Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, CEO and Co-Founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks—including death itself—at the Stanford University’s 114th Commencement on Sunday in Stanford Stadium. Wearing jeans and sandals under his black robe, Jobs delivered a keynote address that spanned his adoption at birth to his insights into mortality after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about a year ago. In plainspoken terms, his address struck a balance between the obstacles he has encountered during his notably public life and the lessons he has gleaned—for example, from his high-profile ousting in 1985 from the computer company he helped start.

It’s not everyday that you come across a product that makes you sit up and just wonder if you’ve been sleeping all along. And I can simply say there is one upcoming product that made me feel just like that. Never before in my 18 years of working with technology have I encountered a product for which the word ‘wow’ wouldn’t suffice. I guess Google’s search engine is the only technology that comes ‘second’ in my mind…

I agree it might just be the lure of a sexy new technology. But then, if you just go through Microsoft Live Labs’ Photosynth product, well, you’ll realize what I’m saying. So, what is this Photosynth? Nothing much really, if you just look at what it says it does. But then, if you look at what goes behind the front-end and what the ultimate objective of the project is, it’s nothing short of ‘amazingly wowwwwww’.