Steve Jobs Bio by Walter Isaacson
Got the book today and after a brief look, it's going to be an important book for me because it describes the computer industry over the past 40 years. Every time I wanted to buy an Apple computer, I always found something much more affordable. At work one time I even got to play with an Apple Lisa when they were rare in the stores in Toronto. However, several times I tried to use one of Jobs magical machines and always had to reach for the manual as they weren't intuitive for me. My computer hero was Bill Gates rather than Steve Jobs. However, some of the issues he dealt with in his life were familiar to me so it will be interesting to see what he has to say about them since I've finally solved my version of those issues. More when I've read the book.
25 Oct 2011
Reality Distortion Field
Jobs "reality distortion field" lives on in the book. On page 84 it is said "The Apple II would be marketed , in various models, for the next sixteen years, with close to six million sold." From Wikipedia's article about the Commodore 64, "During the C64's lifetime [1982-1994], sales totalled between 12.5 and 17 million units, making it the best-selling single
personal computer model of all time." In case there is any doubt about the comparison between the Apple and Commodore products, "For a substantial period of time (1983–1986), the C64 dominated the
market with between 30% and 40% share and 2 million units sold per year,
[7] outselling the
IBM PC clones,
Apple Inc. computers, and
Atari 8-bit family computers." Thus the C=64 out sold the Apple in only three years.
Wikipedia's account of the Apple ][ series [original, Plus or +, IIe, IIc, IIGS, IIc Plus] "Throughout the years, a number of models were sold, with the most
popular model remaining relatively little changed into the 1990s. By the
end of production in 1993, somewhere between five and six million Apple
II series computers (including about 1.25 million Apple II
GS models) had been produced."
Consumer Cost Contributed to Success of C=64
"The C64 made an impressive debut at the January 1982 Winter
Consumer Electronics Show, as recalled by Production Engineer David A. Ziembicki: "All we saw at our booth were
Atari people with their mouths dropping open, saying, 'How can you do that for $595?'" The answer, as it turned out, was
vertical integration; thanks to Commodore's ownership of
MOS Technology's
semiconductor fabrication facilities, each C64 had an estimated production cost of only US$ 135.
All four machines had similar standard memory configurations in the years 1982/83:
48 kB for the Apple II+
[14] (upgraded within months of C64's release to 64K with the Apple IIe) and 48K for the Atari 800.
[15] At upwards of
US$ 1200,
[16] the Apple II was more than twice as expensive, while the Atari 800 cost US$899."
More comments about pursuing enlightenment in India, the fruitarian diet and other issues from the first 100 pages of the book shortly. The book is 571 pages with 19 pages of notes.
26 Oct 2011
Having finished reading the bio, here are some comments on SJ and myself
The book includes: adoption trauma of SJ, aversion to authority of SJ, business drive of SJ, charisma of SJ, controlling personality of SJ, counterculture self-image of SJ, design passion of SJ, diet of SJ, Eastern spirituality interest of SJ, fasting practise of SJ, hallucinogenic drugs used by SJ, illegitmate child of SJ, LSD used by SJ, mood swings of SJ, offensive behavior of SJ, perfectionism of SJ, sense of abondment of SJ, social awkwardness of SJ, stare of SJ, worldview of SJ and Zen Buddhism interest of SJ just from going through the index. One intimate female relationship led to the possibility that SJ was subject to narcissistic personality disorder and that seemed to be a mostly good fit.
From the Wikipedia article about Narcissistic personality disorder:
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder[1] in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity.[2] Narcissistic personality disorder is closely linked to self-centeredness.
Causes
The cause of this disorder is unknown, according to Groopman and Cooper. However, they list the following factors identified by various researchers as possibilities.[3]
An oversensitive temperament at birth is the main symptomatic chronic form
Being praised for perceived exceptional looks or abilities by adults
Excessive admiration that is never balanced with realistic feedback
Excessive praise for good behaviors or excessive criticism for poor behaviors in childhood
Overindulgence and overvaluation by parents
Severe emotional abuse in childhood
Unpredictable or unreliable caregiving from parents
Valued by parents as a means to regulate their own self-esteem
Some narcissistic traits are common and a normal developmental phase. When these traits are compounded by a failure of the interpersonal environment and continue into adulthood, they may intensify to the point where NPD is diagnosed.[4] Some psychotherapists believe that the etiology of the disorder is, in Freudian terms, the result of fixation to early childhood development.[5] [RMW: or an ongoing attempt, maybe even subconscious, to solve the problems resulting from his abandonment]
A 1994 study by Gabbard and Twemlow[6] reports that histories of incest, especially mother-son incest, are associated with NPD in some male patients.
BPD
However, my own experience led me to conclude that I suffered from some of the significant characteristics of borderline personality disorder, though the closest I came to harming myself was more frequent thoughts of suicide than I was comfortable with. However, as I examined each of the attributes after becoming aware of them, they seemed to dissipate dramatically and a good talk with a friend after drinking too much resulted in the thought of suicide also dissipating, but because of the blackout effect of the alcohol, I couldn't remember anything he said, leading me to significantly reduce my drinking as I wanted to remember future events if they could be this influentail. I couldn't help thinking as I read the book that he may have had elements of both narcissistic personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. I don't identify with the symptoms of NPD. No mention in the book was made of the influence of thoughts of suicide in his life.
From the Wikipedia article about Borderline personality disorder:
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder described as a prolonged disturbance of personality function in a person (generally over the age of eighteen years, although it is also found in adolescents), characterized by depth and variability of moods.[n 1] The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; black and white thinking, or splitting; the disorder often manifests itself in idealization and devaluation episodes, as well as chaotic and unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image, identity, and behavior; as well as a disturbance in the individual's sense of self. In extreme cases, this disturbance in the sense of self can lead to periods of dissociation.[1]
BPD splitting includes a switch between idealizing and demonizing others. This, combined with mood disturbances, can undermine relationships with family, friends, and co-workers. BPD disturbances also may include self-harm.[2] Without treatment, symptoms may worsen, leading (in extreme cases) to suicide attempts.[n 2]
There is an ongoing debate among clinicians and patients worldwide about terminology and the use of the word borderline,[3] and some have suggested that this disorder should be renamed.[4] The ICD-10 manual has an alternative definition and terminology to this disorder, called Emotionally unstable personality disorder. There is related concern that the diagnosis of BPD stigmatizes people and supports pejorative and discriminatory practices.[5]
Signs and symptoms
Borderline personality disorder is a diagnosis about which many articles and books have been written, yet about which little is known based on empirical research.[6]
Studies suggest that individuals with BPD tend to experience frequent, strong and long-lasting states of aversive tension, often triggered by perceived rejection, being alone or perceived failure.[n 3] Individuals with BPD may show lability (changeability) between anger and anxiety or between depression and anxiety[7] and temperamental sensitivity to emotive stimuli.[8]
The negative emotional states specific to BPD may be grouped into four categories: destructive or self-destructive feelings; extreme feelings in general; feelings of fragmentation or lack of identity; and feelings of victimization.[9]
Individuals with BPD can be very sensitive to the way others treat them, reacting strongly to perceived criticism or hurtfulness. Their feelings about others often shift from positive to negative, generally after a disappointment or perceived threat of losing someone. Self-image can also change rapidly from extremely positive to extremely negative. Impulsive behaviors are common, including alcohol or drug abuse, unsafe sex, gambling and recklessness in general.[10] Attachment studies have revealed a strong association between BPD and insecure attachment style, the most characteristic types being "unresolved", "preoccupied", and "fearful".[11] Evidence suggests that individuals with BPD, while being high in intimacy- or novelty-seeking, can be hyper-alert[6] to signs of rejection or not being valued and tend toward insecure, avoidant or ambivalent, or fearfully preoccupied patterns in relationships.[12] They tend to view the world generally as dangerous and malevolent[6]
Individuals with BPD are often described, including by some mental health professionals (and in the DSM-IV),[13] as deliberately manipulative or difficult, but analysis and findings generally trace behaviors to inner pain and turmoil, powerlessness and defensive reactions, or limited coping and communication skills.[14][15][n 4] There has been limited research on family members' understanding of borderline personality disorder and the extent of burden or negative emotion experienced or expressed by family members.[16] However the effect of expressed emotion by family members may actually be opposite (paradoxical) from the anticipated effect on individuals with such illnesses as depressive disorders and schizophrenia. For BPD such effect may be neutral or positive as opposed to negative, a counter-intuitive result.[17]
Parents of individuals with BPD have been reported to show co-existing extremes of over-involvement and under-involvement.[18] BPD has been linked to increased levels of chronic stress and conflict in romantic relationships, decreased satisfaction of romantic partners, abuse and unwanted pregnancy; these links may be general to personality disorder and subsyndromal problems.[19]
Suicidal or self-harming behavior is one of the core diagnostic criteria in DSM IV-TR, and management of and recovery from this can be complex and challenging.[20] The suicide rate is approximately 8 to 10 percent.[21] Self-injury attempts are highly common among patients and may or may not be carried out with suicidal intent.[22][23] BPD is often characterized by multiple low-lethality suicide attempts triggered by seemingly minor incidents, and less commonly by high-lethality attempts that are attributed to impulsiveness or comorbid clinical depression, with interpersonal stressors appearing to be particularly common triggers.[24] Ongoing family interactions and associated vulnerabilities can lead to self-destructive behavior.[18] Stressful life events related to sexual abuse have been found to be a particular trigger for suicide attempts by adolescents with a BPD diagnosis.[25]
SJ and my experiences with childhood abandonment syndrome
In addition to these two phenomena, SJ and I share an experience of abandonment: his with his natural parents giving him up for adoption, his later meeting his mother and a full sister but never contacting his natural father though meeting him several times before he knew him as his father. My situation was a case where from about age eight or nine to about eleven or twelve, my Dad would take me from the farm to town to do some errands, then leaving me sitting by myself in the truck for hours on end while he had a few drinks with his buddies in the local beer parlour. As I grew older I eventually worked up the courage to go and page him out of the beer parlour but it never occurred to me to just leave him wondering where I went and walk the three miles back to the farm. Eventually he either quit asking me to go or I began to decline the offer to go with him. About age twelve, I remember very distinctly thinking "I don't know what I need [emotionally, psychologically, as a mentor] but I'm not going to get it here [on the farm] in this family, so I might as well put it aside and find a way to get it later from someone else." The search for that someone else would take fifty-four years when I finally was able to resolve the clinginess and feeling addicted to a person. It led to attending a group therapy session lasting six weeks at the local hospital which helped me resolve other issues and talk about my experience with abandonment.
Books specifically about abandonment have only appeared in the past ten years and one of the more prolific researchers is Susan Anderson. Especially refer to her books: THE JOURNEY FROM ABANDONMENT TO HEALING: The Five Stages that Accompany the Loss of Love (Berkley 2003) and TAMING YOUR OUTER CHILD: Overcoming Self-defeating Patterns (Ballantine 2011) Prior to her work, professionals tended to refer to the work of Elizabeth Kubler Ross and her work on the grieving process covered in her book On Death and Dying, published 1997, which I read many years ago just after it was published. However due to the differences that Anderson itemizes, there are significant differences between grieving and abandonment and treating them require different approaches. I doubt that SJ ever became aware of the distinctions or ever pursued an appropriate treatment of his own abandonment issues. I investigated the Eastern religions and read extensively about them but never felt they would provide what I needed as far as enlightenment was concerned or a guide to a worldview I thought would guide me through my life. Aside from drinking too much on many occasions, I never used marijuana, LSD or any other hallucinogenic drugs.
From the Wikipedia article about abandonment:
Abandonment of Family
Desertion refers to intentional and substantial abandonment, permanently or for a period of time stated by law, without legal excuse and without consent, of one's duties arising out of a status such as that of husband and wife or parent and child. It can involve desertion of a spouse with the intention of creating a permanent separation. Desertion of one spouse by the other without just cause is called malicious abandonment. Child abandonment is often recognized as a crime, in which case the child is usually not physically harmed directly as part of the abandonment; distinct from this is the widely recognized crime of infanticide. Child abandonment is also called exposure or exposition, especially when an infant is left in the open.
Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring with the intent of never again resuming or reasserting them. Causes include many social and cultural factors as well as mental illness. An abandoned child is called a foundling (as opposed to a runaway or an orphan).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abandoned child syndrome
Abandoned child syndrome is a behavioral or psychological condition that results from the loss of one or both parents. Abandonment may be physical (the parent is not present in the child's life) or emotional (the parent withholds affection, nurturing, or stimulation).[1]
Parents who leave their children, whether with or without good reason, can cause psychological damage to the child. This damage is reversible, but only with appropriate assistance.[2] Abandoned children may also often suffer physical damage from neglect, malnutrition, starvation, and abuse.
The abandoned child syndrome is not recognized as a mental disorder in any of the medical manuals, such as the ICD-10[3] or the DSM-IV,[4] neither is it part of the proposed revision of this manual, the DSM-5.[5]
Many countries, including Russia and China, have an extremely high rate of physically abandoned children. A 1998 Human Rights Watch committee report found that more than 100,000 children per year were abandoned in Russia. Parents are separated from their children for many reasons, including trouble with the law, financial insecurity, the child's mental or physical challenges, and sometimes population control policies. Involuntary loss of a parent, such as through divorce or death, can also create abandonment issues.
[edit] Symptoms
Symptoms may be physical or mental, and may extend into adulthood and perhaps throughout a person's life.
Alienation from the environment - withdrawal from social activities, resistance towards others.
Guilt - the child believes that he/she did something wrong that caused the abandonment (often associated with depression)
Fear and uncertainty - "clinginess", insecurities [6]
Sleep and eating disorders - malnutrition, starvation, disturbed sleep, nightmares [6]
Physical ailments - fatigue, depression, lack of energy and creativity, anger, grief [6]
Atlas Shrugged and SJ
From a blog:
Was Steve Jobs Influenced by Atlas Shrugged
the author states that SJ attended the opening night of "Atlas Shrugged, part one." None of the accounts record what his opinions of the movie were. If it was influential, that would be very uncharacteristic of SJ as he would typically describe something as "insanely great" if he liked it.. I suppose we should be thankful he didn't trash the movie as he was likely to do on other occasions. Wouldn't that be ironic: the most commonly used example of the success of AR's philosophy calling the movie "crap."
For a worldview kick in the pants that for me provided the enlightenment and a worldview I could identify with, reading "Atlas Shrugged" for the first time and with two friends attending two of the Ford Hall Forums in Boston where we saw Ayn Rand speak on stage was just "what the doctor would have ordered" for me.
From what I understand from the biography, if SJ read the book, it didn't have the passionate or significant effect on him as it did for me. Thus, I would not be surprised if he never read the book, or if he actually did, he threw it aside as being crap, garbage, shit and other like terms, as he often described things he didn't appreciate. A third option is he read it, it did provide a major influence BUT he decided to keep his admiration for the author and book to himself and never shared it with any close family or friend. Steve Wozniak could only say: "
He must’ve read some books that really were his guide in life, you know, and I think… Well, Atlas Shrugged might’ve been one of them that he mentioned back then." This is an effect that Ayn Rand found hard to understand and it reduces my esteem for him. If you find something important and helpful, say so. His devotion to Zen Buddhism, use of LSD and marijuana, his mood swings and black and white thinking aren't characteristics of someone who reads AS and finds it a significant influence in his life.
Interview with Steve Wozniak after 8:00 min Atlas Shrugged
5 Nov 2011
Hypercritical Podcast →
Spoiler alert; if you plan to read the book, do so before listening to these podcasts.
A weekly talk show ruminating on exactly what is wrong in the world of Apple and related technologies and businesses. Nothing is so perfect that it can't be complained about. Hosted by Dan Benjamin and John Siracusa.
For a perspective from a well read techie on the subject of Steve Jobs and Apple check out the following two podcasts. After the first one, John observed that people who were going to read the book decided not to after the first podcast. He spends part of the second episode clarifying some comments from the first but he explains he had high expectations and that's why the title for the first is "The Wrong Guy." Steve Jobs isn't the wrong guy; Walter Isaacson is the wrong author.
Having lived through the time covered in the book and worked in the computer industry as a tech specialist and programmer, I had high expectations, too, but hadn't read many of the other accounts of SJ, just the media and internet bits I came across. However, I found I agreed in large part with both podcasts and appreciated the many points they covered. Well done, John and host Dan Benjamin.
The Wrong Guy
Episode #42 • November 11, 2011 at 1:00pm 78 min.
John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin discuss Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Steve Jobs. Topics include Isaacson’s failings as an author and biographer, the technical cluelessness on display in the book, and Steve Jobs, Enemy of Progress.
Hypercritical episode # 42
The Scorpion and the Frog
Episode #43 • November 18, 2011 at 3:00pm 102 min
John Siracusa and Dan Benjamin continue their discussion of Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Steve Jobs, starting with listeners’ reactions to the last episode, then (finally) talking about content from the book and the man himself. Less fire and more introspection than last week.
Hypercritical episode # 43
18 Nov 2011
Cheers, Ray
