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Rich Laporte
Moderators: The Preacher, $iljanus, Zaxxon
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- Posts: 1
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Rich Laporte
Do any of you know his whereabouts?
or whats happened to him?
or whats happened to him?
- Exodor
- Posts: 17221
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- Location: Portland, OR
Re: Rich Laporte
Uh oh.
- tjg_marantz
- Posts: 14688
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- Location: Queen City, SK
- SlapBone
- Posts: 3263
- Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2005 5:08 pm
- Location: Bayou City
Re: Rich Laporte
He's still around, but the last time I saw him was on The Screensavers.
- El Guapo
- Posts: 41458
- Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:01 pm
- Location: Boston
Re: Rich Laporte
In Revelations, the LaPorte bots follow the crokinole bots, right?
Black Lives Matter.
- The Meal
- Posts: 27996
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:33 pm
- Location: 2005 Stanley Cup Champion
Re: Rich Laporte
I don't but I do harbor the same curiosities.DillonBarba wrote:Do any of you know his whereabouts?
or whats happened to him?
I admire(d?) the man for his genuine spirit, though wouldn't want to use him as a role model for web development execution. There are a wide range of opinions on the man from folks who prioritize these things differently. At one point it seemed as if some folks were interested in creating a Rich is bad bandwagon, though that wasn't exactly allowed to pass without comment. My only direct interactions with him were brief personal conversations and "professionally" as a moderator for his web forum (which was an aspect of his web page which he had delegated), so my own opinions have lessened intensity due to a comparatively isolated professional experience compared to those for whom had a more direct line to the man. I was rather heavily invested in the online community which had him at the top of its totem but mine was a far from unique experience in that regard (and obviously folks from that subset are going to have a wide range of opinions and justifications for those opinions).
So not so much a can of worms being opened here as one may think. My opinion is that there are relatively few people who have strong opinions on Rich which are as justifiable in terms of the strength with which they share (or shared) those opinions. There were some background activities occurring for which most of us have only heard one side of the story (I've probably heard as much of the full story as anyone as my marginal professional involvement with Rich did bring me into direct contact with many folks who had stronger professional ties), and one would hope the emotional responses to those actions had long since worked their way out of folks' systems.
My interest remains firmly as a curiosity for a person that kicked off a project which has had a strong impact on my life. I rather doubt that this curiosity will ever be satisfied.
"Better to talk to people than communicate via tweet." — Elontra
- wonderpug
- Posts: 10346
- Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 4:38 pm
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
Re: Rich Laporte
I just want to know what Rich thinks about crokinole.
- Smoove_B
- Posts: 54838
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 am
- Location: Kaer Morhen
Re: Rich Laporte
Don't know but I wish him well. I hope he's still gaming and that he found whatever it was he was looking for.
Though it would be pretty funny if he was using an alt and actively participating here or at GT.
Though it would be pretty funny if he was using an alt and actively participating here or at GT.
Maybe next year, maybe no go
- naednek
- Posts: 10889
- Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:23 pm
Re: Rich Laporte
So to answer your question DillonBarba in 5 words....The Meal wrote:I don't but I do harbor the same curiosities.DillonBarba wrote:Do any of you know his whereabouts?
or whats happened to him?
I admire(d?) the man for his genuine spirit, though wouldn't want to use him as a role model for web development execution. There are a wide range of opinions on the man from folks who prioritize these things differently. At one point it seemed as if some folks were interested in creating a Rich is bad bandwagon, though that wasn't exactly allowed to pass without comment. My only direct interactions with him were brief personal conversations and "professionally" as a moderator for his web forum (which was an aspect of his web page which he had delegated), so my own opinions have lessened intensity due to a comparatively isolated professional experience compared to those for whom had a more direct line to the man. I was rather heavily invested in the online community which had him at the top of its totem but mine was a far from unique experience in that regard (and obviously folks from that subset are going to have a wide range of opinions and justifications for those opinions).
So not so much a can of worms being opened here as one may think. My opinion is that there are relatively few people who have strong opinions on Rich which are as justifiable in terms of the strength with which they share (or shared) those opinions. There were some background activities occurring for which most of us have only heard one side of the story (I've probably heard as much of the full story as anyone as my marginal professional involvement with Rich did bring me into direct contact with many folks who had stronger professional ties), and one would hope the emotional responses to those actions had long since worked their way out of folks' systems.
My interest remains firmly as a curiosity for a person that kicked off a project which has had a strong impact on my life. I rather doubt that this curiosity will ever be satisfied.
No, and I liked him
hepcat - "I agree with Naednek"
- YellowKing
- Posts: 30274
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:02 pm
Re: Rich Laporte
I've never harbored any grudges. In the end the community was greater than one individual.
On a smaller scale I understand the pressures of running an online site. Back in the mid-to-late 90s I had a horror DVD review site. It started off small but as it gained an audience the stress of making sure it was updated daily was pretty overwhelming. And at that time I was just a college student with a lot of free time on my hands. I finally just walked away from it cold turkey.
The internet is a strange double-edged world. One in which you can meet and socialize with people you'd never socialize with in real life. But at the same time that anonymity makes it easier than real life to just drop off the grid when it becomes too much.
On a smaller scale I understand the pressures of running an online site. Back in the mid-to-late 90s I had a horror DVD review site. It started off small but as it gained an audience the stress of making sure it was updated daily was pretty overwhelming. And at that time I was just a college student with a lot of free time on my hands. I finally just walked away from it cold turkey.
The internet is a strange double-edged world. One in which you can meet and socialize with people you'd never socialize with in real life. But at the same time that anonymity makes it easier than real life to just drop off the grid when it becomes too much.
- LordMortis
- Posts: 70364
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:26 pm
Re: Rich Laporte
Pretty much this. I was pretty taken aback. And a bit that I didn't really have contact with a lot of people I talked to online outside of the outlet but that was my own damned fault. I felt bad for the likes of Andy who likely also didn't have any warning. Rich didn't owe me anything but if I worked on hard on site content, I'd be pissed as all hell.YellowKing wrote:I've never harbored any grudges.
I wish Rich well. I swore he popped up somewhere on some site or another to briefly apologize.
I'm glad that he could fade into obscurity, which is presumably his desire. There are a lot of strange stalkerlike people out there and Rich was a minor Internet celebrity.
- Holman
- Posts: 29103
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- Location: Between the Schuylkill and the Wissahickon
Re: Rich Laporte
I was a lurker at GoneGold until the last year or so, but I must have missed whatever controversy there was.
I remember it as a great site for talking about computer games. And it passed on to OO, which is a great site for talking about you lot.
I remember it as a great site for talking about computer games. And it passed on to OO, which is a great site for talking about you lot.
Much prefer my Nazis Nuremberged.
- JSHAW
- Posts: 4514
- Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 2:03 pm
Re: Rich Laporte
Since we're kinda on the topic of Gone Gold, does anyone remember the forum poster "simon"?
He was a super nice guy, use to post pictures of his cute kid, and I did some game trades with him, I think?
Anyway, I was wondering if he ever migrated over here?
He was a super nice guy, use to post pictures of his cute kid, and I did some game trades with him, I think?
Anyway, I was wondering if he ever migrated over here?
- triggercut
- Posts: 13807
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:24 pm
- Location: Man those Samoans are a surly bunch.
Re: Rich Laporte
Yep, he was around in the early days posting under that name.JSHAW wrote:Since we're kinda on the topic of Gone Gold, does anyone remember the forum poster "simon"?
He was a super nice guy, use to post pictures of his cute kid, and I did some game trades with him, I think?
Anyway, I was wondering if he ever migrated over here?
Last post was back in July of 2007.
"It's my manner, sir. It looks insubordinate, but it isn't, really."
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- Posts: 2673
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:36 pm
- Location: Utah
Re: Rich Laporte
I've still got my Gone Gold t-shirt! I'll always be grateful to Rich for starting up that website, even if the community fractured when it went down so unexpectedly. It took me something like three weeks to find this place, and I was really worried I wouldn't be able to find the community again, believe it or not.
- dbt1949
- Posts: 25784
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- Location: Hogeye Arkansas
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- Posts: 36472
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- Location: Nowhere you want to be.
Re: Rich Laporte
Yep, but this is also the reason there are grudges. The dickish way he pulled the plug on GG was a blatant refusal to accept that the community he helped spawn grew bigger than himself. I can get that the site grew beyond his interest and ability to manage, but there are other ways he could have abdicated gracefully.YellowKing wrote:I've never harbored any grudges. In the end the community was greater than one individual.
I met Rich personally a few times; cordial and aloof would describe those meetings. He seemed decidedly not interested in seeing GG become any bigger than it had already become. I think what probably started as a hobby and diversion simply became work, and not the type of work he enjoyed.
It's remarkable that the community was as indestructible as it was. It would probably make good material to some sociologist interested in the dynamics of virtual communities. That it did reconstitute itself probably lessens LaPorte's villainy. I don't think I personally would have ever held him accountable -- until I knew what happened. At the time of the resurrection, I didn't really know why GG vanished.
Black Lives Matter
- Carpet_pissr
- Posts: 20136
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 5:32 pm
- Location: Columbia, SC
Re: Rich Laporte
I lik...I mean, he likes it...allegedly.wonderpug wrote:I just want to know what Rich thinks about crokinole.
- LawBeefaroni
- Forum Moderator
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- Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 3:08 pm
- Location: Urbs in Horto, outrageous taxes on everything
Re: Rich Laporte
I think what he did to get GG going was a great thing, I loved that site in it's prime. It got to be too much for him, or life got too much, whatever the case. It was his site and his to shut/wind down as he wanted. He didn't owe us anything, really. There may have been personal issues that went on but they didn't involve me so I'm not obliged to take a side.Jeff V wrote:Yep, but this is also the reason there are grudges. The dickish way he pulled the plug on GG was a blatant refusal to accept that the community he helped spawn grew bigger than himself. I can get that the site grew beyond his interest and ability to manage, but there are other ways he could have abdicated gracefully.YellowKing wrote:I've never harbored any grudges. In the end the community was greater than one individual.
I met Rich personally a few times; cordial and aloof would describe those meetings. He seemed decidedly not interested in seeing GG become any bigger than it had already become. I think what probably started as a hobby and diversion simply became work, and not the type of work he enjoyed.
It's remarkable that the community was as indestructible as it was. It would probably make good material to some sociologist interested in the dynamics of virtual communities. That it did reconstitute itself probably lessens LaPorte's villainy. I don't think I personally would have ever held him accountable -- until I knew what happened. At the time of the resurrection, I didn't really know why GG vanished.
I only lament the missed opportunity for him to evolve GoneGold as there was no shortage of willing talent willing to help (as GT aptly demonstrates). Heck, I think Roll Call could have been made into a book. But in the end it was his decision and I don't begrudge him any of it.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General
"No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton
MYT
"No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton
MYT
- croman
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 3:06 pm
Re: Rich Laporte
I have a hard time holding a grudge against someone that did so much. I do miss the site however.
- dbt1949
- Posts: 25784
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:34 am
- Location: Hogeye Arkansas
Re: Rich Laporte
I didn't really mind so much his shutting down of the site. It was the POOF it's gone! that kind of upset me. I was going thru withdrawals until I found the then Console Gold.
Unless somebody brings it up I don't give the whole GG thing any thought.
Just sounds like something my stepson would do.
Unless somebody brings it up I don't give the whole GG thing any thought.
Just sounds like something my stepson would do.
Ye Olde Farte
Double Ought Forty
aka dbt1949
Double Ought Forty
aka dbt1949
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- Posts: 566
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:05 pm
- Location: Down Under
Re: Rich Laporte
I have a Gone gold t-shirt.
I hope Rich is doing well.
I hope Rich is doing well.
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- Posts: 300
- Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 9:54 am
- Location: Out to pasture
Re: Rich Laporte
That is a name from the past! I hope he's doing well.
- Lorini
- Posts: 8282
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:52 am
- Location: Santa Clarita, California
Re: Rich Laporte
I wouldn't be here without him so I appreciate what he did. I was not happy at the time but in a sense he was a guy ahead of his time.
Black Lives Matter
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- Posts: 3289
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- Location: Under a Big Sky
Re: Rich Laporte
He popped up at one point on some gaming news site about two years after GG was shut down but didn't apologize for anything, IIRC. He also went after the ConsoleGold guys at the same time after months and months of no contact (they abandoned the name and became Gaming Trend shortly after). So even then he wasn't really being nice about things.LordMortis wrote:I wish Rich well. I swore he popped up somewhere on some site or another to briefly apologize.
But in the end that was his choice and none of us knew/know what was going on behind the scenes. Right after he shut down GoneGold I was emailing back and forth with Bill Harris about it and Bill told me some things about how the site had been running while he was doing the front page that really surprised me, namely that Rich's involvement had been relatively minimal for some time. Bill was basically running the site, including finding advertising and so on, not just writing content. So while Rich shutting things down seemed sudden at the time, the reality was that he was already pretty disconnected because of his real life stuff.
Foggy: You have my word as a corporal and a gentleman.
Clegg: Hitler was a corporal!
Foggy: Not in my regiment.
Clegg: Hitler was a corporal!
Foggy: Not in my regiment.
- Jaymann
- Posts: 19631
- Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 7:13 pm
- Location: California
Re: Rich Laporte
I got an email from Rich in 2005:
Hello Jay,
Thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes. I completely understand any
frustrations felt and thank you for accepting my apology.
Stay Safe,
~Rich
----- Original Message -----
From:@hotmail.com>
To: <richard@gonegold.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 8:59 PM
Subject: Last Call
> Hey Rich,
>
> Glad to hear you are doing better, I had feared the worst. I guess you
> could put me in the "Sure i was a little disappointed when I couldn't log
> on to my favorite Gone Gold, but there's more to life than a gaming site
> on the internet" crowd.
>
> I wouldn't let the fanatics get to you. Hell, they were screaming for Sid
> Miers's blood when CivIV shipped a day later than announced. It's a GAME,
> folks.
>
> Anyway, just wanted to wish you the best in all things.
>
> Jay M.
Hello Jay,
Thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes. I completely understand any
frustrations felt and thank you for accepting my apology.
Stay Safe,
~Rich
----- Original Message -----
From:@hotmail.com>
To: <richard@gonegold.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 8:59 PM
Subject: Last Call
> Hey Rich,
>
> Glad to hear you are doing better, I had feared the worst. I guess you
> could put me in the "Sure i was a little disappointed when I couldn't log
> on to my favorite Gone Gold, but there's more to life than a gaming site
> on the internet" crowd.
>
> I wouldn't let the fanatics get to you. Hell, they were screaming for Sid
> Miers's blood when CivIV shipped a day later than announced. It's a GAME,
> folks.
>
> Anyway, just wanted to wish you the best in all things.
>
> Jay M.
Jaymann
]==(:::::::::::::>
Black Lives Matter
]==(:::::::::::::>
Black Lives Matter
- J.D.
- Posts: 4663
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:26 am
Re: Rich Laporte
I hold no grudge but am curious to hear how he's doing/what he's up to now.
- Dave Allen
- Posts: 939
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:12 am
- Location: New London, CT
Re: Rich Laporte
Does someone have all the Roll Calls?LawBeefaroni wrote: Heck, I think Roll Call could have been made into a book.
I sure would like to read them again.
Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body."[Matt 10:28] God can totally destroy us.
Jesus also said, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”[John 6:40] Eternal life is conditional.
His disciple John wrote, "Whoever has the Son has eternal life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life. [1 John 5:12] Eternal life is optional.
Jesus also said, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”[John 6:40] Eternal life is conditional.
His disciple John wrote, "Whoever has the Son has eternal life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life. [1 John 5:12] Eternal life is optional.
- freelunch
- Posts: 1424
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:49 am
- Location: Cairns, Australia
- Contact:
Re: Rich Laporte
[Andy] I might have them somewhere - I'll do some searching and report back if I find them.. [/Andy]
- Harkonis
- Posts: 2345
- Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:45 pm
Re: Rich Laporte
Cool, I would definitely like to read them all again as well.
I loved DP too! - ChesspieceFace
- Dave Allen
- Posts: 939
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:12 am
- Location: New London, CT
Re: Rich Laporte
Were you Gonegold's "Andy from Australia"?freelunch wrote:[Andy] I might have them somewhere - I'll do some searching and report back if I find them.. [/Andy]
Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body."[Matt 10:28] God can totally destroy us.
Jesus also said, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”[John 6:40] Eternal life is conditional.
His disciple John wrote, "Whoever has the Son has eternal life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life. [1 John 5:12] Eternal life is optional.
Jesus also said, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”[John 6:40] Eternal life is conditional.
His disciple John wrote, "Whoever has the Son has eternal life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life. [1 John 5:12] Eternal life is optional.
- Blackhawk
- Posts: 44295
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:48 pm
- Location: Southwest Indiana
Re: Rich Laporte
I've always thought the Roll Calls could be put together into a fantastic book.
(˙pǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uǝǝq sɐɥ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃ ʃɐuosɹǝd ʎW)
- freelunch
- Posts: 1424
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:49 am
- Location: Cairns, Australia
- Contact:
Re: Rich Laporte
that was me. I used to have the site archived as it was before the server disappeared but after searching today I'm not sure I still have it - it isn't anywhere obviousDave Allen wrote:Were you Gonegold's "Andy from Australia"?
- LawBeefaroni
- Forum Moderator
- Posts: 55422
- Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 3:08 pm
- Location: Urbs in Horto, outrageous taxes on everything
Re: Rich Laporte
There are a few here and there at arhive.org.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General
"No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton
MYT
"No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton
MYT
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- Posts: 1278
- Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2005 5:54 pm
- Location: Chicagoland
Re: Rich Laporte
Wow... "Value of the Week" sure dates it:
Absorbed, Dead, Dead, Alive, Alive, Alive, Dead.These include: Electronics Boutique, CompUSA, Software Etc., Best Buy, OfficeMax, Staples, Circuit City and others
- Jag
- Posts: 14435
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:24 pm
- Location: SoFla
Re: Rich Laporte
Bring back Egghead!
- SpaceLord
- Posts: 7242
- Joined: Tue Dec 28, 2004 1:51 pm
- Location: Lost in Time and Space
- Contact:
Re: Rich Laporte
Bring back TinyFuzz!
They're going to send you back to mother in a cardboard box...
- Scoop20906
- Posts: 11795
- Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 3:50 pm
- Location: Belleville, MI
Rich Laporte
Sigh
Scoop. Makeup and hair are fabulous. - Qantaga
Xbox Gamertag: Scoop20906
Steam: Scoop20906
Xbox Gamertag: Scoop20906
Steam: Scoop20906
- LawBeefaroni
- Forum Moderator
- Posts: 55422
- Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 3:08 pm
- Location: Urbs in Horto, outrageous taxes on everything
Re: Rich Laporte
SpaceLord wrote:Bring back TinyFuzz!
Last edited by LawBeefaroni on Wed Aug 10, 2011 2:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General
"No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton
MYT
"No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." -Stigler's Law of Eponymy, discovered by Robert K. Merton
MYT