Steve Jobs has died

[SeattleUte]

Jobs was a very smart and successful guy but does he really think computers wouldn't have nice fonts if it weren't for his calligraphy class in college?

Also his graduation talk reeks of the "everything happens for a reason" crap that we hear way too much these days.

I wonder what the real story was of his pancreatic cancer -- apparently it wasn't the surgically "curable" tumor they thought it was.

It was a disappointing speech overall. Your post is good until the last sentence, which is declasse. At that time he was hoping for the best and probably trying to protect the share price. Give him a break.

However, I also think it's a little strange and probably declasse for Jobs to give the commencement at Stanford and spout the nonsense that college is a wast of time for the truly brilliant among entrepreneurs. Honestly, his speech made me think that he could have used a college degree.

It's always interesting to me that every time you get to know someone a little who has succeeded spectacularlry in a field it invariably turns out that they are as unremarkable and even silly as the next guy as soon as they step out of operating in that field.

[Lost Student]

It was a disappointing speech overall. Your post is good until the last sentence, which is declasse. At that time he was hoping for the best and probably trying to protect the share price. Give him a break.

However, I also think it's a little strange and probably declasse for Jobs to give the commencement at Stanford and spout the nonsense that college is a wast of time for the truly brilliant among entrepreneurs. Honestly, his speech made me think that he could have used a college degree.

It's always interesting to me that every time you get to know someone a little who has succeeded spectacularlry in a field it invariably turns out that they are as unremarkable and even silly as the next guy as soon as they step out of operating in that field.

I can't begin to tell you how declasse this statement is.

[RobinFinderson]

Jobs was a very smart and successful guy but does he really think computers wouldn't have nice fonts if it weren't for his calligraphy class in college?

Also his graduation talk reeks of the "everything happens for a reason" crap that we hear way too much these days.

I wonder what the real story was of his pancreatic cancer -- apparently it wasn't the surgically "curable" tumor they thought it was.

It was a disappointing speech overall. Your post is good until the last sentence, which is declasse. At that time he was hoping for the best and probably trying to protect the share price. Give him a break.

However, I also think it's a little strange and probably declasse for Jobs to give the commencement at Stanford and spout the nonsense that college is a wast of time for the truly brilliant among entrepreneurs. Honestly, his speech made me think that he could have used a college degree.

It's always interesting to me that every time you get to know someone a little who has succeeded spectacularlry in a field it invariably turns out that they are as unremarkable and even silly as the next guy as soon as they step out of operating in that field.

Nice thoughts, from both of you. It is worth talking about who the man is, and what he managed to accomplish. From a design perspective, Apple has created consumer design masterpieces that rank among the most important cultural achievements in that field. But Steve Jobs isn't a product designer, no matter how many patents bear his name. All great designers get documented using the tools of their trade. I think of Ray and Charles Eames, pressing sheets of plywood, or Frank Lloyd Wright hovering over large architectural drawings, from back at a time when such things were drawn by hand. Has Jobs ever been documented in the act of designing anything above the level of a cocktail napkin sketch?

So he was probably more of a curator, of sorts, rather than a true Industrial Designer. And that speaks to where his real talents lay, because he was a businessman. He ran a sharp business, one whose products look like the future we had always hoped would come about. So he was a businessman, and he kind of made that job look pretty cool, compared to the way someone like Mitt Romney makes it look.

[Uncle Ted]

It was a disappointing speech overall. Your post is good until the last sentence, which is declasse. At that time he was hoping for the best and probably trying to protect the share price. Give him a break.

However, I also think it's a little strange and probably declasse for Jobs to give the commencement at Stanford and spout the nonsense that college is a wast of time for the truly brilliant among entrepreneurs. Honestly, his speech made me think that he could have used a college degree.

It's always interesting to me that every time you get to know someone a little who has succeeded spectacularlry in a field it invariably turns out that they are as unremarkable and even silly as the next guy as soon as they step out of operating in that field.

IMHO, a college degree just confirms to a potential employer that the candidate is teachable. Personally, I have not used a lot of what I learned in college in real life. If I was starting over as a college freshman, knowing what my career path was going to be, I would have maybe added a minor in business or economics and would have taken less math classes. My math minor is pretty much worthless other than a line of my resume. In the case of Steve Jobs he didn't have to prove to anyone that he was teachable except for himself.

IMO, a good read about people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and why they are so successful, is the following

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017922"]Amazon.com: Outliers: The Story of Success (9780316017923): Malcolm Gladwell: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41683QNEDwL.@@AMEPARAM@@41683QNEDwL[/ame]

[dabrockster]

I think he had the same kind of pancreatic cancer as Coach Rose. It's actually quite treatable unless you spend the first 9 months after diagnosis "treating" it with a diet given to you by your naturopathic doctor. Damn shame.

I would say based on the Stanford address he took all necessary steps to remove his cancer including surgery to remove it..

[SeattleUte]

IMHO, a college degree just confirms to a potential employer that the candidate is teachable. Personally, I have not used a lot of what I learned in college in real life. If I was starting over as a college freshman, knowing what my career path was going to be, I would have maybe added a minor in business or economics and would have taken less math classes. My math minor is pretty much worthless other than a line of my resume. In the case of Steve Jobs he didn't have to prove to anyone that he was teachable except for himself.

IMO, a good read about people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and why they are so successful, is the following

Amazon.com: Outliers: The Story of Success (9780316017923): Malcolm Gladwell: Books

College is not vocational training. I'm sure you use your college degree more than you realize. I see it in fact in the superb way in which you express yourself here for example.

[SeattleUte]

also, enough already with Outliers. I know Gladwell has made piles of money because of his superb education.

[Mormon Red Death]

also, enough already with Outliers. I know Gladwell has made piles of money because of his superb education.

Why are you so against gladwell? He is a good writer with great thoughts.

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[Donuthole]

Why are you so against gladwell? He is a good writer with great thoughts.

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I'm with SU on this one. That book was crap. It took 300 pages for him to explain that working hard isn't enough, but that circumstance also dictates the level of your success. Earth shattering.

[Sizzle]

Jobs was a very smart and successful guy but does he really think computers wouldn't have nice fonts if it weren't for his calligraphy class in college?

Also his graduation talk reeks of the "everything happens for a reason" crap that we hear way too much these days.

I wonder what the real story was of his pancreatic cancer -- apparently it wasn't the surgically "curable" tumor they thought it was.

No, I don't think that was what he was saying on either of those points. I took it as more of an "always be willing to learn because you never know when the simplest thing you learn can lead to something big."

Jobs has always been more about the journey than arriving at the destination. I think his speech highlights that. He isn't underscoring the importance of college or learning, he's highlighting making the most of the opportunities you've been given.

[Uncle Ted]

No, I don't think that was what he was saying on either of those points. I took it as more of an "always be willing to learn because you never know when the simplest thing you learn can lead to something big."

Jobs has always been more about the journey than arriving at the destination. I think his speech highlights that. He isn't underscoring the importance of college or learning, he's highlighting making the most of the opportunities you've been given.

Bingo.

[SeattleUte]

Nice thoughts, from both of you. It is worth talking about who the man is, and what he managed to accomplish. From a design perspective, Apple has created consumer design masterpieces that rank among the most important cultural achievements in that field. But Steve Jobs isn't a product designer, no matter how many patents bear his name. All great designers get documented using the tools of their trade. I think of Ray and Charles Eames, pressing sheets of plywood, or Frank Lloyd Wright hovering over large architectural drawings, from back at a time when such things were drawn by hand. Has Jobs ever been documented in the act of designing anything above the level of a cocktail napkin sketch?

So he was probably more of a curator, of sorts, rather than a true Industrial Designer. And that speaks to where his real talents lay, because he was a businessman. He ran a sharp business, one whose products look like the future we had always hoped would come about. So he was a businessman, and he kind of made that job look pretty cool, compared to the way someone like Mitt Romney makes it look.

Tolstoy would have said he was in the right place at the right time.

[GK_]

Wow. That is a horrible disease. Very few people seem to last more than a few months with it.

Actually, many people survive over a decade with the type he had. He had a rare form called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor

I don't know a ton about it, but found this article interesting which mentions he opted to go on a special diet prescribed by a naturopath for 9 months first before surgery.

http://skeptoid.com/blog/2011/10/05/...ating-illness/

[SeattleUte]

Why are you so against gladwell? He is a good writer with great thoughts.

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People cite Outliers like LAUte used to cite Neil Maxwell.

[LA Ute]

People cite Outliers like LAUte used to cite Neil Maxwell.

It's Neal Maxwell, moran.

Bonus quote!

We, more than others, should carry jumper and tow cables not only in our cars, but also in our hearts, by which means we can send the needed boost or charge of encouragement or the added momentum to mortal neighbors.

― Neal A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience