Steve Jobs in Oaxaca (9/6/11)

I am a long-time Apple user—since the Apple II. I was one of the co-founders of the Apple Users Group a century ago on the UNC campus. I've stuck with Apple through many computers, iPods, iPhones, and now, even an iPad. I have, of course, been concerned over the years about their packaging, their recycling policies, their anti-union stance and treatment of Apple Store employees, and, most of all, their labor policies in China. It is Labor Day after all as I write this.

However, when Steve Jobs announced his retirement from the CEO position at Apple, I read a great number of the articles written about him. It struck me what a major role he has had in my life. And it brought back a funny memory from our trip to Oaxaca in June.

One of the places that we visited was called The Hub. It is a wonderful community center for non-profits, entrepreneurs, artists, computer users, teachers, and others in the middle of the city. Its motto is un lugar para quien trabaja por la transformación social para un mundo radicalmente mejor (a place for those who work for social transformation towards a radically better world).

I noticed a hard-to-read quote on the wall in the front of the Hub that I stopped to read. You won't be able to read it from the photo on the left, but it is a Spanish translation of the following quote from Jobs. “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” It is nice to have distinct aspects of your world intersect. It makes the world seem a little smaller.

You can read an interesting selection of Jobs' quotes in a Wall Street Journal blog entry by Jennifer Valentino-DeVries.