I wish I could begin with happier things.
On June 10 my friend Sophie Veres died.
Her friends in the Chaos Computer Club knew her mostly by her nickname, Szara. She was an incredibly engaged security researcher and developer, a true Hacker in the original sense of the word. She was engaged in many aspects of organizing the CCC’s non profit congresses and smaller events, and going to just about any event, you would interact with her at least once.
Meeting her at conferences for a beer, a smoke, and discussion about how most hackers take themselves too seriously was always a welcome distraction from the hectic schedule and something I truly looked forward to.
I remember one conference where she brought a hair straightening iron and decided, on a lark, to use it on me. It turns out that straightened hair looks horrible on me, and my sight provided many people with quite a lot of amusement.
Szara gave me a green creeper card once. Green creeper cards, as opposed to red ones, are a nonverbal way of saying thank you for not being a creep, thank you for interacting with women and minorities in a respectful way. At a time where I was unsure how to navigate the societal issues, that meant a lot to me. I still have the card.
Szara leaves behind grieving parents and friends who will never forget her.
Farewell. I will miss you.