Finding Genius Podcast

Jolene Creighton, founder, and editor-in-chief at Futurism, LLC (futurism.com), provides expert insight into the state of our advancing technologies and what the future holds for society. Some of Creighton's past accomplishments include her tenure as co-founder of From Quarks to Quasars and her noted work as a freelance writer with Hattiesburg American. She was an instructor at the University of Southern Mississippi. Creighton's Ph.D. work was focused on digital media & discourse analysis at the University of Southern Mississippi and her master of art study was at SUNY Brockport where she studied English language and literature/letters working toward her thesis on digital communication and viral storytelling. Creighton received her BA from Keuka College in Keuka Park, NY. Creighton is a noted public speaker and writer in the field of science via digital, print, and video output. She has taught more than two dozen university courses on writing and communication. Creighton's work as editor-in-chief at Futurism brings together her many varied interests and profiles her expertise on the topic of future science and its applications across various media. Creighton discusses the pace of change as technology is accelerating, and the additional power that is packed into our devices as they decrease in size but expand in capability. She touts the many benefits of the changing technology landscape such as the nearly instantaneous reporting of news and events through media platforms such as YouTube and others that have revolutionized the news dissemination avenues. Futurism is a media publication that covers the science and technology that is currently shaping our future. Creighton discusses their overall intention for the platform. Futurism's mission is to deliver captivating news and further the dialogue about forward-thinking products and narratives that make an impact on our world. Futurism, as Creighton explains, seeks to bring thought-provoking news items that bridge the expanding areas of science and technology. She details the interesting case studies and questions that surround the safety, science, and responsibility of autonomous vehicles as they dramatically expand into development and use in our society. She discusses the vigorous scientific debate that revolves around vaccinations, and other significant areas of science and medicine, and more, and how fear of technology can sometimes keep people from accepting proven science that can improve their lives or help to keep them safe. The futurist technology advocate also discusses some of the more dubious applications of technology such as social credit systems that rate the quality of someone as a citizen. She details how China is using algorithms to judge individuals and how parenting could be one way to increase someone's score, as bizarre as that idea may seem. She provides information on the government policy and research that goes into the development of technology and the checks and balances that are in place to ensure that technologies benefit people in a safe and effective manner. As technologies can be utilized for good and bad purposes and are being generated at a blistering pace, it is important to ensure that the development and release of technologies are monitored by multiple entities for the good of society. However, Creighton stresses that the overpublicized 'worst case scenarios' that technology detractors speak and write about are typically absurd and unrealistic, and have little to no chance of becoming reality. In essence, she states that most advancing technologies will be used to benefit our lives in multiple ways.

Andrew Smith Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Cerego (cerego.com), delivers an informative overview of the ways we learn and how technology and AI is improving learning and increasing retention. Lewis's passion for research was spawned at the Bronx High School of Science, and it was his insatiable curiosity for learning that carried him on to become one of the founders of Cerego's learning method. Lewis and his team launched Cerego to create an open platform that could improve memory and quantify knowledge. His obsession with advanced learning was the motivation behind his successful launch of three education and technology companies, including the notable Princeton Review of Japan. As Lewis states, their mission is to make people smarter and improve learning through the use of AI and cognitive science. Lewis's company, Cerego, is an advanced platform that can successfully drive a business or collaborative team's training, learning, and skill set acquisition opportunities. Simple to use, yet multidimensional within, Cerego's platform reinvents the basic elements of learning software by focusing on precisely how people learn as opposed to what they learn, for a more immersive learning experience that gets results. Cerego is revolutionizing the learning and training process for many companies and universities, and others are coming forward steadily to adapt Cerego's successful platform for their teams. Lewis explains the importance of meta-cognition and the concept that very smart people may not necessarily be efficient learners, and Lewis intends to improve learning for everyone with his technology. The platform's algorithms deliver a schedule that efficiently guides learning for each individual, to help them achieve the maximum success in a manner that works for them by integrating detailed learning data, detailed scientific models of memory decay, and of course—the individual's own personal learning history. Cerego users have achieved stellar results, as Cerego utilizes evidence-supported cognitive science algorithms working at the root of the platform to deliver instructional and quiz content to users at the right time, before the information is forgotten, which supports their learning and increases retention. Lewis discusses the error corrective model, which is essential the platform's ability to learn and improve how it delivers its information pursuant to each individual's unique process. And he expounds upon some of the specific advantages, such as success rates for users and how in addition to the elevated number of users who now pass their tests more easily and quickly, their retention of the learned information is greatly increased as well. Additionally, instructors are reducing training time and repurposing that time on more one-on-one personal student interactions. Lewis discusses the company's focus on K-12 education, higher education, corporate, and government applications. Lewis explains how higher learning through technology teaching methods helps to create better, more satisfied employees and more successful, empowered students. Additionally, employers can access the learning data on individual employees, which can help employers place their employees into specific job functions, tasks, and areas in which they are best suited and will excel.

Until now, the products marketed for various stages of childhood have been designed in a generic, one-size-fits-all way that ignores critical stages of growth and development. But things are done differently at SmiloBaby, a direct consumer baby and child brand that's backing the design of its products with science in order to create the safest, most innovative, and most effective products. As the CEO and co-founder of SmiloBaby, Joshua Weisman explains their two core products, the first of which is a palette support pacifier. Using finite element analysis to study how generic pacifiers deform in the mouth during use and lead to malocclusions and crossbites, the team at SmiloBaby has created a pacifier that supports the palette during the first 16 weeks of life when it grows by 30 percent. The second core product is a feeding bottle with a patented valve and nipple shape that's been designed based on finite element analysis and a study of fluid dynamics. The result? A bottle that reduces air intake, thereby preventing common problems that result from generic bottles, such as ear infections, colic, and gas ingestion. With a team comprised of pediatricians, pediatric dentists, and lactation consultants, parents can feel confident that they're giving their child the best when they buy from SmiloBaby. Tune in to learn about their other products, and visit smilobaby.com to make some purchases of your own.

In 2003, Jimmy Moore weighed 410 pounds and was dependent upon multiple prescription medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and respiratory issues; he was just 31 years old. Fast forward to today, and he's living his best and most healthy life, and as the author of Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet and the creator of the popular podcast Livin' La Vida Low-Carb, he's doing everything he can to help others through their own health struggles. He joins the podcast today to focus on the common struggles faced by most who transition to the keto diet, including the "keto-flu" which can cause fatigue, an insatiable appetite, headaches, and muscle cramps. "If you're getting any of those symptoms, that is a telltale sign that you need four things in abundance," says Moore. What are they? Tune in for the answer and an explanation as to why they'll get you through the toughest part of transitioning to the keto diet, as well as Moore's invaluable tips and insight on a number of other topics.

Retinad VR is a company that was born out of a major problem that emerged in the VR industry about four years ago: the inability to measure and understand user interactions, sentiments, and behavior. Alexander Haque, CEO of Retinad, and Maryam Saboor who works as a strategic consultant for Retinad join the podcast today to discuss the acquisition of novel metrics, such as head, hand, and eye movements that produce what's called a kinematic fingerprint. With over 10 million VR headsets in use, the amount of data uptake has phenomenal potential but is too voluminous and messy to be useful unless it can be organized and analyzed in a way that makes sense--and that's where Saboor's strategies come into play. So, what insights has the team at Retinad gained so far? To put it simply, part of what they're learning is what differentiates a good versus a bad user experience with VR. Contrary to the belief that a 360° scene should be enough to engage a user, the team at Retinad has learned that what a user really needs is something that's not visual at all: audio. Hitting users with an audio queue within the first five seconds of a VR experience encouraged them to move around and increased completion of the VR experience by 80%. This is just one of several surprising findings and interesting topics discussed, so tune in for the full conversation. To learn more, visit retinadvr.com.

HealthTap was founded about eight years ago with the goal of improving the accessibility of quality healthcare advice, guidance, and the right type of medical care at the right time. With more and more people turning to their mobile devices and an increasing reliance on social media these days, what better platform for a healthcare resource than a mobile application? As the co-founder of HealthTap, Dr. Geoff Rutledge figured there wasn't one, and he's been delighted with the progress and success that he's seen so far. HealthTap allows anyone who has a question about their health to immediately receive an answer pulled from the largest library of content from doctors. And if a user has a new or unique question, they can simply submit it and receive a tailored response from a physician within a matter of a few hours--all at no cost. To date, over six billion answers have been provided by doctors via HealthTap. Do you need to go to the ER? Should you schedule an appointment with your primary doctor tomorrow? Or would you be better served by scheduling an appointment with a specialist in a few weeks? Many of us find ourselves asking these questions, and until now, not everyone has had a way of getting a quick and reliable answer. And this is just the first level of guidance provided by HealthTap; once a user has been directed to the right level of care, HealthTap will guide them through the process of actually receiving that care. With over 140,000 doctors signed up on the HealthTap platform and several on call in 47 states, users can find some peace of mind in knowing that with the tap of a button, they can speak with a physician in less than one minute. This is unlike anything that's been done before and holds great promise for patients and the healthcare industry in general--not just in this country, but around the world. Tune in and visit healthtap.com to learn more.

Brian Curtis, CEO of Concentric Power (concentricpower.com), delivers an informative overview on the technology, sustainability, and efficiency issues that impact the energy grid we rely upon. Curtis has more than 20 years of experience in a wide range of skilled areas such as engineering, finance, and strategic management in the energy and technology industries. He has a wealth of international experience and has partnered with many companies on multiple projects. Curtis was involved with notable projects in China such as the building of an ammonia processing plant in which he stayed on as plant general manager during the launch of their business and product line and as a venture partner with VC firms where he supervised clean energy investment strategies. Additionally, he worked closely with the U.S. Department of Energy with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, as well as many other clean energy startups. He has extensive experience as a power plant design engineer and as a refinery engineer. Curtis founded Concentric Power in 2011 to focus on sustainable infrastructure and energy independence for companies in critical industries such as food and pharmaceuticals. Concentric Power is his second start-up. He holds a B.S. in mechanic engineering from UCLA, where he specialized in electro-mechanical systems design and control. Additionally, he holds an MBA from MIT. As Curtis states, Concentric Power's primary focus is on sustainable infrastructure for agriculture and industry applications, essentially firm power applications such as natural gas, battery storage, etc. coupled with renewables. Curtis discusses the traditional grid and the sources of power that exist based on geographical locations. And he explains how the trend will be to utilize energy sources that are localized, and how that will affect the power generation and supply overall. He discusses hybrid technologies and the impact on the environment, and his interest in how the technologies are coming together for more efficient energy production that may be greener and more sustainable overall as well. The energy engineering expert provides an analysis of the shortcomings of intermittent power sources such as wind and solar, and the battery storage, pumped hydro, thermal, and other technologies that are needed to store intermittent sources for those nonproductive times. Curtis provides his expertise and insight into some of the issues that could present ongoing problems in the energy sector as renewable sources become more mainstreamed, such as the software and control of the systems. He discusses the complexities involved with running a coordinated system of varied energy sources, and how Concentric Power has developed a software program that utilizes machine learning to assist with the management and coordination. He provides information on the costs of energy production in various locations, from high to low, and the importance of smart components to work with the next generation grid as the energy production advances continue to move ahead. Additionally, the energy expert discusses the details of efficiency and ways that energy producers can make savings along the way and be more productive and successful. He outlines some other projects that he and his team are working on that relate to the grid, such as microgrid projects that deal with renewables and sustainable energy production.

Robert Hernandez, associate professor of professional practice, and digital journalism professor at the prestigious USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, provides a delightful overview of the future of immersive digital journalism. Robert Hernandez's skill and experience covers a multitude of areas such as changing news industry ethics, information and communication technologies, new media, online journalism, pop culture, the practice of journalism, and social media as it pertains to journalism. Hernandez is a veteran of web journalism with a strong focus on the nexus of technology and journalism. His primary goals are to empower people, increase opportunities for better informed reporting and storytelling, to engage the community, improve overall distribution, and increase revenue. Hernandez's belief is that 'open source' shared knowledge between journalists will improve the quality of journalism, and he continually works to build communities of digital journalists and technology-oriented writers. He is an active participant and supporter of VR journalism and media diversity. Hernandez has served on many national boards such as Chicas Poderosas, InquireFirst, the Online News Association, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Hernandez has worked professionally on several top projects that are heavily involved with augmented reality, as well as wearables/google glass and virtual reality. His latest project is an immersive experience that is appropriately named and trademarked as, JOVRNALISM™. His project work has been featured in The New York Times, on NBC, NPR, and in USA Today, and other significant publications and media outlets. Hernandez discusses his professorial work with the Oculus platform, 360 video, and how many make the transition soon after working with 360, to VR. For as Hernandez explains, 360 is more common in newsrooms, and due to economics it has a wider reach. He explains the 360 camera in detail, in regard to framing of the story and the composition, and how he relates this important information to his students. As he discusses, the 360 camera becomes almost another subject in the reporting, as it is a thoroughly immersive experience. The technology journalism professor gives an overview of some of the advanced technological platforms that are launching on YouTube and other media that allow users to split views and utilize VR tools such as Google Cardboard to essentially go inside the video, for full immersion. However, as Hernandez explains, the technology is so shockingly interesting that first time users may be distracted by the amazing experience, so much so that they may miss key elements of the actual story being told. But he states that a good story will resonate with people, regardless of the technology, for that is the key to solid journalism. Hernandez recounts a particular experience in which he covered a coming storm and how the graphics and semantics, coupled with the advancing VR technology, provided reference points to help people understand the scale of the storm to fully grasp its potential danger. He discusses how immersive experience helps people to more fully believe the story, but cautions that those with nefarious intentions could use the technology to manipulate as well. Hernandez's JOVRNALISM has received multiple awards from respected institutions such as the Online News Association, Society for News Design, and Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and others.

Having had a 20-year career as a US Navy Seal, Chuck McGraw brings invaluable qualities and insights to his role as Chief of Operations at TLDR Capital, a company that focuses on advisory services in the blockchain industry and fields of cyber and physical security. While managing the day-to-day operations carried out by the globally distributed and decentralized team at TLDR Capital, McGraw focuses on identifying and implementing procedures and processes that are agile and resilient enough to withstand an ever-changing external environment, which is something that his training as a Navy Seal well-equipped him to do. Decentralization is a concept that's increasingly being applied to real-world operations, but what does it really mean? What's the difference between a team in the traditional sense and a decentralized team, and what are the benefits of the latter? McGraw explains it with a simple phrase: "centralized planning, decentralized execution." While centralized planning involves all members of a team coming together to develop a plan under a shared understanding of the vision, mission, and objectives of the company, decentralized execution involves allowing individual members of a team the authority to make autonomous decisions in order to carry out that plan. Among other topics, McGraw discusses the problems that hinder corporate growth and the productivity of decentralized teams and lends advice to entrepreneurs looking to form their own companies. Tune in for the full conversation, reach out to McGraw through his LinkedIn page, and visit tldr.capital to learn more.

There are at least two main challenges facing entrepreneurs today: finding a solution to a problem in the world that has not yet been effectively addressed, and obtaining the money and know-how to actually build a company based off of that solution. According to Lyron Bentovim, the second challenge stymies the creativity and innovative thinking that the first challenge requires, and as the CEO of The Glimpse Group, he's working to change that. The Glimpse Group is a platform company currently hosting 10 fully-owned startups that have the same or similar goals, the same level of technological understanding, and a shared desire to work collaboratively in developing augmented reality and virtual reality products. While creativity and innovation flow freely in this environment, the team at The Glimpse Group takes care of everything else--from the operational and business development aspects of building a company, to capital raising and management--so that the focus on building and taking products to the market remains unhindered. This is something that's never been done before, and it's taking off incredibly well. Tune in for all the details, including what exactly The Glimpse Group looks for in taking on new startups, visit theglimpsegroup.com to learn more, and reach out to Bentovim at lyron@theglimpsegroup.com.