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Imagine the life you love, the freedoms you enjoy, and the opportunities you have. All the safety and security you take for granted, vaporized in a matter of days. Imagine that many in your family, friends, and loved ones are now hostages. Noorullah Akbari doesn’t have to imagine any of that.

In this episode of Follow Your Different, Noorullah Akbari talks about the situation of his family and millions of Afghan citizens that are still living in Kabul at this time. Noor is the founder and CEO of a company called Rosalyn.AI, and they are on a mission to use advanced technology in making a difference for students’ education. He’s also a former Afghan refugee living in the United States of America. Right now as we speak, Noor is fighting to get about 20 members of his family out of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Our hope is that this dialogue will help humanize the plight of the very real people in Afghanistan who are suffering right now who want out, and that this very real dialogue will be shared, emailed, tweeted and posted broadly in the United States.  Because no matter what you think about the US’ withdrawal in Afghanistan, there are now 35 million people who are experiencing the most horrifying change imaginable in their lives through no fault of their own.

Noorullah Akbari on the Taliban

We start the conversation by asking about the situation with Noor’s family. He shares that his sisters and their family, as well as some of his relatives are still in Kabul. They are quite afraid, and thought that there would be a massacre once the Taliban solidifies their hold.

While the Taliban has said that they will not do such a thing, the family do not trust their word. According to Noor, they think that the Taliban hasn’t done so because they do not want any negative perception at this time. As we live in a technological age, phones and the internet are everywhere. A simple picture depicting their violence could derail the “good image” they want to portray.

Though technology might be keeping the Taliban in check for now, there are limits to what it can do.

“When there are no cameras, they go after those who they believe have aided the infidels and foreigners. They (The Taliban) tell them now, they don’t do that currently in Kabul. And the main reason is, there are cell phones out there. They haven’t banned the internet yet, so that people can take pictures. That will cause them trouble with the international community. But the practice has always been to come after their enemies, kill them and take revenge. So no, you can’t trust the terrorists.” – Noorullah Akbari

Life on the Ground

Noor explains that while he wants to get all their relatives out of Kabul as soon as possible, there are some who are in immediate danger due to their previous involvement with the US forces.

Though he also stresses that most of the people in Kabul have worked directly or indirectly with the US at various times. So it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to think that all of those people will also be considered as enemies by the Taliban.

Yet some might be looking for a way out, simply because they do not want to live under another Taliban regime.

“I can tell you, they have all lived a life under the previous regime of Taliban. When you were going to watch soccer, right after there were public executions, or stoning of people, or beating of women. Women did not have the ability to walk around without men or without the Burqa. It was pretty brutal. You didn’t have any personal freedom, the economy was bad. People were walking around like zombies. And everybody remembers that.” – Noorullah Akbari

So when the US forces drove out the Taliban from Kabul 20 years ago, it was like a new lease of life was given to the citizens living there. To have that freedom taken away now, it’s understandable why people do not want to experience it all over again.

Getting Out of Kabul

When asked about the progress on getting his family out, Noor mentions that he has reached out to his connections to see if they could help, but so far they haven’t been successful. He thinks that either the State Department is currently overwhelmed, or that they are still in the midst of negotiations.

While Noor and others are still exploring other options to get the family out of Kabul, all of their current plans are dependent on how the US can negotiate with the Taliban. This is the most worrying part for Noor.

“All of our efforts are dependent on the negotiation between the US government and the Taliban, to see if they allow these planes to take off right now. From what I know, that’s a difficult thing to do. So they’re trying, but I don’t think the US has footprint there. So when you don’t have footprint and you don’t have leverage, you cannot rely on the Taliban’s mercy to tell you whether you can or can’t fly away.” – Noorullah Akbari

Now imagine that situation playing out with 4 million or so people in Kabul, who also have varying degrees of connection in the US. Yet they’re also grounded in Kabul, with nowhere to go…

To hear more from Noorullah Akbari and how the situation is developing in Kabul at this moment, download and listen to this podcast.

Bio

Noorullah Akbari, Founder & CEO of Rosalyn AI

A three-time entrepreneur, Noor knows how access to technology can transform one’s life. Growing up poor in civil war era Afghanistan, the catalyst for his own transformation was the gift of a computer. That first computer led Noor to found Afghanistan’s first digital printing shop.

A year later, Noor sold the company to a government-backed enterprise to mark his first successful exit. Following stints as a translator and political advisor for the US military in Afghanistan, Noor emigrated to the United States and founded a language testing company. 

The idea for Rosalyn’s scalable remote proctoring solution came from the challenge of assessing the language skills in far flung and sometimes hostile environments.

He partnered with machine learning expert Martin Jakobson to design the system and soon realized the value it could bring to the larger global assessment market.

Links

Website: Rosalyn.AI

LinkedIn: in/Noor-Akbari

Please consider supporting these Nonprofits who are helping with the situation in Afghanistan:

NoOneLeft.org

KeepingOurPromise.org

WomenForWomen.org

MegaFundraiser via GoFundMe

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes!

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If you’re a long-time listener, you know that we do not have many celebrities as guests on Follow Your Different. We take a pass on most of them because frankly, they’re not that interesting. However, Moby is not your typical celebrity or Hollywood type.

Moby is a breakout musician, DJ, and songwriter. He’s sold over 20 million records worldwide, and he is credited with helping to bring electronic dance music to a mainstream global audience. He is also an animal advocate and a deeply-committed vegan, and he’s got a brand-new cookbook out. It’s called Little Pine Cookbook, which is based on the recipes of Little Pine, a restaurant that he had founded.

What you’re about to hear is a real dialogue like none other: from Moby’s tough start in life, to making and breaking it and having it all fall apart, then building yourself back again. You’ll also hear stories on Moby meeting his heroes, including what it was like to hang out with none other than David Bowie.

Moby on Meeting Your Heroes

To Moby, making the cover for David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ has a personal context. He shares that when he was around 12, he had bought two David Bowie albums. Since then, David Bowie became his favorite musician of all time.

Then in the late 90’s, they became friends. Then neighbors. They even went on tours together, worked on music together, and enjoyed each other’s company.

“We had this one amazing day where he was in my apartment in New York. We played an acoustic version of heroes together. It was such a magical moment that the version of Heroes on Reprise is sort of a tribute to the song; a tribute to the fact that I was friends with my favorite musician of all time, and a tribute to this moment of playing Heroes with the greatest musician of all time.” – Moby

That said, there is a saying that goes, “you should never meet your heroes, because they are sure to disappoint you.” Moby acknowledges that there are times that it is true. Though in David Bowie’s case, it only made him appreciate the person and his music more after meeting him.

Moby on Being a Public Figure

It’s not unusual to look up to icons and dream of one day becoming one. Being famous or a public figure is a dream that a lot of people have. Though according to Moby, being a public figure can be more stressful than it’s worth.

It might sound pretentious or narcissistic coming from a place of having achieved it already, but it is something Moby wishes to share through his book, ‘Then It Fell Apart’. His documentary, Moby Doc, also shines a bit of light into this:

“The idea is that the human condition is one of confusion. You know, as long as we’re human, we’re baffled. So It seems like we all gravitate towards things that give us a sense of meaning, structure, and status. And so the book ‘Then It Fell Apart’ and ‘Moby Doc’ is sort of looking at that. Like how I had my own individual experience of bafflement, and how I tried to find anything that would give me that sense of meaning, purpose, status, comfort, what have you.” – Moby

Living the Rockstar Life

When asked whether he thinks that he’s “living the rockstar life”, Moby thinks that he has lived a life so far that has given him a unique perspective. As someone who has been to the extreme ends of both poverty, wealth, and varying degrees of fame, it has given him an insight that is undenyingly his own.

Yet while the specific details are unique to him alone, the general circumstance is not. That is why Moby felt that he had to share his story. Not so much as to show everyone what he has achieved in his life so far, but as a reference for those who are aspiring for such a lifestyle, or those who might be in a similar situation.

To hear more from Moby and his insights on meeting your heroes and living an accomplished life, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Richard Melville Hall, known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be “among the most important dance music figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience both in the United States and the United Kingdom”.

In addition to his music career, Moby is known for his veganism and support for animal rights and humanitarian aid. He was the owner of TeaNY, a vegan cafe in Manhattan, and Little Pine, a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, and organized the vegan music and food festival Circle V. He is the author of four books, including a collection of his photography and two memoirs: Porcelain: A Memoir (2016) and Then It Fell Apart (2019).

Links

Follow Moby today!

Website: Moby.com

Instagram: @Moby

Check out Moby’s books:

Then It Fell Apart

Little Pine Cookbook

Listen to Moby’s Latest Album, Reprise

More on Moby:

VegNews: Moby Just Wrote A Vegan Cookbook, And All Proceeds Go To Animal Rescue

PRH: The Little Pine Cookbook

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes!

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A few companies have had the impact in the technology industry that Intel has had. Without Intel, the personal computer might never have happened the way that it did. In this episode of Follow Your Different, we go inside Intel, and inside the life of one of the tech industry’s true living legends, Avram Miller.

Avram Miller is best known as the co-founder of Intel Capital, the most successful corporate venture group in the history of the technology industry. What Avram and his partners created became the model for corporate venture capital in Silicon Valley. In addition, he’s also famous for spotting and leading Intel’s initiative to create and expand residential broadband internet access.

He’s got a new book out, called Flight of the Wild Duck, and improbably journey through life and technology. So for those who call the Internet your home, stay tuned and have a deep, meaningful, and unedited real dialogue with a true legend.

Avram Miller on Being a ‘Misfit’

When asked about the term ‘misfit’ and what it means for him, Avram shares that for him, it was somebody who wasn’t really right for the system. Though it’s not like that somebody has a problem or is not doing anything, but more of that they couldn’t do what was expected of them.

Which was not to say that he himself was a misfit growing up. Rather, that was how he thought others perceived him. This left him confused and eventually getting the impression that there might be something wrong with him.

Nowadays, he doesn’t get the feeling of being a misfit anymore, though there’s still the notion of feeling like the odd man out.

“I think I still feel like the odd man out. Often, and not so much because of my life today. If I were to be back in my previous life, I would guess I would still feel like I didn’t quite fit in. You know, I was at Intel for 15 years, I achieved a fairly high position at Intel one of the when I was there. And that’s actually kind of what caused me to use the title of my book, which was the Flight of a Wild Duck, which is what Andy Grove, he referred to me as that. But you know, the, the Wild Duck is the duck does not going in the same direction as the other ducks.” – Avram Miller

Life at Intel

Despite all this, Avram did not have any problems working for Intel, and the feeling was mutual. That’s because he has something to give to the company that they needed. So while he doesn’t think he fits in completely, he still had a lot to offer on the table, and Intel valued him for it.

“At Intel, things really based on results. And I had results, I could make things happen. So once I could show that I could make results, once I could achieve things, everything was pretty much okay, because I was judged on my contributions.” – Avram Miller

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Fitting In

That said, he thinks that while these systems are great for finding people that fit, there can also be drawbacks to it. While you can get people that might fit in to your idea of a perfect system, you might miss out  on those ‘misfits’ that end up changing the landscape of business.

“Most people go through life, and they go through some system, which was devised in the industrial age. You should think of that process is a funnel that’s filtering out people, it’s filtering out misfits. And at the end, you have people that are really, really good at doing certain things, and no good at doing other things. But those other things are needed. And it’s a strength, because you have all these people that are very, very good at doing certain things, like showing up on time. But it’s a weakness, because they don’t have the creativity, the imagination, the intuition, all this has been filtered out. Either they’ve suppressed it, or the people that had it just didn’t make it through the funnel.” – Avram Miller

 To learn more about Avram Miller and his thoughts on how misfits can succeed in the tech world, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Avram Miller is an American – born businessperson, venture capitalist, scientist, technologist, and musician.

He is best known for his work at Intel, where he served as vice president, co-founded Intel Capital, and led Intel’s successful initiative to create residential broadband.

After leaving Intel, Miller founded the Avram Miller Company, providing strategic advice to technology companies worldwide.

He currently splits his time between Israel and the United States.

He is the author of The Flight of a Wild Duck, an improbable journey through life and technology

Links

Follow Avram today!

Websites:

WildDuckFlight.com

TwoThirdsDone.com

AvramMiller.com

Twitter: @AvramMiller

LinkedIn: in/Avram

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes!

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Homelessness is a daunting, heartbreaking, and complex problem. There are currently about half a million Americans experiencing homelessness to this day. So in this episode of Follow Your Different, let’s dig into what we can do to make a difference with our guests Linda Gibbs and Muzzy Rosenblatt, two of the authors of a powerful new book called How 10 Global Cities Take On Homelessness.

Linda Gibbs served as a Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Resources for New York City from 2005 to 2013. During her tenure, New York City was the only top 20 city in America whose poverty rate did not rise. Today, Linda is a principal at Bloomberg Associates, which is a philanthropic consulting arm of Michael Bloomberg’s nonprofit organization. They work with cities globally to make a difference, particularly in areas of homelessness. Also with us is Muzzy Rosenblatt, who is the CEO of BRC, a nonprofit that has worked for 50 years to provide housing and treatment services to homeless adults in New York City.

It’s safe to say that Linda and Muzzy are definitely experts in grappling with homelessness. The insights they share in their book are based on two extraordinary careers that are dedicated on solving the issue of homelessness. So if you have ever been homeless at some point in your life, or know someone who is in this situation, this dialogue is something you will want to hear from start to finish.

Linda Gibbs on Solving the Homelessness Problem

When asked why we can’t seem to solve the homelessness problem, Linda shares that it’s not really a complex problem, but it is hard one to tackle. It doesn’t take a brilliant idea, or a new, innovative solution to solve it. The solution is easily staring us in the face, but we can’t implement them due to certain factors.

One of the reasons is the vast amounts of resources that needs to be allocated to make it happen. You need to have the money to put the basic programs that can help people in motion. Though according to Linda, that’s not even the biggest issue.

“The harder part, quite frankly, is it requires people who work in many different organizations at different levels of government. It requires that they all work together, like a well-oiled machine. The biggest problem is that these different systems, they all have their flaws. Also, many of the systems who have to be working together to fix the problem, are the very systems that generate the problem. And so, getting them to the table and working together toward one unified objective is the biggest challenge by far.” – Linda Gibbs

Linda Gibbs on Why They Care

Before going further with the discussion, we asked both our guests why they people should care about the homeless. Linda shares that this is not something that people choose willingly for themselves. There are multiple factors as to why someone would be homeless. As a community, Linda thinks that we can do better for ourselves and our neighbors, especially those who are in dire need of our help.

“We live in, in many ways, a deeply flawed society, and we have to do better. We have to address the consequences of those flaws. And it’s incumbent on us that we need to fix those flaws, and we need to be committed to the longer-term reforms. Though we also have to address the faults now while we focus on those longer-term strategies.” – Linda Gibbs

Muzzy Rosenblatt on the Importance of Solving Homelessness

Muzzy agrees with Linda’s views, but also recognize that some people might not see the same as them. He would encourage everyone to help, but doesn’t force them to do so.

Though he points out that it can be beneficial for cities to tackle their city’s issue of homelessness instead of just doing temporary measures to alleviate them. For one thing, the money being spent on keeping things in the current status quo is coming from taxpayer’s money, so instead of having a stop gap or a short-term solution, why not solve the problem once and for all?

Also, getting the homeless back into a financially stable condition means more taxpayers and workforce in the long run. Don’t think about it as spending money on the homeless, but rather investing in the future of the city and the community.

If you want to hear more from Linda Gibbs & Muzzy Rosenblatt and their new book, How 10 Global Cities Take On Homelessness, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Linda Gibbs

Linda Gibbs served as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services for New York City from 2005 to 2013.

Supervising the city’s human service, public health and social justice agencies, she spearheaded major initiatives on poverty alleviation, juvenile justice reform and obesity reduction. Two of the collaborative efforts she shaped to address significant social challenges are “Age Friendly NYC,” a blueprint for enhancing the livability of older New Yorkers, and “Young Men’s Initiative,” an initiative addressing race-based disparities facing Black and Latino young men in the areas of health, education, employment training and the justice system. Gibbs also improved the use of data and technology in human service management, contract effectiveness, and evidence-based program development. During her tenure, New York City has been the only top 20 city in the U.S. whose poverty rate did not increase while the national average rose 28%.

Prior to her appointment as Deputy Mayor, Gibbs was Commissioner of the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and held senior positions with the New York City Administration for Children’s Services and the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget.

Muzzy Rosenblatt

Muzzy Rosenblatt is the Executive Director of BRC, the Bowery Residents’ Committee, one of New York City’s most comprehensive social services agencies. Through its holistic and individualized approach to service, BRC helps thousands of homeless men and women gain the knowledge and skills they need to help themselves to overcome adversity and dependency; regain their health, mental health and sobriety; restore their self-sufficiency and self-respect.

Since arriving in 2000, Muzzy has led the agency through a period of growth that has strengthened its financial condition, improved the quality of services provided, and established BRC as a leader and innovator among not-for-profit social services agencies.

From 1988 to 1999, he held several positions in New York City government, including First Deputy Commissioner and then Acting Commissioner of the New York City Department of Homeless Services. Among his accomplishments at DHS were the dramatic restructuring of service delivery that transformed a patchwork of city-run custodial shelters into a service-rich residential treatment system operated by nonprofit agencies and the development of evaluative criteria to ensure resources are provided to those in need.

Muzzy received his MPA from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University (1992), and his BA from Wesleyan University (1987). He is a native New Yorker, and resides in Forest Hills, New York, in the borough of Queens.

Links

Follow Linda and Muzzy today!

Linda Gibbs

Bloomberg Associates

Twitter: @BloombergAssoc

Muzzy Rosenblatt

BRC Website

LinkedIn: in/Muzzy-Rosenblatt

More on their new book:

Amazon: How Global Cities Take On Homelessness

University of California Press

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes!

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In this incredibly special episode of Follow Your Different, we have a person that is like no other that has ever been on this podcast. We know the names of many of the legendary innovators and category creators of the modern era: people like Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and many others are rightfully celebrated worldwide. Yet most people don’t know who the father of the cell phone is. The man behind it all is Martin Cooper, and he is our guest for today.

In the last 100 years, there is no category of technological breakthrough more important than the cell phone. While there are others that are equally important, it is not an exaggeration to say that the mobile phone changed the trajectory of humanity. The cell phone created a radically different future that has created and it continues to create exponential benefits for humankind.

I’m very grateful that Marty took the time to write his new riveting book, it’s called Cutting the Cord. Because now, we have a first-person account of the life and the learnings of a legendary innovator, engineer, and category creator, and frankly, American, Martin “Marty” Cooper.

What follows is an unedited, uninterrupted conversation with Martin Cooper. We cover everything from his definition of what technology is, to why he’s irked by how the mobile companies have rolled out 5G. We also talk about his thoughts on how to bridge the digital divide and how to bring the internet to everyone, which he is really passionate about.

So if you want to hear more from the Father of the Cellular Phone himself, stay tuned to this episode.

Martin Cooper on Bridging the Digital Divide

When asked about his current thoughts on technology, Marty’s initial thoughts were on the digital divide with regards to education. Particularly, it’s due to the fact that people cannot get a decent education in modern times without having access to the internet. One reason is that having access to the internet means having access to anything all the time. You also have access to all the knowledge of society at your fingertips.

Unfortunately, that access is only afforded to half the students nowadays, even in an advanced country like the United States. Others either have no access to it because of the cost, while some have no decent service available to them at all. For Marty, the idea is simply ridiculous, especially during this day.

“There is no technological reason for that to be the case. The carriers that provide us with service, people like AT&T, T Mobile, Verizon, and many other carriers license the radio spectrum from us. Their licenses have one basic requirement: and that is that the use of the spectrum should be in the public interest and convenience. And yet, there we have it 25% of our country is not covered, and 25% of our population can’t afford the service.” – Martin Cooper

Some of Marty’s suggestion regarding the matter is to make it more accessible to the public, either by lowering rates, or building a system where its almost a necessity for each household to have such a connection. Even if it means having the government shoulder the cost. Because the alternative is having a population where half of it is being left behind in terms of education.

Martin Cooper on 5G

For Marty, 5G doesn’t really affect the average consumer. It is mostly targeted on businesses, companies, and other structures of that nature. What irks him about this is how they are promoting it, saying that they will be useful to industries such as autonomous cars and remote surgery.

The main thing about those two examples is that it’s not only fast connection that will enable it to be effective. You also need a network where it can operate at very low latency, so that reaction times will be instantaneous. It would be bad if two autonomous cars that are about to crash to have a few seconds delay on their response. You definitely do not want a doctor doing a crucial operation on someone being hampered by lag.

“I think the FCC should be taking some action to either get the carriers to fill this gap in their service, or let other people come in and do it via the radio spectrum.” – Martin Cooper

Cutting the Cord

Marty pointed out that nowadays, there are more cell phones out there than people. This is because most people have at least one phone, and there are some who have multiple mobile devices on them. This indicates that a lot of people are naturally mobile, though that might not be the case during this time. The point is, these phones and other mobile devices are being used daily to do pretty much everything in the society nowadays.

Yet when you talk to politicians about giving access to everyone, their go-to response is still to provide cable service. The problem with this is that wired telephone is a thing of the past, and it is slowly being phased out even by the cable companies they tout.

“In the United States, there are only less than 60,000 wired telephone left, yet there are more cell phones and people. So the answer is that somehow, we have to provide wireless access to everybody, for all of the services, and the most essential service today is education.” – Martin Cooper

To hear more from Martin “Marty” Cooper and his thoughts on the future of technology and bridging the digital divide, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Martin Cooper is an engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, and futurist. He is known as the “father of the cell phone.” He led the creation of the world’s first cell phone at Motorola—and made the first public call on it. Over nearly three decades at Motorola, Cooper contributed to the development of pagers, two-way radio dispatch systems, quartz crystal manufacture, and more.

A serial entrepreneur, he and his wife, Arlene Harris, have cofounded numerous wireless technology companies. This includes Cellular Business Systems, SOS Wireless Communications, GreatCall, and ArrayComm. Cooper is currently chairman of Dyna LLC and a member of the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council. He was the first to observe the Law of Spectrum Capacity, which became known as Cooper’s Law.

In 2013, Cooper became a member of the National Academy of Engineering from whom he received the Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering. He was awarded the Marconi Prize “for being a wireless visionary who reshaped the concept of mobile communication.” He has been inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame and Wireless History Foundation’s Wireless Hall of Fame. The Radio Club of America awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. He is a lifetime member of the IEEE, was president of its Vehicular Technology Society and received its Centennial Medal. In 2007, Time magazine named him one of the “100 Best Inventors in History.” He is a Prince of Asturias Laureate.

Cooper grew up in Chicago, the son of Ukrainian immigrants. He attended Crane Technical High School and the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he is a Life Trustee. He served in the US navy as a submarine officer during the Korean Conflict.

Links

Follow Marty today!

LinkedIn: in/MartinCooper4

Twitter: @MartyMobile

Check out his book: Cutting The Cord

More on Martin Cooper:

Meet the Inventor of the First Cell Phone

CBS 60 Minutes – The Cell Phone: Marty Cooper’s Big Idea

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes!