Don Rosenthal

I don't pretend to be smarter than you, or to have all the answers. But I have been around the block a few times, so I'm hoping I have some insights to share.

I've been very fortunate and have been able to have lots of adventures – personally and professionally. Worked at the Arecibo Observatory up in the mountains of Puerto Rico, (Ever see the movie "Contact" with Jodie Foster? That place...). Bought an old wooden boat, fixed her up, and sailed the Northern Caribbean for several years with Isla Culebra as my home port (I have over 15,000 bluewater miles under my belt). Was one of the early employees of the Hubble's Space Telescope Science Institute the place that actually operates the Hubble as an observatory. Worked at NASA and built and funded an Artificial Intelligence applications group that deployed the first expert system ever to fly on the Shuttle. Developed architectures for autonomous planetary rovers. Started two companies based on some AI technology I helped develop for the Hubble (one to optimize throughput in semiconductor fabs and currently, using derived technology, to optimize patient flow in hospitals.

I've been lucky and have done some very cool stuff. And I've tried to keep my eyes open and pay attention. Maybe, hopefully, I've synthesized all this experience and have a few things of value to share.

But you'll be the judge.