The Residual Sugar

This is dour me sitting in the Waterford NY public library, the nearest open wifi network to my in-laws. I'm printing boarding passes, doing a few work notes and updating iPhone software. This is what passes for fun in my odd little world these days. Waterford's a pretty little town at the intersection of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers. this place is old in the way that only Eastern towns can be. I see it in the layers of paint, the pipes shooting through my in-law's house. I see it in the slope of the house, the ceramic door knobs, the 60's wallpaper over plaster and lathe walls, the stone curbs, the slate roofs, the sensual, curving banisters and the general settled quality of everything. This place seems so permanent.

That's an illusion of course. The simple fact that I have to write this in the library brings that home. For the last five years or so, I've been able to slum on an open wifi network from a neighbor of my in-laws when I visit. Unfortunately all …

There's been no shortage of eulogizing on the passing of Steve Jobs. Sweet, touching graphics, long essays ruminating on who he was and what he did. Though it may be a sad reflection on my increasingly juvenile worldview, my favorite was the Onion's "Last American Who Knew What the Fuck He Was Doing Dies" Somebody visiting from another world might wonder why we openly grieve for a CEO. Fair question. I doubt Bill Gates will receive the same send off when his time comes. In some ways that would be a shame. While Microsoft will best be remembered for making most people's lives miserable, Mr Gates has contributed billions to charity and medical research. Steve Jobs will certainly not be remembered for his charitable giving.

So why am I writing this? Simply put, I wouldn't have the life I have if it hadn't been for him. It's not that I couldn't live without my iPhone, iPod, Macbook or any other gadget. It's not the gadgets at all. It's the i…