A lot has been said over the past week or so since Steve Jobs passed. The blogs and news channels are abuzz with the sound of praise and commemoration. The apple stores are adorned with flowers and sticky notes. Even the sidewalk outside the private Jobs residence is covered in notes, scratched into the pavement, written by pedestrial mourners. ~ “Thanks for my iPod, I love it.” ¶ I don’t feel that my view or experience with the event is all that unique or intimate, but all the same, I was effected. I didn’t know Steve, or even ever see him in corporeal space, but I did look up to him, and was inspired by him. My relationship — If you can call it that — with Steve was two fold: ¶ First, I am a user of his products, but not just that. In a very literal way, if it were not for this man, and the way he democratized the computer so that I could have one in my home growing up, I could not live where I live and do what I do (and love) today. I was not fortunate enough to go to a good school and never had the opportunity to follow a traditional career path. But because of Steve, I was able to forge my own. In a very real way I owe my livelihood to his vision and ability. ¶ Second, Steve’s philosophy and drive resonate with me deeply. I feel connected to him because of the things he taught through action and lecture. His Stanford address is deeply profound and you can see those concepts resonating throughout his life. He was not a perfect man. But in a lot of ways he was a real example of integrity between word and action not often found among us. ¶ We will miss you Steve, and thank you. ¶