there is going to be a lot of apple fodder to digest today so let me add some oil to the pan before we get cooking… what you see above is a simple, if long, conversation that steve jobs took part in at the 1997 developer’s conference, the likes of which he would never again for fear of revealing too much in the unpredictable and spontaneous corners of a q&a session. and that is exactly the reason why i feel it is a perfect palate cleanser for what is to come later; first for the way he describes how he has been server-computing since 1990, a vision that we all hope will be part of today’s iCloud announcement but secondly, and most importantly, to plainly see how the man fashions an answer to a direct question in a time certainly more unguarded than he would today. too much digital ink has been spent presuming and assuming about the man and his fruit company without so much as trying to understand the process behind his decision-making, one that is fully on display here, if you care and can spare the hour.

intelligent unilateralism is how i would characterize his style of thinking. he knows exactly where he is going but understands the value of looking at the landscape on his way there. in agreement with columnist doug larson who once said that “establishing goals is all right if you don’t let them deprive you of interesting detours,” the very best logic to apply to one’s understanding of the world, single-minded but diversely-aware. when put together with a diligently earned bank account, there should be no wonder the man will go far into willing his vision to life; that is what loners do, that is what mavericks do, that is what storytellers do… the thing of it is, i do not believe he is special, smarter or better-networked than we can ever hope to be, he is simply willing to take the risks on his own belief system required for execution to fully fail or succeed. that is not something you and i are used to, for we have too many times been taught that the middle is the right landing zone for us, that the extremes are too dangerous to aim for. balls! if you reach for safety, whether it is by asking too many what they think thereby buying into the focus group delusion that if most in a small group of people like it then most in a large group will as well or dividing up your time into all the things you want to do so as not to gather your proverbial eggs in that single inadequate basket, you will never fully learn for you will never fully fail and you will never fully fail if you do not go all in. don’t be timid, have opinions, as steve prides himself at the very beginning of his session, change those opinions when you grow out of them, fearlessly, with purpose and commitment and you will have invested in the very best stock available in the market, yours.

i wish you an extraordinarily fruitful week!