The 1970s
M any of the changes that began in the 1960s, a decade marked by social upheaval, continued to grow in the 1970s. For instance, the hippie culture, which rejected traditional social values and materialism, continued into the early part of the 1970s. Hippies were trying to change society, while experimenting with alternative lifestyles such as communal living, vegetarianism, Eastern religions such as Zen Buddhism, and using psychedelic drugs. The environmental movement also became popular in the 1970s.
The 1970s also witnessed an explosion in technology. The laser, integrated circuit, microprocessor, personal computer, floppy disk, ink-jet printer, pocket calculator, video game, microwave oven, and video cassette recorders were all developed in the 1970s. The fiber optics industry, which transformed communications forever, also had its start in the 1970s.
mind that was enormously attractive. You wouldn’ t get away with bland statements. He refused to accept automatically perceived truths. He wanted to examine everything himself.” 24
In this manner, Steve was able to satisfy his intellectual curiosity without being forced to sit through required classes that did not interest him. Instead, he attended classes that he might not have experienced had he followed a standard course of study. For instance, he attended a calligraphy class, which influenced his idea that Apple computers have multiple fonts in the future. Jobs recalls:
After six months... I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best deci-
Searching for Answers 31