In this episode, The Guru of the Seas, Tom Drake, sits down for an engaging, informative, and educational conversation with Albert Gad, CEO and President of Diamonds International. Albert shares his remarkable journey, which began at just 18 years old in the wholesale diamond business and grew into the global enterprise it is today. Diamonds International now operates more than 125 jewelry centers throughout the Caribbean and Alaska.

From wholesaling diamonds to becoming a De Beers sightholder, opening a manufacturing facility in Namibia, and expanding beyond island retail into luxury boutiques aboard cruise ships, Albert’s story is one of vision, growth, and innovation in the fine jewelry industry.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. David Bradley, the computer scientist whose work at IBM helped shape one of the most famous commands in modern computing: Control-Alt-Delete. Drawing from his years inside IBM, Dr. Bradley shares the unexpected story behind how this now-iconic keystroke came to be—and how small engineering decisions can ripple across decades of technology use.

The conversation is guided by Tom Drake, who brings a thoughtful, curious perspective shaped by his own experiences and encounters with remarkable people. Together, they explore not just the technical history, but the human side of innovation: curiosity, problem-solving, and the stories that emerge when brilliant minds reflect on the paths they’ve taken.

This episode is part of an ongoing journey—conversations with interesting people telling interesting stories—where technology, history, and personal insight intersect in surprising and memorable ways.

In this episode, I had an engaging conversation with Steve Shulman, president of Shulman Company Incorporated, for an in-depth discussion on scrap processing and recycling in the United States.

We talked about the real state of the scrap business today — from regulatory challenges to the critical role recyclers play in conserving and reusing our nation’s resources. It’s an industry that does essential work every day, yet rarely gets the credit it deserves.

As the logo says, “Because even the guru can learn a thing or two” — and this was definitely one of those conversations.