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Kil
Evil Skeptic

USA
13477 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  17:12:24  Show Profile  Visit Kil's Homepage  Send Kil an AOL message  Send Kil a Yahoo! Message Send Kil a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Steve Jobs Dies: Apple Chief Created Personal Computer, iPad, iPod

Steve Jobs, the mastermind behind Apple's iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac and iTunes, has died, Apple said. Jobs was 56.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," read a statement by Apple's board of directors. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."


http://www.apple.com/

Lots will be said about Steve Jobs. It's no exaggeration that he changed the way we all live whether you are an apple user or not.

Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.

Why not question something for a change?

Genetic Literacy Project

Randy
SFN Regular

USA
1990 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  17:53:15   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Randy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Jobs sure looked delicate for quite some time.
The news of his passing is just stunning.
Amazing life, amazing man.

"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."

"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard

USA
4574 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  19:59:33   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send H. Humbert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Kil
It's no exaggeration that he changed the way we all live whether you are an apple user or not.
Ok, count me among those who doesn't understand what exactly Jobs contributed. Computers have changed the way we live, certainly. And Jobs was definitely a pioneer in that industry. But is there anything we use today that wouldn't have eventually come along the technology pipeline without Jobs? Take the iPhone. Sure, it's great to finally have all that technology crammed into a single device, but such all-in-one devices were predicted for ages. So Apple's product seems to be more the result of the technology finally becoming miniaturized enough to make such a device possible rather than the triumph of a single visionary. It's not like other companies weren't all trying to come up with similar devices. So at the end of the day, I see Jobs as an astoundingly successful salesman whose primary accomplishment was introducing "aesthetics" to computer products, i.e. realizing you could sell more technological gadgets to the public by encasing them in pink plastic rather than industrial gray.

It just seems weird to celebrate a man for nothing more than being a good capitalist. What am I missing?


"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman

"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie
Edited by - H. Humbert on 10/05/2011 20:18:27
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard

USA
4574 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  20:25:06   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send H. Humbert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Randy
Just a shot here...feeling?
What do my feelings have to do with the public's perception of Jobs' accomplishments?

Edited to add: Randy, I see you deleted your comment, maybe because you thought it too confrontational, but I'm going to leave this up because I want to be clear about my intentions. I don't wish to come across as unfeeling. Cancer is a horrible disease. I know that firsthand. My heart does go out to his grieving family and those who knew him well. By all accounts, he was a warm, upstanding man and I had no intention of suggesting otherwise. It's always tragic to lose a person so (relatively) young.

But as far as I know Jobs dedicated most of his life to running a business, not humanitarian causes, so I still don't quite understand eulogizing him as this great human being.


"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman

"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie
Edited by - H. Humbert on 10/05/2011 20:47:49
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard

USA
3739 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  20:46:45   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit marfknox's Homepage  Send marfknox an AOL message Send marfknox a Private Message  Reply with Quote
HH, Jobs wasn't just a capitalist. He was an inventor. Even if the same general products would have eventually come about without him, that doesn't diminish his accomplishments. I'm sure someone else would have come up the theory of evolution if Darwin hadn't. Jobs also was very particular about quality and aesthetics in a very unique way, and I believe that had real value.

"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong

Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com

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Kil
Evil Skeptic

USA
13477 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  21:01:11   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Kil's Homepage  Send Kil an AOL message  Send Kil a Yahoo! Message Send Kil a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Humbert:
But is there anything we use today that wouldn't have eventually come along the technology pipeline without Jobs?
It just seems weird to celebrate a man for nothing more than being a good capitalist. What am I missing?


You are missing that he was not just an innovator, but a visionary.

Aside from largely inventing personal computing, with a user friendly interface that anyone could use, (Mac had the first mouse in home computing along with the graphical interface that would be copied later by MS) I don't think it's really fair to say the technology he brought to market first would have been brought to market anyway, and therefore it wasn't much of an accomplishment. Also, it's fair to point out that what he did bring to market was always easy to use and nice to look at and what people wanted. He had vision. Some of his inovations include the high quality CGI animation that was Pixar, Itunes, which has changed how we buy music and other media, Ipod, which was a kind of music player that apple had first, Ibook, Ipad, Iphone, and so on. Apple technology has been stunning.

That he was also good at business is just another talent he had. Good for Apple too because without him, they almost went under.

As people like Jobs go, I can't think of another person who changed the way we do things as much as he has done, since Edison.

http://humanscience.wikia.com/wiki/Steve_Jobs#List_of_Major_Accomplishments

Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.

Why not question something for a change?

Genetic Literacy Project
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard

USA
4574 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  21:21:52   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send H. Humbert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Kil
You are missing that he was an innovator.
Actually, after reading that wikia entry, I think I was missing the fact that he was an "icon of technological change and innovation in society."

I was recently watching a program that discussed the phenomena of Lady Gaga which pointed out that she--whether you like her music or not--has become an icon of our times. She's not just a singer with a few hits. It's her entire persona. The attitude. The outrageous outfits. The tremendous media exposure. The public role she's assumed in the fight for gay equality. All of it adds up to make her more than just an entertainer. She's an icon.

In the same way, I can see now how Jobs was also an icon for a lot of people. He was more than just a businessman, he was an innovator of business who changed corporate attitudes and corporate culture. He was more than just the sum of his accomplishments, he embodied the zeitgeist of an era. An icon.

I understand that better now. Thanks for clueing me in.


"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman

"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie
Edited by - H. Humbert on 10/05/2011 21:31:28
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Randy
SFN Regular

USA
1990 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  21:32:52   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Randy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Ha Jay, you caught my fly-by reply in a moment... on a second thought deleting it.

I guess I perceived your analysis as cold as stainless steel and missing the point that Jobs was iconic to many people with his contributions. He's been in the national lime-light for a couple of generations.
You could apply your argument to dis him to a lot of innovators in the past.

On another note, I dig the crap out of Jobs being a Buddhist/Atheist, and start-up partner Steve Wozinak, an Atheist. These two guys are huge in our daily lives....and ATHEISTS. I think that's awesome.

Jobs is dead, but he lives on in our lives and in our minds.
Let us all carry the fire!

Please read Jobs Stanford U. commencement address....

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."

"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson
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Randy
SFN Regular

USA
1990 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  21:56:30   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Randy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."

"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict

2830 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  23:38:02   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send sailingsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote
He was one of a kind, not a follower but his own man. He traveled less on the beaten path and more through the open field. He was a visionary and a true trail blazer.
by Randy
On another note, I dig the crap out of Jobs being a Buddhist/Atheist, and start-up partner Steve Wozinak, an Atheist. These two guys are huge in our daily lives....and ATHEISTS. I think that's awesome.

How about that. Surely two people who can think for themselves, to say the least. SS

There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS
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Randy
SFN Regular

USA
1990 Posts

Posted - 10/05/2011 :  23:50:09   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Randy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Jay, how shall I say this...Jobs was John Lennon incarnate in a business sense. He was a little guy that blew the lid off of our 'modern' times with his innovations. Jobs was iconic to a lot of people because his ideas and products brought the world closer.
If you missed it, his company was reported a few weeks ago to have more cash on hand than the United States government. (from CNN, so probably b.s, ha)

Here's a early Apple iconic ad from the eighties, just for fun (IBM was big brother, corporate domination)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8
"Big Brother" in the commercial is corporate IBM pandering their PC to the world. Course, Apple is the breath of fresh aire that breaks away from the corporate grip.
Yes, Steven Jobs was a little garage tinkerer that swelled into a mulitbillion dollar monster. And he did it most gracefully and with class. His gizmos brought a lot of this world closer together. People feel intimate with their gadgets, and Jobs passing has earned a world of sympathy. Remember, he just croaked today.


"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."

"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Edited by - Randy on 10/06/2011 00:07:13
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sailingsoul
SFN Addict

2830 Posts

Posted - 10/06/2011 :  00:15:14   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send sailingsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by marfknox

HH, Jobs wasn't just a capitalist. He was an inventor. Even if the same general products would have eventually come about without him, that doesn't diminish his accomplishments. I'm sure someone else would have come up the theory of evolution if Darwin hadn't. Jobs also was very particular about quality and aesthetics in a very unique way, and I believe that had real value.


I'm see the same way marfknox. An "iPhone" could not have arrived sooner but later. Never could it have been what He created. He insisted it be what it is and how it was originally marketed and how it is used by it owners. Microsoft innovated very little over the years compared the features it adapted from the apple computer alone. I don't see the android as the same all around cohesive device. The android has little to no new innovation and is pretty much an iPhone clone. SS

There are only two types of religious people, the deceivers and the deceived. SS
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Randy
SFN Regular

USA
1990 Posts

Posted - 10/06/2011 :  00:17:14   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Randy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/tech/china-steve-jobs/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."

"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard

USA
4574 Posts

Posted - 10/06/2011 :  00:19:46   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send H. Humbert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Randy
Remember, he just croaked today.
I apologize again for my insensitivity, but I truly did not understand. We, as a nation, very rarely collectively mourn inventors or businessmen. I see now why he is considered special.


"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman

"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie
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Randy
SFN Regular

USA
1990 Posts

Posted - 10/06/2011 :  00:26:53   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Randy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Cheers to you, H.!

"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."

"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson
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Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26022 Posts

Posted - 10/06/2011 :  04:31:24   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Kil

Aside from largely inventing personal computing, with a user friendly interface that anyone could use, (Mac had the first mouse in home computing along with the graphical interface that would be copied later by MS)...
Actually, the Macintosh's GUI and mouse were copied from the Xerox Alto, created 11 years prior.

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
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