Tahl's current location is .
Photo: Patrick Bell (1970-2023)
For the best experience, rotate your device or use a wider screen.
|
Tahl's current location is . |
Photo: Patrick Bell (1970-2023) |
|
I've have had -- and am still having -- a very interesting life. Bios, though, are about the past. The following, therefore, are most of the most notable things that have happened in my life arranged by decade. I designate these as "Sig1" events and each of these has had an impact on my life. (Current as of 17-Feb-2024.) |
| Decade | Sig1 Events |
|---|---|
| 1960s | I was born in a smaller town in Texas. My parents wake me up to see the first man to walk on the moon on TV. |
| 1970s | My parents buy a house (for $30,000) that will be the house I grow up in. I have my own room and bathroom. I have my first crush. And I'm crazy, head over heels. I start to write short stories, poems, music, etc. I get my first computer (TRS-80 Model 1) and it's the dawn of the computer age. I graduate high school. I start to work for Radio Shack corporate in computer customer service. I'm called Boy Genius. My career starts. At 19 years old, I buy a new RX-7 sports car which changes my personality and how people see me. |
| 1980s | At 20, I start a computer consulting business after quitting Radio Shack. I last about 6 months. I have my first actual boyfriend. After flying to California for months for consulting, I get a job in Silicon Valley. We move to California. I have my first trip abroad -- England and France. My world now seems much bigger. I work on some the first factory-wide automation projects for Ford and General Motors. I start as a CTO of a small startup in Laguna Beach. I live there only a year but it is very memorable. I have a three week affair I will never forget. I move to San Francisco and my apartment is the penthouse. My view is most of the city. The Loma Preita earthquake happens. |
| 1990s | I buy my first house. It's in San Francisco. I start to work for Providian Financial as a Systems Architect. Over the 5 years I'm there, it becomes a Fortune 500 company and I become the de facto CTO working for the Vice Chairman. The world's first webpage appears along with the first browser. |
| 2000s | I buy almost 7 acres in Wine Country with the intent to build a cabin, which I will build over the first years. 9/11 happens. I appear on TV for the first time; have a feature article written about me in a national magazine. I meet Daniel. I start to work for Cisco as first technical resource of a new strategic consulting practice. I head the technical side of the practice and we grow it to 13 countries over the 9 years I'm there. I buy my dream house in San Francisco. I have views of the Bay from almost every room. I meet Arren. |
| 2010s | I start work at Visa. My group manages the technology master plan for the company. I get other responsibilities. I pass $1M in investments. I research five generations of my ancestors and learn a few things. I write a book. Arren moves in. Considering early retirement, I found a startup, LifeState. Donald Trump wins the presidency. I'm impacted more than when 9/11 happened. I officially retire, sell my two properties in the Bay Area and move to Florida with Arren. I buy a house in Fort Lauderdale. |
| 2020s | COVID-19 shuts down the world. I buy a condo in Coral Gables (Miami) as a pied-à-terre so I can enjoy city life occasionally. AI comes to the attention of the world with large language models and ChatGPT. |
|
I had a long career, most of it in Silicon Valley. Early in my career, I worked for system integration companies creating some of the first factory-wide automation projects at Ford and GM. I moved into finance becoming CTO of Providian Financial which became a F500 company and was later acquired by Chase. I went on to build and manage a global enterprise architecture consulting practice at Cisco and built it to 13 countries. I then moved to Visa to manage the enterprise architecture group thereby owning the company's technology master plan. My responsibilities also included co-chairing the company's Data Governance Board, the IT relationship with the Fundamo (fintech) subsidiary, and managing the UI/UX group for the company. I was introduced into the world of start-ups as my group was responsible for technology due diligences for acquisitions. There, my team was instrumental in the $1.6B acquisition of Cybersource as well as the acquisition of Playspan. I was about ready to retire when I founded an IoT healthcare startup Lifestate in 2015. I exited that business in 2019 and moved to Florida. I am still active with technology especially IoT and AI while investing in and advising startups. |
This is my current art collection. There are pieces in the collection. All art is original; that is, one of a kind or limited edition prints. I don't have a strict collection thesis, but I do tend to collect art about people. (Current as of 17-Feb-2024.)
These pieces may be at one of my homes, in storage or in some cases out on loan. Many of the photographs are poor (some taken decades ago) and might be replaced in the future.
This is the current catalog of primary works I've created. This is a subset of all works. (Current as of 17-Feb-2024.)
Copyright © 2006-2024 by Tahl Milburn.