DocMurdock - Technology Tidbits

I worked for PIXAR from 1991-1997. For the most part I was like anyone else there. At least until the day I met Steve Jobs in the hall and we had the first of many talks.

I'd met Steve a couple of years before on University Avenue in Palo Alto. We'd chatted a bunch of times and in one of those conversations I'd shared with him that I looked forward to working with him one day. At the time he said "Mike, anything is possible".

When I saw him at PIXAR, he remembered me by name and said to me "Your dream finally came true". 

Well after a while I was lucky enough to have the ear of Steve often, and on occasion I was lucky enough to go on "the walks" with him that Isaacson speaks of in his book. 

In fact, Steve and I would meet and walk and talk about much outside of PIXAR. It was during this time that Apple was in turmoil and much was on his mind about the company. So we walked and we talked and we both shared with each other observations about what Apple could be and eventually would with the right leadership.

I felt then and still feel this day honored to have had that time with him. He was a great spirit.

One day at work as we sat and chatted, I noticed his glasses more than other times. So I commented "Steve, I really like these glasses of yours, they're quite unlike any I've ever seen except on John Lennon". He smiled and said "Here, try them on".

I was completely taken off guard by this and did try them. That moment stuck with me for a long time. I shared with him that one day I wanted to get some like them as they felt good to wear and easy on the eyes. He smiled and shared with me where he'd had them made.

So that day passed, the moment passed  and Steve passed in October of 2011. Since that time much has been written and along the time many pictures of the glasses have surfaced and I thought long and hard about it and finally made a decision a couple of weeks ago to get my own set of those famous glasses made.

However, being still a price conscious person, I didn't see the need to purchase a plane ticket to fly to New York and have a pair made by Robert Marc.

Wired put out a cover with Steve's Face on it recently and that magazine contained an article which was key to my moving now to get them.

And in the magazine was an article and a group of people wearing glasses similar to Steve's I had to see who'd made them.

Here's the picture of the group of models wearing the glasses:

It's funny for others to wear these glasses because they're all trying to be Steve.

For me it's about the comfort of them, the look of them, and remembering a day when Steve said "Here try them on". That's a memory that makes me smile.

I looked at the credits on the page to see who made the glasses. Gary's Custom Optik of Northridge, CA was listed as the provider of the glasses.

So I found the company information and an email address and sent them a note that explained my situation that I needed glasses, had purchased some from china which I had been pleased with but wanted to get a new set and wondered if they'd help me.

 

What is so fun about going to get these was to meet Gary. A great guy, very sharp and very customer centric. Steve would have seen him for his glasses had he been here. That I know.

So Gary called me and I went to the store for a fitting to order the glasses. He went over all the options with me, then we discussed lens sizing for optimal look and vision as well. One thing about ordering online, it's easy, but it's not always precise.

Working with Gary was easy and he's been doing this a long time. 40 years in the business. I enjoyed sharing with him some things that I'd experienced with Steve years ago and then found out that they'd been contracted to provide glasses for the upcoming Steve Jobs movie.

I ordered my glasses and he called when they were ready and I went to get a final fitting and then left with the chinese glasses in the case and my new Steve Jobs style glasses on my face. They've only left me for sleeping and are comfortable to wear.

I recommend that many go and visit Gary for their glasses. He's a consumate professional and will ensure that you have eyewear that fits your face, looks amazing and is of the highest quality. This is definitely a DocMurdock APPROVED business.

Thanks Gary for creating a memorable set of eyewear for me. I look forward to wearing these each and every day and they are truly some amazing glasses.