DAC Linkfest

Last year, I went to DAC in San Francisco, and I made a number of posts to my blog both before and after the 2006 conference:

• DAC is Here!
• Gary Smith's Must-See List
• Cooley's Must See List for DAC 2006
• 2006 DAC Report

This year, I'm not going to DAC in San Diego, but I thought I'd at least "phone it in" for my blog. With due credit to the EE Times' Richard Goering and other professional journalists, here's your one-stop 2007 DAC blog nexus:

• What's coming up for DAC. Less DFM & ESL hype, more functional verification, STA, and low-power.
• 40 new exhibitors at DAC
• Missing in action at DAC 2007
• A "what's hot" list for DAC 2007
• DAC & DFM – Once More, with Feeling I can't tell who the author of this article is. But judging by the site and the length of the article, I think it must be "EDA Penny".
• John Cooley's DAC Cheesy Must-See List. John hasn't posted his list as of this writing, but it should appear soon at his DeepChip web site.

Existentialist EDA

I'm getting tired (so tired! --Bauhaus) of waiting on vendors who promise that all our problems with their product will be fixed in the next release!

I told an EDA vendor that waiting for their tool to improve reminded me of the play Waiting for Godot. I thought this quite clever, but they didn't seem to. Maybe they didn't have to read it in college?

It might be fun to cast EDA persons into the play. Who would play the roles?

Vladimir

The tramp who struts about stiff-legged due to a painful bladder condition.

Estragon

The tramp who complains of his ill-fitting boots

Pozzo

cruel but lyrically gifted man

Lucky

servant

The Boy

messenger

Godot

?

Here's my literary interpretation:

• Clearly, Vladimir and Estragon are the afflicted customers.
• Pozzo is either the sales or marketing guy (I often forget the difference).
• Lucky is the poor FAE.
• The Boy is post-sales support.
• Godot is ??? Hey, I don't have all the answers, use your imagination!

Something Completely Different (but Worthy)

Dear readers,

Off topic, though perhaps a reason for the decline in my posting frequency since the beginning of the year. For the past several months, I've been supporting a program that raises awareness and funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This charity funds blood cancer research and patient services.

The program I'm part of is called Team in Training. Every season of every year, hundreds of runners, cyclists, and triathletes come together to train for a signature endurance event (e.g., marathon, century ride, or triathlon). More importantly, we collectively raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to help find a cure for cancer and to help those currently afflicted. We do this by getting sponsorship donations to the Society from our friends, families, and colleagues. Why not give blog readers a chance to help, too? That's where you come in. If your curiosity is piqued, and you'd like to read the rest of the story and perhaps make a donation to a very worth charity, please take a look at my Team in Training page. There you will find a link to another blog I've been keeping, "New Rider on the Purple Stage", which describes my cycling season in pictures and words. Please note that my season culminates in a few weeks, and the last day for donations for this season is May 21, 2007.

Thanks for reading.

John