Life and Death

Recently I saw a very interesting presentation about Geneva, Microsoft's implementation of claims based authentication, using WS-Trust and WS-Federation. I like very much this paradigm, if it catches on will simplify a lot the way we manage identity in our applications and networks. I for sure will start implementing applications with this framework.
A claims-based approach removes from you the hassle of seaching for user capabilities in the AD or other system. You trust a third party to authenticate the user and create a token with just the info you need, nothing more, nothing less.
This connects directly to your online persona, a living thing outside of your control. As the death of a friend showed it to me...

Alex died some months ago. He was one of the most briliant minds I ever met. And a troubled one, unfortunatly.
His death touched me a lot. Since I've been working near Portela, I've passed near his house almost everyday, and always thinking I had to arrange a lunch or something with him. Now it's too late.
But his online persona is still alive.
Everytime I open GTalk, his address is the first in the offline contacts.
His phone number is on the top of my contact list.
His blog is still in my blogroll.
My PDA alerted me this weekend for is 34th birthday.

This is a very strange thing... how do you manages the contacts, the links for someone that died?


Me, i'll keep them.


PS: Happy birthday Alex. This one is for you.