Turing Award winner disappears

THE TURING Award winner who developed the technology behind Google Earth has mysteriously disappeared.

Jim Gray developed the technology behind popular computer mapping programs like Google Earth and won the Turing Award for research that allowed automatic teller machines, computerised airline reservations and online shopping.

The 63 year old, who is founder and manager of Microsoft's Bay Area Research Centre, had sailed from San Francisco for the Farallon Islands to scatter the ashes of his dead mother on Sunday.

He was expected to return on the same day and called his wife from his 40-foot yacht, Tenacious, to say he was sailing out of range of his mobile phone.

The Coast Guard is searching the area but says his disappearance is a mystery. Gray was a good sailor, in tip top health, the weather was good, the boat was equipped with radios and flares, yet there were no distress signals.

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