Computer chips, left dangling

I wore my recycled computer chip jewelry today, in memory of Steve Jobs and because I knew that computers were going to play a big role in my day.

Unlike almost everyone I know, I don't own an iPod, an iPhone, an iPad, or rely on a Mac computer. But nonetheless I feel profound sadness at the premature loss of the creative force that Steve Jobs brought to the modern world. 

I've owned many Macs over the years, including my first computer, the Apple 2C (1984?) which never stopped working, just stopped being able to handle new software or upgrades. My iMac desktop still works well, at age 12. Unheard of in the PC world. And I'm really thinking about getting an iPhone, now that 3G's are free and the data plan has come down in price. Hard to believe that it's also relevant to mention that I really love the Toy Story movies.

I bought my computer chip jewelry at last year's Delaplane Strawberry Festival from a woman who calls her business Motherbored. She dismantles old computers and creates earrings and pendants. My husband John gave me the necklace as a birthday gift. This jewelry is all strikingly beautiful.

Listening to Steve Jobs speak in the round-the-clock retrospectives on TV and radio, I've been struck by his philosophical perspective. Knowing that we are going to die should set us free, he said. Free to strive, perhaps to fail, living the life we choose to live. He said, Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

What an amazing legacy to ponder. I wonder how many computer projects he left dangling...