

The momentum of Steve Jobs - ibrahimcesar
http://craigmod.com/satellite/steve_jobs_momentum/

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andyl
"I’ll remember how he chose to pursue ideas that inspired a man staring down
death."

I've always been leery of people who are obsessed with work to this extent. If
work is your only metric, then yeah, its great. I sure would love my employees
to have a 'work till you die' attitude. But life != work. Or rather, life >
work.

For me, Steve was an interesting curiosity. Not an example to emulate.

I live in the neighborhood. I love so many aspects of silicon valley culture.
But when I hear that train late at night, I'm not thinking "alone on my
journey, on the edge of chaos, exploding into the future". Hell no.

Steve authorized his biography so that his kids would know him. Inspirational?
For me, it sounds like a nightmare.

Water is necessary for life, but if you drink too much water you will die.
Positive traits like creativity/focus/passion are crucial, but unchecked they
can become destructive.

Live in balance.

~~~
microarchitect
_I've always been leery of people who are obsessed with work to this extent.
If work is your only metric, then yeah, its great. I sure would love my
employees to have a 'work till you die' attitude. But life != work. Or rather,
life > work._

It takes all kinds to make up a society. Some of us want a balanced life; we
want to be reasonably good at everything. Some others want to be the best at a
certain thing and are willing to sacrifice almost everything else to achieve
that goal. To a very crude approximation, those from the former group keep
society going while those from the latter push human society forward.

 _For me, Steve was an interesting curiosity. Not an example to emulate._

On the face of it, there's nothing wrong with being either type, but it does
seem like each type cannot fathom why the other behaves the way it does.

~~~
kbutler
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a
hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a
wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act
alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a
computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization
is for insects. -- Heinlein

~~~
erikpukinskis
Careful with that word "should". Using it on others opens the Pandora's Box.
It will try to destroy your sense of self.

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mcav
I had a similar experience upon moving to Palo Alto last June. Living,
working, and walking in places where "the greats" work changes your
perspective immensely. Yes, it humanizes them, but it also emphasizes that you
could just as well create something yourself as tremendous, valuable, and
worthwhile. You don't have to be a god. They weren't.

~~~
kpennell
Great point.

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richardburton
What a fantastic humanisation of a legend. He was a human being like all of
us. He is a legend unlike any of us. Thank you for sharing these thoughts.

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artursapek
A very well-written piece. Warranted many pauses to think

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kpennell
I wonder if Steve Jobs did or Bill Gates does get the same joy out of cleaning
one's ears with a q-tip after getting out of the shower.

