Enter My Reality: My Backstory

My Intro

In case you just stumbled across my Substack, hi, I’m Erin! Enter my reality. Some folks know me as Erin IRL (In Real Life) as the author of Creating Augmented and Virtual Realities: Theory and Practice for Next-Generation Spatial Computing.

Me in latest Meta headset, my 2014 pic with Style Transfer initial GANs applied in 2017, and in me in Apple Vision Pro.

Proud to say the growth of this book has also been adopted as official curriculum for VR developers at Univision.

In the virtual/digital world or what folks know as Augmented Reality (AR) Virtual Reality (VR) Mixed Reality (MR) eXtended Reality (XR) / the metaverse / spatial computing, crypto/blockchain/web3) many folks know me as @erinjerri @cypherpinay.

Left: My Ready Player Me Avatar (web3) my name written in BaybayinXR (pre-Philippine writing systems by Kristian Kabuay) for my Oculus Launch Pad 2018 (for Oculus Rift and can work in AR) project, and my Pokémon Go avatar (AR).

Welcome to my cypherverse. This is where I introduce you to all things related to various topics ranging from:

1/ Technology

2/ Productivity and Self-Development

3/ The Market - High-Tech Startups, Daytrading, and Web3.

More about my background

From the intricate realms of spatial computing to the groundbreaking advances in AI, and awaiting BitCoin (BTC) surpassing $100K, the election outcomes, I reflect on my career trajectory for the last 9-10 years since my early career in civic engagement.

I moved into a focus on Augmented Virtual Mixed and eXtended Realities (AR VR MR XR)/spatial computing, successfully publishing my O’Reilly Media book, Creating Augmented and Virtual Realities: Theory and Practice for Next-Generation Spatial Computing in 2019, which you can find on Amazon here.

I studied deep learning and data ethics since my early times with the initial fast.ai diversity fellow program in 2017-2018. Much has changed since those times. With the advent of ChatGPT by OpenAI, namely the evolution of the Transformer model originally coming from architecture introduced in the paper, “Attention is All You Need” in 2017 from Google Brain, we have seen leaps and bounds in technological growth, and I anticipate even more of an evolution we have not seen in decades.

In this new Substack, I will share 3 main topic areas below (like the Holy Trinity and general rule of 3, since most people can’t remember more than 3 main topic areas):

1/ Technology

With the release of Apple Vision Pro, the popularity of Meta AR Glasses, and anticipation for even more AI glasses coming from company collaborations like Google/QualComm/Samsung and more, there is much to be excited about! I’ve been waiting years for this moment (when Meta AR Glasses and Apple Vision Pro were announced) and the space is about to get even hotter. AI or as some folks call AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) or General AI, the goal is to make the robots more human, which are the similar goals of AR VR MR XR/spatial computing, to make us more human through technology, not more disconnected from reality through to technology, but rather to make us closer to being more human, more expressive, and more connected than ever). In my recap of QCon (which I spoke at earlier this last week), I talk about the concepts of these two intersecting technologies (and even with web3) with regard to these 3 areas.

Multimodality

Multisensory

Multidimensionality

I mention more in detail how XR with AI helps enable more than automation, and collaboration, but also generation (generativeAI is all about creativity and making us humans more expressive).

Each month, I will release a Substack documenting my journey through the next big wave of computing, on these three sub-fields areas:

1/ AR VR MR XR / spatial computing or what some call “the metaverse.” And while a lot of people in crypto/blockchain/web3 called it that, but had no Head Mounted Displays (HMDS)/headsets, this one was a bit of a stretch in terminology, so not quite counting all those tons of folks that claimed "they were "creating for the metaverse, but had no idea how to work with any HMDs, glasses, or anything other than a web browser, I think that it was trendy since Facebook renamed itself as a company to Meta and people really wanted to shallowly capitalize on it and on the crypto boom (a.k.a.DeFi - Decentralized Finance Spring at that time) without understanding the full essence of the metaverse and what it deeply means.

2/ Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Some people call AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), with subdomains of embodied intelligence, such as spatial intelligence

3/ Cryptocurrency, blockchain, and web3.

I got this from Minimalist Desk Setups (great Instagram account btw @minimal.desksetups — and no, this isn’t an ad, just something I like using that I thought could help other folks, especially those from Neurodivergent (ND) and ADHD communities. shop.minimaldesksetups.com

Given the growth in these exponential technologies, naturally you will see an evolution in efficiency of the human workforce and a transformation of society. What we gain is a redefinition of what makes us human. I will feature some of the latest apps that work for me, different frameworks that those in this space have found useful for their respective personal and professional goals. This is all without thinking that you need to squeeze out the juice of every millisecond and moment — but rather using a combination of technology, productivity, and self-development to grow your human potential. Whether it is to remain more present and just be, or optimize the heck out of what you’re doing with very little input to achieve a large amount of output, I try to cover as much ground as possible, within reason of course.

I’m a a staunch advocate for productivity (but not toxic productivity that ultimately leads to burnout, compassion fatigue, and bad health). I will share some thoughts on this, along with one of the tech stacks. I give you my personal take, insights, and strategies to help you integrate the possibilities of what you would like to achieve with the reality of capacity and real world limitations in the (meta)physical world that can keep you in check and keeping the candle from burning at both ends.

Photo Credit: Lionel Tan at Blue Bottle SF

3/ The Market - Startups, Daytrading, and Web3

As a community organizer since I was a child (classic San Francisco Bay Area vibe) and as a daughter of Philippine immigrant entrepreneurs and those working in startups and biotech, I have come to appreciate what this area of Silicon Valley means to the rest of the country. Since my early career days working on Ro Khanna (former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, now Silicon Valley Congressional Representative)’s first electoral race, and under the amazing Steve Spinner (founder of Tech For Obama, former Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee - DNC), I was exposed to the very best folks in Silicon Valley, many self-made and very successful and financially wealthy founding technical CEOs and investors, all who cared deeply also about humanity — which I will attest to meeting Sam Altman who impressed me most when speaking about Universal Basic Income (UBI) early on in 2014, as did many other startup entrepreneurs who cared about income inequality, the displacement of jobs, the economy, as well as the latest in tech.

In this section, I will share more about the latest trends in startups, the process of psychology in daytrading (where I have gained and lost). I am still an advocate of web3 (not just because of the money of course,) but because of its groundbreaking technology - blockchain, which is about decentralization, distributed systems, privacy and open source simultaneously. I stress the technology’s importance also lay in helping validate transactions and unlocking / distinguishing what would be real in a world growing with AI and deep fakes. I also want to pay particular attention to blockchain/web3 developers who have been working at the intersection of multiple tech stacks has through some of its open source projects, created key tools with regard to user control I had not seen anywhere else. I mention a bit in my next post about QCon, about MetaGuard, to allow users to modify the controls of human input/data that they opt-in an XR Head Mounted Display (HMD). Even some of the latest technology within the blockchain space allows for more user control, going Incognito in the Metaverse (paper by the MetaGuard creators), something unlikely I think some folks couldn’t predict, but all the more important to avoid walled gardens and optimizing for user choice and agency. So outside of speculation and comments from typical daytrading chatter (much of what you can find on Twitter/X, Discord and the like—and even though I can and will touch on some of those topics), I offer sharing more in-depth perspective with knowledge of the actual tech stack itself, the adoption by software engineers/developers, and what looks hot on the market that comes more from the inner workings by those actually creating the technology. This is not just news people (not even journalists) randomly commenting on space.

Taken at Meta Burlingame offices

A Community of Innovators and Dreamers Creating Their Realities

Most importantly, this Substack is a documentation of the folks I know well, innovators, the dreamers, the relentless pursuers of knowledge, many of whom are coming from my roots in Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay Area, where I am proud to be called a native, born and raised.

A new website is coming soon (erinjerri.xyz / erinjerri.com. The site will show more of the historical archive of my work over the years, but for now, I would encourage you to Subscribe to my Substack and my social media channels. This is where I share the latest news, information, and resources. And while everyone’s been demanding me to create a podcast and YouTube, please be patient, it takes a ton of work to create content, let alone, create the actual tech product itself before you talk or teach about it, so bear with me.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Other Requests for Content

Lastly, I receive frequent requests because of my background as Filipina American/Pinay, and an Asian American woman of color in tech about content related to these identities, of which I am extremely proud of.

Filipina and Asian American Women in Tech

I would suggest following the organizations where I have dedicated much time to over the years - FASTER - Filipinx Americans in STEAM - (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics), which I founded in 2015 and serve as National Board President. Many folks know that I also previously served on the leadership team of Asian Leaders Alliance (ALA), which has created a coalition of Business / Affinity / Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) throughout North America. Most posts specific to these two communities of color are found on their respective websites and social media. I may share an occasional post on women in technology, but the primary focus of this Substack will be on the top 3 topics above.

Women of Color and General Women in Tech Requests

For those interested in AI coming from the women engineering community, I also recommend following the work of Women in Machine Learning Data Science (WiMLDS) of which I previously led the Bay Area chapter paper reading group this year and have been a long-time member.

As many of you know, I also previously co-founded ARVR Academy, focused on women and underrepresented communities in the AR VR MR XR / spatial computing industry and still show my love to many women in tech groups organizing around professional development and excellence, even if I’m not leading or organizing the specific initiative.

Here’s also a list of women in tech groups that I originally created for the Taro (YC-backed company) women in tech (engineering) Slack community. It is by no means a comprehensive list, but it is one where I have been a member of or served as a part of leadership for many of (but not all) of these organizations over the years.

Speaking

I’m limiting my speaking engagements to paid opportunities, with the exception of one event per year for FASTER during Filipinx American History Month (October) and one women in tech event during Women’s History Month (March). Why? I’m oversubscribed with projects, companies, and personal priorities (like starting a family), so I’m highly selective about where I dedicate my time. I also want to encourage also younger/rising women leaders to speak as well, so if it isn’t me, I’m happy to nominate other amazing women who are making waves in the industry!

Meeting Requests

While I appreciate being considered often, my bandwidth for pro-bono work is limited, and I prioritize engagements that align with my expertise in tech and entrepreneurship. I also selectively mentor and meet with aspiring founders, investors, and established content creators creating Hollywood-level productions. For those starting out in tech or AR VR, AI, crypto/blockchain web3 etc., my advice: 1/ join support groups and network, 2/ build at hackathons, and 3/ always keep learning.

Please note that as I transition to having PR and social media managers, I may not respond to every request personally, but I’ll do my best when time permits.

Thank you for understanding!

Hiring

If you want to hire me. You can fill out a form here.

And with that, peace out y’all and I hope you are starting off the holiday season with some joyful greetings and warmth in this cold weather!

Sincerely,

Erin Jerri Pañgilinan a.k.a. @erinjerri

Connect with me on all the things!

Join me on this journey to learn more about what can help you with the most cutting-edge tools from Silicon Valley that can help keep you abreast with the news, ideas, and frameworks to strengthen, more clearly align, and realize what you want to experience (a state of being rather than just ‘doing’ which can be such a toxic productivity verb) and achieve (for those that desire to be more directly goal-oriented).

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