I know that many readers of this blog complain when I take time out from technical topics to talk about personal stuff, so if you're one of those folks, move along. This is about as personal as it gets, and fair warning: if you're going to complain about this post, I'm going to ignore you, at best.

Daniel Steinberg, a fellow No Fluff Just Stuff speaker, lost his seven-year-old daughter not too long ago, and he wrote the story up in a really poignant and moving piece he called "Dear Elena".

Dan, you can't imagine how terrible I feel for you right now--that's every parent's worst nightmare. I wish there were something I could do or say to make this time easier or less tragic for you, but of course there isn't. She sounds like she was a wonderful little girl, and I'm saddened by the fact that I didn't get the chance to meet her. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family right now.

Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to Skype my six-year-old son at home. For what I would hope to be a fairly obvious reason, I feel the need to give him a hug from here in London.