Fred Jordan, scientist, entrepreneur and co-founder of AlpVision and FinalSpark in Vevey, Switzerland reveals the power of mathematics to us and how he thinks differently when it comes to computing. We dive deep into how he has combined industrial processing and digital watermarking to create anti-counterfeiting technology and uncover the mystery of "Organoid Intelligence", also known as biocomputing - using "the real thing" to compute. What was previously only written in science fiction novels (e.g., "wetware" from William Gibson's Neuromancer) is now becoming a reality! Tune into the longest episode on the podcast to date to hear about how Fred's love for science, technology and scifi has inspired him to make real disruptive change and how biocomputing could be the complement to our rapidly advancing semiconductor and AI industries. 

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:59 Guest Intro & the City of Vevey
3:16 Talking Science Fiction
10:25 An early opportunity to use a supercomputer
15:49 The power of mathematics
21:57 The story and principles behind AlpVision - anti-counterfeiting
38:19 Why start FinalSpark? Thinking DIFFERENT
42:00 Speech recognition in a bucket?
49:10 Reservoir computing and using the real thing
57:55 Early history and fundamentals of biocomputing
1:17:51 A discussion on terminology
1:20:33 The energy consumption debate
1:29:38 The Neural Platform and the eventual application
1:38:57 Future Plans for FinalSpark & Fred
1:43:30 How to learn more about biocomputing?
1:46:41 Q&A Start
1:47:13 What does Innovation mean to you?
1:48:37 Key event, book, person
1:50:29 Time Management
1:52:39 Favourite childhood memory
1:55:21 Biggest challenge to date
1:57:02 Advice for young professionals
1:58:17 What would you most like to be remembered for?
2:00:32 Where can people find you?
2:02:11 Final Message
2:02:45 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

Welcome to this Mini-Series on The Grand Challengers Podcast! The topic of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been in all our minds over the past few years and is gaining even more momentum with rapid advancements in text, audio and video. Google's NotebookLM is a powerful research-support AI that can generate not only summaries of sources that we feed it, but also entire podcast episodes. This Mini-Series will explore the power of NotebookLM, our live reactions to its outputs... and a deep dive into some of the topics that we have covered on the show. We feature previous guests, who are here to join in on the fun!

Episode #10 is the final episode of this mini-series and we conclude by using the mini-series itself as the source for two other types of audio overviews that NotebookLM can generate: the Debate and Critical Discussion. Furthermore, I do this as a solo human, but converse with Martha and Stuart, the hosts of our deep dive discussions across the mini-series by using the "Interactive Mode". Will they be able to answer some challenging and existential questions and reflect upon the critique of their performance? Or will everything go awry? Find out in this spectacular finale and also learn about how you can get started with building AI literacy yourself.

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Funky Fortune by Danny Shields (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7vRFEGMyTTfeCtc8qiUB82?si=dygdqu9IQLSFYNvVzPNu5w)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:39 Introduction and the theme of the final episode
4:29 My own experience with AI
15:14 Tips for getting started with GenAI
17:49 Experiments in the final episode
20:19 A bit of banter before we start
22:28 A deep dive of the Mini-Series - Live Reaction
28:10 The Debate - Live Reaction
34:30 The Critique - Live Reaction
40:30 Post discussion with Martha & Stuart
44:12 Discussions on the future with Martha & Stuart
49:51 Wrapping up the Mini-Series
53:19 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

Julia K. Dietmar, co-founder and CEO of OpenWardrobe in Redwood City, California USA sheds some light on the sustainability of the fashion industry, the issue with overproduction, its environmental impact and how we can shift towards circular economy. Julia has over 20 years of experience in retail tech, having been Chieft Product Officer at Vue.ai and worked in Walmart eCommerce, thredUP and Yahoo. We discuss how she is harnessing the power of AI to create digital wardrobes, promote conscious dressing and ensure that every garment is worn the magic number of 30 times. Join us to learn more about dressing well, dressing consciously and all the human psychology behind it.

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
1:59 Style Blueprint Offer
2:46 Guest Intro & Cozy California Cabins
4:37 You are what you wear - clothing makes people
6:39 The decision fatigue of choosing what to wear
10:22 From an IT study into the fashion industry
17:12 Sustainability issues in the fashion industry
33:06 What is Open Wardrobe?
39:57 Data Driven Fashion for sustainability
44:14 Getting started with the Open Wardrobe App
46:52 The power of GenAI and Lola AI
51:28 Julia's next steps with OpenWardrobe
57:57 Q&A Start
58:08 What does innovation mean to you?
59:36 Key moment, book, event, person
1:04:12 Time Management
1:07:04 Favourite Childhood Memory
1:08:17 Biggest Challenge to date
1:10:14 Advice for young professionals
1:11:13 What would you most like to be remembered for
1:11:46 Style Blueprint Offer
1:12:39 Where can people find you?
1:13:51 Final Message
1:14:13 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

Welcome to this Mini-Series on The Grand Challengers Podcast! The topic of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been in all our minds over the past few years and is gaining even more momentum with rapid advancements in text, audio and video. Google's NotebookLM is a powerful research-support AI that can generate not only summaries of sources that we feed it, but also entire podcast episodes. This Mini-Series will explore the power of NotebookLM, our live reactions to its outputs... and a deep dive into some of the topics that we have covered on the show. We feature previous guests, who are here to join in on the fun!

Episode #9 attempts to explain a study on metal-doped microplastics in three ways, for experts, for the general public and for children - Denise Mitrano (ep34) reacts to how NotebookLM produces a deep dive discussion at three levels of complexity on her scientific article in Nature Nanotechnology. Will NotebookLM be able to capture the essence across all levels? Or will it lose the meaning and nuance in its simplification?

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Funky Fortune by Danny Shields (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7vRFEGMyTTfeCtc8qiUB82?si=dygdqu9IQLSFYNvVzPNu5w)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:26 Guest Intro & Catchup in a new city
3:35 What this mini-series is about
5:29 Guest's prior experience with AI
8:24 How this experiment works
10:33 The human summary & expectations
15:03 Live Reaction on Version 1 - Experts
28:43 Live Reaction on Version 2 - General Public
40:29 Live Reaction on Version 3 - Children
52:58 Post-discussion
56:15 Thoughts and wishes on the future of AI
57:04 Wrap up
57:32 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

Mats Larsson, Founder of the Global Energy Transformation (GET) Institute, based in southern Sweden, discusses what it takes to transition to global electrification using sustainable energy. We delve deep into how we can change our oil & gas mobility to more electric vehicles in light of the EU's impending ban on diesel and petrol cars and that it takes more than just technology to create a major paradigm shift. It's not the first time we've embarked on such major transformations in human society, but we need to harness the lessons from the past and act yesterday to be prepared for major changes and uncertainties of the future. The episode is also sprinkled with fun anecdotes around Swedish life and culture (not to mention crime novels).

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:59 Guest Intro & some Swedish culture
6:27 The GET Institute and its mission
7:42 The origin of Mats interest in energy
14:57 How do alternatives to EVs compare?
16:53 Planning stepwise for a societal shift - Parallels to Apollo
20:50 Is there a way to speed up adoption of EVs?
23:06 A question of cities?
25:32 Is increased battery life an answer to greater adoption?
27:28 An insight into Mats' projects at the GET Institute
37:00 Scaling up sustainable electrification
41:09 Transition starts by simply starting
44:10 What about AI?
47:07 Q&A Start
47:27 What does innovation mean to you?
49:10 Key Moment, Event, Book
51:15 Time Management
54:51 Favourite Childhood Memory
55:48 Greatest challenge to date
58:22 Advice for young professionals
1:00:15 What would you most like to be remembered for?
1:01:52 Where can people find you?
1:03:45 Final Message
1:03:59 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

Alma Schellart, Senior Lecturer in Water and Engineering at the University of Sheffield, England dives into the world of urban drainage, models and uncertainty and shows us how models and data can can make or break trust in the general public and why we need to be careful and meticulous with our use and communication of these. We discuss types of uncertainty that are encountered in infrastruture decisions, the importance and volatility of open data as well as the age-old challenge of managing urban drainage systems, something that has remained a challenge for over 100 years. We also trace Alma's steps from her early interest in water and growing up in the Netherlands to the literary landscapes of England and how her hobbies are gaining a resurgence in the younger generations and present an opportunity for engagement in all things water and sustainability.

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1.59 Guest Intro and Alma's Knitting Hobby
8:21 From an obsession with fish to urban drainage
14:32 Getting to Sheffield for the PhD
20:40 Setting the scene - models and urban sewers
24:59 A 101 on Uncertainties
30:20 Considering uncertainties in design
35:03 Managing CSOs - the common urban drainage dilemma
42:09 Modelling vs. Monitoring - what do we and the media trust?
56:45 Building the trust and the CoUDLabs Project
1:01:15 Reaching the newer generations and broader communities
1:02:34 Alma's next big project in sewers - heat recovery
1:09:19 Q&A Start
1:09:37 What does innovation mean to you?
1:11:05 Key Moment, Event, Person
1:15:01 Time Management
1:18:32 Favourite childhood memory
1:21:40 Greatest challenge to date
1:26:20 Advice for young professionals
1:27:30 What would you most like to be remembered for?
1:32:02 Where can people find you?
1:32:58 Final Message
1:33:17 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

Makoto Kern, Founder and Principal Design Consultant at iiimpact in Austin Texas USA dives deep into the world of UX (User Experience) Design and shows us how a user-centric approach to software is essential, especially in the disruptive AI landscape. We hear about how he and iiimpact have supported the environmental, resources and healthcare industries, future concerns about cybersecurity and how to navigate the highly disruptive AI landscape, live with AI technology and value the human connection above all others.

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:59 Guest Intro and Studio Background Design Talk
4:49 How an electrical engineer got into UX
12:36 The basics of UX vs. UI
21:00 The steps to founding iiimpact
30:21 The domains iiimpact has worked in
36:47 The AI Competence Mirage and Cybersecurity
43:37 Tips for Entrepreneurs - the importance of the team
49:49 Talking AI
59:42 Make an iiimpact Podcast
1:04:33 Q&A Start
1:04:58 What does innovation mean to you?
1:06:17 Key moment, event, book, person
1:08:46 Time management
1:09:48 Favourite childhood memory
1:12:09 Biggest challenge to date
1:13:33 Advice for young professionals
1:14:32 What would you most like to be remembered for?
1:15:17 Where can people find you?
1:16:22 Final message
1:16:43 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

Rob Wreglesworth, Associate Ecologist and Innovation Lead at The Environment Bank, Co-Founder of No Longer Known and Host of the Innovate Eco Podcast, based in the UK, goes deep on biodiversity and conservation from both the economic and social lenses. We discuss topics like biodiversity net gain and nature credits, eDNA, current issues with conservation and how Rob is now targeting scarcity mindset with his new startup No Longer Known, a culture reboot, in a sense. T-shirts factor into this discussion and may be a solution to engaging the general public on conservation issues. We also look into how Rob has combined the variety and diversity of skill sets he has gained over his career to create real-world impact.

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:59 Guest Intro and a conversation between two audiophiles
5:50 Rob's Motivation for Ecology & Environmental Sciences
13:03 The issue with species conservation (Newts and bats)
18:29 Unpacking nature credits, biodiversity and environment banks
23:38 Diving deeper into biodiversity net gain and biodiversity metrics
28:30 Soil biodiversity in comparison to animal biodiversity
29:55 eDNA for understanding the underground
33:45 Gaining compliance in biodiversity net gain
40:42 Rob's diversity of projects at The Environment Bank
43:20 Arming yourself with interdisciplinary knowledge
45:16 The Innovate Eco Podcast
52:08 The cultural reboot for conservation with No Longer Known
1:15:20 Q&A Start
1:15:50 What does innovation mean to you?
1:17:47 Key event, book, person
1:21:57 Time Management
1:25:03 Favourite childhood memory
1:27:00 Biggest challenge to date
1:29:29 Advice to young professionals
1:32:44 What would you most like to be remembered for?
1:34:22 Where can people find you?
1:36:00 Final Message
1:36:58 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

To celebrate 50 episodes of The Grand Challengers Podcast (main series), we return with another "Tables Turned" episode, this time featuring 26 questions from guests as early as Episode 2. Guests from across the show got to ask me a question of their choosing and I have compiled them into a special episode titled "Tables Turned". In this episode, I reflect on Switzerland, the importance of music in my life, academia and where I am heading in my recent decision to start my own company. Join me in this beautiful moment of looking back on my own journey once again and to learn more about me!

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Astral Dance by Jimit (Check out more of Jimit's tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hc1IxPxpmUgEIZGGUGrvm?si=z_uif82xQoqAqUy8KpB7JQ)

Chapters:
0:00 Preamble & Intro
1:33 Introducing the special episode
3:36 The Old New Year’s Resolution (Jon Hathaway)
5:53 The house plant saga (Daniele la Cecilia)
7:42 Favourite places around the world (Bill Hunt)
9:45 The Matrix of different worlds (Patri Cuervo)
12:34 Hiking in Switzerland (Jon Hathaway)
15:32 The Swiss Train System? (Alexa Delbosc)
17:10 Zurich vs. Melbourne (Jarrod Luxton)
19:51 Switzerland vs. Singapore (João P. Leitão)
22:43 The next big physical challenge (Denise Mitrano)
24:44 Collaboration vs. competition in academia (Katrin Pakizer)
28:20 Different academic challenges (Luis Sañudo)
32:59 Unlimited Research Resources (Megan Farrelly)
35:14 The 5 to 10-year plan (Liah Coggins & Nadja Kunz)
41:30 Bridging differences in collaboration (Scott Lloyd)
43:13 What nature is to me (Lucas Gobatti)
45:13 Favourite BGI (Danielle Dagenais)
47:02 WSUD vs. Sponge Cities (Tobias Baur)
48:44 Synergies between mining and BGI (Mohan Yellishetty)
50:56 How is the industry progressing with circularity? (Don Weatherbee)
53:16 Changing the world with technology (Yannick Back)
55:32 Modelling and software bugs (Peter Vanrolleghem)
57:27 A tribute to Anas Ghadouani
1:02:21 The importance of music in my life (Françoise Bichai)
1:07:52 Sounds of intimacy (Sofia Boarino)
1:12:45 Keeping a positive mindset (Wei-Shan Chen)
1:17:45 Wrap up
1:18:20 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/

Nadja Kunz, Associate Professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada shares her insights on the role of water in mining and the importance of critical minerals for the sustainable energy transition. Most notably, we gain insights into the complexity of the mining industry and its diverse and often forgotten stakeholders. What is required for us to make mining more sustainable, equitable, safe and future-proof?

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:59 Guest Intro, traditional owners, mountains and beaches
6:00 Nadja, the network queen
7:51 Water in the mining sector - Nadja's PhD
10:04 From double degree to industry and PhD
16:54 Working in Switzerland and Monglia
21:51 Moving to UBC Vancouver, Canada
24:08 Comparing the Australian and Canadian mining landscapes
25:53 The significance of water management in mining
31:41 Trying to solve water management holistically in mining
35:52 From water management to water stewardship
38:03 Pressing issues in Canada's mining? Critical Minerals
48:24 Quantified evidence - the example of tailings dams
59:09 Nadja's Future Plans
1:01:59 Q&A Start
1:02:24 What does innovation mean to you?
1:04:03 Key person book event
1:05:27 Time Management
1:07:29 Favourite childhood memory
1:08:09 Biggest challenge to date
1:11:08 Advice for young professionals
1:12:33 What would you most like to be remembered for?
1:14:13 Final Message
1:15:15 Outro

Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

• X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
• Instagram: @petermbach87
• Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/