Texas is thawing, the Northeast is freezing, and a sort of natural order seems almost restored to the Ist-A-Verse. Almost. more ›

Seattlest once got lost in Kmart while our mom was trying to buy our brother clothing, and we're still reeling from it one week later. So we're curious about a story that the Times has picked up from the AP, reporting that some national parks and search and rescue organizations will be testing out a radio transmitter system originally designed to help law enforcement types find disabled people (primarily those with Alzheimer's or autism) who wander away from home. The theory goes that it might assist in searching for lost hikers/climbers/etc. more ›

Whoa, whoa, whoa there, Spencer Kim. We just caught up with Salon's reaction to James Kim's father's finger point-a-thon in the Washington Post. James Kim is, of course, the San Francisco technology journalist who died in the mountains of Oregon after getting stranded there with his family, and Spencer Kim's article blames the credit card and cell phone companies who put a lot of red tape in front of the transaction and call records of the lost family and he blames the search and rescue people who tried and failed to find his son in time to save him. It's tragic. James Kim's trek through the mountainous terrain in an attempt to save his family after they had been stranded for over a week was heroic. But blame put on Oregon forestry and search and rescue is misplaced. more ›

When something seemingly senseless happens, people often feel helpless. Distance from here to San Francisco, among other things, buffers people's sadness at the death of James Kim, and we all move back to the minor (or possibly major) worries of our own lives, perhaps to be reminded of the Kims when others go missing. But two crafty women—artists/sisters Lisa Congdon and Stephanie Barnes—have put together an impressive benefit auction of gorgeous art, clothes, and other hand-made treasures that defy distance and apathy. 100% of the proceeds go to the Kim family, and shipping appears to be free on nearly everything up for auction. As of today, with 4 days left, over $8,000 worth of bids have already been made. more ›

Before we begin, we'd like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of James Kim. We are not, by any means, trying to discount that tragedy by juxtaposing posts about the Kims with more light-hearted posts. It's the nature of doing a compilation such as this one: we're trying to give a full slice of the goings-on in the Ist-a-Verse: the good, the bad, and the ugly. more ›

As if you needed further proof that life is cruel and unfair, James Kim dies after 2 days in the wilderness in a failed attempt to get help for his family, but this idiot is out for 4 days and gets picked up alive by a helicopter. Fuck. more ›

We can't remember the last time a news story brought us to tears. Others have gone missing--we've watched, we've hoped they'd be found but with an inevitable slight detachment buffered by distance and not knowing the people intimately. And yet like so many others across the country, we were glued to the Kims, we held our breath for every piece of news. They had to be found; a kind, good family that just went off the road one night? That can't end sadly, it just can't. more ›

Search and Rescue in southern Oregon has located the body of James Kim. From the Oregon State Police website: more ›

Our apologies if you're not following this story, but it just continues to break our heart. Family found! But without dad. So bittersweet. more ›

We occasionally post about things Portland-related, and this time we do so with a heavy heart. CNET editor James Kim and his wife and two daughers are apparently missing after a family Thanksgiving roadtrip to Portland. They're from San Francisco, and Seattlest has been to one of the wonderful stores the couple owns, Doe. more ›