I just noticed this thread... I usually try to stay away from emotional farewell-like threads, but in this case i'd like to make an exception since Lauda's choice of words leads me to believe he/she is still lurking anonymously, and i truly hope he/she gets some closure from reading the posts in this thread.

I have had some minor communication with Lauda over the years, and during the exchange of PM's I always perceived Lauda as an honest, caring person with high regards to his/her privacy. Upon request, I've always deleted any PM we exchanged, every key used, every txid sent in any form and I truely hope the other members he/she had dealings with did the same (if requested). I find it odd that somebody apparently got the drop on him/her, but i guess everybody makes mistakes sooner or later.

Eventough i didn't have the honour of being a member of the cult of Lauda, I truely respect this member, and i think him/her leaving this forum is a sad event.