Steve Jobs, "Computers are like a bicycle for our minds." - Michael Lawrence Films

> the Bay Area tradition that treated computers not as office appliances but as tools for thought, instruments of liberation Missed a great chance to use the "bicycle for our minds" Steve Jobs quote (one of my favorite since it resonates so clearly with me) ▶ this video

in “Apples, Trees, and Quasimodes” · View on HN

Just saw another brilliant Jobs quote, circa 1991, via my svlug friend Rick Moen. I think one of the things that really separate us from the higher primates is that we are tool builders. I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometre,and humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing about a third of the way down the list. It wasn't too proud of a showing for the crown of creation. So, that didn't look so good -- but somebody at _Scientific American_ had the insight to test the efficiency of locomotion for a man on a bicycle, and a man on a bicycle -- a human on a bicycle -- blew the condor away, completely off the top of the charts. And that's what a computer is to me. A computer is the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with, and it's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds. -- Steve Jobs, 1991 ▶ this video

in “26-year old iconoclast Steve Jobs' address to the Academy of Achievement in 1982” · View on HN

Immediately made me think of Steve Jobs and this great clip: "Computers are like a bicycle for our minds." ▶ this video

in “Bicycle” · View on HN

The Steve Jobs quote mentioned about bicycles for the mind is cool ▶ this video . I know it's old but I hadn't seen it before. The rest of the article is kind of intellectual mush starting from saying "litigated against" in the first sentence when he hasn't and continuing in a similar vein.

in “Apple's New Market” · View on HN

Interview with Steve Jobs where he talks about the computer as a bicycle for the mind: ▶ this video To put it in context, he starts off by talking about the efficiency of animal locomotion. In the animal kingdom, the condor is one of the most efficient. It uses the least amount of energy to travel a kilometer. Human walking is rather inefficient in comparison. However, with a bicycle, a man can blow away a condor.

in “Being Steve Jobs's Boss” · View on HN

> The developers who thrive in this new environment won’t be those who fear or resist AI tools, but those who master them—who understand both their extraordinary potential and their very real limitations. They’ll recognise that the goal isn’t to remove humans from the equation but to enhance what humans can accomplish. I feel like LLMs are just the next step on the Jobs analogy of "computers are bicycles for the mind" [0]. And if these tools are powerful bicycles available to everyone, what happens competitively? It reminds me of a Substack post I read recently: > If everyone has AI, then competitively no one has AI, because that means you are what drives the differences. What happens if you and LeBron start juicing? Do you both get as strong? Can you inject your way to Steph’s jumpshot? What’s the differentiator? This answer is inescapable in any contested domain. The unconventionally gifted will always be ascendant, and any device that’s available to everyone manifests in pronounced power laws in their favor. The strong get stronger. The fast get faster. Disproportionately so. [1] [0] ▶ this video [1] [link]

in “LLM-powered tools amplify developer capabilities rather than replacing them” · View on HN