Thank You Steve Jobs

I'm going to break one of my tried and true rules about blogging. I'm going to write a post that is a bit off-topic for my blog, though still about technology so I'll only lose 20-30 seconds sleep over it.

When I heard the news about Steve Jobs retiring I felt an emotion that I couldn't put my finger on. It wasn't "surprise" as many are saying...really? really? you're surprised? Mr. Jobs has been suffering, publicly and visibly with one of the worse diseases out there. Cancer sucks (oops, broke my 2nd rule, no swearing) but if anything deserves a little curse it's cancer.

The emotion wasn't surprise, wasn't concern for Apple, they'll be just fine. The emotion I was feeling was really, really sad. Sad over a man I've never met and will never meet but one who made a significant impact on my life. While I've never hated a computer, I never loved a computer until I got my first Macbook. Now onto my second, a MacBook Pro (yes I'm having an extra-computer affair) I still feel the same way. But that's not the only way Steve Jobs affected me and all of you.

• Steve Jobs is the true definition of an entrepreneur, Jobs wanted to make things that make peoples lives better. Dare I say he was successful? Even if you're not an entrepreneur you've got to respect someone who puts themselves out there to be judged. Even those that are not successful in that particular venture, once an entrepreneur, always and entrepreneur.
• The consummate innovator. Jobs forced us and his teams to continually innovate. The curse of any company is to get comfortable. While Apple may have done that for a bit, Jobs stepped in and man did they leap frog. Innovation is what keeps us moving, keeps us successful, and keeps us interested.
• If nothing else, Jobs is a Fighter. While every entrepreneur including myself thinks they are more challenged, more overwhelmed, more focused then they could ever be, nothing tests someones' spirit like a disease like cancer. I've watched too many friends and family members take this disease head on and Jobs did so in-front of his Board and every single one of us.

While Steve Jobs made products we LOVE and impacted our lives as a technologist and innovator, it's nothing compared to what he did as a human being. Thank you Mr. Jobs.