This is a recommendation for a podcast you would be unlikely to consider without my suggestion. This suggestion is a weekly addition to the Triangulation TWIT network series and is an interview with Francis Dinha, CEO of OpenVPN. I promote this specific podcast because it is a combination of two stories and believe you will find at least one to be interesting.
When I listened, I had no idea who Francis Dinha was, but because of a general concern for personal privacy I have been exploring the use of VPNs. I learned quite a bit about VPNs and the specifics of OpenVPN from this program. I also found the story of Francis Dinha – probably the first 20 minutes of the program – to be even more interesting.
Dinha was born in northern Iraq and later moved with his parents to Baghdad. The Dinhas are Catholics (hence the first name) and were persecuted for their religion in Iraq. Francis and later his family made several moves to escape oppression in Iraq culminating with Dr. Dinha co-founding a company in Silicon Valley. As I listened to his story, I wonder if Dr. Dinha would even be allowed into the U.S. if he tried to immigrate today. The story of multiple moves learning a different language at each stop and the focus on learning math and since and later on developing a successful company offers a great example of what it takes to be successful and the commitment some individuals are willing to make.