 Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.

“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.”

There has got to be something to be said about the fact that for the past few hours, 98% of my Facebook, Twitter, and Google News feeds have been all about the death of Steve Jobs. When I first read the news, my initial reaction was shock. Yup. Despite suspecting that this news would be coming after his resignation on August 24 and being reaffirmed after that awful paparazzi picture a few days later, I was still shocked. And I wasn’t the only one. When I read the news, it was almost as though I had heard that someone I personally knew had passed away. I had a lump in my throat and my breath caught a little bit. Then my eyes began to get warm and twitch, as though they were about to fill with tears. I was caught off guard.

Silly, I know.

Then I began to read tributes and I began to understand. I began to truly appreciate the life of a person who without a doubt changed my life. A person who changed my life and the lives of many, many others.

On a personal level, here’s how Jobs’ Apple has influenced my life: If not for Steve Jobs, there would be no iPod. By releasing the iPod, Steve Jobs (in?)directly changed the course of my entire life. Simple math:

Without the iPod, there’s no iTunes.
No iTunes = no podcasts.
No podcasts = No Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack.
No Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack = no MetroBuzz.
No MetroBuzz & no Lost Podcast = Jay & I would have never met.
Without the online communities formed as a result of podcasts, I would never have met people I consider such great friends today.

And it isn’t just me who’s life was changed by the re-invention of the Apple brand after Steve Jobs returned to the company. There’s this person and all of these rich & famous people. There’s Gizmodo’s touching tribute and Google’s salute. My goodness, what a way to go, knowing that by simply thinking differently, you changed the world and became a public figure mourned worldwide. Even the comments on TMZ looked like they were written by compassionate human beings today. I think President Obama (or whoever writes his press releases) really hit the point home:

There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.

If you haven’t checked these out yet, you should watch the video of his inspirational 2005 Standford University Commencement Address and the updated version of the famous “Here’s to the dreamers…” commercial.

So thank you Steve Jobs for believing in a product that led me to meet the love of my life. And for the phone that sometimes literally gets me through an 8 hour day. Rest In Peace.