An ousted CEO and his successor

Take from this what you will, because what I'm about to say is by no means conclusive or authoritative. It's just one example that supports what I believe to be common sense, which is "history is written by the victor", and the victor is the one in power.

I'm sure you will recall Apple computer in the late 90's. Michael Dell famously advised that Apple sell its assets and give what it could back to its investors and shut its doors. The CEO at the time was a man by the name of Gil Amelio.

I remember Amelio talking up his book (http://www.amazon.com/Firing-Line-500-Days-Apple/dp/0887309194/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201646112&sr=1-1) by taking credit for any future success that Apple may have ("Here's Amelio's version of events: "Early in my time at Apple, I identified what I called `the five crises.' By the time I left, we had resolved the most pressing of the five: liquidity, product quality, the future of the Macintosh operating system software, and the severe fragmentation of the company's organizational structure. ... Even more important, although people outside the company had not yet recognized it, we had set a course for taking Apple into the next generation of personal computing." from http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/1997/12/01/editorial2.html). Admittedly, and obviously, people who weren't Amelio also speculated that any future such success could be attributed to Amelio ("Although Amelio may one day get credit as the set-up man--should Jobs return Apple to prosperity--his legacy hardly stacks up with his paycheck." from http://www.businessweek.com/1998/18/b3576047.htm and "When Gil Amelio opted for NeXT instead of BeOS insiders said Steve Jobs would “F--- Gil so hard his eardrums will pop.” Those who are not privy to the sexual predilections of Cupertino denizens might wonder just what part of the anatomy those folks are interested in, but that is a topic for independent research. In any event, though he doesn’t get nearly enough credit, Gil Amelio put Apple back on track by raising scads of cash, cutting Apple programs deeply, and killing off the Performa line." from http://www.applematters.com/index.php/section/comments/10-best-apple-decisions-of-the-last-decade/).

But the questions now are, "Who does Apple celebrate? Who is responsible for Apple's turnaround? Who will Apple celebrate 5, 10, 20, 50 years from now?" Did Amelio have a key role in Apple's current state? I would say undeniably. But popularly, historically, and also undeniably, I think it is Jobs that will take the lion's share of the credit and Jobs that will be remembered instead of Amelio. Personally, I'd say Jobs did do a lot to get Apple to where it is today, which has more to do with image, interface, consumer electronics (ipod, etc...), than was Amelio's focus (which apparently was uninnovatively business oriented).

Sad but true

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

A few things currently going on make me feel this way.

Warning label generator

Fark posted this site a while back. I made this important message with it:

And then there's Chucky...

Go for Monk!

Old Monk 10000 Super Beer!

Blue October

Blue October is my newest musical addiction. If you haven't heard the newest album, you should give it a shot. I listened to their music on repeat for almost the whole drive from DC to Pittsburgh.

Hope it snows after christmas so I can get some use out of my new skis :-)

Ho Ho Ho,
Merry Christmas

Quote of the...

I've been reading the ain't it cool interviews with Sylvester Stallone for the past week or so. Hearing him speak and and reading his words are two entirely different experiences. He's got a lot of good stories and insights, so it's definitely worth reading. One thing he said was a quote by La Bruyere, "Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think." Although, he inverted the clauses, changing the meaning somewhat.

Wizard of Oz

So I was watching the Wizard of Oz the other night and it has some great quotes. And no I wasn't watching it with Pink Floyd playing. Anyhow here's some:

Wizard:
"As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart! You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable. I could have been a world figure, a power among men, a - a successful wizard, had I not been obstructed by a heart."
"And remember, my sentimental friend....that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."

Scarecrow:
"If I only had a brain."

Quote of the Week

"But do you LOVE it?" - guy following girl remarking to guy in similar position

Last night I was out with my roommate Alison looking for a tree in Eastern Market. We're taking a look at this one, and at that one, and, honestly, it really isn't up to me (the guy) to pick out a tree. What's it matter what I think anyway? It always comes down to the girl, right?

So, we're checking things out, and she comes across one that she likes, and asks me what I think. I said "eh". Then she goes, "Do you LOVE it? You don't LOVE it, do you?" So, that tree's gone. Eventually we find a tree to take home, which, feel free to stop over anytime to check it out. It's a tree.

Anyway, so about 2 minutes after Alison's remark this guy is following his girl, pretty much doing the same thing I am doing. And as they walk by, he goes to me "But do you LOVE it?!" HAHA!! I was cracking up. I was cracking up even this morning just thinking about it! Women ...

BUT DO YOU LOVE IT?!

Dear Santa ...

I was checking out the news on CNN.com this morning and came across an article about letters to Santa and what actually happens to all of those letters addressed simply to "Santa" or the "North Pole".

Ahhhhhh, Christmastime ...