Interview with Systems Manager Daniel Bradley

10/17/11

I hardly know Dan, but I already respect him. He is exactly the kind of dedicated, and smart person that I am happy to have on our team. I spent a Saturday working by phone with him while I was with my family at Coney Island. I didn’t expect him to be doing this, but it meant a lot that he was. Mainly when I hung up though, I wondered why? What was it about this work that was interesting enough for him to spend a weekend on. Hopefully these questions answer  what it is like for Dan to come to work for a rapidly growing start-up.

Matthew: You are so new to us, though that is not rare at Nanotronics Imaging. Everyone is fairly new to us, since 1 year ago I think we had 2 employees. That said, you have come at an interesting time and from an interesting place. Namely you have come to us from working at an Apple store. Before I ask you about Steve Job’s and your reaction to his death, I want to ask you a bit about corporate culture. What can a start-up like us learn from Apple’s culture, and what should we avoid?

Dan: Well I think so far you have been doing it right, it is clear you have the same amount of interest in your employees well being as Apple does. That being said, I think the one thing I was able to take away from corporate culture there is that the most important thing is to keep your employees well trained. Whether its microscopes, new software, or new hardware; knowledge is key. The best way to make an employee as efficient and productive is to make sure they are well trained. So far this is well met at Nanotronics, it's just something to keep in mind for the future.

Matthew: So many people seem to be personally mourning Steve Jobs death, and this I can understand I think. I cried when Frank Sinatra died. I had listened to his music everyday, and now the creator of the music had died. Is this all that the sadness is about, or is there something more to it? I get the feeling that there is. I think that there is a self identification with him, and I am not sure why. Can you explain it to me?

Dan: Well, I do feel sad that a great entrepreneur and business man has died, I don't necessarily identify myself with him. My first computer was an Apple II E, however after that, every computer I had used was Microsoft or Linux based. For the majority of my career I in fact refused to use an Apple products due to their strict guidelines for programming and use. I found it hypocritical that a company that preached so heavily for open source, really didn't follow those same guidelines. I had always had an iPod but never really associated the two together in my mind, and then about a year ago I used a mac seriously for the first time. I won't deny that it is solid, smooth, and nice to use. The operating system runs on a Unix based code so it's incredibly stable and well done. Over that year I became intimately familiar with all of the Apple hardware and software, and while this removed my apprehension to use them at all, it still didn't completely remove my distaste for their authoritarianism of their products. I can say that the majority of my life has been shaped by the technology Steve helped create; from the first computer, to using Gui, and then all of the mobile iOs. So my self identification only goes so far as to think he was a very creative man, who was great at marketing. I don't deify him like some people had and are doing so now.

Matthew: Do consider yourself an engineer? If so how do you practice? Do you program on your own, or build computers like the old days? Is engineering a part of your out of office life?

Dan: I do not personally consider myself an engineer although I am told that I am on a constant basis, and that I am too humble. I do spend the majority of my free time building machines for myself or friends, playing with new creations of hardware and occasionally software. I think there is nothing more fun than building your own network at home, then breaking it in some fashion and trying to figure out how to fix it. As a child I had a fascination with Lego's,Kinex, and Erector sets, so I can see how the two fit together.

Matthew: What attracted you about coming to Nanotronics? We didn’t even have a cool office yet?

Dan: Honestly, the ability to not just be a cog in some giant corporate machine. I like that here we are all able to get to know one another. I can put a face to the owners and board, and get my opinions heard. I feel like I am actually contributing to something that will be great, and can look back one day and say "I helped build that". I also have a very vested interest in some of the possible work we can be applied to, and I've always been a science geek.

Matthew: I make no secret of the fact that I look for inspiration in strange places like in jazz bars, and in Star Trek episodes. I also like sci-fi books. The types of entertainment I like generally transport me to more extreme worlds than we live in, which can keep me a positive futurist. Where do you find inspiration, and does it effect you professional goals?

Dan: I too have always found myself drawing inspiration from the sci-fi world. From when I was younger I had always loved Star-Trek, StarGate, Babylon 5 and many more. I found it fascinating how things that were once thought to be impossible were slowly becoming real. It's not even that I have an escapist mentality either, I just love the idea of "What if" I think my first real "Hero" of science was Bill Nye the Science Guy as a child. I believe it does effect my professional goals in that it causes me to always strive for proving that the impossible is in fact attainable.

Matthew: How much have you learned about wafer inspection since you joined us and how much do you want to learn? Are there other fields that Nanotronics is potentially getting into that interest you?

Dan: I have learned a great deal already, never realizing how many different imperfections can be on one wafer. Micropipes I think were the first thing that caught my attention and caused me to start asking questions.  As far as other fields go, I am incredibly excited and hopeful to see how our microscopes can be applied to the stem-cell field as well as Alzheimer's research. I have a great deal of personal reasons for their medical application as well, and would really like to see them applied to stem-cell research in particular.