T
here is a hazard to reading the curriculum vitae
of Nathan Myhrvold: It may make one feel like a
comparative slacker. First there are the degrees — a
bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University
of California, Los Angeles; a master’s degree in geophysics and
space physics from the University of Southern California; master’s
degree in mathematical economics and a doctorate in theoretical
and mathematical physics from Princeton. Then there is the post-
doctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge working with
Stephen Hawking on quantum-field theory in curved spacetime
and theories of gravitation.
Myhrvold also is the author of Modernist Cuisine: The Art
and Science of Cooking, which was recently hailed by Forbes
magazine as “the world’s most influential — and profitable
— cookbook.” This 2,438-page, six-volume set is lavishly
illustrated with Myhrvold’s own photographs; it weighs 43.5
pounds and costs $625. Self-published, using the best paper
Myhrvold could find and at the highest production value
possible, his relatively modest initial pressrun of 6,000 copies
has now grown by tens of thousands in additional reprints
and grossed $30 million. Plus it’s the first book of a trilogy
— the comparatively slender, 456-page Modernist Cuisine at
Home has now printed in the range of 100,000 copies, and
the coffee-table book The Photography of Modernist Cuisine
is coming soon. Despite his achievements as an author and
chef (he has been a celebrity judge on Top Chef and won the
World Championship of Barbecue in 1991), it his primary
career track that is most inspiring.
Following graduation Myhrvold founded Dynamical
Systems, which Microsoft acquired in 1986. That was the
springboard for a 14-year career with Microsoft as chief
technology officer, during which time he founded Microsoft
Research. Today he is the founder and chief executive officer
of Intellectual Ventures, a company that creates, funds and
commercializes inventions. He personally holds 328 patents
on topics ranging from digital displays and 3-D graphics
to surgical staples and genomic selection and has another
859 patents pending (at the moment). Much of Intellectual
Ventures’ work is aimed altruistically at the developing world
and includes technology that uses lasers to zap malaria-
carrying mosquitos, advances to keep vaccines cold and viable
in sub-Saharan heat and work to mitigate health hazards
from HIV and influenza. Intellectual Ventures was among the
top-10 patent generators in the United Sates last year, and it
maintains the world’s largest patent portfolio.
It was a love of diving and photography that brought
Myhrvold to the DAN
®
community. He has been interested in
photography his whole life. He bought his first camera, a $2
Contax rangefinder he stumbled across at a Salvation Army
store, when he was only 9 years old. He had his own darkroom
growing up and was a passionate advocate of Ansel Adams’
zone system for black-and-white photography — a means to
MEMBER
PROFILE
Nathan
Myhrvold
Hometown:
Born in Seattle;
grew up in Santa Monica, Calif.;
now resides on Lake Washington,
Bellevue, Wash.
Years Diving:
16
Favorite Destination:
“Raja
Ampat so far, but I’m having fun
looking for more.”
Why I’m a DAN Member:
“I like
Alert Diver. I like being informed. I
like the insurance and emergency
services I hope never to use”
DIVE SLATE
//
24
|
FALL 2013
Ace of All Trades
Nathan Myhrvold prepares to take
a series of underwater photos.
Cameron Myhrvold
