Comments for A and N Publishing

Comment on Elijah’s Coin: Going to School by Porky

Porky — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:02:37 +0000

Interesting view of Hitchens I’d never consider has you not shared it with me (us). I gather Hitchens lived in DC area and you read his ramblings as more textual like I did with Hunter S Thompson in our college days. Had HST not been drug/alcohol induced in most of his books they too paint a picture of a man with both sides of life’s spectrum. I digress love Elijah’s Coin but not yet read Bullet Work. I love anything I can download to iPad. See you in March? Note my new email address.

Comment on I Miss Christopher Hitchens by Tom Hatton

Tom Hatton — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:14:21 +0000

I’d shared with Bob previously that I’d not explored much of his stuff. It’s on my “list” now, especially with your poignant tribute (as i trust your judgement very much…and no slight to Bob’s, too). I’m quite certain I’ll disagree with many or most of his contentions. However, as you note, that’s barely the point. I’m so sick of all the “because i said so” rhetoric we all get fed every day, that a compelling and alternative viewpoint will be a breath of fresh air.

Comment on I Miss Christopher Hitchens by Bob Nielsen

Bob Nielsen — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:04:21 +0000

Lovely tribute Steve. I miss Hitchins as well. One quibble though, he never put ice in his single malt.

Comment on Maybe Steve Jobs’ Passing Can Be A Good Thing by Tom Hatton

Tom Hatton — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:51:29 +0000

I have been a fan of his 2005 Stanford address since I first heard it a few years back. Strangely, though considering myself neither a fatalist or one with any preoccupation with death… his passage about death always stuck with me the most. Expanding upon your penultimate notation:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.”

I think in his “3 stories” of that address, I like them in reverse order 3-2-1. But, in each, there are days, weeks and months of fertile “discussion ground”. Which, I suppose, echoes your point: we should study the man himself for the lessons…not necessarily run out and buy the next iProduct (though, we all did/do/will).

I cannot help but see the man through the “talent” lens. However you want to call his deep and abiding love of “beauty” and “form” to go with function is perfectly encapsulated in story #1. That calligraphy riff is priceless. Especially when seeing, buried within, the line about “Windows just copies the Mac, anyway”. Ego and competitiveness, anyone? But not ego in a “look how great I am” way…rather… his connecting the dots to his own discovery of the beauty and form he built into the function of personal computing. And, the stark realization that the very world we see in ubiquitous personal computing simply wouldn’t “be as beautiful” if not for him/that.

Many have focused on his 2nd story and that lesson is obvious. That “love what you do” dogma, frankly, isn’t new at all. The world is full of aphorisms suggesting just that (didn’t everyone’s grandma share SOMETHING like that, with them?). However, somehow Steve’s story about it had… resonance? Something different, anyway. Something for this generation (and that one, too). His focus and unwavering achievement drive somehow underscore the points you make, above. In your notes above, it could reasonably be extrapolated in the argument that he (or Gates, or others) sort of “set out to change the world”. I’m not saying you made that point, at all, but I’d bet many infer that. I’d argue that nearly everyone who did or has almost did so as a by-product of the very things we’re highlighting about Steve. It might be the end, but the means is couched (always) in the do what you do best, have a passion for and is wholly special… if it really is ALL THAT? the world can be changed.

But, as noted, I’ve always loved story #3. Technology is a strangely perfect metaphor for his point(s): Life 2.0, 2.1, etc only happens as previous versions are thrown onto the scrap heap. Now, sadly, guys like you and me are v 1.2 or maybe v 1.2.2… so new software isn’t really being released for us, and support has gone from awesome to “call India” to “does anyone remember how to run one of these old machines?” As it should be, I suppose.

Steve himself would probably smile at how long he cheated the game. Not so much, I’d presume, the death by cancer piece. But rather, how long he was able to actually be the arbiter of our taste, our technology and our complex relationships with it and each other. And, I think he’d grudgingly admit that some version of “him” will come along that’s stronger, better, faster, etc.

which, I believe, is exactly your point. at least, what I took from your extremely brilliant post.

Comment on Maybe Steve Jobs’ Passing Can Be A Good Thing by Lydia Ash

Lydia Ash — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:19:43 +0000

A very nice summation Steve! Just what I needed to read this beautiful October morning! Onward for all of us!

Comment on Maybe Steve Jobs’ Passing Can Be A Good Thing by Curt Coffman

Curt Coffman — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:19:01 +0000

Excellent points Dr. O’Brien, I often ask people the following question: “What percent of jobs within the U.S. require a bachelor’s degree?” I never cease to be amazed at the answers – 60%, 70% maybe even 80%+. The reality is that in 1980, 19% of all jobs required a 4-year degree. Today, that percent has dropped to 12%!

I agree with you that education is important and have also benefited from it, but it is no longer a predictor of life/work success. Yes, it does indicate a degree of discipline and commitment to follow-through, but herein lies the problem. Any parent attending parent teacher conferences will tell you that the discussion does not focus on true learning and growth, but on compliance. Just maybe, compliance is the enemy or even the destroyer of innovation and success?

Let’s be honest… courage to thrive and pursue non-conformance, has become the new predictor of the future. Restating your point (and forgive me if I am taking some liberties) it’s damn time we start a fearless inventory of what we “want” versus fear driven clarity about what we don’t.

Comment on Elijah’s Coin: Going to School by Steve O'Brien

Steve O'Brien — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:28:49 +0000

Thank you Deborah. So glad the book is making a difference in your classroom.

Comment on Elijah’s Coin: Going to School by Deborah Jackson

Deborah Jackson — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:19:00 +0000

My English and Ethics classes have read Elijah’s Coin for the past two terms. Students describe the book as inspiring and a read that offers suggestions for re-directing their lives and life decisions. Since the book has become a favorite among students, I have opted for classroom reading only, because some of the books have already disappeared. The book is an easy read, so students are able to complete it in one or two class periods. Most of my students have asked to keep a coin, and I have allowed them to do so, although all of them are now gone. Most importantly, my students seem to enjoy reading the book and passed on their opinions to other readers with each new term. We would have never been able to purchase these books. Thank you for offering them to our classrooms!

Comment on Elijah’s Coin: Going to School by Marla Spellman

Marla Spellman — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:09:02 +0000

Wow, “Elijah’s Coin” is the book you read and immediately want to share with everyone. As a middle school Intensive Reading teacher I am always looking for a great read aloud that might reach just some of my students. Teaching the lowest readers in the school always presents a challenge, but every once in a while you find the book that just might make a difference. I would love to use “Elijah’s Coin” to inspire my reluctant readers. I love the fact you included coins in the book as a reminder to keep our lives on track.

Comment on Elijah’s Coin: Going to School by Dora Martin

Dora Martin — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 02:51:58 +0000

Good evening,
Just finished devouring “Elijah’s Coin”, cover to cover in one sitting!!! As a Student Achievement Coach for Literacy, avid reader, and writer, I have seldom come across such a powerfully moving book. I love, love, love the message of this book,and the power it holds to inspire today’s youth to G2G! Please consider my school as part of your program to get this book in schools. We have a Service Learning program that this will work very well with.