I wasn’t sitting in an Apple store, I was at my desk, reading twitter on my iPad when I found out that Steve Jobs had passed away. It was as if I had been punched. A man I did not know had died, but somehow i felt it in a way I cannot explain. It felt like e future had been stole.

I honestly cannot put into words why, but his passing has really made me realize something. Steve Jobs was a hero to me.

Te first computer my family owned was a Mac. It sat in the basement for my parents to keep the family business ticking. We had a color printer that went with it, the kind that printed on long connected sheets and made a zzzzzzzzeeeet zzzzzzzzeeeet zzzzzzzzeeeet sound when it printed. I got to use very rudimentary software to make cards with it. I know now how lucky we were to have that computer. I also know that that Mac for ever changed my life.

When I got to school and got to go to the computer lab, it was a Mac I used to play Oregon Trail. And Carmen San Diego. Life further changed by a Mac.

A few years later we got a new computer – an iMac (the blue one). It had a modem and I was introduced to the Internet. It had QuickTime, and I saw my first video on the computer (Buddy Holly by Weezer). I played my first serious video game on that computer – a Star Wars flight simulator.

I remember wanting an iPod more than anything. I had a 200+ CD collection when it came out and all I wanted was all that music in my pocket. I got the 2nd gen version, with the glowing red buttons.

I watched as many “Steve-notes” as I care to remember, hanging on every word the bloggers typed, hoping for one more thing. I have sat in darkened movie theaters and marveled at the graphics of a movie, while I wiped tears from my eyes. I can’t wait to show my kids Wall-e and Toy Story 3 (so they learn to share their toys). Steve made those movies happen through Pixar.

I’ve had Macs, iPods, iPhones and now an iPad but the most important thing I got from Apple, and from Steve Jobs, was inspiration.

I work in technology, and care about technology, because of the Macs I Jed over the years, and the iPods, etc. I am where I am because of Steve Jobs (and others).

Others have great things to say about Steve Jobs, just search around and you’ll find great stories. Wired has a good roundup of eulogies, so does FastCompany. People more eloquent than I.

All I have to say is this:
Thank you Steve. For the products. For the dedication. For the hard work. For never accepting less than perfect. For the inspiration. And for being my hero.

You will be missed.

So, I am picking up shop and moving to Tumblr. It’s easy, fun, and more about what I want to use a blog for… the stuff that won’t fit in 140 characters.

Find me at chaseperrin.tumblr.com.

See you around.

I miss the freedom of college. I took a lot of good road trips in those 4 years. Canada. Ellensberg (most weekends). Palouse Falls. California.

I’m getting a little taste of roadtrips of yore today as we head to Vancouver for the second Mayer show in as many days.

When I was a kid, I thought that concerts, and live music in general, were frivolous pursuits. Why bothere going somewhere dark and crowded to watch someone play a song from far away. It seemed impersonal, distant and a waste. I could listen to the same song, followed by another (in the order I chose) from the comfort of my bed.

Then I went a show. I went and saw live music. I realized the error of my ways. I cannot recall who it was that I saw that tipped me over the edge – I think I like it better that way. The nebulousness of it is mysterious.

Since then I have coveted live albums. I have sought bootleg recordings. I have discussed this version vs. that version of songs. And I have never looked back.

It is too easy today to make music sound perfect on recordings. No flaws, no flubs, no missed note or slightly off tone. It is too perfect. There is nothing real about it. The sterility is what you hear, not the emotion that drove the person to write it.

So with that said, many of you mock John Mayer. A few did tonight. But you must not have seen him live. Not seen him on a night where he knows there is nothing to lose. You know the polished, over-produced Mayer of No Such Thing, Daughters and Your Body is a Wonderland. The same can be said for so many artists. What they do when the label is there, in the room, and what they do for the fans are so different.

So, don’t judge by the CD, MP3 or even the vinyl. Go see them and see what they want to sound like. See what live music can do.

You may like it.

So now, like I currently am, I can share about my day (good interview, readin up on the world, etc.) while waiting for spinning to start.

What a world

With a lot of time on my hands of late (see last post about not having, and currently seeking a job in PR) I have been able to really get into the Olympics this year.

In general, I like Summer just a little better, but mostly because they are more about human ability and less about equipment. But Summer doesn’t have Curling.

Go ahead, take a minute to mock me. Do it.

Ok. Is it out of your system? Good. Have you watched Curling? it has a lot going for it – strategy, yelling, Fred Rogan, drama and suspense. Watch a few ends and you’ll find yourself thinking about the button and the hammer, and how it feels to slide on the ice like that. The commentary is not pretentious, instead it aims to explain. The athletes seem like real people. They have real jobs or real classes to attend to. There are no special tools. Everyone uses the house rocks, the brooms are all the same. In the end skill that wins the game.

Not to mention the captain is called “the skip.”

Give Curling a shot, you might like it.

So here it is, a new expression of my opinions, my thoughts and probably some links to things I find interesting. I have, in the past made some attempts at blogging, though mostly unsuccessful. But I think this time might be different, but I say that every time.

So a little about me:
I am a PR professional, looking for a job in the technology, corporate or digital realm. In the past I have worked on innovative products like Microsoft Surface and Zune, electron microscopes and serious cyber security. I love technology and everything it offers and can do. Learning how things work and being able to distill that into a message that can be communicated is exciting.

I also love to eat. Seriously, love to eat. I am willing to try almost anything, once. The list of restaurants I want to try grows almost daily. Any suggestions?

Concerts are a big part of my life. Two or three times a month I find myself standing around in a dark space, bobbing my head. Like food, I’ll try anything – rock, country, alternative, blues – you name it.

I am also a big reader. The Kindle I received for my birthday has helped to rekindle (pardon the pun) my love for reading.

I can be found all over the internet:
twitter.com/chaseperrin
facebook.com/chaseperrin
linkedin.com/chaseperrin
picassa.com/chaseperrin
Google Reader

I’ll be back with more soon.