If you missed out on the first part of this piece, don’t worry because you can check it out here. Today we have even more motivating quotes from the man himself.
On design (1)
"Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn't what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what it's all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it. Most people don't take the time to do that."
- Wired magazine, 1994
On design (2)
"In most people's vocabularies, design means veneer. It's interior decorating. It's the fabric of the curtains and the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service."
– Fortune magazine 2000
On Apple
"My position coming back to Apple was that our industry was in a coma. It reminded me of Detroit in the 70s, when American cars were boats on wheels."
– Fortune magazine 2000
On innovation
"Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10.30 at night with a new idea, or because they realised something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. It's ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.
"And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We're always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it's only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important."
– Business Week 2004
On home computing
"The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it to a nationwide communications network. We're just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people – as remarkable as the telephone."
– Playboy 1985
On desktop computers
"The desktop computer industry is dead. Innovation has virtually ceased. Microsoft dominates with very little innovation. That's over. Apple lost. The desktop market has entered the dark ages, and it's going to be in the dark ages for the next 10 years, or certainly for the rest of this decade.
"It's like when IBM drove a lot of innovation out of the computer industry before the microprocessor came along. Eventually, Microsoft will crumble because of complacency, and maybe some new things will grow. But until that happens, until there's some fundamental technology shift, it's just over."
– Wired magazine 1996
On instinct
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
– Stanford commencement speech 2005
On work
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
– Stanford commencement speech 2005
Senin, 30 Januari 2012
Inspirational Steve Jobs Quotes (Part 1)
The Apple co-founder’s death might have left the world devastated, but his memory certainly still lives on—with his quotes being heavily circulated online. Here our faves…
On life
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
– Stanford commencement speech 2005
On Macintosh
"I don't think I've ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn't be ours any more.
"When we finally presented it at the shareholders' meeting, everyone in the auditorium stood up and gave it a 5-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe that we'd actually finished it. Everyone started crying."
– Playboy magazine 1985
On customers
"There's nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it's the coolest product they've ever brought home in their lives. That's what keeps me going. It's what kept me five years ago [when he was diagnosed with cancer], it's what kept me going 10 years ago when the doors were almost closed. And it's what will keep me going five years from now whatever happens."
- AllThingsD Conference, 2010
On technology
"We think the Mac will sell zillions, but we didn't build the Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We weren't going to go out and do market research. We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.
When you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through."
– Playboy magazine 1985
On motivation
"That's been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."
– Business Week 1998
On money
"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me."
– Wall Street Journal 1993
On internet start-ups
"The problem with the internet start-up craze isn't that too many people are starting companies; it's that too many people aren't sticking with it. That's somewhat understandable, because there are many moments that are filled with despair and agony, when you have to fire people and cancel things and deal with very difficult situations. That's when you find out who you are and what your values are.
"So when these people sell out, even though they get fabulously rich, they're gypping themselves out of one of the potentially most rewarding experiences of their unfolding lives. Without it, they may never know their values or how to keep their newfound wealth in perspective."
– Fortune magazine 2000
On life
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
– Stanford commencement speech 2005
On Macintosh
"I don't think I've ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn't be ours any more.
"When we finally presented it at the shareholders' meeting, everyone in the auditorium stood up and gave it a 5-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe that we'd actually finished it. Everyone started crying."
– Playboy magazine 1985
On customers
"There's nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it's the coolest product they've ever brought home in their lives. That's what keeps me going. It's what kept me five years ago [when he was diagnosed with cancer], it's what kept me going 10 years ago when the doors were almost closed. And it's what will keep me going five years from now whatever happens."
- AllThingsD Conference, 2010
On technology
"We think the Mac will sell zillions, but we didn't build the Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We weren't going to go out and do market research. We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.
When you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through."
– Playboy magazine 1985
On motivation
"That's been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."
– Business Week 1998
On money
"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me."
– Wall Street Journal 1993
On internet start-ups
"The problem with the internet start-up craze isn't that too many people are starting companies; it's that too many people aren't sticking with it. That's somewhat understandable, because there are many moments that are filled with despair and agony, when you have to fire people and cancel things and deal with very difficult situations. That's when you find out who you are and what your values are.
"So when these people sell out, even though they get fabulously rich, they're gypping themselves out of one of the potentially most rewarding experiences of their unfolding lives. Without it, they may never know their values or how to keep their newfound wealth in perspective."
– Fortune magazine 2000
Rabu, 25 Januari 2012
Get this: Sitting for too long cuts workplace productivity!
Researchers say that sitting down for long-hours causes back aches and reduces productivity in the workplace.
Via The Star Online: “Occupational health physician Dr Abed Onn lists low back pain as one of the three most common work-related ailments, alongside noise-induced loss of hearing and upper limb muscular disorder. In the absence of reliable statistics, he based his assesment on cases he has handled in the course of his work. Dr Abed said that low back pain, along with similar painful conditions, was the cause of suffering and reduced productivity.”
“Low back pain is not an old man’s ailment. I am seeing more cases of low back pain in fairly young individuals, even people in their early 30s,” highlighted Dr Onn.
Orthopaedic and spine surgeon Dr Siow Yew Siong asserted that office workers suffer mostly sprained and strained low backs as well as early degeneration of the spine due to the sedentary nature of office work. “Sprains and strains are much more common than actual spinal diseases,” said Dr Siow. “Poor sitting posture, poor office ergonomics (designing of equipment to fit the human body), wrong lifting techniques and prolonged sitting can cause sprains and undue strain to your back.”
For those of you who love your high heels, you might want to think again about your penchant for them. Dr Siow mentioned that wearing high heels can also cause the misalignment of the spine, hips, knees and ankles and result in low back pain
He also added: “Sprains and strains usually abate by themselves with time, but if patients have spinal diseases without symptoms, we usually advise them to be vigilant and do back strengthening exercises.”
Dr Abed suggested that employers should provide ergonomically designed equipment like adjustable seats and working surfaces along with software programmes that remind computer users to take micro-breaks.
Share with us what you think about this—do you feel that sitting for too long cuts workplace productivity?
Via The Star Online: “Occupational health physician Dr Abed Onn lists low back pain as one of the three most common work-related ailments, alongside noise-induced loss of hearing and upper limb muscular disorder. In the absence of reliable statistics, he based his assesment on cases he has handled in the course of his work. Dr Abed said that low back pain, along with similar painful conditions, was the cause of suffering and reduced productivity.”
“Low back pain is not an old man’s ailment. I am seeing more cases of low back pain in fairly young individuals, even people in their early 30s,” highlighted Dr Onn.
Orthopaedic and spine surgeon Dr Siow Yew Siong asserted that office workers suffer mostly sprained and strained low backs as well as early degeneration of the spine due to the sedentary nature of office work. “Sprains and strains are much more common than actual spinal diseases,” said Dr Siow. “Poor sitting posture, poor office ergonomics (designing of equipment to fit the human body), wrong lifting techniques and prolonged sitting can cause sprains and undue strain to your back.”
For those of you who love your high heels, you might want to think again about your penchant for them. Dr Siow mentioned that wearing high heels can also cause the misalignment of the spine, hips, knees and ankles and result in low back pain
He also added: “Sprains and strains usually abate by themselves with time, but if patients have spinal diseases without symptoms, we usually advise them to be vigilant and do back strengthening exercises.”
Dr Abed suggested that employers should provide ergonomically designed equipment like adjustable seats and working surfaces along with software programmes that remind computer users to take micro-breaks.
Share with us what you think about this—do you feel that sitting for too long cuts workplace productivity?
Selasa, 17 Januari 2012
Malaysian firms urged to change working culture and retain local talent
According to The Borneo Post Online, Kelly Services (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd managing director Melissa Norman says that Malaysian medium and large corporations should start to transform their recruitment and working culture to avoid a talent drain in future.
She highlighted that Malaysian-based multi-national companies had applied its transformed recruitment and working methods to attract fresh graduates and local skilled labour, and it had been successful. “It is no more about the money that the young generation can gain, generation Y is looking forward to the quality of life that they can obtain from an occupation,” she told Bernama in an interview recently.
The orthodox kind of recruitment and working style, such as the ‘employer says all, employees listen’ and ‘9am to 5pm working style’, did not work with the younger generation any more, she added. We’re not surprised to learn that given the current working environment, many fresh graduates from foreign universities and skilled workers opted not to return to Malaysia, reducing the talent pool that Malaysia should have in order to attract more foreign direct investments, she said.
The good news? Some Malaysians companies had started to change their working or human resources module to a more colourful, vibrant, open-office style with flexible working hours and were more friendly when approaching a fresh graduate or young skilled employee, she said.
“However, more companies have to transform, or not have their productivity dependent solely on the going-to-retire and retired employees. The working lifestyle currently experienced by the younger generation is the major reason why most of them do not stay at one company for more than three years,” she said.
Norman said the human resources department, being the lifeline of a corporation, had to develop certain recruitment and working policies which fitted well for all the working generations. “Whether this will increase productivity is not proven, but this method will certainly attract more and more young, skilled talent,” she said. — Bernama
She highlighted that Malaysian-based multi-national companies had applied its transformed recruitment and working methods to attract fresh graduates and local skilled labour, and it had been successful. “It is no more about the money that the young generation can gain, generation Y is looking forward to the quality of life that they can obtain from an occupation,” she told Bernama in an interview recently.
The orthodox kind of recruitment and working style, such as the ‘employer says all, employees listen’ and ‘9am to 5pm working style’, did not work with the younger generation any more, she added. We’re not surprised to learn that given the current working environment, many fresh graduates from foreign universities and skilled workers opted not to return to Malaysia, reducing the talent pool that Malaysia should have in order to attract more foreign direct investments, she said.
The good news? Some Malaysians companies had started to change their working or human resources module to a more colourful, vibrant, open-office style with flexible working hours and were more friendly when approaching a fresh graduate or young skilled employee, she said.
“However, more companies have to transform, or not have their productivity dependent solely on the going-to-retire and retired employees. The working lifestyle currently experienced by the younger generation is the major reason why most of them do not stay at one company for more than three years,” she said.
Norman said the human resources department, being the lifeline of a corporation, had to develop certain recruitment and working policies which fitted well for all the working generations. “Whether this will increase productivity is not proven, but this method will certainly attract more and more young, skilled talent,” she said. — Bernama
Senin, 09 Januari 2012
The Best Rejection Letter Ever
We’re totally hooked onto StumbleUpon and look what we found—the funniest rejection letter ever!
Herbert A. Millington
Chair - Search Committee
412A Clarkson Hall, Whitson University
College Hill, MA 34109
Dear Professor Millington,
Thank you for your letter of March 16. After careful consideration, I
regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me
an assistant professor position in your department.
This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually
large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field
of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.
Despite Whitson's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in
rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at
this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor
in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then.
Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.
Sincerely,
Chris L. Jensen
After some research, we discovered via Textile Arts Resource Guide that apparently: “The following has been circulating around the web as being “The Ultimate Rejection Letter”. It is, in fact, the rejection of a rejection letter. Written by a grad student in 1995 to express his feelings about being rejected for a teaching position, copies were given just to a few of his close friends. He never mailed it and had no idea it had been circulated on the internet until he stumbled across it in 2002. None of the names in the letter are real, nor is the school.”
Herbert A. Millington
Chair - Search Committee
412A Clarkson Hall, Whitson University
College Hill, MA 34109
Dear Professor Millington,
Thank you for your letter of March 16. After careful consideration, I
regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me
an assistant professor position in your department.
This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually
large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field
of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.
Despite Whitson's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in
rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at
this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor
in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then.
Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.
Sincerely,
Chris L. Jensen
After some research, we discovered via Textile Arts Resource Guide that apparently: “The following has been circulating around the web as being “The Ultimate Rejection Letter”. It is, in fact, the rejection of a rejection letter. Written by a grad student in 1995 to express his feelings about being rejected for a teaching position, copies were given just to a few of his close friends. He never mailed it and had no idea it had been circulated on the internet until he stumbled across it in 2002. None of the names in the letter are real, nor is the school.”
Whatever it is, we think this is so cheeky and hilarious. Hmm…we’re wondering if any of you would like to try this one out?
Via Textile Arts Resource Guide & JobMob
The 60 strangest job titles in the USA
Locally, we tend to come across the usual designations. Check out this list and see if you’d apply for the positions with job titles as below:
Acrobatic Rigger – sets up equipment for acrobatic troupes
Air Hole Driller – operates machine which makes holes in smoking pipes
Babbitter – adds alloy to metal workpieces
Back Washer – operates machine for washing sliver (a continuous textile strand)
Bed Rubber – operates machine which smoothes stone blocks
Bit Shaver – smoothes mouthpieces of smoking pipes
Bobbin Loose-End Finder - finds and ties broken thread on winding machines
Brilliandeer-Lopper – uses a machine to cut and shape diamonds
Bucket Chucker – operates machine for smoothing inside surface of buckets
Cake Stripper – operates a machine used in the cottonseed oil business
Carroter – conditions fur for use in felt hat manufacture
Chick Sexer – inserts illuminating tool into baby birds to determine gender
Debubblizer – operates equipment which removes bubbles from plastics
Dolly Pusher – moves camera equipment around scene of TV recording / broadcast
End Frazer – operates machinery used in manufacturer of stems for smoking pipes
Flatcar Whacker – maintains and repairs logging rail cars
Fur Blower – runs machinery for fumigating and cleaning furs
Gambreler – hangs animal carcases on hooks ready for preparation
Gang Knife Fish Chopper – chops fish into pieces for canning
Getterer – applies solution to wires in lamp manufacture
Grizzly Worker – breaks rock and ore on quarry conveyor belts and chutes
Hair-Boiler Operator – operates high temperature vats for curling animal hair
Hand Nailer – assembles wooden boxes, pallets and packing cases
Horse Identifier – verifies horses at racetracks
Jet Wiper – wipes spinnerettes through which strands of rayon are produced
Lag Screwer – inserts bolts in table legs
Last Putter-Away - sorts and stores shoe moulds
Lingo Cleaner - cleans metal heddles used in Jacquard loom harnesses
Mother Repairer – improves metal phonograph record matrices
Napper Tender – operates machinery which gives socks a fluffy appearance
Nut Steamer – immerses almonds, pecans etc in hot water to soften shells
Odd Bundle Worker – arranges tobacco leaves on conveyor belt
Odd Shoe Examiner – examines shoe uppers for defective parts
Oyster Floater – spreads shellfish in container to keep fresh / remove impurities
Poultry Offal Icer – shovels ice into chicken waste parts to avoid spoiling
Quill Buncher-and-Sorter – arranges feather types for use in dusters
Redye Hand – sorts and bags hose and panty hose for redying
Roving Sizer – checks output of woollen carding machines
Rug Hooker – operates device to make piles on rugs and carpets
Scarf Gluer – joins together plywood panels
Sea-Foam-Kiss Maker – makes candy kisses and puts them on wax paper to harden
Ski Topper – operates machine that fits plastic strips onto skis
Skull Grinder – cleans ear and nose passages of brained pig heads
Smash Hand – repairs broken yarns on a loom
Smoke Jumper – parachutes in to endangered ares to combat forest fires
Snailer – operates machine which polishes and inscribes clocks and watches
Soft Crab Shedder – helps crabs to shed hard shells so they can be sold as soft-shell crabs
Sulky Driver – takes charge of two-wheel, horse-drawn carriages in races
Sumatra Opener – unbales and stacks tobacco
Targeteer – tests accuracy and functionality of weapons
Top Waddy – organises groups of cowpunchers on a range (also known as Top Screw)
Trip Follower – posts positions of aircraft on a flight-following board
Tubber – tends tumbling machines which clean items to be used as jewellery
Unscrambler – controls movement on food processing conveyor belts
Wax-Ball Knock-Out Worker – removes wax forms from insides of new basketballs
Whizzer – operates felt-hat drying machinery
Winterizer – operates chilling machine for removing stearin from vegetable oils
Worm Picker – patrols grassy areas to find worms for fishing bait
Wrinkle Chaser – uses various tools to remove defects from new shoes
Yeast Pusher - transfers yeast from fermenting cellar to storage tanks
Source: from the 13,000 or so jobs in the US government's authorative manual.
Via Vitamin Q - a temple of trivia and lists
Senin, 02 Januari 2012
Higher EPF contribution for RM5,000 and below earners
We’re starting off the New Year with a boost in our retirement savings! Via The Star Online, “The revised employers’ statutory contribution rate of 13% to the Employees Provident Fund for workers earning less than RM5,000 a month will take effect from January. EPF public relations general manager Nik Affendi Jaafar said the 1% increase from the current 12% will benefit about 5.3 million working Malaysians, who make up 92% of EPF’s active members. “The employees’ contribution rate remains at 11%,” said Nik Affendi.”
Employees who are 55 years and above and earning wages not exceeding RM5,000 will also benefit from the revised rates, as employers are now required to contribute at 6.5% – an additional 0.5% from the current 6%.
"Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the increase in employers' contribution for those in this income group during his 2012 Budget Speech as a move to redress the problem of inadequacy of income during retirement which retirees are now facing," Nik Affendi said.
It was highlighted that EPF said previous studies had shown that 70 per cent of retirees could exhaust their savings within 10 years from the onset of their retirement.
"As such, the EPF commends the government for its quick action in putting a damper on the problem as the additional one per cent contribution, coupled with the power of compounding dividend, would add up to a healthier savings for the retirement of working Malaysians," Nik Affendi added.
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