I first noticed Margo Seltzer because she had brought her baby to a USENIX conference in the late '90s. That was unusual, as I had seen few parents with their children at conferences. Later on, I got to know Margo better when she was on the USENIX Board and I was routinely attending board meetings.
What prompted me to ask someone as busy as Margo for an interview was her keynote address at the 2020 USENIX Annual Technical Conference entitled "The Fine Line between Bold and Fringe Lunatic". I recommend watching Margo's talk, but the gist is simply this: you are likely to have a more interesting career if you are willing to take risks. That's not what Margo actually says, just my own interpretation. She wants researchers to broaden the subject areas they keep abreast of as well as to consider researching at the frontier of knowledge.
