Tag Archives: Jobs

In the Shadow of a Giant



Steve JobsI was reading through my feeds this morning and came across this story Steve Jobs expected to attend Apple Event-but should he. This got me thinking how do you handle the transfer from the founder generation to the next, when the founding generation is still around. Steve Jobs is not just a founding member of todays tech world, he is one of the giants. Whether you are a fan of Jobs or not, there is no doubt that what he did at Apple has effected the world we live in today. When he resigned August 24 as CEO of Apple and handed the reins over too Tim Cook, it was time for him to leave the stage. For him to appear at this Apple event would not only be unfair to Tim Cook, but it would take away the spotlight from the true stars of the show, the products that are being introduced. If I was a conspiracy minded person I might think that maybe the only reason he might appear is the products are not as advanced as they wanted them to be. After all if everyone is talking about Steve Jobs’ appearance they are not talking about the products. I don’t believe this the reason, I think it is because it is hard to leave the stage especially if you are a star and Jobs is definitely a star.

Tim Cook

I am looking forward to hear about the products that are coming from Apple, whether it’s the iPhone 5, iPhone 4s or something else. I hope that Steve Jobs makes the right decision and stays away from this announcement. I hope he does make an appearance at a future event, just not this one. This one should belong to Tim Cook and those now around him.   What do you think will Steve Jobs appear at the event and should he.


Goodbye and Thank you Mr Jobs



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Steve_Jobs_Headshot_2010-CROP.jpg/200px-Steve_Jobs_Headshot_2010-CROP.jpgI came home from dinner tonight to the news that Steve Jobs had resigned as CEO of Apple. In his letter of resignation he recommended Tim Cook as his successor. I will admit I am a fan of Steve Jobs and Apple products. Is Steve Jobs egotistical, a perfectionist and a control freak yes and thank God he is. His laser like focus has helped to transform the computer, media and mobile industries over the past 13+ years. Go back to 2000 when he officially became CEO. Most people were still buying music on CD. The mobile players that did exist were bulky and had terrible UI. I had a Nomad Creative Jukebox (I actually still have it) and I thought it was fine, no to be honest I thought it was pretty cool. Then I picked up a second generation iPod and fell in love with it. Everything from the way it felt in my hand to the easy to use menu was like a breath of fresh air. With the introduction of the iPod and iTunes Apple became the leader in the effort that pushed the media companies to allow the legal downloading of music. This changed the music industry forever, especially how they distribute music. Since then the number of CDs being sold has steadily gone down as the downloading of music through the iTunes has grown.  Brick and mortar companies, like Sam Goody’s and Tower Records were the going strong in 2001 now they have long gone out of business. If Apple had stopped with the iPod Apple would probably had been fine, but that wasn’t how Steve Jobs worked. He had the unique ability to take on an establish industry and turn it on it’s ear. In January 2007 Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, which helped to establish the Smartphone industry. This in turn lead to the direct growth of an app Eco-system which has become the backbone of many small companies. Four years later the effect of the iPhone is still being felt throughout the mobile industry, just look at the latest news coming out of Nokia and Motorola. Finally in January 2010 Steve Jobs introduced the iPad as if to say I am not done yet, how this will effect the PC industry in the long run is yet to be seen, but it has certainly shook the industry in the short term.

On the negative side, many developers complain that the Jobs’ way is a close system, where Apple controls everything and ignores developers complaints and wishes. Another complaint is that iTunes has become blotted with the addition of movies, tv shows, books and applications. Apple’s opponents both within the business community and outside have begun to question Apple’s patent policy. Many complain that Steve Jobs and Apple are starting to use their patents not to further innovation, but to try to squash their opponents.

As an end-user I appreciate what Steve Jobs has done to move not only the PC, but the music and mobile industry into the future. I have no doubt that Apple will be fine under Tim Cook. He ably took control of Apple during Steve Jobs’ recent medical leave of absents. He has been Steve Jobs’ right hand man for the last few years so I don’t expect any major changes in the short term. Whether you are a fan or not of Steve Jobs, you can not deny he has had a great effect on multiple industries.


Flickr Hiring, Rumors of Demise Greatly Exagerated



Flickr posted on their blog yesterday that they are now in search of new employees.  This, of course, flies in the face of rumors that Yahoo is looking to shutter some their properties.  Names that have been bandied about have included Delicious, Yahoo Buzz, and even Flickr.  Clearly though, Flickr is alive and well and looking to move forward and grow.

Positions they are looking to fill include Software Engineers, Product Managers, Product Designers, and an Engineering Manager.  This is not only good news for Flickr’s large user base, but also for out-of-work computer industry types.

Flickr was the first mainstream photo sharing website and is still the king, despite the growing specter of Google’s Picasa.  The fact that they are looking to grow the business and improve their offerings will allow a large portion of the internet breath a huge sigh of relief.  We don’t know what they have in store for future platform updates, but this latest post is a good sign that updates are in the works.


The CIA Is Hiring, What Can You Expect?



When I was a kid my dad worked for a small airplane company that had some big government contracts.  He spent a lot of time traveling to foreign countries delivering planes and teaching air force pilots there about them.  A lot of those countries experienced regime changes soon after his departure.  It was so obvious that we teased him about showing up for work to find a 60 Minutes crew waiting outside.  That never happened, but it did fuel my fascination with clandestine operations.  That was re-awoken recently by radio ads that the CIA is hiring.  I’m not changing jobs at this point, but I was curious what to expect if I applied.

To be clear, I have NOT applied.  I am only looking at it from afar.  The radio ad mentions security clearance checks, background checks, and polygraph tests.  What does all of this entail and how do you know if you should even bother trying?

Every aspiring geek probably wanted to be James Bond at some point.  OK, Bond wasn’t CIA, but Jason Bourne just doesn’t have the same appeal.  Of course reality is a whole lot less exciting than Hollywood.  Like anywhere, the CIA consists of cubicles and lots of paperwork.  Currently they are hiring for a broad range of positions including IT and Security, as well as the cryptic “clandestine services”.

The application process involves medical and drug screening, personal integrity testing, security clearance check, and passing a polygraph test.  The last seems to be a favorite of government agencies, despite the compendium of evidence showing that it’s completely unreliable.  It’s a long application, interview, and testing process.

Think you have what it takes?  If you have applied, or are planning to, let us know in the comments.  Fill us in about what you can let be known.  It’s a fascinating process and career.


GNC-2007-01-02 #229



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