Yes, I want this book in audio, but, all I see on amazon is an abridged book, I will never buy and abridged book ever! I might have to just get the ibook version of it for now.
On Oct 21, 2011, at 8:39 AM, Hai Nguyen Ly wrote: > A glimpse in to the life of a man who changed the life of so many people. > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/20/steve-jobs-biography-obama_n_1022786.html?1319148475 > > Steve Jobs Biography Reveals He Told Obama, 'You're Headed For A One-Term > Presidency' > > > In one of the most hotly-anticipated biographies of the year, "Steve Jobs," > author Walter Isaacson reveals that the Apple CEO offered to design political > ads for President Obama's 2012 campaign despite being highly critical of the > administration's policies and that Jobs refused potentially life-saving > surgery on his pancreatic cancer because he felt it was too invasive. Nine > months later, he got the operation but it was too late. > > Those are just some of the tidbits about Jobs' life revealed in the upcoming > biography, a copy of which was obtained by The Huffington Post. The > publication date of the official biography of the notoriously-secretive Apple > co-founder was pushed up after his death in October. "I wanted my kids to > know me," Isaacson quoted Jobs as saying in their final interview. "I wasn't > always there for them and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I > did." > > Among other details unearthed in the book on the notoriously-secretive Apple > co-founder: > > Jobs' Meeting With Obama > > Jobs, who was known for his prickly, stubborn personality, almost missed > meeting President Obama in the fall of 2010 because he insisted that the > president personally ask him for a meeting. Though his wife told him that > Obama "was really psyched to meet with you," Jobs insisted on the personal > invitation, and the standoff lasted for five days. When he finally relented > and they met at the Westin San Francisco Airport, Jobs was characteristically > blunt. He seemed to have transformed from a liberal into a conservative. > > "You're headed for a one-term presidency," he told Obama at the start of > their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more > business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which > companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where > "regulations and unnecessary costs" make it difficult for them. > > Jobs also criticized America's education system, saying it was "crippled by > union work rules," noted Isaacson. "Until the teachers' unions were broken, > there was almost no hope for education reform." Jobs proposed allowing > principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open > until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year. > > Aiding Obama's Reelection Campaign > > Jobs suggested that Obama meet six or seven other CEOs who could express the > needs of innovative businesses -- but when White House aides added more names > to the list, Jobs insisted that it was growing too big and that "he had no > intention of coming." In preparation for the dinner, Jobs exhibited his > notorious attention to detail, telling venture capitalist John Doerr that the > menu of shrimp, cod and lentil salad was "far too fancy" and objecting to a > chocolate truffle dessert. But he was overruled by the White House, which > cited the president's fondness for cream pie. > > Though Jobs was not that impressed by Obama, later telling Isaacson that his > focus on the reasons that things can't get done "infuriates" him, they kept > in touch and talked by phone a few more times. Jobs even offered to help > create Obama's political ads for the 2012 campaign. "He had made the same > offer in 2008, but he'd become annoyed when Obama's strategist David Axelrod > wasn't totally deferential," writes Isaacson. Jobs later told the author that > he wanted to do for Obama what the legendary "morning in America" ads did for > Ronald Reagan. > > Bill Gates And Steve Jobs > > Bill Gates was fascinated by Steve Jobs but found him "fundamentally odd" and > "weirdly flawed as a human being," and his tendency to be "either in the mode > of saying you were shit or trying to seduce you." > > Jobs once declared about Gates, "He'd be a broader guy if he had dropped acid > once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger." > > After 30 years, Gates would develop a grudging respect for Jobs. "He really > never knew much about technology, but he had an amazing instinct for what > works," he said. But Jobs never reciprocated by fully appreciating Gates' > real strengths. "Bill is basically unimaginative and has never invented > anything, which is why I think he's more comfortable now in philanthropy than > technology. He just shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas." > > Meeting His Biological Father > > Jobs, who was adopted, was a customer at a Mediterranean restaurant north of > San Jose without realizing that it was owned by his biological father -- from > whom he was estranged. He eventually met his real Dad -- "It was amazing," he > later said of the revelation. "I had been to that restaurant a few times, and > I remember meeting the owner. He was Syrian. Balding. We shook hands." > > Nevertheless Jobs still had no desire to see him. "I was a wealthy man by > then, and I didn't trust him not to try to blackmail me or go to the press > about it." > > Anticipating An Early Death > > Jobs once told John Sculley, who would later become Apple's CEO and fire > Jobs, that if he weren't working with computers, he could see himself as a > poet in Paris. "Jobs confided in Sculley that he believed he would die young, > and therefore he needed to accomplish things quickly so that he would make > his mark on Silicon Valley history. "We all have a short period of time on > this earth," he told the Sculleys. "We probably only have the opportunity to > do a few things really great and do them well. None of us has any idea how > long we're gong to be here nor do I, but my feeling is I've got to accomplish > a lot of these things while I'm young." > > * * * * * > For his first interview about the book, Isaacson talked to "60 Minutes" for > the Sunday, Oct. 23 episode, telling host Steve Kroft that he was shocked > about Jobs's decision to initially skip surgery for his pancreatic cancer -- > that such a genius could make such a wrong decision about his own health. > > "I've asked [Jobs why he didn't get an operation then] and he said, 'I didn't > want my body to be opened ... I didn't want to be violated in that way,' said > Isaacson. > > "I think that he kind of felt that if you ignore something, if you don't want > something to exist, you can have magical thinking. ... We talked about this a > lot," he told Kroft. "He wanted to talk about it, how he regretted it. ... I > think he felt he should have been operated on sooner." > > > > FOLLOW HUFFPOST BOOKS > > > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.