Peter Bergman passed away today due to complications from leukemia, according to a post on the Firesign Theatre web site. One of the founding members of the troupe, Bergman had an instantly recognizable voice and a brilliant comic mind. I went through high school listening to Firesign Theatre on LPs, laughing uncontrollably and marveling at their inventiveness.

Bergman was also a wonderful, warm, exuberant, genuine person. I got to meet him in 1995 at the first Digital Storytelling Festival, the late Dana Atchley's amazing un-conference that brought together spoken word folks, image and video people, and us pixel-stained wretches. I still remember wandering down the main street of Crested Butte, Colorado, riffing off random stuff with Bergman, just talking and laughing. I got over the feeling of terrified awe in about a minute. He was just that kind of guy.

Think I'll spend the evening celebrating Bergman by playing one of my favorite comedy albums of all time, "Nick Danger, Third Eye." If you feel similarly inclined, you might listen to his last podcast, from Tuesday, at Radio Free Oz.

Our thoughts are with Peter's family, friends, and fans on this sad day.

RI Future's Brian Hull and David Segal of Demand Progress talk with attendees at the RI Blogosphere Party

Last night's Rhode Island Blogosphere post-holiday party rocked the The Salon in Providence, with more than 100 bloggers, politicos, and media folks kicking back and talking about the state of the world, online and off.

The big local news, of course, is the relaunch of Rhode Island's Future, the state's premier progressive blog, which was dormant most of last year. But with a spiffy redesigned site and a great collection of writing talent, RI Future looks poised to make a well-timed comeback.

Also on hand last night was an advance team from Netroots Nation, coming to town in June, and getting to know local bloggers and progressive activists. (Have you registered yet?)

It was night full of great conversations and the wonderful experience of meeting people IRL that you've been reading online (Hard to believe, in this small state, but true!) Great seeing you, everybody!