"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." - Steve Jobs

There were any number of things to write about from the technology world this past week, but the one that sticks in my mind is the passing of Steve Jobs, Chairman of Apple computer and a technological visionary that I greatly admired. As a kid, I had an Apple II and admired the two "Steves" who had founded Apple computer. They built an amazing device that excited and entranced me into pursuing computer science in college.

A look back at his life shows an amazing legacy of products in the technology world: the Apple II, the Macintosh computer, Pixar, NeXt, the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, iTunes, the Air, and the iPad. I saw a quote this week that said introducing only one of those would have made a memorable career. It's stunning to look at the successes he's had, and sad to think how he might have impacted the world in the years to come.

A few years back I read the Infinite Loop, a look at Apple Computer through the years. It reminded me of so many things I liked about Apple Computer, and of the fact that I probably wouldn't like working for Jobs. He was a difficult person to work with, and many didn't last long in his companies. Perhaps that was a part of his success, perhaps it was just an unnecessary character flaw, but it doesn't diminish my amazement at all he accomplished.

Steve Jobs passed away at 56. That's a frightenly young age, and all the more so given the quote above from his 2005 speech at Standord. Watch the talk, it's worth the 15 minutes, and remember that your life is short. Look for Awesome things in your life, do what you love, and remember what's important in life.

Steve Jones