[Ti] Steve dissed?/Power Ballad Tribute

[coccolithophorid at earthlink.net]

Kevin wrote:
If you want to bring Steve down to your level, just watch him host an 
episode of The Screen Savers.
;-)

Kevin

Andrew Dean wrote:
Then there is Woz. I guess in this analogy he would be the bass player 
that
writes all the music but stands off to the side.  Kind of the Quincy 
Jones
of computers or something... Or maybe Bernie Taupin? (although I haven't
seen Jobs wearing platform shoes and rhinestone sunglasses... yet.)

I mean, you have the title of "father of the personal computer for the
masses" and you walk away from it to teach?  And not to teach college
students that care about your notoriety... He teaches children! 
CHILDREN!
That=B9s the most selfless job there is.

The teaching thing alone is reason to worship Woz... But its just the 
tip o=
f
the iceberg. From his website it appears that NONE of the fame has gone 
to
his head. He's off playing tetris on the side of a building with 
geeks...
Just to be geeky. His website has personal info on it. His email 
address is
public and he reads his own email.  He even posts onto public tibook 
lists!

BUT NOW... Now he's stepped past what my brain can fathom.

The father of the Apple computer goes into Apple stores... Stores that 
woul=
d
not even dream of existing if not for him...  but he does not identify
himself... And when a sales guy slaps his wrist for standing too close 
to a
poorly designed display his response is NOT to erupt into flame and 
start
shooting fiery "founding father" deathrays from his eyes while wielding 
a
glowing double bladed axe that slashes the air leaving a trail of fire 
all
the time roaring "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" No, he steps back and says "oh,
sorry."???

I mean... Lets be honest. If any of the rest of us had the power to 
simply
walk up to the manager of an apple store and state our name while 
pointing
at ourselves and know that the 17" demo, 4,000 pound 
balancing-act-display
and all would be unbolted from the ceiling, drug across the store and 
set a=
t
our feet as we reclined on the oddly uncomfortable black lacquer 
benches in
front of the genius bar... Could any of us say that we WOULDN=B9T abuse 
that
power?

Mister Wozniak, I have to hand it to you.  You are either the most 
amazing
man on the planet... Or you are a cyborg.  You have stayed true to your
geekdom and have maintained modesty through fame; humility despite 
adoratio=
n
and teaching despite... Not having to teach. I wish that I could say 
that
under the same circumstances I'd be as genuine, compassionate and 
"real"...
But I wouldn=B9t be  any of those things.  I just know that as soon as
somebody yelled "bass solo!", I'd run to the front of the stage, fire 
off a
volley of explosions and vomit a quart of cow's blood past my cow's 
tongue
grafted onto my own tongue.   I'd then pass out on stage in what most 
peopl=
e
think is a drug overdose but it probably has more to do with the fact 
that =
I
just vomited a quart of cow's blood to impress the audience.

(if you didn=B9t understand that reference, then you are very young... 
Try
replacing the words "quart of cows blood" with "freestyle rap battle")

Anyways, the whole point of this letter is really to say, "Woz, even 
though
you are off doing humanitarian and cool geeky modest things... I think 
you
rock hardest of all, now more than ever."  Seriously. You are amazing.
=20
Now, if you tell me that you *don't* play golf with billionaires and 
sports
heroes, you'll defy *all* the rules of wealth and fame.