In recognition and in gratitude to 1 person
I was honestly taken aback by how affected I was by the death of Steve Jobs this week. I didn't cry or feel depressed or anything like that, but I felt a sense of loss, nonetheless--as if something of great value had been taken away and that our lives were now going to be different; a brilliant mind was gone, and now our world will be less bright.
Crazy, I know. I didn't know the guy personally or at all, for that matter. I wasn't a follower of his in any way possible. All the news about him this week has been complete news to me, including the fact that he had been ill. (I don't consume news well when I'm busy.) I don't work for Apple. I still prefer Windows over a Mac--although I think if the Mac hadn't come into our lives, we may still be typing code into a green screen just to check email, like I did in the early 90s. Perhaps this may be where the sense of loss comes from. It's not because I love my iPod or that I enjoy going into Apple stores now and then to check out the different gadgets or that a Mac still grabs my attention at a cafe despite its ubiquity. It's because I see where his brilliance changed our world.
From the start, Apple made computing easier it was known as the apt choice for the computer illiterate. I still remember the small box with a small screen with the icons--so easy to navigate with something called a mouse; it looked like a toy. A couple of decades later, we realize that those icons on the screen and the mouse and the simple look of the machine would just be the beginning of a series of gadgets and improvements that would become more powerful and beautiful, albeit simple to use. In the process, it brought power, beauty, and simplicity into our hectic lives, not to mention convenience and fun.
Now, I write on the subway on my iPod during my commute. A few clicks and my writing is posted onIine, printed, or saved on my computer. I accomplish a lot because of a gadget thought up by 1 person. To think that because this person lived and did his thing, we can type with our thumbs standing on the train and actually get things done. No doubt another brilliant mind will emerge in the future who will introduce the next new thing. Will it be as revolutionary and beautiful as the iPod and the iPhone? It probably will. For now, however, I'd like to equate our communal sense of loss with a feeling of gratitude for Steve Jobs, who took us this far into the future. It was his mind and entrepreneurial spirit, after all, that generated the genius idea that now allows me to tap away with my thumb as I record my thoughts during my commute. For this, I am grateful.
Crazy, I know. I didn't know the guy personally or at all, for that matter. I wasn't a follower of his in any way possible. All the news about him this week has been complete news to me, including the fact that he had been ill. (I don't consume news well when I'm busy.) I don't work for Apple. I still prefer Windows over a Mac--although I think if the Mac hadn't come into our lives, we may still be typing code into a green screen just to check email, like I did in the early 90s. Perhaps this may be where the sense of loss comes from. It's not because I love my iPod or that I enjoy going into Apple stores now and then to check out the different gadgets or that a Mac still grabs my attention at a cafe despite its ubiquity. It's because I see where his brilliance changed our world.
From the start, Apple made computing easier it was known as the apt choice for the computer illiterate. I still remember the small box with a small screen with the icons--so easy to navigate with something called a mouse; it looked like a toy. A couple of decades later, we realize that those icons on the screen and the mouse and the simple look of the machine would just be the beginning of a series of gadgets and improvements that would become more powerful and beautiful, albeit simple to use. In the process, it brought power, beauty, and simplicity into our hectic lives, not to mention convenience and fun.
Now, I write on the subway on my iPod during my commute. A few clicks and my writing is posted onIine, printed, or saved on my computer. I accomplish a lot because of a gadget thought up by 1 person. To think that because this person lived and did his thing, we can type with our thumbs standing on the train and actually get things done. No doubt another brilliant mind will emerge in the future who will introduce the next new thing. Will it be as revolutionary and beautiful as the iPod and the iPhone? It probably will. For now, however, I'd like to equate our communal sense of loss with a feeling of gratitude for Steve Jobs, who took us this far into the future. It was his mind and entrepreneurial spirit, after all, that generated the genius idea that now allows me to tap away with my thumb as I record my thoughts during my commute. For this, I am grateful.
Comments
Post a Comment