Finding Genius Podcast

K.D. Edwards has had a passion for writing for as long as he can remember, and has earned a reputation as a master at worldbuilding by authoring The Last Sun, the first of what will eventually be a nine-book series called The Tarot Sequence. Right around the corner is the release of the second book in the series, The Hanged Man, and fans can't seem to wait. Edwards joins the podcast to discuss what drew him to the modern sci-fi genre, his writing style, and process, authors who've influenced and encouraged him in his work, and fan feedback--a lot of which is in the form of artwork inspired by his stories. Tune in for the full discussion, and reach out to K.D. Edwards through Twitter @KDEdwards_NC.

Despite huge successes in issuing over 110 patents and having 250 pending licenses, Leigh Rothschild says his latest venture is the most exciting one yet: Qmage, a free app that will revolutionize the way we interact with digital images. By incorporating audio, video, text files, URL links, and e-commerce links into tens of thousands of digital images, Qmage is allowing anyone with an iOS device or QR code scanner to access it all at with a single click. With applications in the photo, greeting card, automobile, real estate, and retail industries, this technology has the potential to find its way into almost every aspect of our lives. Imagine being able to scan a greeting card and immediately hear audio or watch a video created and uploaded by your loved one, or scanning an image of a house for sale and immediately experiencing a virtual tour or communicating with the realtor. Rothschild also discusses plans to incorporate an augmented reality feature, which would allow users to scan an item of clothing and not only receive all of the associated information, but actually see what it would look like on them, and get suggestions for accessories that might go well with it. The Qmage app is currently in the beta form of development and is expected to be released soon. Learn more at www.qmage.com and reach out to Rothschild at leigh@qmage.com.

Jim Segermark is the CEO of InSitu Biologics, a biotech company using hydrogel technology to offer post-operative patients with the option of a non-opioid regional painkiller. Composed of three compounds found naturally in the body, the gel is injected with bupivacaine, which is then pushed out by water over time and released into the body, providing for three to five days of a complete analgesic effect on the area of pain. Once the bupivacaine has been released entirely, the body easily metabolizes the gel within about two weeks. Though it has not yet been tested in human clinical trials, this biohydrogel has shown to be effective in the laboratory and holds promise for post-op patients who want fast, effective, long-lasting, and opioid-free pain relief. Segermark discusses the potential applications of this new product, which include using the gel as a vehicle for birth control and erectile dysfunction medication rather than bupivacaine, and custom-tailoring the gel to release multiple medications at certain times and for specific durations, thereby meeting the needs of patients on an individual basis. Tune in for the full conversation, and visit www.insitubiologics.com to learn more.

For almost 10 years now, Jagannath Padmanabhan has been conducting interdisciplinary biomedical research focused on how our bodies react to biomedical devices, why these devices are almost always ultimately rejected, and the role of mechanical forces in the rejection process. More recently, Padmanabhan has been working as a post-doctoral research fellow in the surgery department at the Stanford School of Medicine, where he collaborates with surgeons to collect a variety of biomedical implant devices that have been rejected by and removed from the human body. By studying the cells on these devices, the team at Stanford is gaining insight into the types of cells that are involved in the rejection process and how to go about increasing the amount of time before the rejection process sets in. Among other topics, Padmanabhan discusses the link between wound healing, scar formation, and implant rejection, how the manipulation of implant device surfaces could increase their lifespan in the human body, and the role of mechanical stimulation in accelerating the rejection process. Tune in to learn more about his current research and its potential applications in clinical medicine, and reach out to him by email at himjaganpa@standford.edu.

Steven Morris, CEO, president, board member, and founding partner of BIOLIFE4D, provides a thorough overview of the biological and technological advances that are revolutionizing modern healthcare. Morris's company, BIOLIFE4D, is a trailblazing biotech company with a mission to utilize advanced life sciences and tissue engineering to 3D bioprint viable human hearts, using a patient's own cells, that are suitable for transplant. Morris has over 20 years of experience in precision machining and manufacturing, which includes 15 years as president of Inland Midwest Corporation (IMC) that specifically caters to the medical technologies industry. IMC completed a merger with MedTorque Inc. in 2015. In addition to his successes at IMC, Morris launched Creative Manufacturing Consulting Solutions (CMCS), a company focused in the areas of operational optimization, industry and regulatory compliance, as well as quality system optimization and development. While at CMCS, Morris led over two years of in-depth research into the technology of 3D bioprinting and regenerative medicine. Combining his medical manufacturing experience with intensive research, and partnering with experts in the field, he created BIOLIFE4D with the goal of bioprinting usable human organs for human transplantation. As heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA and nearly all developed countries, the life-saving technology of BIOLIFE4D is clearly in great demand. Morris discusses the alarming statistical numbers that give credence to the serious state of heart disease globally, and as he explains there are several key issues his team at BIOLIFE4D seeks to tackle, such as increasing the supply because many people die annually simply from their inability to be granted a transplant. Additionally, Morris discusses the high rejection rate for human heart transplants and the many dangers patients face. For as patients up their intake of immunosuppressants in hopes their bodies will accept the new organs, they also increase their risks for developing a disease, etc. The regenerative medicine expert delivers a detailed overview of the bioprinting process BIOLIFE4D uses. He explains the means in which they build their bioprinted organs layer by layer with essential cells. As the cell layers fuse the DNA informs the cells that they should function as heart cells and so the process begins toward the formation of a solid organ. He discusses the importance of vascularization to provide blood and nutrients to the organs, and how his company is leading the way to major releases coming soon, with a fully functional miniature heart for human drug trials possibly emerging as early as next year. Morris explains the compassionate exemption, which is a regulation that allows for those who are in immediate need for an organ, facing death without a transplant, to go forward with alternative options such as bioprinted organs. Morris outlines the inherent problem of scarcity that exists in the organ donor world. For as the list of patients in need, waiting for an available organ, is long, the amount of available organs is scarce. He explains that many people who hope to get on lists to wait for an organ may be excluded due to other medical conditions or age, as the medical community makes assessments to give the available organs to the candidates with the highest chance for organ acceptance and recovery. Due to these stringent requirements, potentially millions are left with no options, but Morris is committed to change this disturbing reality and is pushing his company to bring a bioprinted human heart option to everyone in need. Morris hopes to deliver a fully functional human heart for transplant within the coming years, and hopefully within three to five years.

Noted science fiction writer, Yoon Ha Lee, author of Revenant Gun and other works, delivers an interesting analysis of the science fiction world in which he thrives. Yoon Ha received a B.A. in mathematics from Cornell University as well as an M.A. in math education from Stanford University. His work in fiction has appeared in publications such as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction; the popular online sci-fi magazine, Tor.com; and Clarkesworld Magazine, as well as many anthologies. Yoon Ha was inspired to become a writer by his very passionate 3rd grade teacher who challenged students to be creative. Learning about the craft of writing at such an early age pushed Yoon Ha to try his hand at it, and by the end of middle school he had completed his first novel. And while Yoon Ha recounts that this first effort was not very good, he continued to work at his craft and wrote several more through his high school years. Yoon Ha discusses his work and the technical merits of writing that he sought to improve as he was cutting his teeth in those early years as a burgeoning young writer. From improving his prose to world building, Yoon Ha sought to enhance his work in every way possible. He details how characterization is an important aspect of novel writing, as readers like to relate to the characters personally, through the characters' eyes. And he explains that while world building is important, perhaps the building of characters is the most important task of writing novels. Yoon Ha discusses his first successful novel, Ninefox Gambit, and the reasons he feels the novel worked, and why it was commercially successful. Yoon Ha describes the unusual world that he built in that novel and the physics elements, as well as the cat and mouse dynamic, all of which he felt contributed to the popular interest in the book. The sci-fi author outlines his road to commercial success in the publishing world and he acknowledges that the many years he spent improving his craft helped get him there. As he built a significant following for his creative short stories through the years, his publisher sought to take his work to the obvious next level—marketable books. Yoon Ha speaks about his own personal reading lists and how the reading and study of a broad range of disparate topics helps to expand his own mind and ultimately expand his creativity. From military to math, Yoon Ha found that literally any subject matter could help to broaden his mind as a reader, which of course helped to improve his craft. He talks about some notable authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Lloyd Alexander, David Eddings and others, and recounts how their work impacted him as a young reader, and how his experience growing up as a Korean-American affected his perception and connection to some works. And as the work he was devouring as a young reader was largely from a western perspective, Yoon Ha thought to bring an East Asian influence to the sci-fi genre. As the publishing field expands, Yoon Ha states that diversity is increasing, which allows more types of stories to be told, which in turn allows a larger audience to see themselves represented. The popular author describes some of the relative differences he sees between Korean culture and classically typical American culture, and the symbolic elements of both. Wrapping up, Yoon Ha provides an overview of the elements of his latest work, the novel, Revenant Gun. And he talks about his website (yoonhalee.com) and the many samples that interested readers can browse there for free.

Marc Bookman, founder and CEO of Opu Labs (opu.ai), delivers an overview of how technology and AI can assist people with their skin health. Bookman's company, Opu Labs is the proprietary creator of the Pocket Skin Clinic, a skin care analysis service that uses smartphone selfies and artificial intelligence to deliver important and informative skincare advice. Pocket Skin Clinic can provide input on ways to improve skin conditions with specific skincare product types recommendations. The platform works by utilizing facial recognition technology to capture unique scans of one's face on a daily basis. Opu Labs' specialized machine-learning-based artificial intelligence can then perform a complete analysis of skin type, condition, coloring, and more, to deliver a comprehensive report with recommendations. Pocket Skin Clinic tailors products and ingredients to someone's individual skin condition, essentially, recommendations for the specific person, not a blanket recommendation that applies to millions. By providing targeted and specific information, Pocket Skin Clinic users can take steps to improve their skin problems, enhance their skin's vibrance, and begin a regimen that will provide for healthier skin. Bookman reminisces about his early days of market testing, and the dawn of online and mobile device advertising, and as his research led him to look at hair products, automotive, and others, it was skincare that really had the most amazing numbers, in terms of the advertising potential. Today, with over 60,000 skincare products listed on Amazon, Bookman states that it is easy to see why many people become overwhelmed when searching for the skincare product that may work for them specifically. From 'no parabens' to 'organic' and 'all natural' to allergy issues and beyond, people have very specific needs and Bookman's team seeks to address these needs by using their tech to narrow the focus for folks who want products that work, but cause no harm. Bookman discusses the difficulty in discerning whether skincare blogs offer real scientific and user-based information or simply product-promoting information. And in this area, Opu Labs mines extensive amounts of product information and data and ranks it so their users can access the most current, most relevant and real information that pertains to their skincare issue. Bookman discusses their target market, which is essentially, based upon his estimations, about one third of the overall skincare market. He states that younger consumers, mostly women, who are just getting into the market and trying to learn about products that can help them, are a group Opu Labs' research and analysis can benefit. Additionally, consumers who take a serious approach to skin health in much the same manner as fitness enthusiasts do with cardiovascular health, are another prime group Bookman seeks to assist. Additionally, Bookman describes other groups that Opu Labs can offer skincare assistance to, in terms of research and information, such as pregnant mothers who are pressed for time and may choose to travel less than normal, and rural users who may not find product lines and stores, etc. to be easily accessible. As technology evolves, Opu Labs intends to stay on top of the advances in order to continually improve the information and product advice they bring their users.

Joshua Armah, co-founder and CTO of Distributed Intelligence, provides an extremely detailed roadmap for businesses, large or small, who want to better grasp how to successfully advertise to their target audiences and increase revenue. Armah's company, Distributed Intelligence, is a consumer behavior platform that seeks to leverage social physics to help businesses better understand their data, and customers. Armah's company focuses on advertising and is launching an ad platform that seeks to revolutionize advertising metrics and performance. Armah is a dynamic technology professional who specializes in computer programming, artificial intelligence, and automation for innovation in software and online platforms. He has extensive experience in online marketing and sales, and is an expert in AI and supervised learning. As Armah explains the current advertising system in the online space is based on a 'cost per impression' or 'cost per click' model, but the data that an advertiser gathers may not always be accurate due to users providing inaccurate or misleading information. Therefore, Armah's company has developed a model based on 'cost per lead' that allows advertisers in their network to gain real results, not frivolous input or data they cannot use. And by incentivizing media platforms with higher revenue, and generating curated content for highly targeted audiences, advertisers can generate solid leads. Armah likens the use of AI in advertising to electricity, in that all advertising platforms will need AI to position advertising in the marketplace via the use of artificial intelligence agents. These 'agents' are autonomous entities that observe via sensors and act upon their environment working and directing activity to achieve set goals. The marketing and advertising expert provides a detailed overview of keywords, click-throughs, and how trending topics play a role in advertising. He discusses how AI can be used as a tool to visualize public web data and aggregate it for the end user such that they can then utilize it for their value proposition on advertising campaigns, etc. Additionally, Armah details the importance of choosing proper media platforms for your targeted advertising, and he offers multiple examples of media buys that advertisers may find particularly beneficial to their growth and outreach. Armah explains the trends in marketing such as outbound marketing and inbound marketing, and the tracking of analytics. He touches on the important issues advertisers must consider, beyond the collection of who is buying what, but deeper issues such as the psychology behind why people are buying specific products. And in addition to the psychology of buying, advertisers need to know that their potential customers are real and have been verified, for as Armah notes, some online platforms may not have verified their users. He also states that although many valuable tools do exist to help boost advertising campaigns, such as IBM's successful Watson Marketing, some businesses are not up for the technical learning curve, and this is one area where Armah's team at Distributed Intelligence can build a bridge between tech and user. As Armah's team moves forward, advancing their marketing and advertising technical products, Armah seeks to build their system into one of the world's best advertising platforms that will truly give access to real human behavior. Armah addresses the phenomenon of social physics, which is the use of mathematical tools that are inspired by physics to fully grasp the behavior of human crowds and to understand big data. And as social physics is the root of successful advertising platforms, Armah seeks to leverage it to fully understand buying patterns and customer behavior to provide their clients with an unparalleled advantage in the market.

Jeff Catalano, Entrepreneur/Founder of PORTE Token and Payment Porte joins host Juliet Lemar on Future Tech Podcast. Payment Porte helps you send cross boarder payments quickly at a fraction of the cost. paymentporte.com

Rachel Gregory, CEO of Killin It Keto (killinitketo.com), delivers an informative overview of the ketogenic lifestyle and the diet that has proven itself as a means to a healthier life. As a board-certified nutrition specialist, strength coach, conditioning coach, and athletic trainer, Gregory has the knowledge and training to enable her to assist individuals who want to improve their overall health. She has abundant expertise in the scientific application of the ketogenic diet and is the author of, "21-Day Ketogenic Diet Weight Loss Challenge." Her recent clinical trial conducted with CrossFit athletes, in which she analyzed the effects of their use of a ketogenic diet, was the first of its kind and was recorded in the International Journal of Sports and Exercise Medicine. During the trial, she measured outcomes between a CrossFit athlete group that stayed in ketosis versus the control group that did not. Her findings showed that the CrossFit ketosis group was able to benefit from the dietary change as they lost significant body fat but still retained lean muscle mass to the same degree of the control group. And the increase of performance measurement was balanced between the groups as well. Gregory is a former collegiate triathlete and has experience working with Division I collegiate athletes, WNBA stars, and many top bodybuilders. She holds a master's degree in nutrition & exercise physiology from James Madison University as well as a bachelor's degree in sports medicine from the University of Miami. Gregory makes regular rounds on the national conference circuit presenting her research and the benefits of the ketogenic diet and lifestyle. The ketosis authority states that a ketogenic, lower carb, diet not only provides a weight loss opportunity, but it can help to reduce inflammation and also provide more stabilized energy throughout the day, avoiding spikes and periods of extremely low energy. She provides an introduction to the organic process that led to the creation of her primary product, the 21-day keto challenge that is detailed in her book. And with the 21 day challenge, her clients and followers can digest the health-improving information in small amounts over 21 days as Gregory slowly educates them in many topics and ways to realize their physical health goals. From alternative foods to performance enhancement and energy, Gregory's 21-day course offers excellent input to help anyone reach higher levels for better health and performance, whether they are an average body type or a world-class athlete. Gregory discusses the many simple ways anyone can take typically high carb meals and turn them into low carb meals by making easy ingredient substitutes. From fried rice to pizza, her book and course lists many different recipes that can help secure powerful results but still keep the full flavor in the foods for great taste. Additionally, Gregory provides copious amounts of keto-specific information on quick foods from reasonably healthy fast food restaurants such as Chipotle and others. After someone goes through the 21-day challenge successfully, Gregory offers individualized training and education to help people continue to push forward toward their health goals. She discusses how, over time, the diet and lifestyle becomes easier for most everyone making the transition. And while those who come to the ketogenic lifestyle well versed in the basics of nutrition may find the adjustment to be rather simple, still anyone who wants to learn and implement the keto strategies can do so, regardless of their background.