Preface
I am not a well-known web developer. I’ve yet to work on anything that made its way to the front page of any widely read blog or news site. I’m just a humble guy who writes a lot of code and moves a lot of pixels around all day. My voice isn’t heard by many outside of the small circles of friends, family and colleagues I interact with on a daily basis. But this isn’t stopping me from writing this post.
Reflection
Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. He was 56 years old. He built one of the world’s largest companies, selling some of the world’s most amazing and truly beautiful products.
Steve — (don’t we all feel like we’re on a first name basis with him?) — created devices that help me and millions of others get shit done every single day.
I’m part of an industry that wouldn’t be where it is today without Apple. Apple’s devices, especially the iPhone, forced competitors to catch up.
Google up operating system screenshots before and after OS X, phones that predate the iPhone vs. those that have come after, and laptops pre- and post-MacBook Air.
Steve knew we were in the future and, dammit!, the future is supposed to be shiny, sexy, and easy.
Steve broke the status quo over and over again. A rebel with a cause, practically vigilante but crazy genius for sure.
Self-Reflection
I’m trying to figure out why I feel so sad about the passing of a guy I never knew, why flowers and vigils at retail stores across the world seem so appropriate (a first of its kind, for sure).
Maybe because I never thought I had any living, breathing personal heroes.
Now I certainly have one less.
Rest in peace, Steve. And thanks for reminding everybody about the future.
