Steve Jobs has died. I learned about it on a machine he’d touched when it rolled off the factory floor in Asia. I’ve watched with bemusement at the hyperbole rolling around amongst the Apple fans in their grief.

Yes, Steve Jobs was a brilliant entrepreneur. Yes, he has made computing simpler for many people. Yes, people love his products. Yes, Apple, under Jobs’ influence, has done a great deal for my industry. There are counterpoints to that argument, too, however. Jobs was also a driving force in the entertainment industry and others as well. Some of his accomplishments are without modern peer.

Of course, his family and friends are mourning a great loss. The Apple world is in fits over who can grieve the most.

So far tonight I’ve seen Edison, Michelangelo, Ford and “This generation’s Disney” comparisons.

Truly, I want to bury a time capsule to be opened in the year 2511 and asking people if our descendants have heard of a guy named Steve Jobs. Because five centuries later people still pack rooms to see this guy’s work:

^{Not created with a touchscreen}

Steve Jobs biography is not my chosen field, but let’s consider societal loss against corporate success, Jobs has always taken his share of criticism for an apparent lack of charitable contributions. (Making your children happy via Pixar doesn’t count.) It is possible he looked at Bill and Melinda Gates and other philanthropic billionaires as self-serving publicity hounds while doing countless good deeds without fanfare. Until this news comes out, however, I’m sticking with “Titan of industry dies young” rather than “Jobs in iHeaven.”

My condolences to the Apple fanbase remain, however.

Appropriate remembrances are due in the loss of the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth who also died today. Shuttlesworth was one of the last three surviving founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

One of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement in the South, he survived at least three murder attempts and refused to be silenced. While his contribution was not singular, he was a part of changing our society in real, human terms in oppressive times.

Perhaps there should be an app for that.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011 at 11:04 pm and is filed under history, photo, Wednesday. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.