itar - like ▁es raj . ▁Lan ier ▁te amed ▁with ▁Mario ▁Gr ig or ov ▁to ▁compose ▁the ▁sound track ▁to ▁the ▁document ary ▁film ▁The ▁Third ▁W ave ▁( 2 0 0 7 ). ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 0 , ▁Lan ier ▁was ▁nominated ▁in ▁the ▁T IME ▁ 1 0 0 ▁list ▁of ▁most ▁influ ential ▁people . ▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁and ▁education ▁( 1 9 6 0 – 1 9 8 2 ) ▁Born ▁J aron ▁Z ep el ▁Lan ier ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City , ▁Lan ier ▁was ▁raised ▁in ▁Mes illa , ▁New ▁Mexico . ▁Lan ier ' s ▁mother ▁and ▁father ▁were ▁Jewish ; ▁his ▁mother ▁was ▁a ▁concentration ▁camp ▁surv iv or ▁from ▁Vienna ▁and ▁his ▁father ' s ▁family ▁had ▁em igr ated ▁from ▁Ukraine ▁to ▁escape ▁the ▁pog rom s . ▁When ▁he ▁was ▁nine ▁years ▁old , ▁his ▁mother ▁was ▁killed ▁in ▁a ▁car ▁accident . ▁He ▁lived ▁in ▁t ents ▁for ▁an ▁extended ▁period ▁with ▁his ▁father ▁before ▁emb ark ing ▁on ▁a ▁seven - year ▁project ▁to ▁build ▁a ▁ge odes ic ▁d ome ▁home ▁that ▁he ▁helped ▁design . ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 1 3 , ▁Lan ier ▁convinced ▁New ▁Mexico ▁State ▁University ▁to ▁let ▁him ▁en roll . ▁At ▁N MS U , ▁he ▁took ▁gradu ate - level ▁courses ; ▁he ▁received ▁a ▁grant ▁from ▁the ▁National ▁Science ▁Foundation ▁to ▁study ▁mathematical ▁notation , ▁which ▁led ▁him ▁to ▁learn ▁computer ▁programming . ▁From ▁