Futuristic Teachers
“The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see”
Alexandra K. Trefnor
When Madhukar and I were conceptualizing NimbleQ, we were inspired by our experiences as young children. As we developed the concept and our operational plan, we delved deep into our personal experiences and reflected on teachers and moments that influenced us.
One such moment for me was about the time when I was in grade 5. My school had organized after-school classes with an organization that taught us how to use the Computer. Computers were nowhere as omnipresent as they are today. Offices still functioned by moving files from desk to desk. No one owned or could even dream of owning a personal computer.
Inspiration Comes in Many Places
We learnt to program in Basic. Learnt about Bits and Bytes and Binary numbers. This was all way too fascinating. I was the only one in my family who knew this stuff. It truly empowered me.
This experience opened my mind to possibilities. As a 10-year old dreamy-eyed person…I dreamt of owning my own computer factory someday. Well, I didn’t exactly pursue that path, however, that experience greatly shaped who I became.
While I can’t necessarily program in Basic, exposure to something cutting edge and futuristic helped nurture my curiosity. It was my first true experience with innovation. It laid the foundation for my love of technology.
As a ten-year-old young person, I could not have ever imagined that the clunky piece of machinery with the boring black screen where I typed Binary numbers would transform to become something so sleek that I could hold in the palm of my hands. I would have never imagined the power and the possibilities of that machine. From medicine, to travel, to retail…. that machine has become our gateway to the world.
Futuristic Teachers
I was lucky to be surrounded by futuristic teachers; My school and my parents. They taught to “where to look…”
My school had the foresight to invite the organizers and was lucky to have parents who encouraged me to engage with the program.
As a parent and as an entrepreneur, it is my endeavor to open young minds to the world of possibilities. This is the passion that drove us to start NimbleQ.
I would love to hear of any similar experiences that shaped you or left an indelible mark on you. Please do use the comments section to drop me a note.
Fun Fact
Apollo Guidance, the computer used onboard Apollo 11 had 2048 words of memory. That means it could just about host 3 pages of an article but it was powerful enough to take us to the moon. Today an average cell phone is millions of times smarter than Apollo Guidance.