I am not a cry-baby; I am a cynic and a harsh judge.  I don't know Steve Jobs.  I know Apple, never wanted a Mac till recent years and am now waiting for the day when I have enough to buy my Mac.  I have a few peripheral Apple products - the most notable being an iPhone3.  Even that was given to me; second hand.  And I love it.

Few months ago, I was led to watching some videos by Steve Jobs.  It was from a rabbit hole trail.  I think I started with a Kindle sample about Zen presentation which led me to articles about good presenters - phenomenal presenters and Steve Jobs came up as being one of the foremost best corporate presenters in the world.  And so I went to watch a few YouTube Steve Job videos.

I am a critic and a harsh one.  I am not necessarily proud about it.  I just am.  So when someone or something grabs me around the heart, it is always a surprise.

Steve Job's presentations was of that calibre.  The man was of that calibre.  I was most particularly impressed by the his return video.  Apparently he had taken time off (from Apple?) due to personal health reasons (pancreatic cancer?) Well, maybe not quite just taken time off.  I think he had resigned.  And the video I happened to be watching was on his return.  (And Apple turned around again on the pivot of Jobs' magic).

What most impressed me was the palpable admiration, and honest care and love that I could feel even across the passage of time, via a small video setup.  The people, Apple staff, when they stood up and clapped him when Steve walked on the stage.  That is something that cannot be bought nor acted out.  They cared about the man.  They really cared about him.  And that said mountains for the kind of man Steve was.

And also, one can feel the kind of man he was even from just watching him.  It has nothing to do with one's rationale or mental justifications.  One's spirit and heart reacts even when contrary to mental prudence.  In Steve's case, I only know that I FELT him to be a good good person.

And it did occur to me of late, when I heard in passing that Steve had recently taken time off again from his work, that he might have a relapse.  I wished in my heart that it was not so.  But somewhere in me, I knew it could be worse.

And so today when I heard, it is with true sadness but with a tinge of knowing, that this has come to pass.  Even if I never had the great fortune to know you personally Steve Jobs, I had the great fortune to live in your era and the great fortune to live in an era where I could "see" you.  And I had the good fortune to be touched by the spirit of the man.

God Speed Steve Jobs.  

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When a special spirit like this man passes through my life, even if it is but via virtual mediums, there is a desire in me to find out more about him.  I know so little about the man behind the spirit that was Steve Jobs.

Facts Gleaned from the video:

This is the first time and closest Steve got to a college graduation.  He himself never graduated from one.  

His biological mom was an unwed graduate student who wanted Steve to be adopted by college graduates.  The couple (a lawyer and wife) that was set to adopt him, decided they wanted a girl when Steve "popped out".  (Bet they regret their "No" now!!)

His future parents were called in the middle of the night and said Yes to him without hesitation.  It was only later that Steve's biological mom, who was so ardent about him being adopted by college graduates, found out that Steve's mom never graduated from college and his dad, never graduated from high school.  And the biological mom then refused to sign the adoption papers; relenting only when promised (by the adopting couple) that Steve would go to college.

And he did; only to drop out later. ... learnt caligraphy/typography ... loved it .. and the dots all came together later on in the creating of the Mac ten years down the track.  The Macintosh was the first computer with beautiful typography.

~ Steve Jobs ~

Lucky - found what he wanted to do early in life.

Started in parents' garage at 20.  At 30, had a 2-billion dollar company with over 4,000 employees.

And also at 30, Steve was publicly fired!

But he still loved what he did and he started again.  Being fired was the best thing that happened to him.  It freed him to enter the most creative period of his life.

In the next five years, he started Next and Pixar (Animation) and met the woman who was to become his wife (Laurene Powell Jobs). (They married in 1991.)

From a quote that he read when he was about 17 which read something like:

"If you live each day as if it was your last,

someday you will most certainly be right"

Steve has looked at himself in the mirror each day and asked himself

and he continues:

Steve was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer around 2004 and was told he had 3-6 months to live.

~ Steve Jobs ~

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This last reference: All About Steve Jobs is a site all about Steve Jobs.  Lots of info about the man, his bio, and the key people in his life.

Goodbye Steve. Thank you.

8 Oct 2011

Came across this today.  How long ago it seems, in terms of technology - to see where we were in 1984 and where we are now, 27 years down the track.  And yet, personally, 1984 feels like it was only yesterday.