A Moment of Silence

[quotemyname]

Steve Jobs passed away last night after being officially retired for no less than two days. A moment of silence, the world of technology lost a great man.

[N/A]

When people like Jobs pull a Charles Schultz, I always wonder if they retired because somehow they knew they were about to die, or if it was the retiring which finished them off. On one hand, it seems reasonable that feeling like you just can't do it anymore is just a symptom of the overall problem of being on your last legs. On the other hand, I think back to the stories my grandfather told me about how the mortality rate for his fellow soldiers actually increased after they mustered out (which is why he's always worked so hard to keep his own schedule overflowing). I think back to that great Kill Bill quote about how "The biggest killer of old people is retirement, because if you have a job to do, then you tend to stick around to do it."

Regardless, while my distaste for the brand is a firmly established matter of public record, I can't deny that Steve Jobs was one of the most culturally and economically significant people of both the 20th and 21st centuries, which makes this Kind of A Big Deal. I'd like to think that he's currently teaching Ronnie James Dio how to configure his iPod while they share a stein in Valhalla.

[quotemyname]

If this were facebook, I'd "like" that post.

[Cubist]

An appropriate note: http://xkcd.com/961

[quotemyname]

XKCD was the first place I went when I heard the news.