I never wanted this day to happen yet we all knew it was coming, perhaps even sooner since Steve's recent resignation.

Steve Jobs passed away today, and I am very sad along with many others. Twitter and Facebook is full of tributes to Steve Jobs including from those that are surprised they feel this way.

Steve Jobs is my hero, my idol, my inspiration and my mentor.

During the summer of 2001 I was given a wonderful opportunity to go work for the company that Steve Jobs created. I became a QA intern working on a new unknown product called iTunes.

I remember one day, I came to work a little later than normal because I had just been arguing with FedEx as my first Apple Titanium Powerbook had been lost in shipment. I wasn't in a pleasant mood and just wanted to get to my cube. I walked into the elevator along side another employee and hit the "3" button. This guy outside the elevator walked in backwards while talking to someone. He kept talking and talking, holding up the elevator. I wanted to say, "ah come on, hurry up", but I didn't. He eventually stopped talking, and turned around to face me. I looked at him and was a little shell shocked. It was Steve Jobs. I had heard stories that Steve had fired someone in the elevator so I didn't know what to say. "Hi, how are you?" was about all I could say. He smiled and replied, "Just a little busy with MacWorld next week". And with that the elevator opened and I had to walk out. I couldn't wait to get to my cube to tell everyone else who I had just met in the elevator. He made my day.

I saw him a few times on campus and it always amazed me that for someone who was a billionaire, he always wore the black shirt and gray shorts. But I thought it was great because he's down to Earth. As interns we also had the privilege to have a Q&A with Steve in Town Hall. He talked about why he came back to Apple, and how passionate he was about not allowing Apple to disappear. And boy, did he turn it around.

Steve was a genius, a thinker, and a believer. He has changed the world, not only for those who have Apple products. He has reinvented the computer, changed the music industry, and revolutionized the mobile industry. With his leadership he has truly revolutionized the world and the way in which we use technology. Even if you don't own a single Apple product, the products you do own have been created in someway because Apple did.

The world has been forever changed for the better because of Steve's amazing vision. He turned a company that was on the brink of bankruptcy to the worlds most valuable company. He has created products that change the way we think, the way we do things, and the way we live. It's these things that I have been inspired by.

Steve, you have influenced and changed my life in many ways in my personal life, my work life, and the even the way I life by. I am passionate with what I do because of you. If I'm going to do something, I want it to be meaningful and I'm not afraid of changing the world. I remember the day when someone called me "the Indian Steve Jobs", I felt so incredibly proud.

Steve, thank you. Thank you for everything. I will remember you.

It's been 25 years since the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. I remember being a kid in England and hearing about the accident. I remember I was devastated for the loss of life and everything it meant for NASA. I was and always have been a space geek.

Many years later, I still never knew exactly had happened and I was so intrigued that I wrote a research paper on it when I was back in high school. The paper itself was my very first web page that I had hosted on the school server and became a very well known article detailing the accident.

The paper has since been removed from the school site but is hosted under my site here under articles. To find out more, you can read, The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident

Coming a few days, okay, a couple of weeks late, "Happy New Year!"

After reading back on my last couple of posts, I'd definitely say the year 2010 was a very interesting year indeed. I've got a ton of blog posts in my mind but I just need to get them down on writing, in which I hope to do so soon.

Right now though, I've got to run as I play around with RedMine and Subversion as a replacement to Trac and Subversion. Thus far, Redmine looks very good.

It's nearly been six months and already this year has been quite eventful. So much to tell, however, one of the things I've realized this year is to be more private about my life.

Oddly enough, people have come to know me as a stickler for privacy especially by posting plenty of articles about Facebook's practices. To me, it's amazing how much information people stick on Facebook even with the latest privacy problems. I've actually got rid of my account and I have to say it feels quite relieving. So you should all delete your Facebook accounts!

Over the months, I've had plenty of things I've wanted to write about but just haven't had the time to do so, perhaps in the next portion of the year I'll do so. I'll try at least, but I don't know, I'll probably be just as busy.

Until the next blog post... have a good year!

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!

That's right, it's 2010 folks. 10 years ago everyone was stressing about the infamous Windows y2k bug and many thought the world was going to end. A decade has passed and we're still here alive and kicking. It amazes me how fast time seems to travel as each year passes.

I did a lot during the 2000's, sometimes it amazes me at some of the projects I worked on and the people I met, the friends I have made. Sure, I had my ups and downs in life, but who's life doesn't? Now it's 2010 and the new decade starts I look into it and ask myself, "What's next?" I have my list of goals and I've already been working hard on the path to fulfill them. What's exciting though is that now that the year has rolled over my goals are for this year.

2010 will be a big year for the life of Davinder Mahal and it shall be interesting.