STEVE JOBS WOULD HAVE HATED THE APPLE DEPRESSION APP

Steve Jobs was an angry guy. He was angry at having been given away by his biological parents for adoption, and he often took out his anger on people around him but also by channeling his energy in productive ways, by redesigning the way the world’s inhabitants communicate, whether through language, music, or visual art.

Since Jobs’ death, Apple has advanced beyond communications technology to create apps that track all aspects of the self, including the announcement in the WSJ today of an app in development to diagnose and screen for depression, anxiety, and stress as they relate to mild cognitive impairment.

Can you imagine such an app tracking the late Jobs? It would go into a meltdown ASAP. Well, both of them would…Jobs and the app. Not to mention raising the rankles of any organization, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, that defends online privacy.

Instead of having an app on my iPhone tracking my mental state for depression, hey, Apple, how about developing some apps that might make me happy…like the ones Jobs created?

Like Happiness apps? I’d get points for each smile, each chuckle, and each moan of pleasure, whatever the cause.

Dave Winer’s already developed a Happiness Art program for streaming great works of art randomly on your computer screen. I recall he used to have a photo news program that did this too, way back before the advent of what we call streaming. The Happiness Art program doesn’t analyze your speech or facial gestures, but it’s almost guaranteed to lift your spirits.