My Digits

Jun. 4th, 2013 05:53 pm
ayelienne: (default)
I bought Skype Premium recently, since I'm using Skype so much for work and really like the group video chat functionality. I finally took a look to see what other Premium features were available. They had 50% discount on Skype numbers, which are local telephone numbers for your Skype account.

So... I went ahead and bought myself a Skype number for the next 12 months, which is not really noteworthy excepting the fact the local number I selected is in London, UK.

Moment of madness?
Waste of money?
Impetuous whimsy?
Impromptu Experiment?
A hint to the universe?

I have no idea.
But, you know, really - why not?
:)
ayelienne: (Default)

I’m going to talk about love. I know for some, this will be a completely ridiculous post. I warn you that it's idealistic, thick with accolade and short on criticism. Of course, love isn’t always sunshine and unicorns; the expression of love can be completely messed up and dysfunctional, but when it can be expressed purely, it is a profoundly transformative force. Love has changed the course of world events (see Edward VIII). If you believe that the bond of love is the strongest bond there is, imagine the energy created when one does what one loves. Then imagine when it is stoked and magnified by others coming together in sharing that pursuit. Now imagine it as a company. Maybe call it Apple Computers. Or maybe call it Pixar. Or maybe drop the "Computers" and just call it Apple.

Richard Branson, business titan and Steve Jobs admirer, wrote:

I’ve never been interested in being ‘in business’. I’ve been interested in creating things … Business is creative. It’s like painting. You start with a blank canvas. You can paint anything – anything – right there, is your first problem. For every good painting you might turn out, there are a zillion bad paintings just aching to drip off your brush. Scared? You should be. You start. You pick a color. The next color you pick has to work with the first color … People who succeed in business have swallowed their fear and have set out to create something special, something to make a difference to people’s lives …

Steve Jobs was a creative soul who used business as his creative medium and love as his fuel to make a difference to people's lives. He encouraged us to do what we love. And what did Steve Jobs want to do? Steve Jobs wanted to make great things that would "make a dent in the universe."

People love Apple products because they can be seen as a reflection of the power of people in pursuit of creating the best tools; tools that allow others to better do what *they* love. All of this effort and creative force of will processed through the prismatic mind of one Steve Jobs.

Maybe he was a jerk sometimes, but a lifelong, singleminded pursuit of ongoing creative vision can do that to people. It happens often. Historically, the pursuit of marching to one's own drummer can often require sharp elbows in wider society. They’re imperfect souls, these creative visionaries. They don't worry about giving society what we want, they give us what we need. The lucky ones live long enough to see society's acceptance. Steve Jobs was one of the lucky ones. He not only saw society’s acceptance, he saw its standing ovation, then ultimately a full on arena roar. Steve Jobs was a rock star.

First, Apple created tools for the creators. Then, the world got to see what these tools could create. And then, Apple gave tools to the rest of us, we who no longer needed to understand the technology in order to use a technological tool. We turned an Apple product and it just worked.   Made with love, given with love, created with the highest aspiration that this tool will allow you to do what you love, be that creating digital art on a macbook pro or making movies at Pixar or creating music on an iPad or putting your entire music collection in your pocket or allowing you to hold a loved one’s face in your hands as you see and talk with them on your iPhone.  Tools created by thousands, used by millions and given to us by one Steve Jobs.

The quotes of the wise reverberate through history, and so many of those reverberations carry the message of the importance of love and the importance of  doing what one loves. Steve Jobs took that advice to heart and excelled in the expression of that message in ways few others do. In doing what he loved, Steve Jobs used Apple to create infinite opportunities for us to do the same. 

Shine on, Steve Jobs.


ayelienne: (Default)
25 September '98 - Hi. My name's Heather, and I'm an addict. My drug of choice is SimCity. It all started innocently enough. I bought the game for 9.99 at the local K-Mart. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I had played SimLife, and to be honest, wasn't really impressed. So, I load up the game, and get started. My first town had a whole bunch of stuff, but I ran out of money and had to start all over. I built a second one, and then a third and then a fourth. I didn't save any of them, I knew they were temporary. Then there was Pickletown (or Pickleto, as it's known when it's saved). I knew I had something there with that fine little place. That was all fine and good until I started having dreams of little boxy towns and waking up with city planning ideas. In Pickletown, we've been through earthquakes, tornados, traffic problems, and a few generations of Pickletownies. I'm totally addicted to this stupid little game. I've still got Pickletown, and I thought about bringing in the game and installing it here at work (oh yeah, now *that's* a good idea - "I'll only play it at lunch" - sure).It's getting out of control. I finally weaned myself off of Diablo, and now this. I just had to get this off my chest. Thanks for listening. :)

My Desktop

Apr. 27th, 1998 12:00 am
ayelienne: (Default)
27 April '98 - Seeing as I have the attention span of a three-year old when it comes to my desktop, I thought I would show you all what my desktop looks like occasionally. I think my dream job would be designing desktop themes...Anyway, here's what it looks like now (it's still the green, if you looked at the link from the front page):
desktoptoday.gif
ayelienne: (Default)
6 April '98 - I made my first desktop theme: doisineau.zip. If you have plus!, you can download it, there are no sounds yet, but it's got a nice picture and colors. It's Robert Doisineau's photograph, "the Kiss" in a theme. Let me know if you like it. Hopefully, I'll make a little page for the themes if I make more, with graphics and whatnot.
ayelienne: (Default)
27 Feb '98 - Well, it's fixed. About time. Almost didn't make my monthly goal. For those of you who follow my mental babbling, if you got that Jeff Buckley CD, be of good cheer. Sketches (for my Sweetheart the Drunk), Jeff Buckley's posthumous release should be in the stores in May. Also, Mystery Machine just released a new album this past Tuesday. They are a really great Nettwerk band. Sadly under-rated. I saw they are playing in Cleveland on Sunday night. S, if you go, I'm right beside you in spirit, as always. You Ohio people, get off your duffs and support them. Figures I move out to California and all this cool stuff happens in Ohio. Pathetic. More music tips: Critters Buggin' - some tripped out band out of Seattle. They are cool, though. And I just got Chris Stills' album. I've not listened to it yet. As you can see, I've got a lot to say, but that's enough for tonight. More this weekend!
ayelienne: (Default)
2 Feb '98 - Well, that's how I feel anyway, but not really. My computer at home is away being repaired by a friend of mine, so I've been watching lots of movies (Blockbuster should be so happy). My goal for February is to get my taxes done quickly, and finish "We the Living". It's a short month, so I don't want to cram too much stuff in there - ha. Anywho, more as soon as my Frankenstein's monster of a machine gets back online. Shouldn't be much longer. Oh, and a quick word of advice...don't use a hammer to remove the CPU from your computer. Those little prongs don't like that...

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