by Pam Arnone

For decades I’ve admired and been inspired by Steve Jobs.

His passing has deeply affected me in ways I didn’t expect. So many others have said the same about their reactions to losing Steve.

There’s no way I can be as eloquent as the man himself. So instead of trying to express what he meant to me, I will just remind you to listen (if you haven’t already) to Steve’s own words and be inspired and touched by him again.

Thank you Mr. Steve Jobs for changing the world. Standing Ovation… for a long, long, long time.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address:

by Barry Fulk

When I flew home last night and turned on my phone upon landing at O’Hare, I was unfortunately greeted with the news of Steve’s passing. Obviously I was shocked and saddened. As my own little tribute, I wore my Apple shirt today to work. Lots of people came up to me to talk about Steve Jobs (it’s kind of weird as I’m the center of all things Apple here). Everyone was extremely gracious. It was odd but cool that people wanted to share their thoughts about Steve and Apple.

The other thought I had was about the Apple community. While many of us have worked in the tech field one way or the other for many years, I think we’d all agree that the community Steve/Apple created is unlike any other. I’ve gone to Microsoft conferences and other companies functions, but none that sparked the friendship and relationships that Apple conferences, training, Macworld, etc. create.

I’ve met people from all over the world at these events and we continue to communicate regularly. I’ve traveled to ‘tweetups’ and had amazing times. I’ve met and become friends with podcasters — even meeting one who lives about an hour north who was gracious enough to let me be part of his “insanely great” show.