Why Do I Have This?
Rummaging through some old stuff, I found this poster of Whitesnake’s David Coverdale. Why, oh why, do I have this?
But since we’re on the topic of Whitesnake, let’s reminisce with “Here I Go Again.”
Thank Goodness for Derek Hough!
I have a confession. This Dancing with the Stars junkie had not watched a single episode from Season 13. I barely even know who the contestants are. Heck, other than Ron Artest, I don’t know who’s been eliminated already.
So there I was in Week 4, watching my very first show, and I admit most of the stars were okay. The dances were serviceable, and the judges scores were forgiving. Then came the masterful mancrush known as Derek Hough with partner Ricki Lake. They danced a difficult tango set to the challenging theme music from Psycho.
From this performance, I remembered what attracted me to this show. From the setup to the dancing to the conclusion, this was all “wow!” And two scores of 10 this early in the season validates the excellence of this performance. The DWTS producers must be thankful Derek Hough is back on the ballroom floor. Now, only if he can endure his recent shoulder injury…
More Apple Memorabilia
I forget how I got these posters, but here are two more pieces of Apple memorabilia.
To the Crazy Ones, “Think Different”
Of all the Apple slogans over the years, the one that I love the most is “Think Different.” It’s short, powerful and makes you think about the short, powerful message of “think different.”
Along with this slogan, Apple printed posters of those in history who dared to think different. It was a very appropriate campaign highlighting how Apple was not just another computer company and further set the stage for Apple’s method of forthcoming success.
Here are a few Think Different posters I own along with the memorable message “to the crazy ones.”
Listen to Steve Jobs address the crazy ones.
And here’s a longer rendition of the message to the crazy ones.
When I Met Steve Jobs
Yes, I really did meet Steve Jobs in real life. Really. It was completely unexpected, but boom, there he was. Sadly, time has dulled the memory, but on Steve Jobs Day, here’s my story of when I met Steve Jobs.
It must have been 2002 during a visit to see Kim and Stewart in San Francisco. It was my first visit to the Apple Company Store on the Cupertino campus. This was the time before iPhones and Google Maps, and I think printed MapQuest directions brought my wife and me to 1 Infinite Loop. But, we got there too early, maybe around 8am. I think the store opened at 10am, maybe 9am.
We drove down the street, ate breakfast, and headed back. We were still early and waited outside the store’s glass doors. With a clear view of the outside parking lot, I noticed a car pull into one of the few empty stalls. I think it was a BMW. As the driver walked across the way, it looked like Apple’s iCEO himself.
This is what I was thinking – it’s odd that THE boss would park in an outdoor lot, not in the underground parking fronting the main building. So I had my doubts it was Mr. Jobs, and I don’t think he was wearing his signature black turtle neck and jeans. But as he approached, I recognized the Apple founder.
I told my wife that that was Steve Jobs, but she was unconvinced. We walked closer to get a better look, and I started to power up my newly bought Canon PowerShot S30 digital camera. Then I had second thoughts about snapping a picture remembering horror stories of Steve’s tirades. I didn’t want to get yelled at or booted off the campus on our first visit.
Instead, my wife calmly approaches Mr. Jobs and simply asks, “Are you Steve Jobs?”
“Yes,” he says.
In disbelief, we ask if he’d mind taking a picture with us.
“Sorry, I’m late for a meeting” was his cordial reply as he hurried off into the main building. And that was it, our short moment meeting Steve Jobs. Sure, at the time, I was disappointed not getting a picture, but now I know Steve had industries to revolutionize and insanely great products to create.
While I don’t have any pictures to show for this personal encounter, all I can offer is this blurry picture of me at 1 Infinite Loop with the EXIF timestamp of July 1, 2002.
Siri Is Sewiusly Full of Surprises
The biggest addition to the iPhone 4S powered by iOS5 is the voice assistant Siri. Not only is Siri serious, it’s sewiusly full of surprises. Check out this Easter Egg in the Apple movie introducing the iPhone 4S.
Let Amazon.com Amaze You
The world’s largest store, Amazon.com, sells just about anything, and some of these things may amaze you. For instance, you know you need a nose shower gel dispenser in your bathroom. Yes, yes, you do!
Great by Choice
Another book I’m looking to get. Good to Great was, well, great, so I’m hoping for a magical repeat with Great by Choice.
Buy this along with Steve Jobs’ autobiography and get free shipping from Amazon.
Tasha Kobashigawa Is Still Flying
A chance encounter. Standing in line at the Honolulu International Airport, waiting to depart to LAX. I turn around and see a face, a familiar face. Same but different. Then it hits me:
It’s none other than former-KITV-news-anchor-turned-pilot Tasha Kobashigawa. Although she wasn’t piloting this United flight, it appeared she was on her way to meet up with another flight. Yes, Tasha Kobashigawa is still flying.
Free Trip to Japan Anyone?
How about this use of social media to win back travelers to Japan? Japan’s Tourism Agency is asking for a billion yen to pay for the airfare of bloggers and social media influencers to visit the land of the rising sun beset by problem after problem.
To qualify, you have to outline your travel plans and what you hope to get out of your (free) trip. You still have to pay for lodging and food, and of course, you need to document your experiences online.
This, indeed, is an interesting proposition, but the Yahoo article doesn’t make it very appealing saying this:
The number of foreign visitors to Japan has dropped drastically, since a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Power plant in March. Nearly 20,000 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 80,000 remain displaced because of radiation concerns.
Umm, yeah, that’s definitely a killjoy. You going?
New on My Playlist
What’s playing on your iPod? Here’s a list of my most recent musical additions.
- Whirring – The Joy Formidable. Â Identified this song on the radio using SoundTracking. Â What can I say? This song sounds happy.
- It Will Rain – Bruno Mars. Â More music from the Twilight saga.
- Physical – Olivia Newton-John. Â It was her birthday, the iTunes Genius recommended this song, I had a buck to spare, and I wanted to hear my body talk.
- Paradise – Coldplay. Â These guys keep cranking out the hits.
- We Saw – Bobby. Â Once in awhile, the freebies from iTunes are gems. Â This is one of them.
- In the Dark – Dev. Â You can’t deny the hook is catchy, “I got a sex drive that’s push to start.”
- Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People. Â Is it only me that envisions this when I hear the song title?
Steve Jobs. The Book.
In this digital age of the iPhone, iPad, iBooks, and even the Kindle, owning a printed copy of the authorized Steve Jobs autobiography seems like the best way of holding on to this icon.
Even at 656 pages, it’s all about Steve. Read the description:
Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.
Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.
Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.
Pre-order your copy