[Cole’s] not going anywhere. He was drafted by this organization, raised by this organization and became a superstar in this organization. If you know anything about this organization, that means he’s not going anywhere.
”
— It’s amazing to hear Jimmy Rollins say this…especially since he’s maybe the last guy left from the time when this was decidedly not so.
Why wear this grass-stained pair for the keynote, a rare and immeasurably high-profile public appearance? My guess: he didn’t notice, didn’t care. One of Jobs’s many gifts was that he knew what to give a shit about. He knew how to focus and prioritize his time and attention. Grass stains on his sneakers didn’t make the cut.
A beautiful, thoughtful piece from Frank Chimero, For Steve
Technology and design have the potential to be life-enhancing, and I have never felt that more acutely than when using the things Steve helped make.
The Macintosh was the first thing in my life that I recognized as being wholly new. Everything I’d seen thus far in my nine years had seemed like it already existed prior to my birth—perhaps like it had always existed. But here was something different, something amazing, and this magazine explained how it had been created by this small group of people.
The implications bloomed in my mind. We aren’t stuck with the things we have now. We can make new things, better things.
And, uhm, will the President be eulogizing youlike this?
By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike.
People love to complain that R.E.M. should have broken up when Bill Berry quit in 1997, to preserve their legacy in a pristine state. Except this misses the fundamental point of R.E.M., which is that rock and roll is something you do, something that’s part of your real sloppy life, rather than a fleeting phase. They decided not to be a “go out in a blaze of glory” band like the Smiths or Husker Du, and they also decided not to be a “blaze gloriously and then kinda fade out so everybody assumes you broke up even though maybe you officially didn’t” kind of band, like Echo and the Bunnymen or the Jesus and Mary Chain. They decided to be a “run it into the ground” band, plowing ahead whether they had the wind at their backs or not. And they ran it into the ground. That’s an essential part of their greatness
Given the choice, I’d rather make history than simply take it in and post it to Instagram with a grainy old-fashion filter.
”
— Jason Calacanis, in a brilliant piece on why we’re really at 10% unemployment, and why that number is only going to grow, no matter what the government does. Seriously, go read this now if you or someone you know has, or wants to have, a job.
The whole music business in the United States is based on numbers, based on unit sales and not on quality. It’s not based on beauty, it’s based on hype and it’s based on cocaine.
If the client writes back immediately and says ‘These numbers look great! We’ll send along a contract for you to go over in a few days,’ it probably means your prices are too low.
”
—
Jessica Hische, The Dark Art Of Pricing
If you have ever had to prepare an estimate or charge anyone for creative work, go read this. Now. I’ll wait.