I'm studying the history of technology and communication in a Grad class at the moment. Our readings consist of what one would expect: "Dealers of Lightning" by Michael Hiltznik, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas Kuhm, "Orality and Literacy" by Ong and others.
My classmates and I were recently discussing how fitting it is to be taking this class at this time, in this year, in this century. Steve Jobs passed away several weeks ago; the Apple industry - with the evolution of smartphones, tablets and digital music - has helped to define the culture of the past decade ; the majority of us came of age during this reinventing of how technology functions in our lives. Yet, here we are, in our late 20's, learning about how everything started - Xerox, ARPANET, lasers.
My professor played this for us in class tonight and I began to cry (it's a good thing I was sitting in the front of the room). I still have not deciphered the reason why the passing of Jobs makes me so emotional or nostalgic; maybe it's the fact that the beginning of the last shift in electronic communication began roughly the year I was born and I (and the rest of my generation) have witnessed its evolution. Or maybe it's the deep connection I share with my husband, a complete Mac geek, whom I love so much.
Nevertheless, watching this short clip of Steve Jobs introducing the Macintosh of 1984 sent my emotions into overdrive. He was a master of marketing and persuasion and it certainly shows here. Yet, when I really begin to analyze my response, I'm able to see the link between Jobs Father/Son dynamic with the computer and his own disconnection from his birth father.
I'm thankful that his mother didn't have an abortion, when she could have easily chose to do so. I think, in the end, Jobs biography is a testament to what life, if left to be lived, can do: create, inspire, impassion.
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