"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."
That was Steve Jobs in 2005 delivering a heartfelt commencement address at Stanford University. Jobs lost his battle with cancer on Wednesday, surrounded by family members.
Every day I interact with people who send me text, pictures and videos from their iPhones. My favorite songs are neatly arranged on playlists in my iPod. My Christmas gift to my 80 year-old mom last year was an iPad.
Let's take a moment for Steve Jobs. Here are some comments on his passing and legacy.
From his family:
Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.
In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.
This from President Obama:
Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.
By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.
The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.
In our little NASCAR world, it seems ironic that just yesterday on Twitter we had an extended discussions about the pro's and cons of the new iPhone. It is a device that is all over the garage, grandstands and TV compound at every race.
While the word "visionary" was used repeatedly in many news stories, Jobs really influenced our entire culture with some of the innovations that made their way into our lives. It was a fascinating life.
Happy to have your comments on Jobs passing and what thoughts it brings up in connection with the changes in your life, technology-based or not. Just click the comments button below to add your thoughts. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Younger than me (an easy thing)
ReplyDeleteSmarter than me (also not so difficult)
A damn good friend -- gave me 40 shares at for a ride to the store for chips.
That is a story ... Should have held out for 50 I guess.
this guy was a demigod to the tech world. i was DVR'ing G4TV's Attack of The Show and normally at the show ends at 7 PM Central time, but instead of doing the usual wrap up of the day's show at 6:58, they announced his death and instead of wrapping up and going to a encore of yesterday's show (which the last few weeks, the Tuesday show is replayed on Wednesday following the live Wednesday show.) they went to commerical and came back live to continue to cover Jobs' death and ended at 7:30 and then airing a special that aired back in 2009 about Jobs' impact on the world.
ReplyDeleteRIP Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs was one of a small handfull of people without whom most of us probably would not have access to all of these wonderful tech "toys" we use every day. And I say this typing on my Android tablet. I probably would not have this tablet if Apple had not had their great success with the iPad!!!
ReplyDeleteI owned and used a Mac for just a short time. Having used a PC since the days of MS-DOS 2, and now Linux for 5-6 years, I could never get used to the differences of the Mac keyboard.
Without Jobs and Wozniak, Bill Gates, and the people who bought us the Tandy, Commodore and Atari computers, I am firmly convinced we would not have any of this stuff we now use. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac were the first to put compters in our living rooms.
iSAD
To think that so many of the cool tech items we use in everyday life began in a garage still amazes me.
ReplyDeleteRIP, Steve.
America has always managed to have these innovators, these 'guys in a garage' with an idea. I wish I was one of those guys, lol, but I'll settle for learning how to use their toys. It's the American dream, really. I can remember watching old 70's TV, and computers were these giant boxes full of punch cards that took up a whole room. And now it's in the phone. RIP, Steve.
ReplyDelete@glenc1 If it were not for the popularity of notebook computers, we probably would still be watching those old style CRT TVs instead of the LCD widescreens we now have.
ReplyDeleteA few days ago, someone on Twitter posted several pictures of one of the TV production trucks used for NASCAR races. There were a lot of Mac notebooks in those pictures.
If you watch home improvement TV, a lot of the hosts and designers on HGTV and DIY use Mac notebooks.
I use a pc because I race iRacing on line (thanks for the naming idea for the sim Steve) so I don't use a Apple computer, but my wife does. Biggest impact to me is the iPod. It let me rediscover the music of my youth in new ways. I also have a iPhone and I don't live and breath with it, but it's a very cool phone.
ReplyDeleteRIP Steve
I saw this post after waking up this morning out here on the west coast. While getting ready for work and driving out, I have been thinking about how I could explain to TDP's less tech-savvy readers why so many people are making such a big fuss about the passing of Steve Jobs without writing an extremely lengthy comment.
ReplyDeleteI think I have a good one by using a comparison with the only other man in the world of computing that everybody knows.
Bill Gates became rich because people were forced into buying his products. Steve Jobs became rich because people liked his products.
Even as a staunch Linux user who had many beefs with how Jobs ran Apple and designed its software, it is a sad thought that there will be no more of his ideas about design and how to make products of all types more user-friendly, functional, and pleasing to the eye.
No comparison here, just a thought:
ReplyDeleteLike Jobs started in a garage, many of the developments in high performance automotive products began in one persons' garage, mostly in So Cal right before and after WWII
My generation is thankful for Steve Jobs, his technology changed many aspects of the way we grew up.
ReplyDeleteHeard something on the Radio today, Steve Jobs affected the way Adbertisers viewed the Superbowl and Thus affected Sports. His Iconic 1984 MAC Commercial proved the Superbowl was indeed a viable marketing platform..
ReplyDeleteThat Stanford address I had never heard before yesterday. A different and thoughtful side of an extraordinary man. RIP.
ReplyDeleteJ. D.,
ReplyDeleteEvery person who reads Daly Planet and writes to you was touched by Steve Jobs whether they know it or not and whether they choose to acknowledge it or not.
In 1981, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak visited Xerox PARC in Palo Alto, California, where they saw a new computer, the Alto. What fascinated Jobs was the Graphic User Interface and the funny little thing called a mouse which moved the cursor around the screen.
Before the Graphic User Interface, computer use was limited to highly trained tech wizards and hobbyists who memorized lists of commands and code and then carefully transcribed it into command line structure. The syntax was unforgiving. If you typed the wrong character, your computer would probably not do what you wanted. Moving the cursor required use of the arrow keys.
With the adoption of the GUI, the computer became small "d" democratic. Without the Mac there might be no Windows. Who knows if Bill Gates would have ever seen the Alto.
I met Steve Jobs at MacWorld the same day he introduced the iPhone at the opening keynote address. He was walking around the Apple compound on the convention floor, surrounded by Apple employees and fans.
I shoehorned a comment into the first silence. "Hey, Steve! I work in a movie theater. We love showing Pixar films."
He stopped and turned. Suddenly everyone else seemed to evaporate. He fixed me in that deep focus people talk about. There was almost a gravitational force from his focus.
He asked me about my theater, which was a few miles from Pixar HQ. Then he told me, "You're gonna love 'Ratatouille.' " He smiled and then he was gone.
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
Thanks for that great story, WCKenny.
ReplyDeleteMust have been a thrill.
I've been pondering this since Jobs died and I've come to this:
ReplyDeletewe have never had any computer product in our home except Apple. Our daughters, now 25 and 20, have known no other computer in their lives. Their ways to listen to music, communicate with their friends, and interact with the world have all come as a result of Steve Jobs. Indeed, their acquaintances and friends from all over the world would never have been "met" were it not for their laptops and all that that Jobs' vision helped realize. Their world is infinitely larger than mine could have ever hoped to be without the genius of Steve Jobs.
This, indeed, is the gift he left us: a world open to exploration and imagination.
Much as when Jim Henson died, I am grateful for having been alive at a time when these men shared their passion, imagination, and determination with the world. They each left it a better place.
I never had the good fortune to Steve Jobs but I was extremely fortunate to have met and spoken with Jim Henson. As with WCK and his brief meeting with Jobs, I experienced Henson's undivided focus in those moments of conversation. All I can say is this: when in the presence of such a person, one knows that one has been involved in something remarkable, if only for a few moments.
Godspeed and keep imagining, Steve Jobs. You done good, sir: you done good.