Before It Happened

Behind the complexity of artificial intelligence, there are groundbreaking stories like that of AI and robotics expert, entrepreneur and investor Eric Daimler.  Eric joins this episode of Before IT Happened to tell us all about his journey from being an entrepreneurial engineering student who found massive success before hitting his twenties to advising former president Barack Obama’s administration on how to regulate and develop AI and data infrastructure. Are we adapting or adopting? Listen for Eric’s answer and more!

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(01:52) - Growing up in a basement surrounded by computers: “My aspirations were Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mitch Kapor. Those were actually three faces I literally had in my high school locker.”

(08:19) - Eric’s college experience at Carnegie Mellon: “I demonstrated the ability of a personal computer at that time to have a cheap robotic arm do its thing. I wanted to do robotics at an early age.”

(11:44) - Dropping a PhD program and moving to London for work at 18: “As a young kid, I was able to buy my first Porsche, which is some sort of an accomplishment for a boy.”

(17:46) - Studying two PhDs simultaneously while running a company: “If you looked at the flight, whether it was going to Pittsburgh from Silicon Valley, I was probably the only one on that flight doing machine learning problem sets.”

(21:54) - Explaining why AI is the economic engine of the future: “It's often said that every company is a data company. It's not really just the data, it's that what you learn from the data and getting even more precise, it's in the data relationships”

(28:04) - Machine intelligence and robotics at the White House: “I was just motivated really to serve the country. It was a pay cut, a substantial pay cut, but my father and my brother had served in the military”

(33:40) - Eric’s advice on how to apply AI in a safe way: “This is a big deal. It's a national imperative, maybe even saying a Western civilization imperative that everybody is involved.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn and Twitter

Read: Eric’s letter to President Biden on how the U.S. can ‘win the AI race’

Learn more about Eric’s data consolidation company Conexus 

Watch Eric’s SALT talk: AI, Robotics & Consciousness

Read Alvin Toffler’s 1984 book “Future Shock”

Thank you for listening! Follow Before IT Happened on Instagram and...

Many years from now, we will remember this time in history as the moment we started using blockchain. It’s certainly a trend, but sometimes it may be hard to understand the full potential of this revolutionary technology. Luckily, in this episode of Before IT Happened we are joined by an expert, or should we say a black belt, to break down what this technology is all about. Medha Parlikar is the Co-founder and CTO of CasperLabs, the developer of a new open-source blockchain and smart contracting platform that is changing the way companies do business. On BIH, Medha opens up on how she got into computers, karate and leading development teams to build better solutions. Listen to this episode for more about the multiple uses and benefits of blockchain for the future!

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(03:00) - Medha’s background: The story of her earliest approach with computers - “I started writing code back then, working with my dad when he was building software applications to kind of accelerate the productivity of his business.”

(10:01) - A technology trailblazer: Becoming a computer engineer in the eighties - “I hadn't realized why I understood so much about computers. They were just very natural to me.”

(15:49) - Medha’s journey to getting a black belt at 41 - “It taught me how to be focused and grounded and to be in the present moment because if you're thinking about anything else when you're sparring somebody you're going to get sucker-punched.”

(21:06) - A trust protocol: The fundamentals of blockchain and cryptocurrency - “If that information also passes through a blockchain protocol, you can trust that that information has not been changed or mutated from the first time it's been published.”

(23:24) - What is CasperLabs and how did it start? - “CasperLabs builds products that we as a SAS or Web 2.0 engineers would actually use in a web-to-product, in a technology solution, in a company.”

(26:15) - Explaining how blockchain makes protocols and digital products more transparent - “Once it's been written to the blockchain, you can't change it. So you can't hide any disparaging results and all of that data can be made anonymously public to the consumers.”

(32:15) - Here to stay: Why companies should consider moving to blockchain soon - “I think we will see the emergence of an ecosystem of purpose-built blockchains that specialize in a specific type of service or problem that they're solving.”

(39:45) - Time for conclusions: What does it mean to be the CTO of CaserLabs? - “I feel like the culmination of all of my years of experience, both personal and professional, has really led me to this point.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Medha on Twitter and Linkedin

Learn more about the work CasperLabs is doing in blockchain

Learn more about how CasperLabs helped Metacask unlock a new digital marketplace

Read Bloomberg’s

Building a meaningful business while living your best life and traveling the world is not easy. In this episode of Before IT Happened, our host Donna Loughlin tells the story of social entrepreneur and philanthropist Jamie Bianchini, who biked through over 80 countries around the world for eight years with a friend calling themselves the ‘Peace Pedalers.’ Jamie’s motto “Live big, give big” has had an enormous impact in communities from Asia to Latin America where he’s helped build schools, start transportation projects and bring clean water to areas in need. Listen now and learn how this adventurer’s entrepreneurial spirit found its spark in his love for humanity.

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(01:20) - Jamie’s story and the ups & downs of entrepreneurial life - “You can build a business around the lifestyle that you want to have. That's what I aspired to do, and that's still what I do to this day.”

(05:44) - Traveling the world while trying to build a business - “I worked at a youth hostel in Switzerland that I modeled my business plan after which won Best Business Plan at USC.”

(08:27) - Working to make Peace Pedalers a reality - “It was taking the tandem bicycle with an empty seat on the back of it and inviting total strangers to come on. That gesture of friendship and connection is the essence of Peace Pedalers.”

(14:59) - Jamie’s life-changing realization of wanting to help people - “Magical things happen when we don't just focus on ourselves, but we try to infuse some level of intention, contribution, and purpose in our lives above and beyond just achieving.”

(18:53) - Getting the drive to keep going - “I pulled a two-peso note from my wallet, and somebody had written on the bill by hand a message in Spanish, ‘If love is your biggest weakness, you are the strongest person in the world.’”

(22:18) - What’s next for Jamie - “It's everybody's responsibility to pick our head up and see what we can do to help someone who's part of the human family who might not be as fortunate as us.”

(24:50) - On Profit & Purpose: Jamie's new project in the social venture arena - “We help anybody who’s purpose-driven or wants to be purpose-driven and make it easier for them to become even more impactful in their communities.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Jamie on Twitter and at Jamiebianchini.com

Learn more about Jamie’s latest organization Profit & Purpose

Watch Jamie’s Tedx Talk: Live Big, Give Big: Infinite possibilities powered by compassion

See Jamie’s original route for Peace Pedalers 

Read Jamie’s book: A Bicycle Built for Two Billion 

Thank you for listening! Follow Before IT Happened on

Today’s episode is perfect for Thanksgiving — a story about kindness, love, and the power of giving. In this episode of Before IT Happened, our host Donna Loughlin talks to author, speaker, and advocate Genevieve Piturro. After a 12-year career as a corporate climber in New York City, Genevieve started visiting shelters to read to children. Soon she realized something, these children needed pajamas. Since 2001, Genevieve’s nonprofit Pajama Program has given over 7 million books and pajamas to children in need in the US. This is a story about finding purpose and getting to that aha moment that can change your life. Listen now to learn how this one-time corporate executive turned her life around after discovering the power behind the love and comfort behind a pair of pajamas.  

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(01:24) - Leaving the nest with traditional Italian-American parents - “Mary Tyler Moore was what really cemented being a corporate girl. I wanted what she had. She was making her way in a big city. For her it was Minneapolis, for me it was New York.”

(07:35) - Diving into the radio & TV industry - “The TV people were coming in and they were always wondering, ‘What are you doing overnight?’ I told them about my TV aspirations and I got hired.”

(10:37) - A great 12-year corporate career and the ‘Aha!’ moment - “I heard a question asked by me to me: ‘If this is the next 30 years of your life is this enough?’”

(17:17) - The beginning of the pajama program - “Maybe it's like a mom feeling when they have little ones and can't wait to get back from work to spend time with them.”

(22:42) - Giving up a corporate career for a new passion - “I would have been fired if I didn't finally leave. I just couldn't say no to the request to visit and to bring pajamas. And I had to leave early because I had to go shopping.”

(28:11) - Taking the pajama program to the next level - “The woman said, ‘I'm so-and-so from the Oprah Winfrey show. Do you have a minute?’ And half of me was screaming up and down.”

(34:49) - Genevieve’s book: Purpose, Passion and Pajamas - “I've learned it's not the power of one that changes things. It's the power of one another that moves mountains and moves people. And that's what I want to share.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Genevieve through Genevieve Piturro.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Learn more about the Pajama Program 

Get Genevieve’s book: Purpose, Passion, and Pajamas by Genevieve M Piturro 

Watch Genevieve’s Tedx Talk: 1 Story + The Human Connection = 7 Million Pajamas and Books

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Why is it that when we think about Artificial Intelligence, a dystopian universe comes to mind? In this episode of Before IT Happened, our host Donna Loughlin talks with Steven Shwartz, author, researcher, entrepreneur, and one of the most influential thinkers in the space of Artificial Intelligence. Steven debunks the myths and misconceptions around Artificial Intelligence and shares what this technology truly is about. Will robots take over our jobs and ultimately the world? Is a Blade Runner-like future awaiting? Probably not. Listen now and learn what Artificial Intelligence really means and why we shouldn’t fear an AI future.

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life.

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(01:24) - Stumbling into AI through Cognitive Psychology - “Roger Shank ran a lab with about 25 graduate students and lots of undergraduates, and it was one of the most exciting places I've ever, ever worked or been around.”

(05:54) - The two types of Artificial Intelligence - “People are trying to get computers not to be generally intelligent, but rather to be good at one small narrowly defined task.”

(10:19) - Early conversations around AI - “We were all investigating artificial general intelligence. And one of those dinner conversations was with Geoffrey Hinton who is now considered the father of AI.”

(16:04) - From academics to the business world - “I had a lot of AI experience but no business experience, and it took a lot longer to ramp up on business acumen than I ever expected.”

(21:54) - Debunking AI myths: Steven’s experience with Tesla’s ‘autonomy’ - “It's far from perfect. It's only a level two capability because you have to be ready to take over at any given time because it's going to make a lot of mistakes.”

(30:29) - The future for AI - “From nonprofits to retail, to government, to every single field, something is going on in AI that's providing beneficial capabilities.”

(32:49) - The misconceptions around the term AI - “If the field was called computational statistic, how many magazine covers would say, ‘Computational Statistics, changing the world?’” 

(36:12) - Governments and AI regulation - “What we need to regulate is narrow AI and narrow AI needs to be regulated application by application.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Steven Shwartz through Twitter and AIperspectives.com

Read Steven’s book Evil Robots, Killer Computers, and Other Myths by Dr. Steven Shwartz

Read Level 3 Self-Driving is a Really Bad Idea

Sometimes, we all need a wake up call, and after hitting rock bottom the only way to go is up. In this episode of Before IT Happened, our host Donna Loughlin sits down with Bryan Seely, ethical hacker and in demand thought leader on cyber security, to talk about his fascinating upbringing, his recovery from addiction, and how and why he hacked the Secret Service just to prove a point. From homeless addict to TED Talk speaker and author, Bryan knows a thing or two about transformation and confidence. Tune in now and be ready to get inspired!

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(03:06) - Growing up in Tokyo - “You don't fit in in the same way that you fit in here by looks, but people quickly understand that that's what you consider home.”

(07:49) - Life after the Marines - “There's lots of boredom at night when you're not with a military unit, so I ended up finding other military units to hang out with and play cards.”

(11:40) - On Bryan’s addiction, complicated marriage, and the famous McDonald’s incident - “I made a bunch of funny listings to try and get some attention. The Mormon temple became a comedy club, the Church of Scientology became a comedy club, a Russian embassy in the United Kingdom became a gay bar... a bunch of really fairly inappropriate immature type humor that I stand by!”

(18:48) - Messing with the FBI and the Secret Service to prove a point - “It was definitely intense. It felt more like excitement rather than panic or nervousness, because I was being honest and they didn't catch me. I'm trying to convince them there's a problem and they're rejecting it.”

(26:55) - Resetting the narrative: How ethical hacking transformed Bryan’s life completely - “Cyber security and protecting people is definitely my day-to-day and I love doing it. I like protecting people or helping educate people to give them the tools they can do for themselves.”

(31:13) - On prevention culture and what makes the cyber security market such a hot spot - “The criminals elevate their game and you have to elevate your game to match it and then show people, ‘Okay, this is why it's important.’”

(36:18) - A life with no regrets - “It’s impossible to know the butterfly effect of changing things. The lessons I learned by hitting rock bottom? You can’t buy them with any amount of money.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Bryan at BryanSeely.com, on Twitter, and LinkedIn

Watch Bryan’s TEDx Talk: Wiretapping the Secret Service can be easy and fun

Read Bryan Seely’s book Cyber Fraud: The Web of Lies: US Marine Risks Life in Prison To Expose a Cybercrime That Consumers Know Nothing About

Watch Bryan’s Cyber Security Keynote Speaker Highlight Reel

Read Seattle Business’s

First, we had The Beatles, then we had the 80s New Wave, and now we have The 2 LADS, a couple of young expat British artists in Los Angeles whose life mission is to advocate for mental health and the well-being of men across the world. In this episode of Before IT Happened, our host Donna Loughlin sits down with Daniel Sharman and Christian “Leggy” Langdon, creators and hosts of The 2 LADS Podcast. Donna gets the pair to open up about their upbringing, life experiences, emotional growth, spiritual wellness, and the importance of intimacy and community building for men. The world is reframing the way we approach mental health, and our society finally understands that it is okay, and even crucial, that we give men permission to be vulnerable. Join in! 

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(03:01) - Daniel, the acting bug and the consequences of a boarding school education - “I've developed absolutely no human skills, my emotions are skewed. I have no skills other than the ability to just get up and move and go.”

(11:26) - Leggy and his earliest aspirations of having a Rock n’ Roll lifestyle - “My brothers were definitely idols of mine. I looked up to them and wanted to follow in their footsteps.”

(15:41) - How the 2 LADS met - “He actually just showed up on my doorstep and was like, ‘I'm fucked. I heard you’re fucked too. Do you want to talk?’”

(21:51) - The 2 LADS Podcast: On mental health and the building safe spaces for men - “I've actually seen how much deep need there is for men to be intimate with each other and to show love, and to have that trust with other men.” 

(30:09) - Unscripted & Unplugged: The importance of embracing humanity - “No one should be following anybody, the work starts with you, and I have to name it in order to be more honest, more human, and hopefully other people can do this.”

(37:12) - “We go first”: The impact of being vulnerable - “We're putting the weapons down for a moment and saying, ‘Oh God, isn't it weird being human? Isn't that a bit hard?’”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Listen to The 2 LADS Podcast 

Follow 2 LADS on Instagram

Join the Lad Club on Patreon

Learn more at the2lads.com

Connect w/ Daniel on Instagram, Twitter and IMDB

Connect w/ Leggy on Instagram and

The entrepreneurial lifestyle is definitely not for the faint of heart, as it comes with loads of hard work, nerve-wrecking risk taking, personal sacrifices and a high mental health price tag. Today, our host Donna Loughlin chats with Silicon Valley thought leader Vitaly Golomb, to talk about his amazing journey in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Vitaly migrated to the US as a child, and had to quickly adapt to this new environment. Little did he and his family know that Silicon Valley would transform his destiny completely. Join this fascinating conversation around startups, the future of mobility, and the importance of mental health in an environment where only a small few triumph.

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(02:54) - From Ukraine to Silicon Valley - “I was plunked right into a normal third grade class not speaking any English, starting from scratch, but somehow miraculously, by the end of that school year I was pretty fluent in English.”

(09:10) - Vitaly’s teenage years - “By the time I was 15, I went to Kinko's and became a designer. So while my friends were making and delivering pizzas or working at Starbucks, I was out there in an office crunching away on documents and websites.”

(17:52) - The struggles of entrepreneurship - “When you don't have much, you're not going to lose money, you're starting from zero anyway.”

(23:41) - The art of mentorship: On Startup Adventure and Accelerated Startup - “From everything that I did, I learned that I need to also say ‘no’ a lot more, and then really focus my efforts.”

(31:20) - From scrappy entrepreneur to settled venture capitalist and the future of mobility - “Electrification is something that's quite interesting and I don't think we've seen its final form yet. We're talking about a major transition in one of the most important business categories, if not the most important: that moves people and goods around the planet.”

(37:26) - On the development of the Hyperloop - “Hyperloop has been talked about for so many years as this very futuristic thing, but we're really only a few years away at this point from buying a ticket and riding it.”

(39:52) - The startup toll: On the importance of prioritizing mental health - “A lot of people really struggle because they have to be out there cheerleading and saying everything is amazing, everything is great. They put up a nice smiling face out to the outside world, but inside they're very miserable.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Vitaly through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, & Golomb.net

Get Vitaly’s book: Accelerated Startup 

Watch Vitaly’s Tedx San Francisco talk: Time to be more culturally fluid

Listen to Vitaly’s podcast

Today everything in a car is smart, from the tires to the windshields. But there is something that is still just an ugly piece of metal, your license plate. In this episode of Before IT Happened, our host Donna Loughlin tells the story of Neville Boston, Founder, and CSO at Reviver, a disruptive company that is modernizing license plates from a piece of metal to a fully interactive screen with state-of-the-art technology. “Embrace change” is Neville’s mindset and it shows in his life story, from his entrepreneurial background to shifting careers and all the way to bringing the license plate to the 21st century. Listen now and learn how this born entrepreneur is bringing to life a company of the future!

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(01:48) - Neville’s childhood in an entrepreneurial family - “Success wasn't tied to working for somebody else. It was tied to creating something of need and of interest and building on that.” 

(07:49) - Going to UC Berkeley - “You got to see things in a way that other people just dream about. And that was part of your reality. So it was awesome.”

(14:41) - Getting into marketing and working on building company experiences - “That was around the Oscars, Grammys, Super Bowl, NBA All-Star, you name it. We would develop all of these items and ideas for them.”

(19:49) - The potential of digital license plates and getting the business going - “We were forced, hampered, and shackled to a metal plate when everything else on the car, including the tires in the windshield, are smart. It made no sense.”

(28:38) - Expanding the platform’s functionalities - “There are 1,000,001 things you can do with this platform, because it's always on and connected, so you have a way of pushing information and collecting information back.”

(32:06) - Finding the right team to make his dreams a reality - “We've been working with some of the largest fleet management companies in the world. And it looks like this could be a big thing for us and them.”

(40:13) - Privacy and safe transfer of information - “We engage the DMV to verify the license plate number and that it's valid. So there's no more data than that information.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Neville through LinkedIn and Twitter

Learn more about Reviver’s Rplate 

READ: Digital license plate entrepreneur got government buy-in

SEE: Neville’s interview with Automotive Expert and Car-Talk Host Bobby Likis

Thank you for listening! Follow Before IT Happened on Instagram and Twitter, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate and share the show wherever you listen to podcasts! 

Before IT Happened is...

Healthy eating has become a multimillion-dollar business. But there’s one superfood that hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves. In this episode of Before IT Happened, our host Donna Loughlin talks to a pioneer in the plant-based health movement, Doug Evans, co-founder of Organic Avenue, founder of Juicero, and the author of The Sprouts Book. Doug talks about his latest work, advocating for sprouts — the simple and cheap food he calls “the ultimate superfood.” Could these tiny living seeds be the answer to the world’s food crisis? Listen now and learn how the entrepreneurial spirit has caught on to the healthy food trend and what’s coming in the near future for this market.

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life. 

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(01:58) - Doug’s childhood growing up on the standard American Diet - “I remember sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night and eating the whole Philadelphia cream cheese, just wanting more fat and more sugar.”

(08:16) - Enrolling in the Army - “My thought process was that it would be fun. I would get into shape. I would learn discipline. I would save all of my money. And when I got out, I could do whatever I wanted.”

(13:27) - Graphic design and working for Paul Rand - “I watched an entire industry shift from analog to digital, from black and white to color, and watched the proliferation of the desktop computer obliterate an entire industry.”

(19:33) - A wake-up call - “I went from eating a duck off the street in Chinatown to vegetarian, then vegan and raw vegan. And that was 22 years ago.”

(25:58) - Chasing the gold rush with Organic Avenue and Juicero - “What we had done with Juicero was the experience of making a fresh, raw, organic juice in two minutes with no setup, no cleanup and the freshest produce.”

(34:22) - Discovering the power of sprouts - “In the course of me moving to the desert, I started to sprout and within 30 days, most of my calories were coming from sprouts that I was growing in one cubic foot.”

(44:47) - How you can start sprouting today - “You can grow sprouts without soil, sunshine, sprouting medium, etc. You could literally grow them in a jar or unbleached paper towel with water for pennies a serving.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Doug through Twitter and Instagram

Get Doug’s book The Sprout Book

Read the Beet’s Doug Evans on the Health Benefits of Sprouting and Why You Should Start

Thank you for listening! Follow Before IT Happened on Instagram and Twitter, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate and share the show wherever you listen to...