Coffee, cell phones, and Patagonia

I've worked with Marc at Stanford for the better part of a decade.  Though we didn't work directly on the same projects, he was one of the persons I looked forward to seeing when I was in the library.

We could talk for hours about technology and the outdoors, common interests of ours.  What was amazing to me was that Marc could talk about technology in a slow and deliberate way.  How ironic, I thought, that someone could take a field that moves at the speed of light and relax into it, appreciate it, and make it understandable to others.  It's what he brought into his work, the ability to not rush things but rather enjoy and linger over the finer points.  No 80/20 rules here, just 100% genuine caring.  And judging from some of the posts here, it's what he brought to all parts of his life.

Recently I enjoyed watching Marc demonstrate a new technique to make a single cup of coffee.  He had some sort of gadget which intrigued us all and was more than happy to show and share the benefits of the device.  Another memory I will treasure:  on Dec 20 he 'invited' himself to a lunchtime picture viewing of backpacking photos I had taken in Patagonia earlier in 2007.  I couldn't have been more happy to have him join, knowing his love of the outdoors and curiosity about other's experiences.  How lucky I was to share that with Marc!

Just last night Marc joined me in a dream (I knew the time had come to post).  We had gone to Apple headquarters down the road for a seminar dealing with something or other about the Mac and were having lunch and chatting when my alarm clock went off.  Nice to see you, Marc.

His ever-present smile was the tip of the iceberg for the warmth and light he spread to the people he spent time with.  The library is a colder place today, and the coffee not as good.

You are missed Marc.

Vijoy Abraham
Stanford, CA