Las Vegas Weekly

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You only have to head over to Town Square’s Apple Store to gauge the impact Steve Jobs has had on the world. Near the front of the store are two green apples, each reading “R.I.P. Steve,” a photo of a computer with “My First Mac” written on the silver frame, a black-and-white photo of Jobs with the message, “R.I.P.—you are dearly missed,” and a poem by Shel Silverstein. Actually, you don’t even have to go that far. Just look around your house, around your office, around Starbucks next time you’re in line for a salted mocha. Hell, I’m typing this on an iMac while listening to Liz Phair on my iPod Touch and checking my smart phone for updates on Words With Friends. Jobs touched our lives in a way few geniuses have throughout history. This is our era’s Pasteur, Edison, Einstein— a Barnum-like salesman who inspired a jaded generation to stand in line again and again for the newest product update, a mercurial figure who made us all believe that the future we’ve seen in so many science fiction movies was within reach. Apple announced that a memorial for Jobs will be held at its Cupertino, California headquarters on October 19. I’m already envisioning a sea of people holding up their iPhones with a candle app. Jobs would like that.