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Thursday, October 6th, 2011 11:28 pm
all the levers in the world
Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. - Archimedes
I'm pretty sure I actually learned that line from a random fantasy novel and not reading actual classics. Applicable to Steve Jobs only in underestimation; he had many levers by which he moved the world. He's been moving it about for two decades or nearly so, so it's not a surprise that it almost seems like everything is standing still.
Growing up, K-12 (I went to a small school) the only computers we had were Apples; PCs manufacturers didn't donate to us (very small, rural school), but the only computers I'd ever been allowed to use (or saw in anyone's homes) from seven to seventeen were Apple (and DOS, dear God). The first Windows computer I ever saw was across the hall at my dorm; the operating system was hideously confusing (eventually got the hang of it).
His achievements in advancing technology were breathtaking, but his sense of aesthetics in an industry that didn't balance form and function were revolutionary (I loved all my desktops, but yes, beige boxes they were). Inventors aren't particularly rare, but those whose vision encompassed elegance in design to be as important and necessary as its functionality are unicorns.
And of course, his company released this movie Toy Story, which had some pop culture influence, or so I've heard.
I'm pretty sure I actually learned that line from a random fantasy novel and not reading actual classics. Applicable to Steve Jobs only in underestimation; he had many levers by which he moved the world. He's been moving it about for two decades or nearly so, so it's not a surprise that it almost seems like everything is standing still.
Growing up, K-12 (I went to a small school) the only computers we had were Apples; PCs manufacturers didn't donate to us (very small, rural school), but the only computers I'd ever been allowed to use (or saw in anyone's homes) from seven to seventeen were Apple (and DOS, dear God). The first Windows computer I ever saw was across the hall at my dorm; the operating system was hideously confusing (eventually got the hang of it).
His achievements in advancing technology were breathtaking, but his sense of aesthetics in an industry that didn't balance form and function were revolutionary (I loved all my desktops, but yes, beige boxes they were). Inventors aren't particularly rare, but those whose vision encompassed elegance in design to be as important and necessary as its functionality are unicorns.
And of course, his company released this movie Toy Story, which had some pop culture influence, or so I've heard.