The death of Steve Jobs in October was one of those rare universal moments, a shared experience that made us stop and reflect not just on the man but also on the values he represented, and how those values relate to our own lives.

“For me, it was the design,” Seattle resident Ingrid Block told us as she paused at the makeshift memorial to Jobs in Seattle. “I thought everything that was designed by his group was beautiful. And I love that. And I assume he had that same quality within him, to create such a product.”

Of course, not everything about Jobs was beautiful, as Walter Isaacson makes clear in his unvarnished biography of the Apple co-founder.

But Jobs’ rare ability to reshape the technology world is illustrated by the fact that even in death, he’s keeping us guessing about his ideas for changing how we use technology in one of our most personal spaces of all, the living room. And in the end, it’s pretty cool to think that we might still see another “one more thing” from the mind of Steve Jobs.

No pressure, Apple.

And with that, we’ve finished the rollout of the GeekWire Newsmakers of 2011. We’ll round up the entire list of 25 newsmakers on the site tomorrow, and we’re looking forward to joining with many of you as we toast many of the people on the list in person Thursday evening at the GeekWire Gala.

Newsmakers at the GeekWire Gala

We’ll be recognizing the Newsmakers of 2011 during the GeekWire Gala, Dec. 8 at the Great Hall at Seattle’s Union Station. We’ve introduced a new Newsmaker every weekday in the weeks leading up to the big event.

The night is also a celebration of “Geeks who Give Back,” recognized in a special GeekWire 2012 Calendar that will be given to attendees, with a share of sponsorship proceeds going to the Child’s Play charity.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The event is now sold out. If you’ve already signed up, we’re looking forward to seeing you there! Check your email and see the registration page for details and logistics.

Thanks to our sponsors Zillow, Bing, Filter, Facebook, thePlatform and Barokas PR for helping to make this special evening possible.

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