“I Want to Put a Ding in the Universe.”
Admittedly, this wasn’t the topic I had intended to write about but there was a seismic shift in the technology world today. Steve Jobs, the founder and former CEO of Apple Inc., died yesterday at the age of 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Through out my life, I’ve been hesitant to hold some one up as a role model but Mr. Jobs was about as close as any one ever came. Jobs had a once in a generation mind.
My experience with Apple products dates back to high school when, using what I believe was an Apple IIgs, my classmates and I were were investigating standard geometry proofs (i.e. congruent triangles). Using the computer as a learning tool, one of my friends and I developed our own original theorem regarding isosceles triangles. Though math journals of the time wouldn’t publish our work (who would trust a couple of teenage kids any way), the experience had a profound impact on me. It was at that point that I understood the IMI act technology could have on my life. I’ve been a staunch proponent of apple products from that day on. Since then, I’ve owned an Apple II, a Macintosh LCII, and a G4 iMac. I currently have an iMac, MacBook, an iPhone, and I’m actually typing this on an iPad. One of my earliest exposures to Unix based computing was a NextStation and was so blown away by it that I actually pulled together a working NextStation Turbo Color earlier this year.
Jobs embraced technology but not technology for technology’s sake. He also had a fundamental understanding of people. He had an ability to understand not just what wanted to be done with technology but how it should be done. Ever the perfectionist, Jobs seamlessly integrated Art with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEAM to use our vernacular) to generate products that were as beautiful as they were capable and reliable. Doing this generated an emotional response between users and technology that was never there before.
I remember the feeling that came over me that day, the realization of what technology was capable of and how it would change things forever. I couldn’t, however, for see where it was going to go. My children may never know the experience of going to a record store, buying a record or tape, and combining my favorite songs on a mixed tape. They may only know downloading songs, making playlists and renting movies online. The way they communicate, learn, interact and cooperate has forever been changed. They live in a much smaller world than I could have ever imagined, a world where any information they need is literally at their fingertips.
No, I couldn’t forsee any of this but at least one person did. One person had the inspiration, vision, brilliance, and drive to make that happen. Jobs once said “I want to put a ding in the universe.” While he may have only wanted to leave a ding, there’s no doubt that those who knew him best are struggling to fill the void. Here’s to the crazy ones…
David J. Dronzkowski
Vice Chair, Math & Science K-12, SAE Detroit Section Operations Board
Powertrain Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company