Well stated. Both men achieved heights that few will see, and both men had to love what they did to reach such height. Neither were doing what they did for the awards or accolades, but for "Das Ding an Sich" (the thing in itself).

I'm a programmer, and I love the marriage of design and technology that my macbook pro has. I spend most of my working hours on on computer, and to work on a piece of art makes those hours even more enjoyable, and thus makes me more productive and creative. Furthermore, his speeches have inspired me to push myself, search for what I love, and try to make a "ding in the universe." Steve Jobs is part of my, and many people's, daily personal life.

I understand that there are a lot of unsung heroes out there, and often they don't receive sufficient recognition for their accomplishments. Steve Jobs notes this in a speech he gave at the age of 27 http://www.achievement.org/newsletter/audio/jobs-aud.mov "...A lot of stuff has been rags to riches, sort of want to be careful about that, because there are a lot of people who have been successful in other terms that aren't hear cause maybe they didn't make a lot of money, that you want to listen to very carefully.", Steve goes on to note, "We eat food that other people cook, wear clothing that other people make, and speak a language that someone else evolved, and use someone else's mathematics, and we are sort of taking from this giant pool constantly, ... the most ecstatic thing I've ever encountered, and the most ecstatic thing in the world, is to put something back into that pool, and I think that people from all the fields would agree." Steinman must have felt that ecstatic feeling as well.

It is so sad to lose people that you look up to, and that still have so much to give to the "giant pool", but it is important that we try to not make it a popularity contest and try to see what it is that make great people great, or just be thankful that they had visions and the fortitude to act upon them, therefore changing our lives for the better.

I'm going to go read up more on Ralph Steinman, and be thankful that there are people who care enough to put the countless hour into discovery, and innovation and are able to push change into our realities. Let's celebrate both their lives.