On Reaching 800 With Sadness

I was hoping the 800th BRT article would be a happy occasion relating some aspect of tech to society in ways you, my faithful readers, would find interesting but sadly, it will not happen because of the death of Steve Jobs, one of the true giants of our age. I won't get into the achievements of this extraordinary man, others can do that for me, but a quote from a 2005 commencement speech he gave at Stamford says it all.

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important," he said. "Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Growing up in the 60's, Stewart Brand's singular statement, Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish in his Whole Earth Catalog. became part of my mantra as designer, web developer and writer. I am proud to say it was Steve's as well.