at this point, it certainly isn’t breaking news that steve jobs passed away a couple days ago. the news came in torrents, particularly via social media. for a solid 24 hours, little else was talked about. even at the time of this writing, 2 of the top 10 trending topics on twitter are steve jobs-related.

the most interesting aspect of the deluge of tweets was how sincere the response was. there was a genuine expression of sadness and loss (myself included). when celebrities die, there is plenty of emotional response—particularly from musicians—because their art becomes woven into the very essence of our lives.

but steve jobs was a retired ceo.

of a tech company.

so why do people really care? undoubtedly, in 2011, at least a handful of CEOs of large, successful companies have passed away. but can we name them? no. and there’s been a handful of recognizable celebrities die in 2011 but they haven’t clogged social media streams like this. so why do we (particularly 20- and 30-somethings) care about steve jobs?

for quite some time, i’ve been a relatively outspoken proponent of public education. quite frankly, i wish it was the only system of education we had (for many and varied reasons). my feelings have only grown stronger over the last month as lucy—our oldest child—has started pre-K.

one of the things i’m keenly aware of—relative to my advocacy of public schools—is that the public education system isn’t healthy. for various reasons, i certainly think it’s healthier than private or home school alternatives, but nevertheless, it’s a long way from where it should and could be.

we have a beautifully strange little group of people at eikon church. (i tell them this often.) we certainly embrace our quirkiness and a couple nights ago at our weekly gathering, i was able to express that uniqueness in an unexpected and fun way.

my general rule in life is that when a chart includes “vomity corpse” and “bad crotch”, it’s a chart worth sharing. so, enjoy this periodic table from natalie dee of the consistently hilarious married to the sea. [click to see larger]

a couple days ago, i picked up the current issue of the arkansas times, which is their annual natives guide to pulaski county. the cover story was a series of “big ideas” written by various people of (quasi-) prominence in little rock and surrounding areas. the list included some ideas i love (bringing a nice independent movie theater downtown, churches [...]

to say that 2009 was a busy year for me would be a incredibly gross understatement. looking back, there are still several big things that i just simply couldn’t find the time to blog about (some are still coming, hopefully). one of those things i found out way back in april, came to fruition in november and yet, i still [...]

every day and night, there’s a political war that takes place on network and cable television, pitting republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals and certainly other oppositional euphemisms against each other. generally, it can be as mild as a unhelpful caricatures or as aggressive as an uninformed shouting match. well, someone has come along and prettied up the debate. i [...]