As a hobby, he counts the war dead
Stone Mountain, Georgia (CNN) — Fall leaves blanket Michael White’s deck at his suburban Atlanta, Georgia, home. In the cluttered attic study, the software engineer slouches over his Hewlett-Packard laptop.
A full-length floor lamp stands on top of his desk — the overhead light went out a while back. Next to him is his 1960s Stratocaster, a reminder of the rock-star career that never blossomed.
Jillian, his Vivaldi-loving, violin-playing 10-year-old, has gone off to school. Wife Ashley is at work. The house is quiet except for the occasional mew from Izzy, the atypically friendly Tonkinese cat.
And yet, from the humdrum of this ordinary subdivision home comes an arresting daily statement.
For six years, White has faithfully produced a number that is critical to shaping the legacy of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: the death toll.
Shanna, he may answer his email. Would you please contact him?
If you can’t find his email, look up his domain at http://domains.netstep.net/ and you will find contact information.
Fascinating. Thank you for posting this. In this case I think White has found a way to use numbers to support rather than detract from the humanity in these wars.
Tabulator of the dead, eh? Wonder what that looks like in a chart.