Skip to main content

iBURN



I wasn’t sure where or how to start this entry.  Obviously it’s an homage to the late great Steve Jobs.  Anyone that knows me, knows the fierce connection I feel towards the brand.  Not just the products but the idea behind the brand.  The mantra of “Think Differently” is ingrained in my soul. When the whole world says white my first instinct is to think black. 

Now this isn’t born out of a sheer love of being a contrarian, no it’s the result of having WHY burn inside like a primal fire inherited from my ancestors that received that gift from Prometheus. “WHY” is a gift that allows us to… on the surface question the status quo but go deeper and one will discover that “WHY” actually allows us to innovate. I like to think it’s the flame of genius that consumes those that dare to embrace it as others simply choose to admire its light and warmth.

My introduction to computing was on a PC and that relationship was nothing more than utilitarian, a means to an end that I didn’t even think about. My introduction to Macintosh and the unique operating system improved that experience but the love affair didn’t start there.  It was the marketing, product development and user integration all working in concert that did it for me, which was all Steve. Although I am an ad guy, I am not immune to the effects of smart advertising, but this was something more than a clever headline or an inspirational 30: second commercial.  It was the articulation of an idea shared by so many disconnected eccentrics. When the world said, “We use PCs and so should you” we all laughed reveling in our exclusivity and felt connected.

Although it was not needed, it provided some validation which inspired me to embrace WHY in more aspects of everything I did and will continue to burn in everything I do.

I never met the man but I can say that he did impact my life beyond the Apple products I own. So I’ll end with an appropriate quote from Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”

“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long and you have burned so very, very brightly…”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Man" Is Black

BREAKING NEWS – Nov 5, 2008 the people of the United States of America elect Barack Obama, a black man president! This shocking news will surely mean a drastic reorganization of the system designed to hold black people back. You know the system I’m talking about… it’s called “The Man.” For years I’ve heard too many brothas refer to lack of opportunity or access to the American dream as a conspiracy perpetrated by “The Man” and it always pissed me off. Now don’t me wrong, I’m not saying that inequities don’t exist because they do, the playing field is NOT level with respect to race. A black man still has to work twice as hard and be twice as smart to be recognized outside of the field of sports or entertainment, however, access and opportunity is still there for the taking. That is the main reason so many Mexican, Haitian, Asian brothas risk life and limb on inner tubes, in cargo holds and in the stifling heat of car trunks to cross borders into America. But the question remains wh...
Post a Comment
Read more

THIS PEPSI IS FLAT

Big surprise, Pepsi pulled it's tone deaf " Live For Now " Ad starring socialite and reality personality Kendall Jenner in what had to be an expensive production complete with an anthem "Lions” by Skip Marley, large cast and several days of shooting, editing and revisions I'm sure. This stuff doesn't just fall together without some effort and coordination. I mention all of this because clearly A LOT of thought went into this production that fell so very flat. As an ad guy I can almost see the brief in my head:  Capture the passion and energy of the recent protests without any of the controversy. Yeah right. Pepsi failed to realize in order to inspire true authentic passion on a topic like this you HAVE to pick a side.  YOU HAVE TO PICK A SIDE.   You have to either risk being controversial in controversial times or stay out of the CONVERSATION all together, you know... to reference their own ad. Deciding whether to weigh in or not is...
Post a Comment
Read more

TRAYVON

W hat we witnessed last night July 13, 2013 doesn't even come close to resembling justice yet it’s the system we live under; a system that is sending a clear and not so subtle message that people of color are not equally protected under the law. Do not tell me this wasn't racial. Do not insult my intelligence with fairy tales of equality designed to lull  disenfranchised masses into compliance. If the ethnicities had been reversed the Sanford police department would NOT have had to yield to pressure to arrest the shooter, it would have been done. By and large when the shooter looks like me he is arrested or shot in haste. And for those that believe because Zimmerman has Hispanic roots it negates the race issue, I’ll remind you that this country is all about PERCEPTION . You ARE what you appear to be. Your book IS judged by its cover. And to the disgrace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream, you are prejudged by the color of your skin way before most can even get t...
1 comment
Read more