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President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

whitehouse.gov

11–20 of 63 posts

Re: President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

#12
post #10

You know you're a big deal when the president of the United States makes a statement about your death just hours after the news breaks.

It saddens me that the engineers and workers who actually designed and built the stuff will die unknown. Just reinforces that fame, popularity, charisma, self-promotion, wealth, and the ability to "manage" trump deep technical abilities.

https://twitter.com/cperciva/status/121744770480615425

a retweet (not me). but, it struck a chord with me.

Re: President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

#13
post #10

You know you're a big deal when the president of the United States makes a statement about your death just hours after the news breaks.

It saddens me that the engineers and workers who actually designed and built the stuff will die unknown. Just reinforces that fame, popularity, charisma, self-promotion, wealth, and the ability to "manage" trump deep technical abilities.

Without the assistance of a person (or people) with all of those other characteristics, deep technical abilities accomplish nothing. If it were not for Steve the engineers and workers who actually designed and built the stuff would still have died unknown and they would have also probably died without having anything of significance to point to and say "I helped create that."

Re: President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

#15
post #6

That's a bit hyperbolic.

It's all too easy to play up the impact that artists, politicians, and speakers have, we see them foisting their worldview on the Universe and begging people to accept it and to be changed by it. But artisans and industrialists can have just as much if not greater impact. Steve Jobs invented, perfected, and helped popularized devices, services, and ideas that affected many, many people's lives and livelihoods. Unimaginable amounts of art has been made using the tools that he had a very large hand in, and that barely touches the impact he has had on the world. He wasn't a saint, he wasn't a poet, but he touched and changed an unimaginable number of lives, for that he deserves respect.

Re: President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

#16
post #13
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It saddens me that the engineers and workers who actually designed and built the stuff will die unknown. Just reinforces that fame, popularity, charisma, self-promotion, wealth, and the ability to "manage" trump deep technical abilities.

Without the assistance of a person (or people) with all of those other characteristics, deep technical abilities accomplish nothing. If it were not for Steve the engineers and workers who actually designed and built the stuff would still have died unknown and they would have also probably died without having anything of significance to point to and say "I helped create that."

I think giving virtually all of the credit, wealth and social standing to the "visionary" is a massive error which shafts a lot of people, who are even more rare, unique and talented than Steve Jobs. He deserves a lot of credit to be sure, but it's almost insulting to say that engineers couldn't design a phone on their own.

Re: President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

#17
post #16
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without the assistance of a person (or people) with all of those other characteristics, deep technical abilities accomplish nothing. If it were not for Steve the engineers and workers who actually designed and built the stuff would still have died unknown and they would have also probably died without having anything of significance to point to and say "I helped create that."

I think giving virtually all of the credit, wealth and social standing to the "visionary" is a massive error which shafts a lot of people, who are even more rare, unique and talented than Steve Jobs. He deserves a lot of credit to be sure, but it's almost insulting to say that engineers couldn't design a phone on their own.

Ives and a lot of other higher ups at Apple get a lot of credit. But I think your comments are misguided. I think working at Apple carries a certain level of prestige in itself, and I know they are rewarded with a great salary.

Re: President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

#18
post #7
post #6

That's a bit hyperbolic.

No it isn't. It's 100% true. If we can't honestly appreciate the incredible magnitude of the effect this man had on our world today of all days, when will we be able to?

Why do you(or the president) think exaggerating his accomplishments is warranted or even tasteful?

It's not 100% true, I know plenty of people with no apple devices, who don't care at all about apple or it's products.

Personality cults like this are embarrassing, and a major weakness for critical thinking. Celebrate the man for what he did, not some deified hero icon.

Re: President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

#19
post #18
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it isn't. It's 100% true. If we can't honestly appreciate the incredible magnitude of the effect this man had on our world today of all days, when will we be able to?

Why do you(or the president) think exaggerating his accomplishments is warranted or even tasteful? It's not 100% true, I know plenty of people with no apple devices, who don't care at all about apple or it's products. Personality cults like this are embarrassing, and a major weakness for critical thinking. Celebrate the man for what he did, not some deified hero icon.

Even if you don't own anything made by Apple and don't care at all about it, it's hard to deny that it has had a major influence on computing, and through that on the modern world in general.

Re: President Obama on Steve Jobs: "He Changed the Way Each of Us Sees the World"

#20
post #6

That's a bit hyperbolic.

It's all too easy to play up the impact that artists, politicians, and speakers have, we see them foisting their worldview on the Universe and begging people to accept it and to be changed by it. But artisans and industrialists can have just as much if not greater impact. Steve Jobs invented, perfected, and helped popularized devices, services, and ideas that affected many, many people's lives and livelihoods. Unimag…

Respect is honoring his accomplishments, inflating them is disrespectful.
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