iSteve - The funny side of Apple

iSteve Exclusive Teaser Trailer from iSteve      

Surprised that the entire film is also on-line. Very funny. Will definitely go viral, especially in the geek computer. You know what Socrates said about an unexamined life. I'm sure its low budget - but iys beautifully scripted, acted and filmed.

Steve Jobs' Dutch Connection

I remember asking biographer Walter Issacson, on his book tour visit to the Netherlands, about what he knew about of boat that Steve Jobs had commissioned from a Dutch shipyard. He didn't go in to details, apart from confirming that Jobs had given the go ahead before he died. His plan was to travel around the world with his family.

Now, the Apple Fan website in the Netherlands, aptly called One More Thing has published photos and a video of the ship before it is crated and sent to the USA. I'm calling it a ship - at 78.2 metres long, it's way to large to be called a motor yacht, though the builders, Feadship, might disagree. Note that the photos from the yard in Aalsmeer (the town with the flower market near Schiphol airport) don't mention Jobs, just the name of the vessel and its number -- 684.

According to the OMT report, the ship's hull is made of aluminium, making it much lighter than other vessels of this size. The unique features seems to be a large sun terrace containing a jacuzzi at the bow - as well as the continuous windows just below. There are small speedboats on board, stored in the stern, so that people can reach the shore if the habour is too small for the good ship Venus. The boat is steered using seven 27 inch iMacs in the cabin.



I confess I'm still rather surprised. Because although it seems to fit Jobs' style, it seems at odds with his love for a simple lifestyle - devoid of much furniture. This ocean liner looks more like a Mac Pro than a MacBook Air. Wonder what the family will do with it?

Walter Isaccson in Amsterdam - Next Book Announced

Steve Jobs' biographer, Walter Isaacson, gave a talk in central Amsterdam last night, followed by questions from NRC journalist Tracy Metz and members of the audience. Interested to discover that in his many interviews, Jobs never mentioned any concerns about working conditions in the Chinese factories. Weird bearing in mind his fascination with Zen. He made tons of money but didn't really use it wisely. Bill Gates didn't make any beautiful products, but he's made more intelligent use of his wealth.

Interested to discover that Isaacson is now working on a new book looking at those who work at the cross-section of technology and creativity. He plans to write a narrative about the really creative people who developed computers and the Internet. Spent some time in Oxford going through the letters of Ada Lovelace and visited Bletchley Park to understand the work of Alan Turing and his Turing Test. He also talked about the discoveries of American Physicist John Vincent Atanasoff. Will be interested to see how he ties these stories together.