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Letters to the Editor -
Emptying out the InBox ...
Letter No. 1 Peggy, There is nothing on your site pages to say whether information is new or old. I think it would be helpful (at least to me) to have a main page that points to your most recently posted pages/material. Otherwise I feel I have to go through everything over and over to see what has been recently added (which I won’t do). Just some feedback that I think would make your site a better place. Regards, Anon ***************************** Letter No. 2 Dear Anon, Thanks for your note. EDA Confidential is meant to be many things, but never an annoyance. I send out a Table of Contents to readers whenever a new issue has been posted. I'll add you to the mailing list if you're interested. Other than that, there's a date stamp on all articles. Having said that, it probably would be better to have something at the top of the front page noting the current content. I'll put that in straightaway. Best wishes, Peggy Aycinena ***************************** Letter No. 3 Hi Peggy, I read your CDNLive! report. The exhibitors I talked to all felt [they received] lesser value than the price they paid, especially given foot traffic. Most felt that they had to be there - given their reliance on Cadence - but all said they'd have a hard time coughing up the money again. That's not to say they won't, only that they definitely don't feel that CDNLive! is a good value. Regards, Anon ***************************** Letter No. 4 Peggy, The little piece on Prince Casey was adorable! I especially loved your prediction regarding the language he will be working in - ANSI ESL++ V6.0! I must say your article declaring that "The mojo is back ..." was both informative and inspiring. It certainly made me feel proud to be even a small a part of the world of EDA - and I think you may have coined a new EDA tagline! Regards, Anon ***************************** Letter No. 5 Peggy, While looking for references, I came across another article titled "In Defense of Language Natural" written by Vincent Guiliano back in 1972: http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=805901 Had you seen this one before? Regards, Andrew Piziali
***************************** Letter No. 6 Andy, I had not seen this article before, but like you - I will read it as soon as I can carve out some time. Regards, Peggy ***************************** Letter No. 7 Peggy, With regards to Andy Piziali's article [written earlier this year]: "In Defense of Natural Language" Note that Andy makes a claim that I am in favor of formally specifying a design very early in the development cycle - and argues that doing so limits the degrees of freedom required to find an optimal architecture. On the contrary - I believe that there is a danger of over specifying too soon (prior to RTL implementation), and many people have heard me argue this point in the past. On the other hand, I believe that there is no excuse for delivering IP without formal specifications. (Degrees of freedom are NOT needed at that point.) Best regards, Harry Foster
***************************** Letter No. 8 Dear Peggy, I received a pointer to EDA confidential and was very amused by many postings. It is clearly a valuable service to the community. Coming from academia, you may be interested in a panel discussion at a recent CANDE (Computer-Aided Network DEsign) Committee regarding the state of research in EDA. Here is a copy of my own views on the subject - just to highlight the difficult environment for research funding that is now emerging: http://mesl.ucsd.edu/gupta/talks/ResearchFunding05.ppt Regards, Rajesh Gupta
***************************** Letter No. 9 Peggy, I almost cried just reading about Kathryn Kranen. I've marked October 4th on my calendar and will be praying for her hearing success! Regards, Anon ***************************** Letter No. 10 Dear Readers, Those of you lucky enough to talk with Jasper Design CEO Kathryn Kranen on November 1st - the night of the EDAC Kaufman Award dinner honoring Phil Moorby - know that Kathryn's surgery has been a success. She's proudly wearing her hearing device, which is fully functional, and continues to exude enthusiasm about the procedure and the technology! Thanks again to Kathryn for having the courage to tell her story. Regards, Peggy Aycinena ***************************** Letter No. 11 Peggy, What a great article you wrote about Kathryn Kranen. I sure enjoyed reading it. Take care, Anon ***************************** Letter No. 12 Peggy, My mother in law (one of the greatest people I know) had a cochlear implant done in one ear about three years ago. She was almost totally deaf. The operation changed her life as well, and it did take some getting used to. The stuff we do in this industry makes it all possible -- which is why I do it. If we aren't making life better for others in significant ways, it's not worth doing. Regards, Lou Covey ***************************** Letter No. 13 Peggy, I've been reading your articles on Guatemala - WOW! What a range of emotions you triggered in me. Congratulations on some very moving pieces. When I read about the muggings in broad daylight and your comment that even the Laundromat has got a guy at the door who is armed and menacing, I must admit I grew sad and scared at the thought that there are children growing up in such an environment. I guess I just take too much for granted living in Silicon Valley, where I can go out at dusk, when the air is cooler, and do my 4-mile walk and not worry about being harmed. Regards, Anon ***************************** Letter No. 14 Peggy, I have one correction for your article on Guatemala. The statement about assailants bypassing security and robbing the entire restaurant at gunpoint is a complete myth. It's perpetrated by wannabe security companies and other jealous restaurateurs. Regards, Anon ***************************** Letter No. 15 Peggy, Just finished your piece on difficult times . As usual, you have a very healthy perspective on the issue. Human beings are such a paradox. We fear isolation, so we create a vast electronic/photonic, international network that makes it possible for us to be connected to everyone everywhere at any moment of the day, then we worry and fret that someone might be looking at us every moment of the day. We establish standards of free speech, and then complain when someone says something we don't want to hear. And most paradoxical of all, we place ourselves at risk for the opportunity of advancement, and then complain that the government hasn't protected us from disaster. The world is a dangerous place and the glory that is mankind has always been that we have challenged that danger for the purpose of greater good. Sometimes we fail and create something far less than good. Sometimes the world kicks us in the teeth. For the most part we stand up and try again. But we still complain that someone else didn't take the consequences of our action away. (It seems to me right now that the biggest human failure in New Orleans is that, for some reason, we have not yet perfected Star Trek style transporters to deliver goods and services to the hurricane victims instantaneously.) But I have three friends that just recently moved to Mississippi. They went there because it was possible for them to buy a home and land on the salaries they make as high school graduates. I talked to one of them last night from a shelter where they are staying. They don't know if the home they purchased is still there. They know everything is a big mess. But her attitude is, "Wow, what an adventure! I wonder what happens next?" They knew it was a gamble. They bought insurance. They are prepared to rebuild because, as [my friend] said to me "The house may be gone and everything in it, but the land is still there. We'll just put something better there." I take some comfort in that attitude. We may be incredibly uncomfortable right now and people are in dire straits, but it will be fixed. And it will be better than it was before. Regards, Lou Covey ***************************** Letter No. 16 Peggy, Yes, that whole hurricane thing is just overwhelming. It's sad to see the incredible devastation. I hope no one in your family was affected. Regards, Anon ***************************** Letter No. 17 Peggy, On Steve Ohr. He is actually making a leap back to prognostication. He began as an analyst with his own firm and gradually seeped into publishing. Steve's forte has always been analysis. Regards, Lou Covey ***************************** Letter No. 18 Peggy, The six-sigma rule essentially states the statistical impossibility of eliminating flaws from anything. Given an infinite number of possible scenarios over an infinite amount of time, something bad is going to crop up no matter how well you design something or how diligent you are at following the rules. The trick is to lessen the errors and flaws as much as possible - to the six sigma. The IT industry refers to it as "five nines:" that a given communications system will be operational 99.999 percent of the time, which means it is down less than 5 minutes total a year. But my good friend, Les Spruiell at Xoomsys, once gave me the best description of the rule: No matter how much social engineering you apply to a given population, at least one psycho bastard is going to slip in. Regards, Lou Covey ***************************** Letter No. 19 Dear Sir or Madame, I am and I represent Mr. Mikhail Khordokovsky, the former CEO of Yukos Oil Company in Russia. I have a very sensitive and confidential brief from this top oligarch to ask for your partnership in re-profiling funds over US$16.5 million. I will give the details. But in summary, the funds are coming from a bank in Britain. This is a legitimate transaction. You will be paid 4% for your "management fees". If you are interested, please write back by email below. Please provide me with your confidential telephone number, fax number and email address and I will provide further details and instructions. Please keep this confidential; we can't afford more political problems. Finally, please note that this must be concluded within two weeks. Please write back promptly. Regards, Mr. Kamara Bamba ***************************** Letter No. 20 Dear Peggy, Your exquisitely written ARS-Semicon Ms. Marple letter has resulted in more than a little notoriety. I am happy to report Mr. Lapedus is alive and well, and continuing to report on the industry. Now that I know exactly who you are, I can assure you that, to quote Norman Bates, I could never even hurt a fly. Cheers, Ken Rygler P.S. Please let me know if we can do any “consulting’” for you, to help deal with those “sticky” problems. ***************************** Letter No. 21 Peggy, Thought these definitions might amuse you. Regards, Anon P.S. Caution being the better side of valor, I removed several in the list so as to not offend!
Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. Karmageddon: It's, like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer man. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.) Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
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