMX track, the sleekest new bike or motorcar in production on a show block, or a newly minted wonder of the floral world, Paul loved taking photos of them all.

His love for all forms of life that could be framed in his viewfinder; people, places, events, city life to wildlife and the wilds of all places in between the heavens and the earth, were exhibited throughout his photographic work.

A tour of Paul's Red Bubble account shows the level of his photographic prowess. Whatever he pointed his lens at was presented to the viewer in a most pleasing and engaging manner. You could not walk away from one of Paul's photos. You left when it let you go.

Paul maintained an exceptional gallery of images on his Flicker account, as well; known there as the SpotlightKid. The pages upon pages of this gallery are filled with numerous images of his expanded technique and experienced photographic eye.

Paul was also well known, respected and admired among the aviation community in Johannesburg. His fame took on an international flavor and following with the launch of his eMagazine: Le Cirque Volant. His capture of all manner of aviation transport, has been admired for years.

As recently as this January 2011, Paul formed a special Facebook page devoted to gaining recognition for, and acceptance of, those who specialize in photographic capture of various elements of aviation interest: airplanes, jets, helicopters and their storage areas. Members of this pursuit are known as Planespotters. His Facebook account, the Planespotter_ZA. His absence from that community is now sorely missed.

PAUL and Me

I have been meeting people online for over twenty-five years now. I have a near 20 year membership in one online group, devoted to Fly Fishing. One of my good friends from that group, sometime around 1993 wrote of the people whom he had become acquainted with - on that group - were in his words, Friends Not Yet Met.  He took that saying from a William Butler Yeats quote,

“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met.”

Odd, I can hardly imagine a time when I did not know Paul Lindenberg. Yet, there was a lot of time I did not know he even existed. My loss. Truly.  He, Paul, became for me, the epitome of a, Friend Not Yet Met.

Paul and I met through the social community devoted to image sharing, called Flickr, in February of 2007. I was searching for images of trout and fly-fishing for an art project I was developing. One return in my search turned up a screen-shot of a database for fly-fishing. I clicked and saw the profile handle, Spotlightkid. Details of the profile said this Spotlightkid was from South Africa. I thought, “What? Fly-fishing in South Africa? For what, carp?” I had an education coming.

I had NO IDEA just how much I’d enjoy it.

I contacted this, Spotlightkid about his fly-fishing database program. One thing led to another and we were off-to-the-races. And I do mean .. off to the races!!   It’s as if we’d both prepared our entire lives for this meeting.

Going back over the archive of communication between us - and it is vast! - I have been astounded; no... SHOCKED!; at just how fast we moved on ideas and project concepts.
Unfortunately, due to health problems that were rapidly engulfing me at the time, I nearly as quickly, fell off the radar screen. Off and on for the next year and a half, I struggled to keep up with the projected plans. I was constantly falling behind and into the black-hole of depression and inaction and I knew in my heart, disappointing to Paul.

That really hurt.  It still does.  It always will.  But I will not let this feeling go negative. Instead I will direct it to positive ends. That would have been what Paul would have wanted.
Through it all; the darkness of depression, isolation, and disappointment; came this voice of calm and support in a most intriguing South African accent,

“Yea, Bru! You makin’ it okay there, Jimmy?”.

To which I would try to reply in positive kind. Despite my black cloud of despair being as obvious as the proverbial ‘wort’, Paul would pop back in with something like,

“No matter bru. You’ll get it straight. No rush. Say, let’s pop over and watch the flat-dogs ‘round a watering hole on the cam. What say?”

Or, we’d just take a tour of Africa in his photos or the online galleries of his or of photographic friends or associates. Regardless, he would pull my blithering butt right out of the mud hole and up onto dry ground and he’d  once again show me the daylight.

Paul is the only person on earth who ever called me Jimmy... and got by with it. I never liked that juvenile version of my first name, but somehow, when Paul said it, it just ... felt , well... welcome. And that's how it will remain. Paul will continue to be the one and - ONLY ONE - whom will ever call me by that name. And I will treasure it - always.

These are life experiences one does not forget. Something we miss to the utmost-of-missing, when they are gone.

It's here where these words - of American pop-singer, Joni Mitchell, in her hit tune from the '70's, Big Yellow Taxi - come roaring back into painful focus. From the chorus, the words burn deep and bring stark attention the need for diligence in making the most of everyday with those whom we care.

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you've got

Till it's gone

Paul and I shared a keen interest in so many of the same things in life. Yet, growing up where we did, with such vast differences in our pasts and parts of the world, life could not have placed us on more juxtaposed paths. Our life experiences were vastly different. Yet, none of the differences mattered. We had far too much alike - in common and  sharing a common vision for the future - to let any outlier bother us.

Our connection was immediate. We hit-it-off from the first keystroke.
I shall forever miss Paul and his quick uptake on any idea I would present. We had this incredible, Yin-Yang Thing going on. I’d mention an idea and he’d fill in the missing part. And we’d do the same in reverse. It was a bit spooky at times. But who cared?

We sure didn’t. It was just too much fun!

Oh, yes. I miss that immensely. I’ve missed it since the day I got the news of his accident. And that miss will not soon depart. On one hand I am so tired of hurting. I want my friend back. But, on the other, I really don’t want the pain to leave.

I’m afraid of forgetting him.

Paul and I went on dozens of ‘digital hunts’. No, like those when we tuned into WildEarth.tv - watching for  what animals would pop-up as the guides drove around in their Rovers, in park areas around Kruger National, where Paul was my personal Guide to the Animals of Africa; wicked good!

Though we took a LOT of these forays, it’s not what I’m talking about.
It's the dozens and scores of tours we took  all around the Internet in search of story ideas. We’d look for photos, videos, blog posts, and other digital tracks of interesting uses - of the newly developing digital technology - and their display. We scoured the Internet together for new ideas and activity in the digital world.

We sent each other dozens of emails and Skype texts with links to cool and impressive places we’d find. Then we'd connect on Skype to discuss the sites we sent to each other.  Our favorite activity was to engage in ‘live hunts’.  While connected via Skype, we'd take off across the pans, savannahs, mountains, forests, deserts, oceans and urban landscapes of the Internet in search of our quarry: Hot new digital species and their environments. We had a grand time and found such incredible places. All the while sharing the finds together.

This is how all relationships form. Common interests. Common dreams. Common goals. When accomplished  together, over a period of time, participants become common friends.  For some, as Paul and I, the result  unfolds in an uncommon friendship. We became, as his native South Africans say... Bru.

Paul introduced me to the Australian photo/image site, Red Bubble. Paul was my first Watchlist Friend; on my first of three Red Bubble accounts. We both operated numerous accounts on Flickr and participated in -and ran - a wide variety of Ning Community sites. Then there is our prolific over-population of WordPress.com sites. We were joyously out-of-control.

There is no way I can forget Paul.

Every time I log into my regular haunts .. Paul's name and photo will always be there. It is painful to see these memory icons now.  But I know, that in-due-time, the pain will be replaced by an extremely comforting awareness of having my  Bru there with me, again, in all those places we dug for digital treasures together.

In December 2009 I met another Red Bubble member, by the name of Pieter Zaadstra owner of  Zaadstra Art in Gravelly Beach, Tasmania. We, too, hit it off. But the development of our friendship was held off until April of 2010 - as Pieter was off into the bush for several months - on assignment - and out of contact with the digital world.

I couldn’t wait to tell Paul about Pieter. I immediately fired off an email with all the tantalizing details of this encounter and a link to Pieter’s art gallery site. Once again, Paul was spot-keen to the implications of the potential. No need to explain, we discussed it in detail for months.  But one thing was still an unknown: would Pieter contact me again?  This we did not know for sure. But we sure felt it would happen.

Pieter got back to civilization in April 2010 and contacted me via Red Bubble within hours of his arrival.  This was our answer.  Not only back and contacting .. but immediately. It was plain to see Pieter would be our perceived-perfect-fit for the group Paul and I had created.

Again, it was just like what Paul and I had been saying for weeks. [Twilight Zone theme song plays in background - again!]

Within days, I formally introduced Pieter to Paul - via a Skype call - and immediately we became a trilogy of ideas, collaboration and projects.

The group Paul and I had formed is eDIGImag. Pieter formally tossed his lot in with us in early 2010, with his Zaadstra Studios. It wasn't long before the Three eDIGImigos had hatched a reall doozey of an idea, for bringing Pieter into the mix, called ZaadTrek.

The engines roared. We were dizzily cranking out ideas and plans for the next 10 years! Yes... 10 years. High on the agenda would be the ZaadTreks; playing a major role in the launch of our flagship publication, LAT.LON. After a long discussion on where to begin - we all agreed, South Africa would be a perfect fit.

With Paul ‘on-the-ground’; accessing his knowledge ,expertise and contacts (brother-in-law and sister, David and Stephanie Tennant figuring prominent)  was the perfect set-up to get a grand Trek off and running. Plans were then kicked into high gear for Pieter to make the pace-setting, Trip of Discovery to South Africa.  He would make connections, get bearings and gather data for our initial offering of ZaadTrek goodies.

Then we were all struck with a tragic news report. Paul’s brother-in-law, sister Stephanie’s husband, David Tennant, owner/founder of Dave Tennant Safaris. had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The three of us watched through Paul’s conversation and regular reports, as David fought  long and courageously, but eventually losing his battle for life in August 2010. It was for me... another - Friend Not Yet Met - that shall go forever, unmet.

Pieter landed in South Africa in November of last year (2010), spending 3 weeks visiting areas Paul had procured accommodations and access to. Pieter wandered about collecting data that would become part of our production plan: One book each year, for the next five (5) years and eMags expanding on the areas covered, delivered on a monthly basis. We were set to Premiere launch in April 2011.

Life is learning how to deal with unexpected interruptions along the linear timeline. But explosions like the loss of Paul … well, those just stop the timeline completely.
Pieter, at least, got to meet Paul. For this, I am quite happy. I am however saddened that I did not - nor, will now - ever have such a luxury. Another, Friend Not Yet Met, I’ll not meet.

Paul and I were kindred spirits. We shared so much in common that any difference was rendered, invisible. Such a kinship of mind and kindred of spirit is truly rare. If you or I can experience this pleasure but once in a lifetime, then we must consider ourselves extremely blessed. And I do. I truly do. But still, it does not keep me from feeling robbed of further years, sharing unique and wonderful experiences with such a unique person as Paul.

That truly hurts.

What am I to do now...? This is a question I keep asking myself. The void is deafening.

Please, DO remember Paul's family in your thoughts and prayers. This is a very difficult time for them.

As well, don't forget Paul. Visit his RedBubble, Flickr, and many other sites across the Internet to constantly refresh your mental picture of Paul, his work, his legacy and what he will always mean to you.  I will have a complete list of Paul's, online presence, on the eDIGImag site.
Keep the Spotlightkid alive in your hearts and memories. Keep Harry Black running through the brush and engaging his audience with excitement and life.

And do not forget to keep all the others: Yes, those whom all of us have lost - to whatever tragedy before their time ... or in their due time. Keep them alive in your hearts, your memory and tell others of how much you care for them. Share their stories and importance - in your life - with others.

Pass on their lives and legacy to the future. Keep the heritage of their Spotlights burning bright.

Thank you Paul.

I WILL keep your Spotlight burning. In my feeble hand, your Spotlight will tremble for a time. But I do hope and pray, that, in-that-time, I shall be able to hold your memory steady.

Your light -your life- may have left us, but your Light - that wonderful part of you that inspired, caressed, excited and warmed us with your pleasant demeanor, catchy character, charm and wit - that Light, we will keep lit and it will go forth.

The only OUT your Light shall see, will be when it is being sent OUT to those whom we contact. Where ever we go, to whomever we connect, they too, shall know a bit of the Light that was - and will always be - the Spotlightkid.

Till another time and place. I will remember. I will tell. The story of the Spotlightkid and Harry Black.

The man who was, is and always will be my colleague, my friend, my Bru - Paul Lindenberg.

Your bru ... les ‘jimmy’ booth
Paul Lindenberg and Matt Coughlan on the Makgadikgadi Pans back in 1994

UPDATE: 02.27.11 Paul Lindenberg .

I spoke w/ Paul's sister on Sunday; she reports Paul is resting; still has not awaken; feeling on right side is good; paralysis persists on left; breathing is better; reaction to vocal and touch stimuli 'seem' to be improving.

All Facebook page comments are READ TO PAUL. Please, continue to comment; spread it; often.

Thank you all for your support and those who are commenting.

Paul Lindenberg - RedBubble.com

www.redbubble.co

Please accept my sincere apologies for being so late in getting out the current bit of information and for it being so long. But, there has been a lot of 'happening' in and around Paul's current universe.

First off -  HUGE THANKS !  to all who have been in direction communication with Paul's wife (Lindsay) and sister (Stephanie Tennent) (hereafter, unless mentioned individually, referred to as LnS) - your conversations of encouragement and a 'listening ear' have been more helpful than words will be able to express.  But I do THANK YOU, sincerely!

Second - Paul met with a foe even greater than his current injuries over the weekend past: the lack of professional care in the hospital.  There were several days of very - let's say 'intense negotiations' by Paul's 'direct negotiators' (LnS) with the hospital and staff.

Stephanie had informed me that the restrictions for visitation at the Bara Hospital were intensely rigid.  One one person at a time could visit and visiting time was restricted to a two (2) hour window daily.  So LnS were greatly curtailed in the time they could spend with Paul.

Compounding the problem was that each time they visited it was shortly after Paul had been bathed or received other care, so he was both physically exhausted and  - in most cases - in a pharmaceutical stupor.  So LnS did not have a chance to truly 'see' Paul.

LnS had received word from the nursing staff that Paul was

• trying to speak
• moving his right side a lot
• opening his eyes
• appearing to 'wake up more'

But LnS had not seen it themselves for the first few days they could visit.  Frustration doesn't even come CLOSE! to explaining their feelings.  [ I can tell you that such 'restrictions' do not exist here in the States - not even in the most rigid of hospitals, especially where family visits are concerned.  Outside visitors, I can see this. The patient does not need a lot of 'excitable stimuli', but they do need the nurturing and calming atmosphere the family brings to the situation; in most cases..! ]

As I posted earlier last week, LnS did finally get a lucid moment with Paul.  LnS were - as we here! - very glad to see such positive changes occurring.  Then the hospital seemed to turn on Paul.

On Friday last week, LnS arrived to find ..

• Paul taken from the Trauma Ward
• placed into Medical Ward & left unattended
• feeding tube had been removed
• not been fed in nearly 2 days
• no saline drip
• receiving virtually no care

LnS said Paul looked in pretty rough shape when they visited on Friday and found all the above had been happening.  Lindsay went on the warpath!  They got hold of a Dr. who chewed out a few people, but when visiting hours ended  had to leave praying Paul's situation would be sorted out in his favor.  ARRGGHH.

Early Saturday morning they called the hospital to find Paul had been sedated and another feeding tube inserted. LnS were told Paul would 'likely' be fed around 9am and moved to Ward 38 Neuro after x-rays.  When  arrived for visiting hours that afternoon it appeared none of that had been done: still not in Ward 38, not been fed and no drip. LnS were still waiting to see Paul's Dr. !!!

Lindsay reported that Paul seemed drugged, but restless and went in and out of consciousness. She also said she was sure Paul was trying to tell her he wanted to go home.  Then it was time for Lindsay to go.  Her visiting time was up.

When Stephanie went in, she was able to get the ear of the Staff Nurse and told him that Paul had not had fluid or nourishment in nearly 2 days.  The nurse got authorization and finally a saline drip was installed and orders were in place to get Paul fed

It was time again, for them to leave. But they went to Ward 38 to find the Dr. who was to be assigned to Paul and see about getting Paul moved there.. ASAP.  They did not find the Dr. and there we no beds available.  But a Nurse said beds should be available later in the afternoon.

As Stephanie wrote, "Between wards and between doctors, Paul is in no-man's-land and no one attends to him! I'm getting all up tight again so let me finish this and send it to you."

And that's pretty much how the rest of us feel as well - all up-tight.  ". (

I had hoped to hear more from Stephanie later on Saturday, but did not.  And I didn't hear anything on Sunday.  I was growing concerned.  I'd sent several Skype TXT messages and one TXT to her mobile phone.  But no response.  Then Monday afternoon I received a Skype TXT from her.

She has been staying with Lindsay; no doubt keeping each other from making and Entebbe-Raid on Bara Hospital!! While there, despite being surrounded by Paul's computers, she could not get onto Skype to carry a conversation with me.  She and Lindsay had no way of knowing how to access Paul's computers.  Login / Password -- details, information ???

Yeepin Yimminies!  Paul and I discussed this very scenario more than once over the past 3 years.  Most recent during a lengthy phone call this past January.  We each agreed - this lack of preparation for an inevitable condition - is probably one of the greatest threats to stored personal data going.  

The explanation is simple. The understanding is a whole lot more complicated.  

For whatever reason - secrecy, security, fear, laziness, tardiness, lack of preparation, lack of focus, or just plain lax... the  person who is the data creator has not left a simple set of instructions for data access-retrieval in the event of their demise or incapacity.  

And here's Paul's moment.  A smack-dab-in-the-kisser moment, in dire need for our proposed E/PDARP (Emergency/Personal Data Access-Retrieval Protocol).  How bloody unfortunate - and inconvenient - is this?  

Companies are, for the most part, all over this.  But the everyday personal computer user?  Not at all.  Most don't think about it.  I will have more to say on this in a later post.

But here were LnS stuck in the land of No Access to the computers.  Like a person dying of thirst afloat in the middle of the ocean: "water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink". (Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner,  S.T. Coleridge).

Stephanie told me this when she was back at her son's house where she was able to get back online via her computer.  

This brings up just how hard this is on Stephanie.  She is staying with her son, near Johannesburg, since her husband, David Tennent, well-known and highly respected Professional Hunter and main-face of David Tennent Hunting Safaris, passed in August 2010 from pancreatic cancer.

Stephanie informed me - during that Skype TXT exchange - that she had, in fact, sent me a TXT to my mobile phone with an update on Sunday.

OOPS!  I am one of those who are NOT attempting to make a mobile phone an integral body part.  I don't even leave it turned on most of the time.  I should have known better.  I have a very good reason to leave it on all the time right now.  ". |

Stephanie went on to tell me that Paul has been moved to Ward 38 Neuro and is at least being nursed.  

There are a lot of beds in that Ward, but it was not overcrowded.  And Paul's bed is near the nursing station.  The ward is - as Steph described, "... clean and neat".  Paul is getting proper attention and has a feeding tube with "... food steadily dripping down it.", as Steph emphasized.   His saline drip has been removed and he has a nebulizer.  Paul is looking better and his breathing is fine.  Steph also said his lungs had been suctioned out before they got there (Monday 3 MAR), so he was quite tired.  She also thought he was on a sedative so they did not see him open his eyes much as they spoke to him.

LnS have been trying to get hold of the Dr., but he does not take phone calls.  [ Now THAT DOES sound like a Dr. here in the States,  “: \ ]    Lindsay would like to have Paul home as soon as possible and get a day-nurse to help out with his care.

When I finally read the TXT message Steph had sent to my mobile phone, I found a VERY exciting bit of news that she did not mention in her Skype TXT.

Stephanie said, while they were visiting she noticed Paul’s lips were dry and cracking. She said she ‘asked him to pucker his lips so she could put balm on them.  Steph said he did so IMMEDIATELY!   YA HOOOOOO!  Now THAT is great news!   Who would think a simple ‘lip pucker’ could be so exciting?  Well, in this case it truly is an exciting event.  Because it says so much.   Paul’s immediate reaction says volumes on his brain’s ability to process incoming information and then deliver an immediate reaction:  a pucker!   He understood Steph’s words - understood the request - made an instant assessment - then executed the immediate action.   

We take such ‘simple actions’ for granted.  But, when the layers of complex processing are revealed - we begin to see the very complex set of neurological processes that are involved in such a simple request as, ‘pucker up’.  Amazing.

LnS are still trying - according to my latest contact with Stephanie ( 08 MAR 3:12PM GMT -5 ) - make connection with Paul’s Dr. to determine the extent of Paul’s current condition and that impact on his ability to go home.   I know both LnS are quite anxious to determine this status.. !!

That is all I have for now.  Again, my apologies for the span of time between this and the last report .. as well, the length of this report.  But I feel most - if not all - of you are as anxious for ‘news from Paul’ as I am.  So again, my apologies for the tardy report.

I have a Skype TXT into Steph now.  I will report back here with ‘news’ as I have it.

Best to you all.  And THANKS to all for your continued support. The comments are good.  I have sent those to and the read them regularly to Paul when they visit.  

Even though the efforts to ‘communicate with Paul’ via the technology at hand, were derailed by the hospital regs, I am going to continue forth with my planned recordings of the Conversations For Paul … beginning next week.  I will be contacting those who have already said they want to be part of this, this week.  If you wish to be part of this project - then contact me via Facebook PM or email me: edigimag@gmail.com.

Until the next UP :) DATE .. keep Paul and his family in your prayers, thoughts and hearts.

les booth

eDIGImag

TigerMoth b-plane, photo by Paul Lindenberg, eLITHO by Les Booth