Thank you Steve for everything, R.I.P.

Dear Steve Jobs,

Many thanks for your dedication, for your inspiring passion to do what you love, for bringing colors and beauty to the grey world of computing, for making products our grand-parents AND kids love showing off, for making products that connect people to each other, generation Y with generation, for being our muse.

I couldn't help shed a few tears over your death this evening. I know it sounds weird, given I didn't know you personally. But I practically grew up watching you and Bill Gates arguing and making up ;) After all, I'm one fo those who learned how to spell my name on an Apple keyboard before even knowing how to write it with a pen. Another reason I feel sick to my stomach is the realization that my opportunity of meeting you one day is forever gone. Completely vain I know, yet it is oddly frustrating and shakening... As you pointed out during your famous commencement address, life is indeed very short...

My dear Friends,

May Steve Jobs' spirited legacy inspire you for many years to come...

How to live before you die, by Steve Jobs

To start this new semester inspired, may I invite you to watch Steve Jobs' Commencement Address to Stanford University's graduates.

Although performed in 2005, its content remains extremely actual and will hopefully resonate with you for as long as you live... If not, you can always do like me, which it to read the transcript or watch it again occasionally ;-).

Quote of the Day inspired by the Collyer brothers

As I was talking about my domain name bulimia with a colleague, the latter mentioned that instead of bulimia, I should use the word hoarding, and I was like: "what?" which led him to introduce me to the the Collyer Brothers with the help of Wikipedia...

The New York Times on March 26, 1947 wrote:

There is, admittedly, something unattractive about the avidity with which society now pores over every detail the Collyer brothers vigorously withheld from public scrutiny... It is almost as though society were taking revenge upon the brothers for daring to cut the thread that binds man to his fellows.

Cool design reusable water bottle, the Kor One launches in 2 hours

The Kor One, a well-thought reusable bottle, will be available for sale in a few hours. Its sleek design reminds of the Voss disposable bottles, packed with innovative features such as "the small release button that allows easy one-hand opening and closing, the hinged cap that stays open while you drink and the extra-wide mouth," to quote the NY Times article. I like the fact that you have the option to insert a mantra you can read when opening the cap, why not insert your kid's or lover's picture? Available @ $29.95.

What Should We Do With Our Life?

By: Po Bronson

The real meaning of success -- and how to find it.

A fantastic article about why and how each individual should find meaning in what he/she does and go for it. I especially like how the author, Po Bronson, finds out about some misconceptions and kills in the process the idea of wanting to make (tons of) money 'first' in order to fund/unleash that meaningful dream.
To me, it's like parents who plans to have kids when they earn enough, thinking that this financial comfort will automatically bring the emotional balance required for the 'preparation of the nest'.
The article is from 2002 (published in Fast Company), I wonder if the author still thinks that way, or if he made some new discoveries on the topic.
Apparently he wrote a bunch of books:

More excerpts from the article:

• Being smarter doesn't make answering The Question easier. Using the brain to solve this problem usually only leads to answers that make the brain happy and jobs that provide what I call "brain candy." Intense mental stimulation. But it's just that: candy . A synthetic substitute for other types of gratification that can be ultimately more rewarding and enduring. As the cop in East L.A. said of his years in management at Rockwell, "It was like cheap wood that burns too fast."
• What am I good at? is the wrong starting point. People who attempt to deduce an answer usually end up mistaking intensity for passion. To the heart, they are vastly different. Intensity comes across as a pale busyness , while passion is meaningful and fulfilling.
• Every industry has a culture. And every culture is driven by a value system [...] One of the most common mistakes is not recognizing how these value systems will shape you. People think that they can insulate themselves, that they're different. They're not. The relevant question in looking at a job is not What will I do? but Who will I become?
• Probably the most debilitating obstacle to taking on The Question is the fear that making a choice is a one-way ride, that starting down a path means closing a door forever.
• If you don't like The Inevitable Cocktail-Party Question [i.e. "What do you do?"], maybe it's partly because you don't like your answer.
  

Japan's Salarymen, With Pensions At Stake, Work on Their Marriages

An article about last year's new divorce law forces Japanese men to learn how to pay more attention to their wife...

Learn to Be Nice to Your Wife, or Pay the Price
Japan's Salarymen, With Pensions At Stake, Work on Their Marriages
Washington Post, By Blaine Harden