DAC 2015 Pointers

For DAC, my first advice would be to do I Love DAC, It could be all you need: 3 free days of Exhibits, Keynotes, Skytalks and Designer Track Poster Session.

Next step to consider is the $95 "Designer Special" which adds the "IP Track" and "Designer Track". Beyond that, registration starts to get expensive. PERSONALLY, I don't get that much out of the hardcore academic papers--I associate them with PhD research and not much immediate impact on my job. But, if you're really into EDA or VLSI research, you could have a different outlook.

Public transportation is convenient, too.

The Day We Fight Back

February 11, 2014 marked The Day We Fight Back, a day to protest governments' mass surveillance of citizens' Internet communications.

O'Reilly Cyber Monday Deal: ALL E-Books 50% Off

This is the best deal of the year for O'Reilly's outstanding technical books, because it covers ALL their titles. One day only, December 2, 2013.

At Least EDA Isn't Up to 15

Q.v., HDL, Power Format, Library Format, Timing Model.

Big Changes at EE Times, Cadence Gets More Social

I'm sorry to see EE Times and its sister publications ending their print runs after many years. In my career, it was the original and most highly valued industry news source. It was a thrill to "qualify" for a subscription and receive the first issue addressed to me in my first job.

Several top media types have now landed at Cadence as they beef up their social media presence. The latest is former EE Times editor Brian Fuller, as announced in Right Turn on Seely Avenue -- A New Blog from Brian Fuller.

Both Synopsys and Cadence are making significant efforts in reaching social media, and it's interesting to see the different approaches. Synopsys has long been cultivating in-house talent and has first-mover advantage. Cadence has taken a shortcut by hiring top-notch journalists.

We can enjoy both perspectives, but certainly miss the more objective reporting formerly provided by third-party media.

Curate This!

At the dawn of time, a "blog" was short for Weblog -- primarily a way to share links of interest with like-minded people. To use one of the buzzwords of 2012, blogs were to "curate" web content.

Lately, I find myself doing more tweeting than blogging -- it's a quick and easy way to share links of interest. Here's a sample of what's happening in our "Semiconductor EDA" field, #semieda:
Tweets about "#semieda"

The New, New Colossus

In the last few weeks I've come across a number of compelling pleas for the US government to target immigration and specifically "green card" quotas at the highly-skilled Science, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM) professionals that we need in the high tech industry.

I don't think it's some coordinated conspiracy to push this agenda, but rather good long-term policy for our economic well-being.

Microsoft suggests charging employers for extra worker visas

Why Silicon Valley is losing its luster

Crovitz: Washington's New Twist on Human Sacrifice. (may require a Wall Street Journal subscription--sorry)

Quite a twist from the original immigration ideal; an update for the "flat" world?

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

-- Excerpt from The New Colossus