Goodbye Steve

I just absolutely refuse to write two consecutive weepy RIP posts, so here's a shorter and happier one than yesterday's.

Steve Jobs was a fucking brilliant dude, and it's hard to say whether my life would have had the same path without his innovations. The way Apple's products and technologies have been integral to my career can't be explained in simple terms, but I'll give it a shot.

Music
I've used Macintosh computers for music going back to 1989, when the first MIDI sequencing software started becoming available, and the very beginnings of computer audio applications were being introduced. Fast forward to the 2010s, and all of the music that I've done in recent years was initially recorded on a Mac. I probably don't have to mention that the majority of sales of my music is done through Apple's iTunes, or that I do most of my own music listening through iTunes and iPods.

Career
My job for the last 20+ years has been in marketing communications, and while I am not completely clueless in using Windows machines, it's hard to say how my career would have gone without the simplicity and elegance of the Apple user interface. With Macs, I have been able to sustain a comfortable living for my entire adult life doing graphic design for print and electronic media; doing communications for media and public relations; creating and editing video and audio for corporate promotional work; the list goes on.

Love & Fun
While it could be correctly stated that the following things could have been done with any computer system, the fact is... they weren't! They were done on a Mac. I originally met Kat, my long-term significant other, on an online forum for music aficionados... while on a Mac. I got into Second Life and established myself as a somewhat respected Internet-based live musician because, thankfully, there was a Mac client available (I wouldn't have bothered otherwise). I spend a portion of each day enjoying the connection I have with distant friends over various social networks... on a Mac. In fact, I'm in front of a Mac for 80% of my waking hours almost every day. And yes, my fingers are flitting across the keys of my latest MacBook Pro at this very moment, writing in this blog.

There's more, but I promised something short and happy, so that's where I'll leave it. Goodbye Steve. And thanks again.