Tuyen's Blog

Posts for Tag: Death

'Immense Pressure' Leads to Cancellation of Steve Jobs Figurine

...noting that it will cease production out of respect for Jobs and following "immense pressure" from lawyers representing Apple and Jobs' family.
via macrumors.com

I wrote about this earlier. Glad to see appropriate action was taken. I had a discussion with some friends about why I felt something like this was wrong but could care less if say someone printed a bunch of non-NBA licensed Monta Ellis jerseys and sold them. First off, this is clearly someone trying to cash in on someone else's death. There's just something morbid about that. And two, it's more "human" than say counterfeiting a jersey or putting someone's name on a product to trick people into thinking they endorse it. You're taking someone's very likeness/image and profiting from it. That's where it crosses the line for me. Would I have been as bent out of shape if say it was Amy Winehouse or Dan Wheldon? Probably not because I don't have a strong opinion about these people. But in principal I still would think it's wrong and would have no issue with their families suing the profiteers.

This is pretty deplorable

via venturebeat.com

I don't know if this is just profiteering or a misguided homage. Either way, it's pretty disgusting. I knew people were going to try and make money off the death of Steve Jobs. Some were authorized, this is obviously not. The company behind this could have made some veiled attempt at sincerity by donating a portion of proceeds to cancer research. I hope Apple legal is on this and gets them shut down before they sell a single one.

Bay Area loses another legendary innovator - Raiders owner Al Davis dead at 82

"Al Davis was unique, a maverick, a giant among giants, a true legend among legends, the brightest star among stars, a hero, a mentor, a friend."
via m.espn.go.com

This phrase would hold true for Al Davis or Steve Jobs. The Bay Area, especially Oakland, lost another legendary figure today. One of the true innovators of American sports, Al Davis forwarded the game of football and helped make it the true national pastime and possibly the biggest sport in the world. Like Steve, he had a public persona - hard nosed, unyielding, always striving for excellence - and a private one people rarely knew about - loving family man, fiercely loyal, generous. Rest in peace, Mr. Davis.

Steve Jobs and how he impacted me … RIP Steve

I was driving when my wife texted me... "RIP Steve Jobs".  I wasn't really prepared for the response I would have.  It kind of caught me off guard.  There was sadness but not the usual sadness associated with hearing about the death of a "celebrity".  I didn't know Steve Jobs personally.  I've never met him.  I've never seen him in person.  There will be many people who will celebrate his impact on Silicon Valley, the tech community, even the world of every day people.  All true and all well deserved  But that wasn't enough for me to feel sad about his passing.  Was it because I like using Apple products?  Shouldn't be.  I like using a lot of other products and it wouldn't matter much to me if the people involved with their creation pass on.  What was it specifically about Steve Jobs?  Was it the showmanship?  His vision of how products should affect our lives for the better?  His brilliance?   I realized it was none of those things.

Steve Jobs was afflicted with the same disease that took my father 7 years, 6 months and 27 days ago.  It's a disease that rarely sees people live beyond a few months after diagnosis - my father died a little over 8 months after his diagnosis.  A few months after that horrible day, Steve Jobs announced that he also had pancreatic cancer.  I remember sending off an email to steve@apple.com wishing him the best and hoping that he pulls through.  After the ordeal I had just been through, I had little hope that he would survive past 2005.  But when 2005 came and went, then 2006, then 2007, then 2008, and he was still with us, I saw it as something of a ray of hope for all people who have been affected by pancreatic cancer.  Every keynote he gave was like an affirmation of life to me.  Here was someone living and living well after being given a death sentence years earlier.  That was his impact on me.  More than the slick design or the neat gadgets.  So with his passing, I am forced to revisit in some small measure the feelings I had back in March of 2004.  Like my father, I hope he now has peace - free from the pills, the chemo sessions, the needle pricks, and the constant pain.  My thoughts go out to his family, especially his kids.  I know EXACTLY how you feel.