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Apple Visionary Steve Jobs Dies at Age 56
Posted by: | CommentsSteve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. and Pixar Studios, innovator of the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, died October 5, 2011 in California at the age of 56. We first learned back in 2004 that Silicon Valley hero Jobs was battling pancreatic cancer. In January 2011 he announced a medical leave of absence from his CEO post at Apple which eventually became his resignation as CEO on August 24, 2011. Job’s creativity impacted a generation of music and technology lovers alike, an impact so universal that it will reverberate for many generations to come. So as you reach for your iPod, iPhone or iPad today, remember that Jobs, who started building computers as teenager in his parents’ garage, brought you that convenient handheld device that you appreciate every single day.
In 1976, he co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak at the age of 22. In 1984 he helped launch the Macintosh personal computer, at the time boasting a graphical user interface and the ability to use a “mouse” and clickable icons. Today, Mac users are everywhere across the globe. In 2001, the iPod portable digital media player took the world by storm and the Walkman became obsolete. Next was the ridiculously popular iPhone and most recently, the iPad. Ironically just yesterday on October 4, 2011, Apple revealed its newest version of the iPhone called the 4S. The 4S features a groundbreaking new voice-controlled “assistant” called Siri which enables you to just use your voice to send messages, make calls, schedule reminders and more without having to enter anything on your iPhone. Another brilliant invention by Apple that will inevitably captivate users.
Here are some of the many published tributes to Jobs provided by colleagues and friends:
Bill Gates:
“I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”
President Barack Obama:
“Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.
“By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.
“The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.”
Steven Spielberg:
“Steve Jobs was the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison. He put the world at our fingertips.”
John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer & Ed Catmull, President, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios: ”Steve Jobs was an extraordinary visionary, our very dear friend and the guiding light of the Pixar family. He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply ‘make it great.’ He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar’s DNA. Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incredibly difficult time.”
Mark Zuckerberg:
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My Organic Garden and Respecting the Tomato
Posted by: | CommentsHello and welcome (back) to the Planet Forward blog and to the latest entry in my virtual organic gardening journal on this fine Friday for talking tomatoes. It has been a Mediterranean summer meaning that those fruits and vegetable that grow in the Mediterranean have thrived like basil, zucchini, and tomatoes. However, in the Greater Toronto Area (where I’m located), parts of the summer were extremely dry. This affected the success of the crops and delayed the harvest so right now my tomatoes are just starting to really come into their own.
Tomato image courtesy of organicafresh.com
I have had some tomatoes for the past few weeks, but the crops have been small making me appreciate the ones I have all the more. I now realize you have to respect your fresh locally grown tomatoes (whether they are from your garden or purchased) and handle them properly because they are not here long and they really are a treat. Here are some tomato tips I’ve learned to help you get the best out of them:
- Do not store tomatoes in your fridge. Tomatoes lose their flavour and become mealy when placed in the refrigerator. Instead, store at room temperature and out of direct sunlight as that dries them out.
- How to ripen a tomato. If you purchase or pick a tomato that is still a little green or hard you can either let it ripen by leaving it out at room temperature and out of direct sunlight or you can use the rapid ripening method (RRM). The RRM is placing the tomato in a brown paper bag and then you check on it until it’s ripe which is normally a day or two.
- Picking a Tomato. A good way to test if a tomato is fresh and ripe is to smell it. A ripe tomato will have a fresh green smell with shiny unblemished skin. It should be firm yet supple when squeezed.
If, like me, you find yourself late in the season with tomatoes in full bloom be on frost lookout. You can always pick all your tomatoes (even the green ones) and find a cool, dry place out of the direct sunlight to store them there until they ripen. I like to place mine in a single layer on either a wax paper lined cookie sheet or a newspaper lined cardboard box. It might take green tomatoes weeks to ripen using this method, so you should check on them frequently. Things to look for when checking on your ripening tomatoes are signs of rot or mold which can happen as a result of small bug bites or other lacerations that can fester over time. As they ripen remove them from the others and eat them fresh or use them in a sauce or stew which can be frozen and enjoyed over the long cold winter. If you can, try to eat at least one tomato sandwich because nothing is like a homegrown vine ripened tomato.
Happy (nearing the end of season) gardening.
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Reusable Bag Use Up in Toronto Thanks to Bag Free Policy
Posted by: | CommentsHello and welcome (back) to the Planet Forward blog on this lovely TIFF Friday here in Toronto. We’re fortunate to have the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on our doorstep and this year is proving to be the biggest one yet. But TIFF is not the only thing we’re proud of today. We also want to give a shout out to Toronto for reducing the use of plastic bags and increasing its use of reusable bags.
Planet Forward Reusable Organic Cotton Bag with "A Good Planet is Hard to Find" design (now on sale for $5.00 - click to enlarge image)
We first wrote about the bag-free policy that was passed in June 2009 in Toronto with some skepticism. We were not sure that a five cent fee being charged to consumers for plastic bags by retailers was going to have an impact. We understood that the purpose was to help curb the number of plastic bags that end up in Toronto landfills but we questioned if this was the best route to take to truly make a difference. Were people going to accept that they now have to pay for bags? Would retailers enforce the policies and charge customers appropriately? Many of these questions were answered just one month after the fee was instituted as there was a reported 80% drop in use at grocery stores alone! Grocery stores were the biggest plastic bag culprit so this was a sign that, yes the fee was making a difference afterall.
According to CP24.com “in 2007, Ontarians were using seven million plastic bags each day. That equals four bags per person–more than our fill of bags!” Four bags per person was a clear indication that something had to be done about the plastic bag situation and we needed government intervention because we clearly were not going to do it on our own. Surprisingly, in the end the bag free policy fee has made a difference. Some retailers report as many as 70% of their customers now bring their own reusable bags. How amazing is that? It is great to hear that retailers are onboard with this initiative as they truly dictate its success and failure. There may be some who still resist but hopefully customers pick up the slack in that case and refuse their offer of a free plastic bag and pull out their own funky reusable bag.
In Ontario, a few chains have implemented the five cent fee outside of Toronto as well for the sake of consistency so that all their customers are treated the same regardless of which location they shop at. This is fantastic because it is only for the collective good to have this initiative mushroom. It’s best that everyone get used to bringing their own reusable bags with them regardless of where they live or shop. While it is all well and good that retailers are making consumers think about each and every plastic bag they use, what about the bags you already have? Well now you can recycle them in Toronto. You can now empty out your drawer, container or bag of bags and recycle them. This way you know that they will not end up in a landfill. Check your local area recycling depots and confirm you are able to recycle them in your area. If not, find out why. Change will only happen if people demand it.
The drop in the use of plastic bags in Toronto is an example of how government and private sector businesses can and should work together to make a difference for the environment. Kudos to Toronto, for a job well done. Now if we can only get them to institute a reusable bottle policy to get rid of all those plastic water bottles or a reusable mug law to decrease the disposable coffee cups that seem to make their way everywhere. Baby steps. It’s progress not perfection and reusable bags is a great first step.
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