Book of Anna

Steve Jobs

I was shocked by the deep, immediate sadness that hit me upon hearing of the passing of Steve Jobs this evening.  I anticipate that the testaments and tributes to follow over the next several hours and days will yield even more emotion, as a global community takes the time to consider the grand vision of Steve Jobs and the Apple ecosystem that has so penetrated our world.  I feel fortunate to have come of age during such a time.

Steve lived in the graceful design of his products, and his intuition that at first what we didn’t even know we wanted we would eventually come to need.  A loyal Apple user my whole life, Steve was with me every step of the way as I became “wired” and plugged into the life I know today.  He changed how we see and experience the world.  My iPhone and MacBook are my two most intimate objects: as a student, I am with them both constantly, relying on them as my trusty portal to the outside world.  And yet they are my world.  While at times our incessant connectivity frustrates and even sickens me, my iPhone and MacBook are not just devices, they are an extension of me.  Apple’s sublime reality where mysticism meets capitalism is what keeps Bill Gates up at night — for many users, we feel Apple has chosen us, it is just who we are.

True innovation, however, touches those that extend beyond your immediate reach.  I heard of Steve’s death while reading a case on successes in mobile banking throughout the developing world.  4.7 billion people own cell phones throughout the world, and the hope that mobile phones hold much more potential than their capacity to make a phone call is a direct extension of Steve’s vision.  Mobile banking is a key part of linking these consumers to a cheaper, safer, more connected world.  The same can be said about mobile applications that will help disseminiate global health knowledge, market updates, agricultural information and education platforms.  While innovation would have occurred in one form or another without Steve, he was a trailblazer in recognizing the power of mobile and Apps, and fundamental in increasing their popularity and accessibility at such a rapid rate.  In this way, Steve Jobs touched and bettered the lives of billions of people across the globe, most of whom will never see, touch, or own an Apple product.  He changed not only the lives of individual Apple consumers, but shaped the contours of our universe.

NPR’s @AndyCarvin tweeted one of the most symbolic tweets regarding Job’s passing nearly immediately after the news hit: “Right now I’m seeing tweets from Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, all united by one thing: #RIPstevejobs.”  Pretty amazing stuff.  Steve Jobs was one of the fortunate few who lived to see a world that he had dreamed of - a more open, connected, global society where technology, in all its power, fits seamlessly and stylishly into the simple fabric of our lives.  The architecture of his life’s work will continue to impact on generations to come.  

We are the 99%

Say what you will about the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, but several of the stories on “We are the 99%” Tumblr are undeniably heartbreaking and compelling.  

Some food for thought.  Tumblr’s top investors are Spark Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Sequoia Capital, all of whom rely on Wall Street and its 1%  to function.  This “networked” movement relies on the bandwidth of AT&T & Verizon to function (trading at $28.31 and $36.40 per share respectively), and the high-res photos and videos of Apple ($372.5 per share and a humble market cap of 345.34 billion) to spread its message mediums such as Facebook and Twitter (IPOs forthcoming).  It would behoove Occupy Wall Street best articulate its vitriol — seemingly, towards a culture of greed and cronyism — rather than the corporations that enable their movement.