TMO Background Mode Interview with Hyperledger Project's Executive Director Brian Behlendorf

Brian Behlendorf is the Executive Director of the Hyperledger Project at the Linux Foundation. He’s also the co-author of the Apache Web server, now under the Apache Software Foundation. Plus, he holds a seat on the board of the Mozilla Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Brian has been one of the leading proponents of the open source software movement. Brian’s parents met at IBM, and so computers became a natural part of his early life: the TRS-80 (he learned BASIC and gaming), Mac IIc’s at school, and later IBM PC Jr. He studied physics at Berkeley, but in so doing fell in love with the internet. In 1991, he started thinking about a better Web server than the original from NCSA, and Apache was born. We chat about Brian’s distinguished career and current work.

TMO Background Mode Interview with Author, Photographer and Pilot Maria Langer

Maria Langer is legendary for the 85 books she’s written about computers from 1991 to 2012. That was merely the middle part of her career. Maria started her career with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Hofstra University. After a few stints as a financial analyst and auditor, she decided to dump the 9-to-5 grind and delved into writing computer books. Basically, if you wanted to learn anything about computers in those days, you read her stuff. Around 2011, that came to an end, and so, inspired by a childhood ride, she started helicopter pilot lessons. Today, she owns her own helicopter and tour business, working out of both Arizona and Washington. Maria and I are both aviation enthusiasts, geeked out about aircraft in our chat, and Maria tells some interesting stories about flying choppers.

TMO Background Mode Interview with the CTO of It's Borrowed Joe Moreno

Joe Moreno is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former U.S. Marine officer, a former Apple software engineer for nine years, and is now the Chief Technical Officer of ItsBorrowed.com. In high school, influenced by his father, Joe decided to join the Marines. He was also very much into computers and became a Marine programmer, working on production systems. Later, after the academy, he became a supply & logistics officer, and his skills caught the attention of Apple in 1998. He was virtually hired on the spot at a career fair for military officers. We spent some time chatting about Apple’s recent history and his work with databases, WebObjects, Unix and Apple’s online store. Listen in to hear us chat about iPhone ordering tricks from the Apple store during the annual September chaos.