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All things IP and EDA fall under the jurisdiction of the EDA Designline site editor, Brian Bailey ()
What’s your power priority?
- 01.03.2010
Everyone is in favor of “low power”, but their reasons may differ; what are yours?Read More…
Three inches of wit …
- 06.17.2005
One of my favorite sources for quotes happens to be The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, so I thought it appropriate to head for the bookshelf and dust off the volume for the auspicious occasion of the launch of PLDesignLine.Read More…
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FPGA vendors wisely follow the leaders
- 08.04.2005
Taking a market driven approach is the way to go for FPGA and PLD designers. Read More…
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Where No FPGA Has Gone Before
- 08.10.2005
This week Mitrionics announced the ability to push-button program FPGAs in software for such lofty supercomputing computational-intensive applications as the human genome project, oil and gas exploration, aerospace, and finance.Read More…
Security–What Holes?
- 08.16.2005
I hate to shop. Although I know that there is a certain level of risk in doing business online, I still do a ton of it. I love Amazon.com, BN.com, Ebay, and Coldwater Creek. So far, I've been lucky that my transactions have remained secure; at least I think so. Read More…
Thwarting IP Hackers
- 08.24.2005
Seldom do companies write complete articles to answer my Blogs. This week, Actel did. Last week I asked, “Given Actel's announcement this week (Actel Turns Security up a Notch) of secure in-system programmability based on 128-bit AES encryption, it made me just a bit curious as to where are programmable device security breaches to date?” Read More…
Remember Bill Joy’s Fear?
- 08.25.2005
So, I know you're going to increasingly be experiencing the joy of designing FPGAs into the zoomiest applications. News is coming out fast and furious regarding that fact and I'm very excited as well.Read More…
So, do you want to meet?
- 08.31.2005
This week Celoxica announced the results of a survey Rosy future yet 86% of designers report no ESL training indicating a major disconnect in ESL training although ESL use will dramatically increase. Read More…
How do I use this thing?
- 09.07.2005
Medical, aerospace, nuclear, human genome, financial and other applications are seeing the inherent value and cost-effective price tag of FPGAs. Read More…
Dice or Dartboard?
- 09.08.2005
Today, two market research firms stuck their necks out to provide forecasts for 2006. Read More…
C Programmers, Don’t Miss Out
- 09.19.2005
Does place-and-route, concerns of chip real estate, and issues of timing make your eyes glaze over? It seems you're not alone.Read More…
Magma Erupts, Spews Fire
- 09.29.2005
Not since a similar all-out war between Cadence and Avanti, when Cadence employees “borrowed” source code to create Avanti, has a press release contained so much venom.Read More…
Xilinx FPGA-powered Ghostrider competes in DARPA
- 10.07.2005
I love zoomy applications–and this one is literally one of the zoomiest I've seen. Xilinx Spartan-3 and Virtex-II Pro FPGAs are at the heart of an autonomous vehicle's vision algorithm, allowing the vehicle to 'see' its surroundings, even in adverse conditions.Read More…
Who is that masked man?
- 10.12.2005
I’m currently bouncing off the walls with excitement, because this is my first day to officially take the reins as the editor of this mega-cool site.Read More…
PicoChip’s field-programmable node arrays (FPNAs)
- 10.13.2005
I've been watching picoChip with interest since those days when they were running silent and deep in “secret squirrel” mode…Read More…
Microchip’s DSP PICs: Whatever next?
- 10.14.2005
You can only imagine my surprise to hear that those clever little rapscallions at Microchip are now selling 16-bit PIC microcontrollers with DSP-centric functionality!Read More…
Structured ASICs are cool!
- 10.17.2005
In addition to CPLDs, FPGAs, FPAAs, FPNAs, and programmable processors, Programmable Logic Designline is also going to cover Structured ASICs.Read More…
If I had a coconut for every …
- 10.18.2005
The IEEE in Boston are hosting a series of six FPGA Seminars starting on Thursday 3rd November, 2005.Read More…
ChipX save us from being frozen in silicon!
- 10.20.2005
One of the big problems with creating a standard cell ASIC is that your algorithms are largely “frozen in silicon.”Read More…
Cool “stuff” from Actel, Altera, and Xilinx
- 10.24.2005
In the schematics for an old computer I found a “Banana Register” (because the data came in bunches)…Read More…
Cool tool aids paralyzed engineers
- 10.26.2005
An incredible piece of FREE software called Dasher helps people communicate and remain productive.Read More…
Are they playing our tune?
- 10.27.2005
Cool website locates the number one song playing on the day you were born.Read More…
The great day draws nigh…
- 10.31.2005
Only three days to go to the first in a series of six FPGA seminars hosted by the IEEE in Boston.Read More…
Hmmm, dual-port FPGA memories
- 11.02.2005
There's more to implementing dual-port memories in FPGAs than one might think.Read More…
Low power FPGAs and the origin of the universe
- 11.08.2005
QuickLogic introduce ultra-low-power FPGAs and Stephen Hawking presents a lecture on the origin of the universe.Read More…
Valuable aid in managing designs
- 11.11.2005
Perforce is an incredibly useful tool for managing the hardware and software portions of a design.Read More…
ESL even I can understand!
- 11.16.2005
In which we discover how to make tightly-managed architecture and micro-architecture changes safely and quicklyRead More…
Hand-cranked computers!
- 11.18.2005
When I created a hand-cranked computer spoof in the days of yore, it seems that I was years ahead of my time!Read More…
The dawn of age of materials science
- 11.22.2005
A plethora of new announcements indicate that the 21st century will be known as “The Age of Materials Science.”Read More…
Happy Thanksgiving!
- 11.23.2005
“Good Golly Miss Molly!” It can't be time for Thanksgiving again; I only just recovered from celebrating last year's holiday…Read More…
Platform modeling workshop
- 11.29.2005
If you're going to be in Grenoble, France on 9 December 2005 and have nothing to do, then I have just the place for you to go…Read More…
Are we all in sync?
- 11.30.2005
How cool to hear that asynchronous logic design is becoming one of the better-kept secrets in the chip design community.Read More…
Pondering a floating-point problem
- 12.05.2005
You don’t realize what you don’t know until you try to explain it to someone else!Read More…
OCP is the one for me!
- 12.07.2005
Connecting IP cores together sounds easy if you say it quickly and wave your arms around a lot, but connecting these little scamps together is a non-trivial task.Read More…
Mixed-signal FPGA is here to stay!
- 12.13.2005
I've seen a number of devices that might be classed as “field-programmable analog arrays (FPAAs)” appear and disappear, but I think this one is here to stay… Read More…
I’m in Nixi Tube Heaven!
- 12.16.2005
I've just been introduced to the “Mike's Electric Stuff” website, which provides a goldmine of information on early display technologies and other “stuff”.Read More…
Rounding algorithms we know and love
- 12.16.2005
The mind boggles at the variety and intricacies of the rounding algorithms used for different applications. Read More…
Happy Holidays (especially Boxing Day)!
- 12.22.2005
Coming from the UK but now living in the USA, this is the time of year when I have to explain just what “Boxing Day” is all about.Read More…
Just what is a Christmas Cracker?
- 12.28.2005
Having been born in the UK, this is the time of year when I have to explain British holiday traditions to my American friends, such as “just what is a Christmas Cracker?” Read More…
It’s going to be GREAT year!
- 01.03.2006
Happy New Year! Good grief, are the holidays over already? I was just getting into the swing of things!Read More…
A plethora of reconfigurable processing technologies
- 01.10.2006
The variety of reconfigurable processing technologies that are available are enough to make your brain ache.Read More…
Exclusive Editorial NetSeminar
- 01.17.2006
I'm soon to host a live one-hour NetSeminar on the role of programmable logic in embedded systems (I hope the camera catches my good side).Read More…
Have you signed up for the NetSeminar?
- 01.19.2006
Following our initial discussions on “The Role of Programmable Logic in Embedded Systems,” you can join us in a live Q&A session! Read More…
Did you attend our NetSeminar?
- 01.19.2006
Even if you missed the live event, you can still see view a recording of our NetSeminar on “The Role of Programmable Logic in Embedded Systems.” Read More…
Diamonds want to be an engineer’s biggest buddy
- 01.25.2006
When we are able to create consistent, single-crystal diamond films, then, in addition to being “a girl's best friend,” diamonds will also become “an electronic engineer's biggest buddy!”Read More…
Read any good books recently?
- 01.30.2006
I've long been fascinated by the concept of asynchronous design, but I've only ever been exposed to it from the “50,000 foot” view, until now…Read More…
There’s always another twist!
- 02.02.2006
The high-level multi-threaded language and tool called Mobius makes it easy to develop complex applications for FPGAs.Read More…
Things are buzzing at the Multicore Association
- 02.07.2006
Open for membership, the Multicore Association announces executive board slate and first public presentations on workgroup progress.Read More…
Cool new FPGA families from Lattice
- 02.08.2006
Industry analyst says Lattice now has the breadth and depth of FPGA products to become the third force in the FPGA market.Read More…
Cool “stuff” on the processor front.
- 02.10.2006
I don't know about you, but I'm tremendously excited by the ongoing developments in processing technology. Read More…
RTOS designed for multicore systems
- 02.13.2006
I find it relatively easy to wrap my brain around the concept of an operating system running on a single processor. But what about a system containing multiple heterogeneous CPU and DSP cores?Read More…
Deja Vu (Did somebody just say that?)
- 02.16.2006
In my last Blog, which was on the need for a good RTOS for multicore systems, I mentioned Quadros; so imagine my surprise to see today's news…Read More…
Multi-processor and reconfigurable computing
- 02.21.2006
Trying to wrap one's brain around the myriad alternative computing strategies available to today's designers is enough to make your eyes water!Read More…
Optimality study of logic synthesis for LUT-based FPGAs
- 02.23.2006
It looks like there are going to be a bumper crop of interesting papers presented at the FPGA 2006 conference this year.Read More…
What are framers and mappers?
- 02.24.2006
A reader poised a question to me regarding framers and mappers; I don't have a clue; perhaps you can help?Read More…
Anyone need a world-leading ASIC design team?
- 02.27.2006
3D Labs just closed down their operation in Huntsville AL, with the result that a world-leasing ASIC design and verification team is looking for a new home.Read More…
Spiral FPGA architectures?
- 03.01.2006
Could the structures of a volcanic dome and a revolutionary new cooling fan be harbingers of future FPGA architectures?Read More…
Why is grass green and tomatoes red?
- 03.06.2006
It turns out that much if what we learned at school with regard to color vision was wrong. For example, we do NOT have red, green, and blue color receptors in our eyes!Read More…
Will I see you at the Multicore Expo?
- 03.07.2006
I'm all aquiver with excitement, because I'm going to be hosting a “Birds of a Feather Get Together” at the Multicore Expo 2006.Read More…
Siloti from Novas: what a great idea!
- 03.10.2006
On the off-chance you aren't up to date; let me briefly summarize the key concepts behind this cunning little rapscallion.Read More…
Throwing someone off a tower for science!
- 03.13.2006
Have you ever had a stressful experience when everything seemed to go into slow motion? Was this the brain in overdrive or a fake recollection?Read More…
Know any good books?
- 03.14.2006
I'm looking for suggestions for books on design, programming, languages … anything suitable for beginners. Do you have any recommendations?Read More…
The Multicore Expo Draws Nigh!
- 03.16.2006
My excitement is mounting, because the Multicore Expo 2006 (where I'm going to be hosting a “Birds of a Feather Get Together” meeting) is just next week!Read More…
I’m off to see the wizard…
- 03.20.2006
As I pen these words, I'm poised to close down my computer and board a plane to fly out to the Multicore Expo in Santa Clara.Read More…
Time flies when you’re having fun…
- 03.21.2006
Stardate = 6:00 am PST, Location = Hotel in StanaClara, Mission = Finish working, eat breakfast, and race over to the Multicore Expo.Read More…
Things are rolling at the Multicore Expo!
- 03.21.2006
Part 2 of an ongoing account of Max's epic voyage of discovery at Multicore Expo 2006 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.Read More…
IMEC are involved in some mega-cool stuff
- 03.21.2006
Part 3 of Max's epic voyage of discovery at Multicore Expo 2006 (in which we go to lunch).Read More…
Real men multi-task
- 03.22.2006
Part 4 of Max's epic trek through the wonders and delights of the Multicore Expo 2006 (in which we're poised to start day 2).Read More…
3000-plus FPGA-to-ASIC Conversions
- 03.22.2006
AMI Semiconductor (AMIS) have more than 3000 FPGA-to-ASIC conversions to their credit. Wow!Read More…
Which way to turn?
- 03.23.2006
It's day 3 of the Multicore Expo, and there are so many papers and tracks that it's difficult to know where to go and what to see!Read More…
The thin man is squeaking!
- 03.24.2006
The Multicore Expo is over, and – if nothing else – I now know that there's a lot more things I don’t know anything about!Read More…
Heath Robinson Rube Goldberg Computer
- 03.27.2006
Do you recall the American cartoonist and illustrator Rube Goldberg and his English counterpart Heath Robinson?Read More…
FPGAs for critical data traffic management
- 03.29.2006
This scalable tripl-play data traffic management solution can provide high-performance throughput support from 50 Mbps to 10+ Gbps!Read More…
Has anyone heard about Magnetic Logic from the days of yore?
- 03.31.2006
Emails are flooding in with all sorts of suggestions for my “Heath Robinson Rube Goldberg Computer” project, including using Magnetic Logic.Read More…
Arrggh, I almost had a Jacob’s Ladder!
- 04.03.2006
Another system clock contender for my “Heath Robinson Rube Goldberg Computer” project would be a Jacob's ladder.Read More…
I’m in Nixie Tube Heaven!
- 04.04.2006
I've just been introduced to the “Mike's Electric Stuff” website, which provides a goldmine of information on early display technologies and other “stuff”.Read More…
The first “integrated circuit” from 1926!
- 04.05.2006
To my mind, the “Loewe 3NF” from 1926 (a device conceived to reduce the amount of taxes one had to pay) certainly qualifies as an “integrated circuit”!Read More…
What’s the minimum instruction set for a useful CPU?
- 04.07.2006
I'm currently pondering the minimum instruction set for a useful CPU. Any ideas or musings would be gratefully received.Read More…
Any positions open for an EE near Newton, MA?
- 04.11.2006
I've been in email correspondence with a reader about different design technologies; he's a good all-rounder who is looking for a job.Read More…
I asked: “what’s the minimum instruction set for a CPU?” And the answer is…
- 04.12.2006
According to one reader, the answer is just one instruction, and he has the references to prove it!Read More…
The most amazing computer keyboard ever!
- 04.14.2006
I've just been introduced to the most amazing computer keyboard, in which every key is an active color display!Read More…
Happy Birthday Mentor Graphics!
- 04.17.2006
In the not-so-distant past, the company names “Daisy, Mentor, and Valid” went together like “Larry, Curly, and Moe!”Read More…
Ultrasonic teenage deterrent
- 04.24.2006
A new device has been specifically designed to disperse groups of teenagers from loitering in areas in which they are not wanted.Read More…
Das Keyboard!
- 04.25.2006
What would you think about a computer keyboard with absolutely no markings on the keys: genius or insanity?Read More…
2 GHz Asynchronous FPGAs and other “stuff”
- 04.26.2006
A new day dawns with more ideas than you can shake a stick at rattling around in my poor old noggin.Read More…
Be afraid, be very afraid!
- 04.27.2006
Will a credit card company still send you a card if you tear the application up into small pieces and then stick it back together again? Unbelievably, the answer is “Yes!”Read More…
We’re in RFID Wonderland!
- 04.28.2006
It won't be long before RFID tags appear on almost every product we buy, such as a can of beans or a carton of milk.Read More…
“Letter Board” for the severely disabled
- 05.01.2006
My wheelchair-bound friend, Steve Pesto, has developed a simple, elegant, easy-to-use tool to aid communication with the severely disabled.Read More…
Scientists make water run uphill (really!)
- 05.02.2006
There's so much cool stuff out there to discover (and play with) on the Internet that sometimes I'm amazed I actually get any work done!Read More…
Adjusting images for color-blind viewers
- 05.03.2006
Here's a mega-cool program that modifies color images in such a way that color-blind folks can extract useful information from them!Read More…
Igpay Atinlay (Pig Latin) and other translators
- 05.04.2006
If you've ever wondered how to speak in Pig Latin, then I have news for you! (Or perhaps I should say “Iay avehay ewsnay orfay ouyay!”)Read More…
Another aid to communication for the severely disabled
- 05.05.2006
Just about everyone knows someone who is physically challenged and who may benefit from a communications aid like Dasher.Read More…
Take me outside and spank me now!
- 05.08.2006
Good grief! I make one little mistake, and I find myself up to my ears in a deluge of messages (what's an XOR gate between friends?).Read More…
A mega-cool reference on computers!
- 05.10.2006
With more than 20,000 entries, this little rapscallion will keep you busy for ages. You can download a free demo or you can search for terms online.Read More…
There are some really clever TV adverts these days!
- 05.11.2006
I recently ran across a website containing all of those mega-cool TV adverts that make us go “Ooooh” and “Ahhhh”.Read More…
Wild and wacky ideas for the HRRG computer!
- 05.12.2006
Using a robot arm to write 0s and 1s on a piece of paper, combined with optical character recognition (OCR) to read the values back again as required.Read More…
Virtex-5 devices aren’t your mother’s FPGAs!
- 05.15.2006
Xilinx have just unveiled a new FPGA architecture at the 65 nm technology node, and these little rapscallions are mega-amazing!Read More…
Easy- and fun-to-use schematic-driven logic simulator is now freeware!
- 05.16.2006
I've long been impressed with the MMLogic simulator from Softronics, so I was delighted to discover that folks can now get it for free!Read More…
Are you looking for a new job (if not, why not)?
- 05.17.2006
Have you visited CMP's new Technical Careers website? If you're looking for a new job, or if you need more employees, you should check it out!Read More…
Mega-cool electronics hobbyist website
- 05.18.2006
I was just introduced to the Web-EE.com electrical and electronics website, which boasts a treasure-trove of interesting “stuff” for hobbyists and engineers alike.Read More…
The sad tale of the avocado (its primary eater is extinct)
- 05.19.2006
The South American herbivorous giant ground sloth is extinct. If I had to pass avocado stones on a regular basis, I think extinction would be the preferable option.Read More…
Fighting world hunger by building sculptures out of canned foods!
- 05.22.2006
A friend recently introduced me to the “Canstruction” website where competing teams design giant sculptures made entirely out of canned foods.Read More…
How many ergs equate to one poundal-foot?
- 05.24.2006
Have you seen that great little application called “Convert”? I use it all the time. And the best thing about it is it's free!Read More…
A blast from the past!
- 05.30.2006
Did you ever own an HP-41 programmable calculator? If so, I have a treat for you: a virtual HP-41 simulator-emulator!Read More…
X-number-based calculators and keyboards
- 05.31.2006
Calculator enthusiast James Redin has a suite of web-based calculators that demonstrate the use of verbal/structured numbers.Read More…
Almost everyone is on the FPGA bandwagon
- 06.07.2006
A story on the EE Times site says that more than 80% of designers employ FPGAs.Read More…
And I thought *I* was having a bad day!
- 06.13.2006
The one in which the boom of a track hoe excavator collides with an overpass and literally almost chopped it in half (the photos are simply amazing).Read More…
That rings a bell!
- 06.14.2006
When it comes to the “Mysteries of the Ancients,” let's not forget the two-tone bells from China circa 1200 to 200 BC.Read More…
Rockets powered by Oreo cookies!
- 06.16.2006
Just when you think you've seen it all, someone comes up with something more wild and wacky than you would ever conceive in a thousand years.Read More…
Information can be “negative” at the quantum level
- 06.19.2006
What does the concept of “negative information” imply? Well, in a nutshell, you would end up knowing less if I were to send you some negative information.Read More…
Where can one find a paper tape reader/writer?
- 06.21.2006
Someone just posed this question to me, and I realized that I would quite like one for myself…Read More…
ASICs and FPGAs may come and go, but rounding is for ever!
- 06.23.2006
The debate as to whether ASICs are a dying breed and FPGAs will take over the world continues unabated, but whoever wins we will still need rounding algorithms.Read More…
Synplicity’s open IP encryption proposal : what a GREAT idea!
- 06.26.2006
Protecting and deploying intellectual property (IP) is a major problem, but it looks like Synplicity has found a solution that will satisfy everyone.Read More…
Will I be riding a space elevator by 2020?
- 06.28.2006
Over the last ten years, the Space Elevator has moved from being a “far-future science fiction” item to being a very solvable engineering problem.Read More…
Synaesthesia: Hearing colors and tasting sounds
- 07.05.2006
When listening to other people talking, some folks may see colors or they may experience different taste sensations corresponding to the various words.Read More…
You’ve got to think things through!
- 07.06.2006
In which we take a look at some unfortunate domain names who's URLs do not convey quite the image their owners had perhaps intended!Read More…
USB-controlled desktop missile launcher
- 07.07.2006
The ultimate deterrent against those annoying people who lurk around your desk chatting incessantly because they've got nothing better to do.Read More…
I hate spyware!
- 07.10.2006
A recent expose on the spyware company Direct Revenue details the workings and business model of this insidious organization.Read More…
How big is Earth compared to … ?
- 07.11.2006
Just how much bigger is the Earth compared to Mercury, for example? Or how much smaller is the Earth compared to Jupiter?Read More…
Unavoidable laws of the universe as we know it!
- 07.12.2006
In which we discover some unavoidable laws of the universe (e.g. “Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's ugly.”); maybe you have some of your own to add?Read More…
Scientists discover beer in space!
- 07.14.2006
Three British scientists have discovered an interstellar gas cloud containing enough alcohol to make 400 trillion trillion pints of beer!Read More…
The future is (almost) now!
- 07.17.2006
Techniques for controlling the weather (rain on demand)? Suspended animation? Stuff that was science fiction yesterday is becoming real as we speak!Read More…
A self-contained data chip the size of a grain of rice!
- 07.18.2006
Different groups of folks like HP and IMEC are working on miniscule self-contained chips that can collect and/or store data and then transmit it when requested.Read More…
Discovery Channel’s “MythBusters” to appear at DAC
- 07.19.2006
With all of the vendors at DAC telling you that their products are the best, how can you know what's true and what's hype? This sounds like a job for the MythBusters!Read More…
I am a super-happy camper, because …
- 07.19.2006
Two Austrian engineers have commenced a project to implement a low-cost FPGA-based physical implementation of our virtual DIY Calculator.Read More…
$450 to turn your toilet into a fish tank!
- 07.21.2006
That's right, you heard me; this little scamp is billed as “A whimsical potty that turns your toilet into a nautical wonderland!”Read More…
My adventures at DAC 2006 (day 1)!
- 07.25.2006
In addition to learning lots of cool stuff about companies and tools, I also got to take part in Tensilica's art campaign to raise money for Ballet San Jose!Read More…
My ongoing adventures at DAC 2006 (Days 2, 3, and 4)!
- 07.28.2006
There are so many stories to tell; at the Magma briefing, for example, the bus to the next venue arrived at the same time as the Creme Brulee . . . arrggghh! Read More…
The eyes of the mantis shrimp puts ours to shame!
- 08.01.2006
Known as “sea locusts” by the ancient Assyrians, mantis shrimp are little tricksters, because they aren't actually shrimp or mantids.Read More…
Bubblz the Clown, is that you?
- 08.02.2006
Discovering that one of the engineers you used to work with has become a professional clown (and balloon artist) is not the sort of news one receives every day. Read More…
A future wonder of the world — “The Clock of the Long Now”
- 08.04.2006
Despite minor problems like the fall of civilization as we know it, this 60-foot mechanical behemoth is intended to keep accurate time for at least 10,000 years!Read More…
Dan from ‘down under’ is not a happy camper!
- 08.06.2006
Based in Australia, Dan Rutter's website contains an eclectic mix of product reviews and useful articles and tutorials … which someone has been plagiarizing!Read More…
Custom laser cutting for home robot projects!
- 08.08.2006
Pololu Robotics has just about anything one might wish when it comes to leaping into the robot-building arena, including a laser-cutting service for custom parts.Read More…
The 25 greatest PCs of all time
- 08.11.2006
A friend just pointed me at a very interesting article that wades through reams of history to pick the top 25 PCs of all time (plus a lot of “runner-ups”).Read More…
The return of ‘Digital Journal Online’
- 08.14.2006
My old chum Bijan Tehrani (film maker extraordinaire) has just launched a film-related website featuring news and events, interviews and reviews, and all sorts of other content.Read More…
Can’t sleep? Then learn to play the didgeridoo!
- 08.16.2006
I just ran across a study published by the British Medical Journal showing that regularly playing the didgeridoo reduces snoring and daytime sleepiness.Read More…
NASA have misplaced original Apollo 11 tapes!
- 08.17.2006
I don't believe it – apparently no one knows where the original video tapes of the Apollo 11 moonwalk currently reside – and I thought I had organizational problems.Read More…
What an amazing optical illusion!
- 08.18.2006
I've just been exposed to a rather cunning optical illusion in which a black-and-white image appears to be in full color; you can check it out for yourself!Read More…
Big boys like big toys!
- 08.22.2006
Are you looking for an inflatable referee's costume, a water bomb-launching sling, or something warm to cuddle up in bed with? Well, look no further…Read More…
From tiny dice to pyramid-shaped-watermelons!
- 08.23.2006
There are some mega-interesting websites; for example, the “Pink Tentacle” site has all sorts of cool stories, from microscopic dice to mermaid mummies!Read More…
It’s official – Pluto is no longer a planet!
- 08.24.2006
After a turbulent week of discordant debate, the International Astronomical Union has stripped Pluto of its planetary status.Read More…
65 Optical illusions and visual phenomena
- 08.25.2006
Michael Bach has put a phenomenal amount of work into creating a website that provides incredibly cool examples of 65 different visual illusions!Read More…
Wheels within wheels!
- 08.28.2006
I've just been introduced to a company that creates the most amazingly intricate motor cycle wheels – you really have to see these little rapscallions to believe them!Read More…
From dark matter via perpetual machines to a flat earth
- 08.29.2006
An unbelievable assortment of original documents on diverse subjects that will keep the average techno-weenie-geek busy for at least a month!Read More…
The Daily Farce (a satirical and distorted look at the news)
- 08.30.2006
Read all about it: Apple Announces New iPod For Deaf People; NASA sells space shuttle on eBay; high school textbooks in California limited to only 200 pages…Read More…
Very cool (and free) graph paper printer software
- 08.31.2006
Instead of trying to create a logarithmic scale from the ground up (for use in an illustration), I queried the web and ran across this little rapscallion!Read More…
From banana-plant solar panels to 406 MPH in a Peugeot 406
- 09.05.2006
I've just returned from celebrating the Labor Day holiday (and by golly I was ready for it) to discover all sorts of cool stories in my email.Read More…
A ‘senses challenge’ plus lots of other cool stuff
- 09.06.2006
Among other things, we find an interactive challenge to our senses (each item comes with a short explanation as to how you can't always trust your perception).Read More…
More cool low-cost (or free) graphics programs
- 09.07.2006
How about a virtual easel that mimics oils, chalk, markers, crayons, pencils, and so forth?Read More…
Yet more free graphics programs
- 09.08.2006
Folks continue to recommend really good graphics programs; meanwhile I'm busily looking for (accurate) spectral data on moonlight.Read More…
The ‘box’ that broke the Enigma code is rebuilt
- 09.11.2006
Also, I'm more than a little surprised to discover that the 'machine' I'm currently using to as a door stop to keep my office door open may be worth $50,796! Read More…
The Khronos 4D projector
- 09.12.2006
Named after the personification of time in ancient Greek Literature, the Khronos Projector provides a new way to manipulate pre-recorded movie content. Read More…
Building a spectrometer from a CD and a cornflakes box
- 09.13.2006
This interesting and easy-to-build home experiment may provide a hint on the path to solving a question I've been pondering (or not as the case might be).Read More…
Let’s surprise Gabe Moretti!
- 09.18.2006
The editor of our sister DesignLine site, EDAdesignline.com, is on vacation – the silly sausage has left me in charge – let's surprise him on his return!Read More…
It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
- 09.19.2006
Seriously, September 19 is one of the now-classic geek holidays and ranks right up there with 'Pi Day' (14 March) and 'Pi Approximation Day' (22 July).Read More…
Fast and free Acrobat document viewer
- 09.20.2006
This free viewer overcomes the two problems that make me rant and rave; the time it takes to open a PDF and the PDFs I can't open.Read More…
A reader responds to ‘seeing schematics in color’
- 09.21.2006
I just heard from an electronics engineer who reports experiencing seeing the wires linking logic gates in color (this is in schematics printed in black-and-white).Read More…
The most amazing visual illusion!
- 09.25.2006
Called the “Rotating Turtles” illusion, this static image appears to move in front of your eyes to the extent you can become dizzy looking at it!Read More…
The Tertiary Period no longer exists!
- 09.27.2006
Geologists have recently gone through a fairly thorough revision of the time scale; the Tertiary Period (from 65 to 1.8 million years ago) has been given the boot!Read More…
I have a question about Venn Diagrams
- 09.29.2006
I know, I know, these representations are intrinsically simple in concept, yet I have a niggling memory of something that, well, I can't quite remember!Read More…
A call to arms – I need your help!
- 10.04.2006
Sometimes it's incredibly important to press the buttons to rate articles you read on the web; for example, a recent piece of mine own.Read More…
USB hamster wheel – it’s a MUST have!
- 10.05.2006
I have seen the future – at least the future as regards the next thing that will be appearing on my office desk, which is a USB-controlled hamster wheel!Read More…
The answer to my Venn Diagram query!
- 10.06.2006
I was right – using cross-hatching in a Venn Diagram can have meaning beyond simple shading!Read More…
Taking high-res images using a 1-pixel digital camera
- 10.11.2006
Unlike regular digital cameras that capture multiple pixels simultaneously, this new technique involves imaging a single pixel multiple times.Read More…
Fractal images that take your breath away!
- 10.17.2006
The really cool thing is that these images were created using a freeware program called Apophysis that runs on Windows.Read More…
Do you want to write a “How To” article?
- 10.18.2006
Have you been working on an interesting project? If so, would you like to achieve fame beyond your wildest dreams?Read More…
The most exquisite mechanical models
- 10.24.2006
I've just been privileged to see miniature mechanical models of such exquisite perfection it takes one's breath away!Read More…
Very cool verification-centric micro-website
- 10.25.2006
Everything you ever wanted to know about verification from the block-to-chip-to-system levels covered in excruciating detail!Read More…
The most amazing astronomical images for free
- 11.01.2006
Honestly, these images are gorgeous: baby stars being born – old stars exploding – galaxies colliding – and the list goes on.Read More…
Do-it-yourself snow-at-home project!
- 11.02.2006
A NASA engineer shows you how to make your own snow; be the envy of your neighbors and have the coolest (pun intended) yard on your street!Read More…
New color vision test is a bit of a shocker!
- 11.07.2006
I just took a new color vision test and was somewhat surprised at the results!Read More…
The future is now – 1mm thick light panels
- 11.16.2006
The folks at a company called CeeLite have developed Light Emitting Capacitor (LEC) panels that act as flexible, paper-thin light sources.Read More…
Interactive periodic table is rather interesting
- 11.21.2006
Occasionally an item in the net catches my eye, such as a recent email from the folks at Popular Science trying to entice me with all sorts of “goodies.”Read More…
How to save 100 horses + a rather amazing prank
- 11.29.2006
I was recently beguiled into checking out two online videos; one makes you want to laugh out loud and the other makes you want to cry (I'll let you decide which is which).Read More…
Emails from readers – from the sublime to the ridiculous!
- 11.30.2006
I now receive more emails in the average day than I used to in a month in ye “good old days” (some are really interesting, while others make me say “Que?”)Read More…
Where can we find ferromagnetic cores to make a magnetic core store memory?
- 12.04.2006
A reader asks if normal ferrite beads will work, or if they have the wrong hysteresis (and if so, where can we obtain some cores that will work?).Read More…
We now have BCD math routines for the virtual DIY Calculator
- 12.13.2006
I'm a “happy camper” because we now have a suite of binary-coded decimal (BCD) math routines for the DIY Calculator (plus I have some ferrite cores on the way).Read More…
More information regarding Gray codes is flooding in
- 12.18.2006
I'm learning all sorts of information on Gray codes and Gray code counters, such as the fact that they consume half the average power of a binary counter.Read More…
In which we discover the steam-powered origin of the Internet
- 12.20.2006
It is a little known fact that, even today, the Internet still relies on some steam-driven sections, mostly for little trodden routes to some of the more obscure domains.Read More…
Struggling with FPGA “gate” equivalents
- 12.22.2006
A reader explains how he calculates FPGA equivalent gates and compares today's devices to the TTL technology of yesteryear.Read More…
Matthias Wandel’s Magic Marble Machine
- 12.26.2006
I just ran across the website of one Matthias Wandel, who has an eclectic range of interests, including some really cool marble machines.Read More…
Vegetal FPGAs (only eight Euros each)
- 12.29.2006
New open source form of logic runs on water, oxygen, and biomaterial; is environmentally friendly; and is reputed to smell good.Read More…
TotalRecall – What an amazingly cool idea!
- 01.08.2007
Its as though the guys and gals at Synplicity all sport turbo-charged size-16 brains with “go-faster” stripes painted on the side!Read More…
I’m now the proud possessor of 50,000 magnetic cores!
- 01.10.2007
That's right, 50,000 ferro-magnetic cores! They are really tiny, but as we all know — of course — it's not the size of your cores, it's what you do with them that counts!Read More…
Reach out and OneTouch someone today!
- 01.16.2007
The folks at Synaptics have just introduced a family of mega-cool configurable capacitive sensing chips called Synaptics OneTouch.Read More…
A positive plethora of cool websites!
- 01.17.2007
Here are some cool sites that have crossed my desk in the last couple of days, from transistor museums to the dangers of using restrooms to the horrors of Wii.Read More…
Artificial-intelligence music program is thoroughly addictive!
- 01.24.2007
If you play with the Pandora program, you are in danger of discovering music you love by artists you've never heard of. How amazingly cool!Read More…
Do NOT press that big red button!
- 01.25.2007
While giving a tour of a data center, a manager flipped what he thought was a light switch; sadly, this turned out to be an ill-placed control for an entire bank of servers…Read More…
Students build a really cool computer
- 01.31.2007
Not exactly a “micro” — this beast comprises nine square feet of prototype boards, sixty yards of wire, seventy-nine LEDs, and fifty-three integrated circuits.Read More…
How long does it take to catch a computer virus?
- 02.01.2007
Would you believe only 8 seconds! Some folks connected an unprotected PC to the Internet and the results were immediate and very, very scary!Read More…
The latest and greatest on the multi-core front
- 02.02.2007
Now in its second year, the forthcoming three-day Multicore Expo will feature many technical sessions and keynotes, as well as a two-day exhibit.Read More…
Everything is relative (even my auntie Barbara)
- 02.07.2007
My auntie Barbara's assiduous scrubbing in my younger years has left me the proud owner of the cleanest pair on knees in the known universe!Read More…
Nominations are open for “Women in EDA” award
- 02.08.2007
You may be surprised to hear that this award is open to both men and women with technical or non-technical backgrounds in industry or academia.Read More…
Hardware Verification with C++
- 02.12.2007
Much to my surprise, I spent my weekend curled up with a really good book on hardware verification with C++ by Mike Mintz and Robert Ekendahl.Read More…
The Dutch are so cool!
- 02.16.2007
No really, they've come up with a cunning plan to store plan to store gigawatts of electricity created from wind in refrigerated warehouses normally used to store food.Read More…
To buy, or not to buy (HDTV)? Ah, that’s the question.
- 02.21.2007
With its 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, this 47-inch Quad HDTV beauty will make today's state-of-the-art 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) sets look “cheesy” by comparison.Read More…
On the hunt of the wild conundrum!
- 02.27.2007
Do you recall the brain bogglers posed by the computer magazines of yesteryear in which you had to solve simple tasks using the fewest assembly code instructions? Read More…
The Journal of Irreproducible Results (and other sites)
- 02.28.2007
Here are a few more weird and wonderful websites that recently caught my attention and tickled my fancy. Read More…
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
- 03.02.2007
Evolution versus Intelligent Design (AKA Creationism) versus Flying Spaghetti Monsters … and don't forget the link between Pirates and Global Warming!Read More…
Brian’s Brilliant Monitor vs Max’s Magnificent Monitor
- 03.05.2007
For the past few weeks, Brian Beckius and I have been competing with each other to write the coolest monitor program for a virtual 8-bit computer.Read More…
Domino-based versus organic computers
- 03.06.2007
Sadly, domino-based computation will never catch on where I live, because I've just discovered that it's illegal to play dominoes on Sunday in Alabama.Read More…
Chair of the future meets home theatre watch!
- 03.07.2007
It spins, raises, lowers, reclines, leans, and tilts; it's aesthetic, ergonomic, phantasmagoric, and just about any other “ic” you care to mention. Read More…
The crux of the biscuit
- 03.08.2007
As part of a religious debate I found myself researching Frank Zappa, one of whose kids is called “Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen”, and then things started to get strange…Read More…
The biscuit bites back!
- 03.09.2007
The meaning behind the Frank Zappa quote is revealed; plus we discover a kit that allows you to take high-speed photos with your digital camera.Read More…
Have I been praised or insulted?
- 03.12.2007
Generally speaking I consider myself to have a reasonably extensive vocabulary and a certain dexterity with the mother tongue, so why don't I understand this email from a reader?Read More…
Testing mainframe computers using a small loudspeaker
- 03.21.2007
An article on problem-solving in a 1970s IT department reminded me as to how we used to test mainframe computers using little more than a small loudspeaker.Read More…
All sorts of “stuff”
- 03.22.2007
A 1920 Comptometer mechanical calculator is winging its way to me from Argentina; the physical DIY Calculator works; part 4 of my HRRG series has been posted; and much, much more…Read More…
Coincidence? I think not!
- 03.26.2007
Things are starting to get a little strange. Every time I write something about anything, someone says: “I was there!”Read More…
Vintage sense amps for my magnetic core store
- 03.27.2007
I'm now the proud possessor of some 1974 vintage core sense amplifiers, the origin of which includes an interesting tale.Read More…
Genetically modifying human visual and other sensory systems
- 04.02.2007
Recent experiments on mice suggest that it may be possible to correct color blindness and even augment other sensory systems (why have drug-sniffing dogs when you can have drug-sniffing policemen?)Read More…
One of the funniest things I’ve seen on the web
- 04.06.2007
It's been a long, LONG day, but this little scamp of a web-based thread made me laugh out loud!Read More…
Free cell-phone locator website
- 04.10.2007
Just enter someone's cell-phone number to find out exactly where they are.Read More…
Don’t bite the hand that…
- 04.11.2007
This is pretty cool – see how first grade kids respond when presented with the first halves of well-known quotes.Read More…
Girls using computers?
- 04.17.2007
Here's a new collection of rather funny images from around the web (including “Geek Toilet”, “Hello Dear”, “Useless Cat”, and “Girls' Computer”)!Read More…
Looking at the world in a whole new way
- 04.18.2007
We're used to seeing maps of the world presented in terms of area, but this site shows them scaled in terms of population, wealth, fast-food, and many other criteria.Read More…
The girls bite back – boys using computers
- 04.20.2007
A reader is kind enough to point us toward a graphic illustration depicting how men use computers (and how true it is).Read More…
Victorian fax machines?
- 04.28.2007
Images were being captured, transmitted, and reproduced by electromechanical means in 1842, only five years after Queen Victoria had ascended to the throne!Read More…
Looking at things upside down
- 04.30.2007
If you don a pair of special glasses that make everything appear to be upside down, after a few days your brain will learn how to compensate.Read More…
Let’s all sing together… “It’s the end of the world as we know it…”
- 05.01.2007
An incredible experiment is nigh. The good news is that it could help us understand the universe. The bad? It might destroy the planet!Read More…
Was the Death Star attack an inside job?
- 05.04.2007
Was the mighty Imperial government really too incompetent to prevent a handful of untrained nerf-herders from destroying one of their most prized assets?Read More…
Proof that high ceilings DO help you think!
- 05.11.2007
With regard to my “Size Does Matter!” blog, a reader offers proof that being in a room with a taller ceiling does make it easier to think of interesting ideas.Read More…
I cannot wait!
- 05.12.2007
As a pre-birthday treat to myself, I have the coolest thing on order – a special skateboard that handles like a snowboard… but on asphalt.Read More…
Imperial incompetence (or master plan)?
- 05.14.2007
It seems I am not the only one troubled by the “official” account of Star Wars, but one reader says we're missing the vile underlying truth…Read More…
The mystery of Stonehenge solved?
- 05.15.2007
The most amazing video on YouTube may provide answers as to how the humongous standing stones at Stonehenge were raised.Read More…
Are you using assembly language?
- 05.16.2007
If you have a moment, I would love to hear your views on the pros, cons, need for, and use of assembly language in today's design environments and products.Read More…
Was this the world’s first IT professional?
- 05.17.2007
A unique video recording purporting to date from the Middle Ages may well show the world's very first IT professional at work.Read More…
This is a little sad
- 05.18.2007
A new craze sweeping Japan, in which folk spend hours isolated in Media immersion Pods, leaves me feeling a little blue.Read More…
You know you are living in 2007 when…
- 05.21.2007
Here's one of those funny lists of observations that is currently racing around the Internet; perhaps we could come up with our own version?Read More…
Pac-Man’s Skull and Photorealistic Art
- 05.21.2007
An artist and paleontologist collaborate to recreate Pac-Man's skull, while another artist creates a photorealistic image that makes you gasp in awe!Read More…
Cool custom search engine for ASIC, FPGA, and EDA-related topics
- 05.22.2007
We've all experienced problems searching for one thing and being presented with results for something quite different; this custom search engine is the answer to our dreams!Read More…
Britney Spears – ambassador of science
- 05.23.2007
It is a little known fact, that Ms Spears is an expert in semiconductor physics. This site reveals all!Read More…
An interesting Gray code FIFO counter question
- 05.23.2007
A reader asks if it is possible to generate a Gray code counter/sequence for any non-power-of-2 number (so long as it is an even number)?Read More…
From Gray codes to personality codes
- 05.26.2007
I just read a recently published book called “The Personality Code” on different types of personalities that proved to be surprisingly interesting.Read More…
Using FPGAs to aid the visually impaired!
- 05.27.2007
I was pondering a poser just the other day, when I conceived a way to (a) sell lots and lots of FPGAs and (b) make the world a better place for a lot of people.Read More…
When I was young, old people knew their place!
- 05.29.2007
Today is the day I celebrate the 30th anniversary of my 20th birthday … and I never felt better or bouncier (although I did use to have more hair)!Read More…
I’m a mega-happy-camper because my Flowboard has finally arrived!
- 06.01.2007
Unlike a regular skateboard, the front-and-back wheel assemblies on this little rapscallion comprise curved/arced axles each carrying SEVEN roller-blade-type wheels!Read More…
Ancient Roman steam engines and mountainized unicycles
- 06.07.2007
Did Hero of Alexandria create a steam engine around 60 AD? Can I ride a unicycle? And are these topics in any way related?Read More…
You won’t believe what just arrived on my desk!
- 06.11.2007
I'm bouncing off the walls in excitement, because the postman just delivered a package containing the most cunningly crafted device for my delectation and delight. Yes, you're right, it's…Read More…
This really is very clever
- 06.11.2007
Every now and then you see something that makes you sit back and say “Wow!”Read More…
My off-road (mountain) unicycle just arrived!
- 06.12.2007
I've been discovering some amazingly cool things, such as rough terrain unicycles, ultimate wheels (like a unicycle without a seat), and modern penny-farthings!Read More…
Kodak develop highly-sensitive color sensor
- 06.14.2007
The folks at Kodak have come up with a really cunning new color sensor technology that provides sharper, crisper images and support much faster shutter speeds.Read More…
A compendium of bad designs
- 06.18.2007
This cool website documents a variety of bad designs that make you want to say, “Ooooh”, “Arrgghh”, and . . . “Doh!”Read More…
Auto-generating the lyrics for “99 Bottles of Beer” song
- 06.19.2007
Can you imagine the source code for a program that appears to be simple ASCII art, but if you run this code it generates the lyrics for the “99 Bottles of Beer” song?Read More…
Get your mismatched socks here!
- 06.20.2007
Yes, the moment we've all been waiting for, a website that sells mismatched socks (and pajamas, swimsuits, linens, and more).Read More…
When insults had class…
- 06.26.2007
How about: “He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts – for support rather than illumination!”Read More…
How big is a bacterium compared to a transistor?
- 06.27.2007
Also, what is the total length of the interconnect (including poly-silicon, vias, and metal tracks) on a high-end silicon chip? Hmmm, interesting…Read More…
How many silicon chips are there on a 300 mm wafer?
- 06.28.2007
Undaunted, our quest to answer essentially unanswerable questions continues…Read More…
What’s the total length of the tracks on a silicon chip?
- 06.29.2007
Take a moment to ponder this poser. If we were to sum the lengths of all of the interconnect on a silicon chip, what do you think the total value would be?Read More…
Live video of iPhone tear-down
- 07.02.2007
Team waits in line 12 hours to purchase just-released Apple iPhone, then they tear it down to see what's inside and what makes it “tick”.Read More…
What’s the actual size of an individual transistor?
- 07.04.2007
Remembering, of course, that a digital/FET transistor is formed from a number of different structures, such as the gate, source, and drain diffusion areas, etc.Read More…
Would you believe a 10 cm x 10 cm die (silicon chip)?
- 07.06.2007
In answer to a previous question about the largest die out there, I just received a rather interesting email…Read More…
USB-based devices are taking over the world!
- 07.10.2007
Would you believe a USB desk-top digital microscope, USB-based virtual girl and boy friends, and much, much more…Read More…
Magic Wheel looks mega-cool
- 07.11.2007
This definitely comes under “The-Kids-Will-Want-One” heading. Consisting of a really big wheel and a smaller wheel, this is sort of a cross between a unicycle and a skateboard.Read More…
Wow, a USB-based ultrasound probe!
- 07.12.2007
Would you believe that everything you need to implement a state-of-the-art ultrasound probe can be run from the scant five volts trickling through a USB cable?Read More…
50% off hundreds of great engineering books!
- 07.13.2007
I just heard about a great deal; 50% off 100s of engineering titles from Elsevier, Academic Press, Butterworth Heinemann, and Newnes (but only until the end of July).Read More…
Yet another Gray code conundrum
- 07.19.2007
A reader has posed a new conundrum pertaining to Gray codes, and I must admit that this one has given me pause for thought.Read More…
Great balls of fire — a marble-based computing machine!
- 07.25.2007
This is so simple and yet so very, very clever — I wonder how far someone could take this concept (if anyone had the time).Read More…
Logic designer reports seeing black-and-white schematics in color!
- 07.26.2007
Also, new research shows that synesthetic colors are perceived in a realistic way, just as synesthetes report!Read More…
The teen who invented television
- 07.30.2007
In the summer of 1921, a 15-year old Idaho farm boy came up with an idea for how to make a truly electronic television system.Read More…
Speeding debug of FPGA-based systems using mixed-signal oscilloscopes
- 07.31.2007
Forthcoming live webinar shows how to dramatically accelerate the debug of FPGA-based Systems using mixed signal oscilloscopes (MSOs).Read More…
When FPGA I/O design becomes a necessity
- 08.01.2007
How to overcome the challenges of rising device complexities and higher costs when integrating programmable logic devices on the PCB.Read More…
If evolution works, why are there so many idiots?
- 08.02.2007
As Albert Einstein once said: “Only two things are infinite – the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not so sure about the universe.”Read More…
The best “computing universe” diagram ever!
- 08.03.2007
I'm the victim of my own success; folks like my “computing universe” diagram and paper so much that they keep on asking me to change them.Read More…
Microchip launches chip Wiki
- 08.06.2007
New site allows engineers, students, and professors to collaborate online and share information on semiconductor products, applications, and best practices.Read More…
Mega-cool USB-based turntable
- 08.07.2007
Save your old vinyl records – convert them to MP3 or WAV files using this USB-based record deck.Read More…
More mega-cool USB-based “stuff”
- 08.09.2007
There are so many USB-based products out there that my head is starting to spin; some of these little rascals are way over the top, but every now and then…Read More…
AMAZING Victorian-styled computers!
- 08.10.2007
I am completely blown away. I have just been exposed to the most amazing Victorian-styled computer keyboards, displays, cabinets … and all sorts of things!Read More…
Great source for out-of-print books!
- 08.14.2007
Lindsay reprints out of print and public domain technical manuals from the 19th and 20th centuries.Read More…
Have you seen “The Device”?
- 08.15.2007
“The Device Patented Process Indicating Apparatus” is an enigmatic beast; at first glance, one hardly knows what to make of it … and at second glance things don't get much better. Read More…
“Holy Socks, Batman, they’ve found a hole in Mars!”
- 08.21.2007
Have you seen this amazing NASA picture showing a hole in the planet Mars?Read More…
Howling at the moon!
- 08.21.2007
Have you ever seen the moon rising just above the horizon and looking absolutely HUGE?Read More…
USB-based CD/DVD Destroyer
- 08.22.2007
Destroys the surface of CDs and DVDs rendering their data-bearing surfaces unreadable within five seconds!Read More…
Total Lunar Eclipse Aug 28th
- 08.27.2007
What are you doing in the wee hours of the morning of Tuesday 28th August (surely you weren't thinking about sleeping)?Read More…
Can anyone learn to design with FPGAs?
- 08.29.2007
The answer according to ASIC designer Sven Andersson is yes, and he's documented his experiences to prove it!Read More…
A rose by any other name …
- 09.03.2007
Contrary to recent reports, the folks at QuickLogic are NOT “Backing Away From FPGAs” … they just want to call them by a different moniker!Read More…
A plethora of interesting websites
- 09.05.2007
There are some crazy things out there, such as a mechanical oscilloscope, home-made “antique” calculators, and an automatic “wake-n-bacon” machine!Read More…
FPGAs for beginners
- 09.06.2007
I just heard from Sven in Sweden. It seems that his tutorial “How To Design an FPGA From Scratch” is a runaway success and he's added five more sections!Read More…
Analogies, Metaphors, and Similes (Oh my!)
- 09.10.2007
English teachers from across the USA submit funny and amusing analogies, metaphors, and similes found in high school essays.Read More…
Is anyone looking for an FPGA designer?
- 09.11.2007
The reason I ask is that I know a guy in Italy who is currently designing firmware, but who is looking for a design position with FPGAs.Read More…
International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
- 09.18.2007
Don't forget that September 19 is one of the now-classic geek holidays and ranks right up there with 'Pi Day' (14 March) and 'Pi Approximation Day' (22 July).Read More…
The “Univers Revolved” 3D Alphabet
- 09.19.2007
Every now and then I run into something that provides a new way of looking at things and that makes me say: “Wow! How Cool!”Read More…
Stop kids being “cyber bullied”
- 09.21.2007
Here's a very interesting site that every parent and kid should visit in today's crazy mixed-up world.Read More…
It’s the 25th anniversary of the origin of the smiley!
- 09.24.2007
In which we discover emoticons, assicons, boobiecons, portmanteaus, neologisms, morphemes, and nonce words.Read More…
Can you invent a better smiley?
- 09.27.2007
Following my earlier blog on “The 25th Anniversary of the Smiley”, one reader suggested a rather clever new design, which set me to wondering…Read More…
Are Red, Yellow, and Blue primary colors?
- 09.30.2007
If printers use Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow (CMY) inks as primary colors, why do art teachers at high school say that the primary colors are Red, Yellow, and Blue (RYB)?Read More…
Mega-cool virtual slide rule
- 10.01.2007
My friend Wilfried in the Netherlands just pointed me at a website containing a really clever virtual slide rule.Read More…
USB-powered Whac-a-Mole
- 10.02.2007
Stop the world – I want to get off – I'm too young for all of this!Read More…
Man cannot live by French baguettes alone
- 10.08.2007
What is a picture of a loaf of French bread in front of a computer keyboard trying to tell me?Read More…
Remember you saw it here first!
- 10.09.2007
Samsung has just announced the industry's first wVGA OLED display using PenTile subpixel rendering technology from Clairvoyante!Read More…
Does this power supply make me look fat?
- 10.10.2007
I just saw a rather funny article on Embedded.com talking about what is (and is not) an embedded system.Read More…
Is it really this difficult?
- 10.11.2007
I'm in the process of moving house, and I'm running into a host of niggling problems that are making me gnash my teeth and rend my garb!Read More…
The future of the past tense
- 10.12.2007
Scientists have discovered how verbs evolve and homogenize at a rate inversely proportional to their prevalence in the English language.Read More…
Interesting online letter service
- 10.15.2007
This is a simple concept; it provides a useful service; it requires almost nothing to set up; and it has the potential to grow. Hmmm, I wish I'd thought of that!Read More…
This is just so darn cute
- 10.16.2007
Since I don't actually buy any dog medications, you may wonder why I'm looking at this advert.Read More…
The real story behind Triumph Motorcycles
- 10.18.2007
In which – amongst other things – we discover how to perform an emergency stop to aid someone who has dropped their pet badger!Read More…
Suggestions for improving English spelling
- 10.19.2007
After zis, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evri vun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer.Read More…
It was a dark and stormy night…
- 10.22.2007
Penned by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1830, this phrase is now understood to represent an extravagantly florid style with redundancies and run-on sentences.Read More…
Shakespearean insult kit
- 10.23.2007
Have you ever wished for the ability to quickly and easily come up with insults like “Thou craven motley-minded foot-licker”? Well, here's how!Read More…
Here’s my entry for the 2008 BLFC
- 10.24.2007
I've been so enthused by the idea of the “It was a dark and stormy night…” contest that I've decided to submit my own entry. Read More…
The gas man cometh!
- 10.26.2007
In which a reader takes me back to my youth by reminding me of an old song by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann.Read More…
Are “horizontal emotes” taking over the world?
- 10.29.2007
I've recently been bouncing around a variety of websites featuring what I now think of as “horizontal smileys”.Read More…
The World’s Shortest Stories
- 10.30.2007
Described as: “The perfect gift for those who claim to be too busy to read, and literary canapés for the rest of us.”Read More…
Which FPGA development board are you using?
- 10.31.2007
I've been hearing some horror stories recently … would you care to share yours?Read More…
Steampunk Motorcycles
- 11.01.2007
Wouldn't it be uber-cool to ride around on a Victorian-styled, steam-powered motorcycle?Read More…
The Mobysaurus Thesaurus
- 11.05.2007
Light in size but heavy in features, this little scamp is a comprehensive, feature-rich, easy-to-use, freeware English thesaurus for Windows.Read More…
FPGA evaluation vs prototyping vs development boards/kits?
- 11.08.2007
What's the difference between these little scamps … and what are you using yours for?Read More…
Dolphins save surfer from becoming a tasty treat for a shark
- 11.09.2007
Stories like this make me glad that I'm sitting safely behind my desk.Read More…
Why aren’t the values of SMD capacitors marked on the little rascals?
- 11.12.2007
A reader poises an interesting question for which I have no answer … do you?Read More…
Only 42 shopping days remain till Christmas!
- 11.13.2007
Eeeek, the sands of time are slipping through the hourglass … what presents are we going to buy for everyone?Read More…
FPGA implementation of antique Friden EC-130 delay-line calculator
- 11.14.2007
In which a student learning VHDL creates an FPGA-based implementation of this 1963 transistor/diode four-function calculator.Read More…
Small and easy-to-use FPGA boards for interfacing and control
- 11.20.2007
No, I'm not TELLING you what they are … I'm ASKING you for your advice!Read More…
Want to build a moon rover?
- 11.27.2007
Seriously, would you like to be part of a team that builds a robot rover and flies it to the moon?Read More…
“Drive-by” restorers establish secret workshop and repair antique clock
- 11.28.2007
In which we discover an underground movement of “Cultural Guerrillas” in France who sneak around repairing and restoring antiques without their owner's permission.Read More…
$95,000 for a wristwatch?
- 11.29.2007
I'm currently in the market for a new wristwatch. I know the one I want, but when I called the store to ask the price, their answer made me cry!Read More…
DIY (Do-It-Yourself) is alive and well
- 11.30.2007
I'm absolutely delighted to discover the DIY Life website, which presents all types of projects, from hobbies and crafts to home improvement and technology.Read More…
There’s a Steampunk mouse in the house!
- 12.03.2007
Here's another uber-cool Steampunk computer (including a Steampunk mouse) that is spurring me into action to build my own “Beast”.Read More…
Where can one find antique brass meters, switches, and knobs?
- 12.05.2007
I am a man on a mission. I want as many antique (or antique-looking) brass voltmeters, switches, and knobs as I can find. But where would one look for these little scamps?Read More…
Do you want an air-cooled mouse?
- 12.10.2007
My mind is reeling with a positive plethora of USB-based products ranging from a mouse that also prints labels to a combination blender/clock to a mini-vacuum.Read More…
Unique insights into the flat panel display industry
- 12.11.2007
Online publications that teach all you need to know about the very latest and greatest news and products in the flat panel display industry.Read More…
Christmas carols for students of psychology
- 12.12.2007
My favorite EDA industry analyst (we'll call him GS to protect the innocent) just sent me a joke list of potential Christmas carols for psychology students … I think several of these might apply to me.Read More…
Kids say the darndest things
- 12.14.2007
These insights may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first-graders (6-year-olds) because the last one is a classic!Read More…
My Gray Code article saves the day!
- 12.17.2007
Cool Beans – I just heard from someone who used a cunning trick from one of my articles to make his FPGA design work!Read More…
Do you have any advice for an FPGA newbie?
- 12.18.2007
A letter from a reader starts me to pondering as to what I would like to see if I were a total newbie to the wonderful world of FPGAs.Read More…
Speeding your Christmas Post to its desired destination
- 12.19.2007
Here's some rather interesting info on how to find the extra 4-digit ZIP codes and use them to get your post where it is supposed to be going faster.Read More…
Yes, you do have advice for an FPGA newbie!
- 12.20.2007
Well, sort of . . . generally speaking the responses I received were “pungent” with gloom and despair, but there were a few glimmers of light in the darkness. . .Read More…
But are they equivalent?
- 12.21.2007
Aaik van der Poel from mentor responds to OneSpin's recent announcement of: “The industry's first sequential equivalence checking solution priced for the FPGA market.”Read More…
Do you want to help save a radio telescope?
- 12.26.2007
On the off-chance you were wondering what to do with your spare time, I just heard of something rather interesting…Read More…
I am mega-excited – a digital tablet computer thingy is heading my way!
- 12.27.2007
This is uber-cool – a paper-and-pen tablet/pad that connects to your computer and allows you to upload your hand-written notes and diagrams into your main computer.Read More…
Making a Hi-Fi loudspeaker from a foam plate
- 12.31.2007
This do-it-yourself project is so wild and wacky that I just have to try to build one myself.Read More…
On 1 Jan 2008 I walked 6.5 miles in freezing weather!
- 01.02.2008
Why? Well, it's part of a challenge that has inspired me to exercise and lose some weight using some rather cool iPod-based technology from Nike.Read More…
Recreating the original personal computer!
- 01.03.2008
I've just discovered the most amazing website – amongst other things they have info on kits you can purchase that recreate the original personal computers.Read More…
It’s time to Despair.com
- 01.07.2008
Satirical products reverse-engineered from the most powerful motivational posters ever inflicted upon mankind.Read More…
How does a calculator perform division?
- 01.08.2008
I just received a question from a reader; this query seems so simple on the surface, but it actually leads to a quagmire of confusion.Read More…
Some useful info on VGA
- 01.10.2008
A reader provides some additional info to complement this week's “How To” on designing a simple VGA interface.Read More…
Is anyone using your wireless internet without permission?
- 01.10.2008
Here's a pretty cool trick for techo-dweebs that will baffle and bewilder any of your neighbors who are accessing your wireless Internet connection while you aren't looking.Read More…
The 2007 Darwin and Stella Award results are in!
- 01.14.2008
Although I'm naturally competitive, here are two award categories I hope never to win or even be a runner-up!Read More…
Marshalling an airplane
- 01.15.2008
Now here's something you don't see every day – this guy … but no, you'll just have to see it for yourself! Read More…
It seems I’ve been taken for a sucker!
- 01.17.2008
I'm gnashing my teeth and rending my garb, because the Stella Awards about which I recently penned a blog …. turned out to be a spoof!Read More…
Dog versus Cat diaries
- 01.18.2008
This is an “oldie but goodie”. As my wife and I have two dogs and a cat, I can attest for the underlying truth in these “journals”.Read More…
WiFi Priates – Embedded Systems Virgins – Cool Videos – More “Stuff”
- 01.18.2008
Things are happening so quickly here in the “Pleasure Dome” (my office) that I can barely keep up…Read More…
Suppose everybody on earth suddenly disappeared
- 01.21.2008
There's a show on television this evening that I'm really looking forward to seeing; it's called “Life After People”.Read More…
Where have all the mentors gone (all sing together: “far, far away”)?
- 01.22.2008
Young hires are left to flounder on their own while still being expected to be highly productive a day after graduation.Read More…
The Bug Labs Store is OPEN!
- 01.23.2008
This is very cool technology — a collection of easy-to-use electronic modules that snap together to build almost any gadget you can imagine!Read More…
Must-have, mega-cool video game
- 01.24.2008
This is great, a video camera that clips to the top of your monitor and inserts you in the middle of games on your PC.Read More…
How to fix your mom’s computer from the other side of the world
- 01.28.2008
Here's a simple and secure way for you to remotely take control of your mother's desktop and fix her computer without driving yourself insane in the process.Read More…
Munging Windows Vista to make it work
- 01.29.2008
This cunning tool can cut the size of Windows Vista in half and speed it up at the same time – and it's FREE!Read More…
Could this be the next “Dilbert”?
- 01.30.2008
I just heard about a new online comic called “Heroes Happen Here” whose IT-based story lines are inspired by readers' real-world experiences.Read More…
What do you call a man who…?
- 01.31.2008
I was just reminded of a series of one-line jokes we used to tell when I was young, but I've forgotten most of them; maybe you can help?Read More…
OneSpin bites back
- 01.31.2008
An email from Aaik van der Poe at Mentor sparks a feisty response from Michael Siegel at OneSpin.Read More…
Speaking of cool games…
- 01.31.2008
A physics-accurate spacecraft simulator that allows you to fly real craft (like the shuttle and ISS) as well as imaginary ones.Read More…
Fixing your mom’s computer “Part Deux”
- 01.31.2008
Several folks have responded to my recent blog titled “How to fix your mom's computer from the other side of the world”Read More…
I thought I’d seen everything, and then…
- 02.01.2008
I tell you, just when I thought I'd seen everything, along comes an inflatable mouse (and you don't expect to hear yourself saying that every day!)Read More…
Are you being served?
- 02.04.2008
Dutch inventors create a robot that can automatically fill your car with gas.Read More…
Turning bits of aircraft into furniture
- 02.05.2008
Some of this stuff is very cool – I really love the “get bombed” table, which is made out of a real bomb!Read More…
The latest-and-greatest in pussy-cat-camera technology
- 02.06.2008
Well, this actually may not be the state-of-the-art, but it's still rather interesting to be able to see what your cat gets up to while you're not looking.Read More…
Cool Pool Tricks and Amazing Loudspeakers
- 02.08.2008
I don't know which I want most – to own these $54,000 loudspeakers or to be able to play pool like the folks in this video.Read More…
Don’t forget Valentine’s Day!
- 02.11.2008
Valentine's Day (February 14) is racing toward us – make sure you don't mess up like this guy last year…Read More…
Pickled onions that bite back
- 02.12.2008
I recently received an email from someone who had tried one of my recipes with some success, so I thought I'd share this little scamp…Read More…
Son of “What do you call a man who…?”
- 02.13.2008
Here are a pile of entries readers have submitted with regard to one-line jokes based on folks names…Read More…
Two good jokes
- 02.14.2008
You may moan and groan, but you'll be telling these to someone yourself before the day is over!Read More…
Can you spot the difference?
- 02.15.2008
In this photo of two dubious characters, can you tell which one is me (and which one isn't)? Read More…
Total lunar eclipse on Wed 20 Feb 2008
- 02.18.2008
If you live in the Americas, make sure you take the time to watch the last total lunar eclipse until 2010.Read More…
Is this the best prank ever?
- 02.19.2008
I just saw a video of an AMAZING stunt. This totally blew my mind. I so wish I could have been there to see this!Read More…
What are the origins of (and meaning behind) your name?
- 02.20.2008
Here's a rather interesting little website that will “suck-you-in-for-hours” if you're not very careful.Read More…
More amazing pranks!
- 02.21.2008
A reader points us at a video on YouTube showing some more amazing “real-world” pranks.Read More…
Monster Machines – Barge Transporter
- 02.22.2008
This is amazing – a transporter in Russia that carries a huge barge a few miles from one river to another.Read More…
Ask not for whom the duck quacks…
- 02.22.2008
I was just informed of an interesting piece of “uncommon knowledge” pertaining to ducks that has me scratching my head…Read More…
There’s good news … and there’s bad news
- 02.25.2008
I thought we'd have at least 5 billion years (starting today) before the end of life on earth, but it now seems this is a tad optimistic.Read More…
Yet more amazing (some may say insane) pranks
- 02.26.2008
In which we see unsuspecting victims being unexpectedly deposited (sans clothing) on a snow-covered mountain (and then things start to get strange).Read More…
Can you solve this brainteaser?
- 02.26.2008
Even though I actually know the answer to this one, I still cannot “wrap my brain” around it.Read More…
Earthquake in the UK
- 02.27.2008
Which leads to a tale in which I show great presence of mind and consume a lot of whiskey in a very short time.Read More…
Brain boggler #2 – can you wrap your thinking organ around this little beauty?
- 02.28.2008
Here's a conundrum that I saw ages and ages ago. I know what the answer is, but I no longer remember the proof – maybe you can help?Read More…
Brain boggler #3 – the conundrum of conundrums!
- 02.29.2008
Here's a puzzle of my own that's been lurking in the back of my mind for years, but I'm still no closer to a solution. Maybe you can answer this puzzling poser.Read More…
Funny newspaper stories
- 03.03.2008
A friend in the UK just emailed me some funny newspaper stories and other amusing items that made me chuckle.Read More…
FPGA book for absolute beginners
- 03.04.2008
Would you be interested in helping a publisher by reviewing a proposal for a new book on FPGAs for absolute beginners?Read More…
This is a mega-hoot!
- 03.05.2008
This is a really cool site that let's you create your own Kung Fu movie and then email it to your friends.Read More…
Inter-molecular blending?
- 03.06.2008
I just received an email about a program called “Mr. Wizard” and “inter-molecular blending” — is there such a thing?Read More…
Weekend reading: Where are we in the universe?
- 03.07.2008
Here are some interesting questions (and links to websites containing the answers) that may keep you busy for some time…Read More…
Google Calculator is Googalicious
- 03.10.2008
A reader just pointed me at a pile of interesting utilities on Google.Read More…
Want a job at Synplicity?
- 03.11.2008
The folks at Synplicity are looking for a Software Build/Release Engineer.Read More…
Nautical miles and the International Space Station
- 03.12.2008
Here are a couple of totally unrelated topics that recently caught my attention…Read More…
Happy Pi day!
- 03.14.2008
Yes, it's that time of the year again, March 14 when we celebrate the mathematical constant Pi (after all, where would we be without it?)Read More…
Awareness test
- 03.17.2008
This is a rather interesting psychological test to see how much attention you're paying to what's going on around you.Read More…
The DIY Calculator now has a BASIC Interpreter!
- 03.17.2008
A reader has created a mega-cool BASIC Interpreter using the virtual DIY Calculator's assembly language.Read More…
The most advanced quadruped robot on the planet?
- 03.18.2008
This video shows an amazing “Dogoid” robot that moves in an incredibly lifelike manner.Read More…
“Dialectize” any webpage
- 03.19.2008
Have you ever wondered what a website like CNN would look like in a redneck dialect (or Jive, Cockney, Sweedish Chef, …)? Well, now you can see! Read More…
Convert your docs to speech and load them on your iPod
- 03.19.2008
This free website is amazing – it allows you to convert your Text, Word, Acrobat, etc docs into audio files and load them onto your iPod for your later listening pleasure.Read More…
Video guide – getting started with Xilinx FPGAs
- 03.21.2008
I just ran across this jolly interesting step-by-step video guide that was put together by design engineer Anthony Burch.Read More…
Fiery explosions and beautiful reactions
- 03.24.2008
From Gummy Bears undergoing a fiery death to a mega-cool animation of the inner life of a cell.Read More…
Two new cool USB-based products
- 03.25.2008
Check out this can-shaped memory card reader and a compact temperature and humidity sensor.Read More…
Unleash the power of your laptop computer’s TouchPad
- 03.27.2008
I recently discovered that the TouchPad on my notepad computer has a lot of mega-cool features I'd never heard of before!Read More…
French Engineering Student looking for summer internship
- 03.28.2008
Do you know of any summer intern positions available in the robotics and/or microelectronics arenas for a young, enterprising engineering student?Read More…
New brain boggler – this one is a “corker”!
- 03.31.2008
I just ran across a great website containing “The world's hardest easy geometry problems”; these are GREAT – they'll keep you busy for hours! Read More…
Free 411 calls (not a joke)
- 04.01.2008
Why pay your cell company $1.00 or more for a 411 call when you can get this information for free?Read More…
Do you know any simple geometry-based puzzles?
- 04.02.2008
I'm looking for some simple geometry-based conundrums – possibly based on real-world examples such as problems involving ladders leaning against walls and suchlike.Read More…
From Gummy Bears to Astronomy via Cryptography
- 04.03.2008
Boldly going behind the beyond, behind which no man has boldly gone behind, beyond, before.Read More…
Walking (rolling) on the moon
- 04.08.2008
The amateur moon rover team – of which I find myself a member – will be demonstrating its prototype Moon Lander and Robot Rover at ESC next week.Read More…
The ABC of invertebrates
- 04.09.2008
From Moonsnails and Nudibranchs, to frontotemporal dementia, to Maurice Ravel and his Bolero (via 10 and Bo Derek), to…Read More…
Unbelievable Reunion!
- 04.11.2008
This video shows the reaction of a full-grown lion on being reunited with a woman who saved him as a baby.Read More…
ESC is the place to be!
- 04.15.2008
It's now 6:00 am on day #2 of ESC as I pen these words, and my head is spinning with all of the exciting things that are going on.Read More…
Don’t talk to me about #$%* computers!
- 04.17.2008
I've been bursting with ESC news to share, but I've been having computer woes you would not believe.Read More…
Are you going to Stockholm, Sweden?
- 04.21.2008
If you happen to be planning a trip to Stockholm in Sweden, I happen to know the perfect place to stay.Read More…
RepRap ” Self-replicating machine
- 04.23.2008
Here's a novel idea… an open-source DIY (do-it-yourself) rapid prototyping machine that can manufacture a significant fraction of its own parts.Read More…
A cryptic message about cryptography
- 04.24.2008
Can you help (a) decoding this message from a visitor and (b) providing an answer to his cryptographic comundrum?Read More…
An engineer’s guide to cats
- 04.24.2008
None of the cats or engineers were mistreated in the making of this film.Read More…
My computer woes (Part Deux)
- 04.25.2008
In which we discover what happened to the back-up image for my machineRead More…
The Leningrad Cowboys
- 04.25.2008
Now, here's something you don't see very often … this video nearly blew my socks off!Read More…
All-in-one Victorian (Steampunk) computer
- 04.28.2008
Not content with his old water-cooled computer, our old friend Jake von Slatt has just created the most amazing All-in-One Victorian machine. Read More…
Unicycle-Motorcycle-Segway-Hybrid
- 04.29.2008
This little scamp looks to be mega-cool and uber-uncomfortable, but what's comfort when you have “cool”?Read More…
Is this the world’s largest helicopter?
- 05.01.2008
Wow! I just saw photos of the most amazingly humongous helicopter (it's big enough to carry a dump truck)! Read More…
DIY Archaeologist Kit – probe the secrets of ancient times!
- 05.02.2008
Actually, when you come to think about it, this is not as daft as it seems…Read More…
Three cool beginners’ books on VHDL
- 05.05.2008
While responding to a question from a student, I discovered the answer in our very own Programmable Logic DesignLine forums.Read More…
Yet another brain-teaser – the two-ladder conundrum
- 05.06.2008
A reader just sent me another (seemingly simple) geometry problem that I have no doubt will keep us occupied for hours.Read More…
Snap Circuits – 100 electronic projects – only $21.77
- 05.07.2008
I just saw “The Deal Of The Day” at the Creative Brains website, and I think it's a jolly good one.Read More…
Free online book chapters and great deals
- 05.08.2008
“Heads-up” info about new books, contests, conference happenings, and “super sales”!Read More…
I’m looking for a cheap spectrophotometer (at least I think I am)
- 05.08.2008
I am a man with a mission, but I need your help selecting the right equipment.Read More…
I’m looking for a 1986 issue of Scientific American
- 05.09.2008
I know that someone out there has been grimly holding on to their collection of Scientific American magazines just waiting for this day…Read More…
Reader query re rounding in binary
- 05.09.2008
I just received an interesting query from a reader with regards to rounding in binary…Read More…
Vatican buys Palm Inc. for $800 million
- 05.12.2008
Now here's a story I didn't expect to see…Read More…
Enhancement vs. Depletion vs. Junction FETs
- 05.14.2008
Does anyone know (a) which came first and (b) what are the different types used for?Read More…
Tired of dealing with rogue software, spyware, and malware?
- 05.16.2008
Readers have provided some very interesting pointers to tools that may be the answer to all my woes.Read More…
Give me strength! Altera’s new FPGA has 2.5 billion transistors!
- 05.19.2008
The largest member of Altera's newly announced Stratix IV FPGA family comprises 2.5 billion transistors!Read More…
$200 million for one FPGA?
- 05.20.2008
Thus far I haven't seen the pricing for Altera's new 40nm Stratix IV FPGAs, but if we were to extrapolate from an analog device I just saw, the result would make your eyes water!Read More…
Evaluating FPGA floating-point performance
- 05.22.2008
Here are links to a couple of interesting papers that will get the old gray matter firing on all six cylinders.Read More…
How do we use the data from I/Os running at 8.5 Gbps?
- 05.23.2008
I just received an interesting query from a reader that has me scratching my head…Read More…
I laughed so hard I almost passed out (seriously)
- 05.23.2008
Yesterday evening I was reading a funny passage from one of Bill Bryson's books. I tell you, I was laughing so hard that I almost passed out!Read More…
Giant telescope links London and New York
- 05.23.2008
This is absolutely brilliant – I only wish I could get to see it in person. Read More…
Duck! AirJelly coming through!
- 05.27.2008
This is really rather amazing – sort of like a giant jellyfish (twice as tall as a man) that glides gracefully through the air.Read More…
Xilinx responds to Altera’s FPGA benchmarks
- 05.30.2008
The folks at Xilinx say that they've re-run the tests with different tool settings and, overall, the Xilinx software solution with Synplify Pro and ISE 10.1 dominates.Read More…
The first new FPGA fabric in the last 10 years?
- 06.02.2008
Newcomer SiliconBlue has just launched a small, low-cost, ultra-low-power FPGA family targeted toward handheld applications.Read More…
PCB (Printed Circuit Board) questions
- 06.03.2008
I'm trying to find via and pad diameters for “typical” and high-end circuit boards, and also for…Read More…
Altera responds to Xilinx’ response on Altera’s FPGA benchmarks
- 06.04.2008
Now I'm starting to get confused as to who is responding to whom…Read More…
I want a pneumatic car (and I want it now)!
- 06.04.2008
I'm really tired of the fact that my Nissan Xtera achieves only 16 miles-per-gallon ” I want one of these pneumatic cars that runs on air!Read More…
How do you spell EDA?
- 06.06.2008
I'm heading out to DAC to explain everything there is to know about EDA to a bunch of high school students (I have just one hour).Read More…
Calling all FPGA companies in stealth mode…
- 06.10.2008
I've recently been pondering how many future FPGA companies are out there already working in stealth mode.Read More…
But what about…
- 06.13.2008
Inflatable cars that can survive a fall off a cliff; I get a new car; but what about…Read More…
Making the world a better place one smile at a time
- 06.16.2008
Here's a really worthwhile charity that helps kids in developing countries by providing life-changing surgery.Read More…
Cadence trying to buy Mentor
- 06.17.2008
Noooooo! I am not a happy camper. This is NOT a good idea.Read More…
Jules Vernian analog synthesizer
- 06.18.2008
This is one of those things you don't know you want until you see it, after which you can't get it out of your mind…Read More…
So, which type of car did I end up buying?
- 06.19.2008
With regard to my hunt for a new car, lots of folks are asking which make and model I ended up purchasing…Read More…
Harsh words re Cadence grabbing Mentor
- 06.19.2008
A reader has some very definite views he felt moved to share with me (be warned, this includes tongue-twisting words like “megalithic mediocrity”).Read More…
A Magma and Mentor Merger?
- 06.19.2008
I just perused a blog by Gabe Moretti that has certainly given me “food for thought.”Read More…
A staple-free stapler – what a good idea!
- 06.20.2008
I can't count the times I've been trying to remove a staple and ended up with it sticking into my thumb or slipping under my fingernail.Read More…
How to drive your business colleagues insane
- 06.20.2008
If would be a funny old world if you couldn't laugh at somebody else's misfortunes (grin).Read More…
Don’t slip on the PEEL array
- 06.23.2008
Does anyone know the name of the company that purchased ICT and their PEEL arrays?Read More…
Killing people in an environmentally friendly way
- 06.24.2008
When one is creating weapons to blow things up and kill people, it seems a little “weird” to associate an “environmentally friendly” qualifier with them.Read More…
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and other stuff
- 06.25.2008
It's all go at the moment, my mom is in an airplane jetting over to see me as I pen these words, plus some classic comics are heading my way.Read More…
The best-ever freeware utilities
- 06.26.2008
There are tools here I never even heard of before, but now I know they're there I realize I can't live without them!Read More…
Air hockey-playing robot plus uber-cool software
- 06.27.2008
I just ran across a couple of interesting blogs that have videos associated with them, and it's well worth taking a peek at these little scamps.Read More…
Is your company looking for a world-leading program/project manager?
- 07.01.2008
I happen to know a program/project management diva (or the male equivalent thereof) who can make himself available if the right consulting or full-time position presents itself.Read More…
Storing energy using compressed air in caves
- 07.02.2008
Here's another brilliant idea that makes you say: “Why didn't I think of that?”Read More…
The laws of ultimate reality
- 07.03.2008
Although these “laws” can't be proven scientifically, it's amazing how often the little scamps come true…Read More…
The myth of fossil fuels
- 07.07.2008
I just finished reading a book that has left me astonished, amazed, and an absolute convert to a radical collection of theories…Read More…
Newnes want to put you on their payroll
- 07.08.2008
The folks at Newnes will pay $1,000 to whoever comes up with their new tagline!Read More…
“Hands Free” comedic video pokes fun at California law
- 07.09.2008
This video pokes fun at California, which is the latest state to require hands free use of cell phones while driving.Read More…
Steampunk Car Update
- 07.11.2008
Phase one is complete, Phase II is in progress, and Phase III will be the ultimate conversion to steam power…Read More…
Lorenzo the flying Frenchman
- 07.13.2008
Here's a link to a video that will leave your eyes agape and your mouth hanging wide open saying “Wow!”Read More…
Latin quips for all occasions
- 07.15.2008
I just read a book containing a plethora of witty Latin sayings by some jolly wise Romans.Read More…
Computer archeology
- 07.16.2008
I just saw an interesting article on reconstructing the Apple I BASIC from an antique cassette tape.Read More…
Cadence’s new website is rather spiffy
- 07.16.2008
In addition to being clean, sharp, and easy to navigate … Cadence's new website employs some very cool technology that makes it interactive and interesting.Read More…
Building an Archimedes Death Ray
- 07.17.2008
In which Rob from Cockeyed.com builds a functional Archimedes Death Ray using an old satellite dish.Read More…
Reciprocating windmill
- 07.18.2008
Have you seen all of the things going on in “Eco-Geek” space?Read More…
Trying to understand CRC-7 for the SD Card
- 07.21.2008
A student in Canada has run into a problem on his MP3 player project and is asking for our help…Read More…
Octopus eats shark – Fish eats duck
- 07.21.2008
YouTube is an extremely “sticky” website; once you go in, it's very hard to come back out again…Read More…
What am I holding in my hand?
- 07.22.2008
Close, but no cigar – it's actually an $84.95 book that provides a hands-on introduction to Verilog synthesis and FPGA prototyping and I'm giving it away…Read More…
How to increase your productivity and fitness at the same time (seriously)
- 07.23.2008
I've discovered a way to increase one's productivity at work while at the same time increasing one's fitness and losing weight.Read More…
Two “jokes” – one happy, one sad
- 07.24.2008
Here are two items of interest that I bet you'll be telling to someone you know before the day is out…Read More…
Verilog versus VHDL (which is best?)
- 07.24.2008
A reader who knows a little Verilog and a little VHDL is trying to plot his future course; which language should he learn in detail?Read More…
Here’s the answer to CRC-7 algorithm for the SD Card
- 07.25.2008
I think the student who posed the original question is going to be a very happy camper…Read More…
Dancing robots – this is a MUST SEE!
- 07.25.2008
In which we discover a robot fish, a bicycle-riding robot, some fighting robots, and some amazing dancing robots!Read More…
Androids – are they already amongst us?
- 07.25.2008
Here are two more thought-provoking videos that, well, make one think provoking thoughts…Read More…
Animator versus Animation
- 07.28.2008
Here's a very clever Flash animation created by a very gifted young artist.Read More…
And the winner of the free Verilog book is…
- 07.28.2008
Good grief… making a final decision was a lot harder than I expected…Read More…
A geeky way to track exercise and weight-loss goals
- 07.29.2008
Here's an interesting way to map out walks and bike rides and view them in 3D.Read More…
“Secret Agent” sunglasses with hidden camera
- 07.30.2008
Good grief, I would have given almost anything to have these when I was a kid…Read More…
Do-it-yourself Geiger counter
- 08.01.2008
While roaming, roving, rambling, and ranging around the web, I found this rather nifty Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Geiger counter project.Read More…
eASIC’s 45nm Structured ASIC
- 08.04.2008
These new devices provide a very compelling argument for folks to start using Structured ASICs.Read More…
Am I regressing or progressing?
- 08.05.2008
I'm not sure if I'm regressing to my first childhood or progressing (at an ever increasing pace) into my second childhood.Read More…
New book on FPGAs
- 08.06.2008
A new book on FPGAs just arrived on my desk, but it was some time before I realized that I was the author!Read More…
Designing CPCI plug-in cards?
- 08.07.2008
Does anyone out there know anything about designing CPCI plug-in cards?Read More…
Here’s a “Must See” Video (legacy H/W performing music)
- 08.07.2008
In which an art student uses legacy computer hardware controlled by a Sinclair Spectrum programmed to produce a musical piece.Read More…
1st look at next-generation US stealth fighter
- 08.08.2008
Here are some amazing images in which we see … but no, you'll have to check them out for yourself!Read More…
Looking for Dwight W. Grimes
- 08.08.2008
A reader is trying to contact his old mentor Dwight W. Grimes who previously contributed some suggestions to my paper on color vision.Read More…
2GB USB 2.0 Flash memory stick for $12
- 08.11.2008
You could have knocked me over with a feather when I discovered how far prices have fallen for USB 2.0 flash memory sticks.Read More…
It’s a great day to be alive
- 08.12.2008
Sometimes we have to remind ourselves to slow down and smell the roses.Read More…
Capacitive control and proximity detection TNG
- 08.12.2008
How capacitive control and proximity detection can help the aging with regard to using the many electronic products in their homes.Read More…
Some more mega-cool videos
- 08.13.2008
Here, for your delectation and delight, is a further collection of cool videos and flash animations.Read More…
Cool Stuff (I want it, I need it, I must have it!)
- 08.14.2008
Once I have these Miracle Berry Fruit Tablets in my hand, my revenge will be so sweet!Read More…
The Mojave Experiment
- 08.18.2008
Well, I don't know about you, but this brought a wry grin to my face.Read More…
Who’s the biggest looser?
- 08.19.2008
Well, it's taking a lot of work, but I'm getting there…Read More…
Half-price FPGA “How-To” training videos
- 08.19.2008
What do the Beijing Olympics have to do with a special half-price offer for nineteen step-by-step FPGA “How To” training videos? Read on…Read More…
Free web-based screen reader for the visually impaired
- 08.20.2008
Do you know someone who has problems seeing/reading computer screens and who travels a lot? If so, this could be very interesting for them…Read More…
USB 3.0 is almost here and I can’t wait!
- 08.21.2008
USB 1.0 was pretty clever; USB 2.0 really made my world a happier place; and now USB 3.0 is set to blow my socks off!Read More…
Now, this is getting creepy…
- 08.22.2008
Have you seen the “Emily Isn't Real But Would You Have Guessed?” article and video? This is strangely creepy and weird…Read More…
Know your British Policeman
- 08.25.2008
A friend just sent me a link to a hilarious website that had me chortling happily and brightened my afternoon.Read More…
Is there a specification for writing specifications?
- 08.26.2008
A reader poses an interesting problem for us to ponder…Read More…
A goat by any other name…
- 08.26.2008
It's not often a joke makes me laugh out loud, but this one managed the trick…Read More…
The Hacker’s Diet
- 08.27.2008
The definitive guide on how to lose weight and hair through stress and poor nutrition!Read More…
Clones R Us
- 08.27.2008
Have you visited the Dream Technologies International website, which boasts that you can order human or animal clones…Read More…
USB 2.0 may not be “High Speed”; USB 3.0 may not be “SuperSpeed”
- 08.28.2008
A reader notes that although “High Speed USB” = USB 2.0, the opposite is not necessarily true; that is, a USB 2.0 compliant device may not support “High Speed.” Read More…
It’s time to vote…
- 08.28.2008
…on a new tagline for Newnes' engineering books. Here are the top 10 entries, now it's over to you…Read More…
USB History and Direction
- 08.28.2008
My blogs on USB seem to have sparked a flurry of interest and responses…Read More…
The Hacker’s Diet (Part Deux)
- 08.28.2008
I've started to use some free weight-logging tools and they are really useful!Read More…
Cool application for iPhone and iPod touch : FatWatch
- 08.29.2008
This software tool looks rather cool; if I actually owned an iPhone or an iPod touch I would certainly use this little rapscallion!Read More…
Bebop to the Boolean Boogie EDITION #3
- 08.29.2008
The only electronics book where you can simultaneously learn about state machines, musical socks, Reed-Muller logic, and the best time of the day to eat smoked fish!Read More…
An interesting problem to ponder
- 09.02.2008
The response to previous problems I've posed has been extremely enthusiastic, so here's another poser for us to peruse and ponder…Read More…
Google announce new web browser called Chrome
- 09.02.2008
Google's new Chrome web browser is claimed to combine a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.Read More…
Lots of interesting “stuff”
- 09.04.2008
There's so much interesting “stuff” out there that I can no longer keep up with it all…Read More…
Yet more nuggets of arcane USB knowledge
- 09.05.2008
Well, we certainly seem to have opened the floodgates with our discussions on USB…Read More…
Is that a real smile or a fake?
- 09.05.2008
View these videos to see if your instincts are correct… Read More…
The End is Nigh!
- 09.08.2008
Here's a link to the “official” magazine of the apocalypse (get it now before it's too late)!Read More…
“Your Inner Fish” and other books
- 09.09.2008
In which I waffle on about books in general and the ones I've just read (or am in the process of reading) in particular.Read More…
The End is Nigh (Part Deux)
- 09.09.2008
Is the end of the world scheduled for Wednesday 10th September 2008 when the Large Hadron Colider (LHC) is powered-up? I don't think so…Read More…
The Doomsday List
- 09.11.2008
Here's a list of predicted “end-of-the-world” scenarios that failed to live up to expectations (if you'll forgive the pun).Read More…
The Integrated Circuit is 50 years old today!
- 09.12.2008
Yes, believe it or not, it's the 50th anniversary of the first IC!Read More…
Misinformed Australian
- 09.12.2008
This is one of the funniest things I've seen for a long time… I'm still chuckling as I pen these words.Read More…
50th Anniversary of the first IC (Part Deux)
- 09.14.2008
A reader is perturbed by my failing to mention the contributions of Robert Noyce…Read More…
Sine and cosine wave generation in FPGAs
- 09.14.2008
A reader asks how this can be achieved in the most efficient manner possible…Read More…
1.5 GHz FPGAs shipping now!
- 09.16.2008
How exciting! As I pen these words, the folks at Achronix have started to ship their 1.5 GHz FPGAs.Read More…
Magic Sine Waves
- 09.19.2008
I'm still trying to wrap my poor befuddled brain around all of this, so let me just quote from the executive (read “for those of little brain”) summary…Read More…
Squirrel Obstacle Course
- 09.22.2008
If things are going missing in your garden, this video might help explain why…Read More…
Free webinar on new Virtex-5 TXT FPGAs
- 09.23.2008
Virtex-5 TXT devices offer single FPGA solution for 40Gb and 100Gb telecom equipment.Read More…
Infrared Night Vision Goggles for only $89.99
- 09.24.2008
Yes, it's true; you can now purchase true infrared night vision, for the price of a toy (imagine my happy dance)!Read More…
FPGA Lab Liquidation Sale
- 09.25.2008
Hardware at clearance prices — buy now before it all goes!Read More…
I never knew that!
- 09.26.2008
Someone just told me the most amazing (incredibly simple) secret that will be of interest and use to almost everyone I know…Read More…
Student completes his MP3 project
- 09.29.2008
With the help of the readers of Programmable Logic DesignLine, a student learns about the CRC-7 algorithm used by SD Cards and successfully completes his project.Read More…
USB in GM automobiles?
- 09.30.2008
Once again, a visitor to Programmable Logic DesignLine asks us to plumb the depths of our collective consciousness…Read More…
“n-ary” (non-Boolean) Gray codes
- 10.01.2008
A reader poses a pert and perky problem for us to ponder; to cogitate, consider, and contemplate; to reflect, revolve, and ruminate…Read More…
Free FPGA Fundamentals Online Course
- 10.01.2008
Hurrah! My FPGA Fundamentals course went live just a few seconds ago as I pen these words…Read More…
Michael Palin for President!
- 10.02.2008
As this video shows, Monty Python's Michael Palin is better qualified for executive office than is Sarah Palin.Read More…
Feel the (dark) flow
- 10.03.2008
First we had “Dark Matter,” then came “Dark Energy,” and now we find “Dark Flow” … sometimes I wish scientists would simple leave me in the dark… Read More…
Simultaneous parabolic approximation of sin and cos
- 10.06.2008
Here's a useful “DSP Trick” that is sure to come in handy one day.Read More…
“n-ary” (non-Boolean) Gray codes (Part Deux)
- 10.07.2008
I've been pondering this topic some more, and now I can't get it out of my head…Read More…
The 2008 Ig Nobel awards are out
- 10.08.2008
The 18th “First Annual Ig Nobel Awards” ceremony honors the best (weirdest) scientific research.Read More…
We (almost) have a ternary Gray code solution
- 10.09.2008
I just heard from a reader who has come up with a ternary Gray code and associated binary mapping that (almost) does everything we need…Read More…
A tower of light
- 10.13.2008
The strength, intensity and brilliance of this light sculpture continually change with the prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions unique to Iceland.Read More…
A video, a book, and a whachamacallit
- 10.14.2008
In which we find a couple of things to amuse ourselves for a few minutes.Read More…
Banjo used in brain surgery
- 10.14.2008
Now, here's something you don't get to see every day…Read More…
Amazing invention
- 10.15.2008
This really gets the creative juices flowing and makes you want to build one of your own.Read More…
John Cooley to take over Cadence?
- 10.16.2008
You never know what's going to happen in EDA Space (“where no one can hear you scream”). Read More…
Programmable Logic DesignLine and Altium are holding a Design Competition
- 10.21.2008
Do you want a free super-cool Innovation Station (a US$9000+ value including a perpetual software license)? If so, I'm the man you need to be talking to…Read More…
Dreadful Puns
- 10.22.2008
Don't blame me… it's not my fault.. the person responsible for all of this is…Read More…
Seeing Red
- 10.22.2008
New research shows that synaesthetic experiences (where one sense triggers the involuntary use of another) can be induced by hypnosis.Read More…
Halloween Project
- 10.23.2008
For your edification and delight, I thought I'd share something I just made with my son…Read More…
Is the universe really expanding or is it actually contracting?
- 10.24.2008
A friend just posed two questions that I'm finding difficult to answer… perhaps you could help… Read More…
5 x 14 = 25
- 10.24.2008
Maybe this explains the current financial crisis and the way the government's bailout plans are supposed to work…Read More…
Competition: Win 1 of 10 Actel IGLOO Icicle FPGA development kits
- 10.27.2008
We're just giving all sorts of mega-cool stuff away at Programmable Logic DesignLine these days; will you be one of our ten lucky winners?Read More…
Amazing 3D Animation-Music DVDs
- 10.28.2008
I was just watching two of the most amazing 3D Animation-Music DVDs I've ever seen … and the best thing is that I have a spare pair for one lucky winner…Read More…
Great minds… and a cool 3D Web Cam
- 10.29.2008
I'm racing around doing “stuff” at the moment, so here are two quick blogs for the price of one…Read More…
It’s not the size of your…
- 10.30.2008
In which we discover some amazing images that will boggle our minds…Read More…
Awesomely funny…
- 10.30.2008
It's the entire mix (video clips, background music, and sound effects) that makes this video such a “must see” experience…Read More…
And the lucky (Actel) winners are…
- 11.03.2008
In which we discover the winners of the ten Actel IGLOO Icicle development kits…Read More…
The winner of the 3D music animation DVDs is…
- 11.04.2008
Well, we certainly had some interesting entries for our “The worst opening sentence…” in a hypothetical FPGA book competition…Read More…
Hard case for a Flip Video?
- 11.05.2008
Does anyone know where I can find a hard case that will clip on my belt and hold my Flip Video?Read More…
Here’s something that will NEVER happen again!
- 11.05.2008
You could be among the first three people in the known universe to receive a free autographed copy of Bebop to the Boolean Boogie (3rd Edition).Read More…
An interesting idea to cut home energy costs
- 11.06.2008
As far as I'm concerned, anything we can do to save energy, preserve our natural resources, and protect the environment has to be a good thing.Read More…
Arrggghhhh!!!
- 11.06.2008
The first 22 folks to enter the competition to win the first three copies of “Bebop to the Boolean Boogie Edition #3” … have to do it all again…Read More…
Awesome water fountain/display thingy in Japan
- 11.07.2008
This truly is an impressive beast … I want one of my own to play with…Read More…
Grandson of “What do you call a man who…?”
- 11.07.2008
Does anyone know what “Tom Swifties” used to be called in England and/or “Down Under”?Read More…
Have you seen MyHDL.org?
- 11.10.2008
MyHDL is an open source Python package that: “Lets you go from Python to Silicon.” Read More…
Truly amazing images
- 11.10.2008
Trust me… this is an absolutely MUST SEE collection of some amazing images that will stick in your mind for ages… Read More…
And the winners of Bebop Edition 3 are…
- 11.10.2008
Here are the results to our competition to give away the first three copies of “Bebop to the Boolean Boogie (Edition 3)” in the known universe…Read More…
Computer science research engineer required
- 11.11.2008
Here's a “Job-with-Bob” position that would be mega-interesting for the right person…Read More…
Project Euler
- 11.11.2008
Here's a whole collection of challenging mathematical / computer programming problems…Read More…
Interesting math tricks and techniques
- 11.11.2008
I tell you, there's always something new to learn…Read More…
Video of a man and his manhole cover
- 11.11.2008
See the completed man and his manhole cover Halloween project. Read More…
You no longer need an expensive video recorder
- 11.11.2008
I just blundered across a blog in which a professional demonstrated just how good a movie taken with a Flip Video can be…Read More…
Hubble directly observes a planet orbiting another star
- 11.13.2008
This news – which was just posted today – is HUGE!Read More…
Max to Actel: Don’t you dare!
- 11.13.2008
I am all of a fluster. My ire has been raised (it's not a pretty sight, let me tell you)!Read More…
Awesome “feel-good” video; you can’t help but smile!
- 11.14.2008
I stand in awe at this video – the concept is amazingly simple, but the way it was implemented is gorgeous – it makes you feel happy insideRead More…
Super-thin carbon nanotube loudspeakers
- 11.17.2008
1/1,000th the width of a single human hair, these super-thin carbon nanotubes films are capable of transmitting music and other sounds.Read More…
7,500 mini “How To” videos
- 11.17.2008
How can it be that mega-cool Internet sites like HowCast.com appear and flourish without my hearing anything about them?Read More…
The world’s smallest HD camcorder
- 11.17.2008
Weighing in at only 3.3 ounces, this little beauty can record up to 60 minutes of 16:9 widescreen, HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames-per-second.Read More…
37th anniversary of the 4004 microprocessor
- 11.18.2008
It's hard to believe that the world's very first microprocessor (the Intel 4004) first leapt onto the stage 37 years ago…Read More…
USB Heated Slippers
- 11.19.2008
If only the early computer pioneers could see us now… they'd be so proud!Read More…
First MathStar, now Ambric… WHAT NEXT?!
- 11.20.2008
Ambric going under is mega-bad news on a number of levels… what's next I wonder?Read More…
How much is SPAM costing you and your company?
- 11.21.2008
Google have just launched a “SPAM Calculator” that tells you home much time and money SPAM emails are costing you.Read More…
Spoof videos — thank an engineer today!
- 11.21.2008
The folks at Texas Instruments have created some funny “thank an engineer” videos…Read More…
Have you seen Dave’s Video?
- 11.24.2008
Altium have come up with one of the best (funny and informative) marketing videos I've seen for ages.Read More…
New keyboard improves typing skills…
- 11.24.2008
Maybe this new keyboard will help me learn to really type (I could be so much more productive if I wasn't using the “hunt-and-peck” approach).Read More…
Spectacular Conjunction
- 11.25.2008
The sky show of the year is scheduled for December 1st at sunset!Read More…
Designer seeking wisdom
- 11.25.2008
Someone is asking for our help with an interesting design problem … do you have any ideas? Read More…
The longest night…
- 11.26.2008
I tell you, I've had years that were shorter than last night…Read More…
Two Stupid Dogs – Part 1 – The Journey Begins
- 12.01.2008
I've augmented my Flip Video with a really amazing video editing program and a mega-cool MP3/WAV audio recorder… so now I'm poised to make my first movie…Read More…
More on MyHDL
- 12.03.2008
I just heard news about a “MyHDL Cookbook” that will be of interest to many denizens of programmable logic space…Read More…
Cool cartoon/graphics creation software
- 12.03.2008
Here's something that would make an ideal Christmas present for lots of folks, from young adults to… well, me…Read More…
Query re LabVIEW FPGA Toolbox
- 12.04.2008
A novice FPGA user asks for our input with regard to National Instruments' LabVIEW FPGA Module.Read More…
The soul of an old Heathkit
- 12.04.2008
Ah, the joy of constructing a do-it-yourself electronics kit and powering it on for the very first time…Read More…
Michelin reinvents the wheel
- 12.04.2008
I've been meaning to get around to doing this myself for quite some time … but I was thinking more in terms of painting it a different color…Read More…
EDA Rescue Plan
- 12.09.2008
I just received an email from a company called Blue Pearl Software that, if nothing else, managed to grab my attention.Read More…
Triumph Rocket III ” 21st century motorcycle manufacture
- 12.10.2008
Here's an oldie-but-goodie video that's bound to bring a smile to the most jaded amongst us…Read More…
Volkswaffe: The Flying Cars of Nazi Germany
- 12.10.2008
Here's another video showing that some folks have way too much free time on their hands…Read More…
The three winning projects for the Altium Design Competition are…
- 12.10.2008
Yes! We have decided on the three winning projects for the Altium Design Competition; once these projects have been implemented, we will announce the Grand Prize Winner…Read More…
Funny “for-sale-by-owner” car advert
- 12.11.2008
This car was engineered by 3rd degree ninja super-warriors in the highest mountains of Japan to serve the needs of the man that cheats death on a daily basis…Read More…
Is YouTube imposing country-based censorship?
- 12.11.2008
This is strange… someone writes to tell me that YouTube says a video I recommended isn't available for viewing in their country…Read More…
SSD is the one for me!
- 12.12.2008
Over the last few months I've been exposed to various aspects of power consumption. One topic that keeps on raising its ugly head in particular is that of data centers…Read More…
Heathkit article hits home…
- 12.12.2008
A reader shows his son that you can actually fix a broken electronic product like a DVD player instead of splurging out on a new one… Read More…
In the doghouse again…
- 12.12.2008
Men, don't purchase your loved one a vacuum cleaner for Christmas, otherwise this (video) might happen to you…Read More…
Rambling musings
- 12.15.2008
Do you realize that we're almost 1/10 of the way through the 21st century!Read More…
40 Inspirational speeches in two minutes
- 12.16.2008
This is a very useful “pick-me-up” if you're feeling a little low.Read More…
The farmer, the wolf, the goat, and the cabbage
- 12.18.2008
The folks at Blue Pearl Software always seem to find a way to *tickle my fancy* (the little scamps).Read More…
Top 10 *How To* Design Articles in 2008
- 12.23.2008
Yes! The moment we've all been waiting for… the results are in… here are the Top 10 *How To* Design Articles from 2008!Read More…
Why does…
- 12.24.2008
Does the direction of rotation of the platform in a microwave oven reverse almost each time the oven is started?Read More…
Will these vehicles run?
- 12.24.2008
Here's a “brain tickler” for puzzle fans from a 1932 issue of Modern Mechanix magazine.Read More…
A wave of happiness is sweeping the nation…
- 12.24.2008
Weather forecasts… pollen forecasts… mold forecasts… emotional forecasts? Read More…
Important safety instructions
- 12.29.2008
Sometimes the safety instructions that come with today's products make you shake your head in disbelief…Read More…
Taser Stun Gun … a great gift for the wife?
- 12.29.2008
Hmmm, do we all remember the quote: *If you think Education is difficult, try being stupid!*Read More…
If programming languages were religions…
- 12.29.2008
Lisp would be Zen Buddhism (some say that it's not a language at all; others say that it's the only language that makes sense)…Read More…
Good grief, is that the (Barycentric Dynamical) time?
- 12.30.2008
I've just learned a whole lot of stuff I never knew I didn't know…Read More…
Free real-time HTML editor
- 12.30.2008
Here's a handy-dandy free tool that could be very useful…Read More…
Uncle Jay explains the news
- 12.30.2008
In this 2008 roundup, Uncle Jay helps little minds understand big news stories…Read More…
CIA – The World Factbook
- 12.30.2008
Believe it or not, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is responsible for something we can all use…Read More…
New Year Resolutions
- 12.31.2008
It's that time of the year again where we either set ourselves up for failure… or possibly for success…Read More…
Oh, those pesky New Year resolutions
- 01.02.2009
The little scamps are so easy to make… but not so easy to keep…Read More…
Useful tables for converting to metric
- 01.06.2009
The guide includes tables for temperature, length, speed, volume, and mass. Some of the entries are quite humorous, and some will certainly stick in your …Read More…
New SoC Fundamentals course presented by yours truly is available!
- 01.07.2009
Hurray, I just heard that my new SoC Fundamentals course has been posted on TechOnline (how can I squeeze everything about SoCs into one small course?)Read More…
HD LCD TV with 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
- 01.07.2009
A 47″ HD LCT TV with whiter whites, blacker blacks, vibrant colors, and increased energy efficiency… can it get any better than this?Read More…
Woodgas-powered car; first hybrid car (circa 1917)
- 01.07.2009
Here's something you don't see every day (a woodgas-powered 1972 Dodge); and it seems that the first hybrid car was invented way-back-when…Read More…
Jack Ganssle (of Embedded.Com fame) say’s I’m a SLIME!
- 01.08.2009
Well, you can only imagine my surprise to receive this message from my hero in embedded space…Read More…
It’s official… Microsoft says Vista sucks!
- 01.09.2009
In fact, it's not just bad, but so bad that the replacement (upgrade), Windows 7, might end up being free to consumers…Read More…
Men vs. Women (here’s an interesting little project)
- 01.09.2009
I don't care what you say… I think this is cool and I want to build one of my own!Read More…
The town of Chicken, Alaska
- 01.09.2009
Its founders didn't want their town name to be the source of ridicule and laughter, so they decided on *Chicken* (Ah, the irony!)Read More…
Folk Synthesizers
- 01.12.2009
Are these the 21st century equivalent of early 20th century parlor instruments?Read More…
There’s good news, and there’s bad news…
- 01.14.2009
I love to be the bearer of glad tidings; I hate to be the one who relays bad news; but sometimes life offers up a mixed bag…Read More…
The physics (and aerodynamics) of passing wind…
- 01.15.2009
Here's something unexpected from the BBC television website in the United Kingdom…Read More…
Men versus Women : Looking for an algorithm
- 01.15.2009
Help: I need help choosing names for areas, switches, buttons etc. on my Display-O-Meter; also I welcome suggestions with regard to the underlying algorithm…Read More…
All sorts of interesting *stuff*
- 01.16.2009
Hardware has feelings: Free high-precision desktop calculator: Logical conundrums: Free software: Microsoft Tag: Flying car: Life in a hologram: more…Read More…
Quantum biology
- 01.18.2009
Quantum effects may explain a whole raft of things, from how our sense of smell works to consciousness itself.Read More…
Men versus Women : The PICAXE Microcontroller
- 01.21.2009
In which I start to play with my PICAXE microcontroller development board / system / kit / thingy / whatever.Read More…
USB Stress-Relief Ball (I could do with one of these)
- 01.22.2009
When you squeeze / squash / pull / twist the stress ball, it does nasty things to the active document on your screen…Read More…
Steampunk TARDIS Control Console
- 01.26.2009
This is really, REALLY amazing… plus it's given me some ideas for my own on-going projects…Read More…
Some webinars worth watching
- 01.26.2009
I just heard about a number of forthcoming webinars that look to be well-worth watching if you have a little free time…Read More…
Pluribo – a taste of things to come?
- 01.27.2009
The web is a great place for finding product reviews, but who has the time to read through them all?Read More…
It’s so hard to say goodbye…
- 01.27.2009
Well, it certainly is if you're trying to say it in Bislama…Read More…
Microsoft strikes again!
- 01.28.2009
I just saw the most appalling advert for a software product (pass me a bottle of “ear bleach”)Read More…
Top 8 dingbats of 2008
- 01.28.2009
I've said it before and I'll say it again… I'm too young for all of this…Read More…
Men versus Women : A rose by any other name…
- 01.28.2009
In which various suggestions are proposed, but many decisions remain to be made…Read More…
What a Hoot! (I mean Woot!)
- 01.29.2009
This is an amazing site… in addition to being mega-useful it's a lot of fun (even the FAQ made me laugh).Read More…
Free trip to Australia
- 01.30.2009
Did you know that if you take an Altium training course in Australia the airfare is free (well, sort of…)Read More…
It’s raining FPGAs!
- 02.03.2009
Grab an umbrella, because new FPGAs are falling out of the sky all around us!Read More…
IBM offers to relocate laid-off workers to India
- 02.03.2009
OK, this is something that I for one certainly didn't see coming…Read More…
I have a warm fuzzy feeling
- 02.05.2009
I just heard something that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside…Read More…
Men versus Women : Turn the knob on your side…
- 02.06.2009
Following numerous requests for information, here's the on-going status of my project du jour…Read More…
A mixed-bag of *stuff* to amuse, delight, baffle, and bewilder…
- 02.09.2009
Latest hacker trick; Geek-a-licious starship dimensions; Cost of building a Death Star; It's BACON for goodness sake!Read More…
Haptic Compass
- 02.09.2009
So you always wanted some form of Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) … well, here's one way to achieve it…Read More…
Finding one’s car in the mall parking lot
- 02.10.2009
The older I get, the more I could use one of these…Read More…
Weird and wild USB devices
- 02.11.2009
Here are guides to ten weird USB devices, ten strange Japanese devices, and much, much more…Read More…
We all need to pull together
- 02.13.2009
As usual, Mentor and Xilinx are both setting a really good example as to how big companies can help out and how we all need to pull together…Read More…
This will get your inner geek juices flowing
- 02.13.2009
Wow! This is pretty amazing — Using the Internet as a *Sixth Sense* — Is this a taste of things to come?Read More…
Ordering a pizza in 2010
- 02.17.2009
This would be funny if it wasn't close to becoming reality…Read More…
Some interesting websites to tickle your fancy
- 02.17.2009
A cunning photographic effect; Skiing off the top of a cliff; Swedish dance bands from the 1970s; more…Read More…
The National UFO Reporting Center has moved…
- 02.17.2009
I didn't want anyone to mistakenly decide that these folks had been abducted by aliens, because we certainly don't want to cause a panic.Read More…
Exploring Binary
- 02.18.2009
Here's a website and blog that ponders all things of a binary nature…Read More…
Visual Thesaurus — What a cool idea!
- 02.18.2009
As is so often the case, I am amazed by just how useful a well-conceived and well-implemented graphic user interface can be…Read More…
Men versus Women: Help required controlling meters!
- 02.18.2009
In which we discover just how little I know (or, at least, how little I remember)…Read More…
Slumdog Millionaire — a MUST SEE film!
- 02.19.2009
This film left me emotionally drained. It wasn't anything like what I was anticipating… it by far EXCEEDED my expectations… (see also an original story by my mom).Read More…
I was there!
- 02.20.2009
I was just reading an autobiography of Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones when I realized that I was at some of the concerts he was talking about…Read More…
Virtual Conferences and Eco-Friendly Displays
- 02.20.2009
It's all happening at the moment, from virtual (online) technical conferences and expositions to eco-friendly biodegradable display booths.Read More…
Visual Thesaurus vs. WordWeb
- 02.23.2009
My cup runneth over with some amazingly useful thesaurus and dictionary-type applications.Read More…
Killer Robots — Not a Joke!
- 02.24.2009
Some of the stuff that's going on around us makes me want to cry…Read More…
Different ways to present data
- 02.24.2009
Here's an amazingly cool website that shows a wealth of different ways in which data can be graphically presented for maximum effect.Read More…
A bit of a laugh
- 02.27.2009
Here are a collection of funny word definitions to kick off the weekend (and may it be a jolly good one for all of us!)Read More…
Video: Interview with Bill Carter
- 03.03.2009
In which yours truly gets to chat with Bill Carter, the designer of the world's first FPGA.Read More…
Conned: A History of Scams, Frauds and Swindles
- 03.04.2009
Here's yet another item I've added to my ever-growing *Wish List* at Amazon.Read More…
Mathematicians in uproar (and lots of other *stuff*)
- 03.06.2009
Equations; Mathematicians, Pancakes; The French; George W. Bush; Web Browser Photo Editors; Dementia; more… Read More…
Stonehenge or bust
- 03.10.2009
When I was about 20 years old, I was fortunate enough to visit Stonehenge; once you've been there it stays with you…Read More…
Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be
- 03.11.2009
I'm very excited, because my friend and I have just launched a new website called *The Way Things Were* that allows folks to share their memories of yesteryear…Read More…
Incredibly useful (and FREE) WiFi Scanner
- 03.12.2009
Improve your wireless connection: inSSIDer is a free Wi-Fi network scanner for use with Windows XP and Windows Vista.Read More…
What music should be playing as …?
- 03.12.2009
Following the musical mentions in my newsletter, readers are offering suggestions as to the tune that should be playing as I leave Programmable Logic Design…Read More…
Arrggghh — it’s Friday the 13th!
- 03.13.2009
It's my last day with Programmable Logic DesignLine, and I just realized that it's Friday 13th … should I be filled with grim forebodings?Read More…
Notes on third-party FPGA design tools
- 03.18.2009
A few notes on some interesting discussions about third-party FPGA design tools that have come up over the past couple of weeks. Read More…
Does branding matter in the semi industry?
- 03.25.2009
Xilinx President and CEO Moshe Gavrielov made some comments recently about what he sees as the limited value of branding/marketing in the programmable logic and broader semiconductor space. He is not alone. But there are also many who would disagree with him. Read More…
Altera CEO got $4.1 million in 2008
- 03.31.2009
The Associated Press reported that Altera CEO John Daane pulled down a compensation package worth $4.1 million last year, an increase of 25 percent over 2007. Read More…
The FPGA stigma
- 04.01.2009
FPGAs have a lot of momentum and Gartner predicts ASIC design starts will decrease by 22 percent in 2009. But all is not roses for FPGAs, as the stigma they carry still prevents many companies from even considering them. Read More…
Reconfigurable cluster computing installation could be a first
- 04.08.2009
Could the world's first large reconfigurable computing cluster be installed at Mississippi's Jackson State University? True story, according to SRC Computers, the system's builder.Read More…
Where are they now? M2000
- 04.14.2009
In 2007, a programmable logic startup called M2000 moved its headquarters to Silicon Valley and said it was on the verge of launching what it described as “breakthrough” technology that would provide higher logic density, functionality and speed at less cost than competing solutions. But since then, not much has been heard from M2000. So what has the company and its breakthrough technology been up to?Read More…
Challenging the tool pricing model
- 04.22.2009
Is Altium onto something with its new tool pricing? Read More…
Superpower smackdown
- 04.30.2009
One doesn't need to wander very far across today's FPGA landscape to see how power consumption is becoming a more and more critical issue. As product categories that once shied away from FPGAs, such as mobile consumer devices, open up to them, both static and dynamic power consumption become paramount. Read More…
Patent strike?
- 05.06.2009
In case you've missed it, there has been a fascinating exchange about the broken U.S. patent system taking place on the pages of EE Times over the past couple weeks. Read More…
What does software firm want with MathStar?
- 05.13.2009
Why is PureChoice Inc., a vendor of building-performance reporting software, trying to buy MathStar for around $9.5 million? And why hasn't the defunct programmable logic vendor's board responded? Read More…
The design debate: Art versus science
- 05.20.2009
Ask a chip designer if the work he or she does is an art or a science and you will more than likely hear the former. But Naveed Sherwani, the outspoken president and CEO of fabless ASIC vendor Open-Silicon, takes issue with that. Read More…
Shameless plug
- 05.27.2009
This is just a note to encourage anyone who hasn't checked out Max Maxfield's Fundamentals of Mixed-Signal FPGAs course to do so without delay. Read More…
What’s up with GateRocket?
- 06.03.2009
A recent blog post by “harrythe ASIC guy” reminded me that it's been more than two years since FPGA verification startup GateRocket emerged. This blog is a call to action for anyone out there familiar with the company's RocketDrive or RocketVision tools. Please share your impressions. Read More…
The final frontier?
- 06.10.2009
I wasn't born at the time Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon. But that event will shape the achievements of my generation as much (if not more so) than those who watched it live on TV. Read More…
The ongoing MathStar saga
- 06.17.2009
For a company that effectively shut its doors more than a year ago, MathStar still generates a lot of headlines. Read More…
Is CSwitch dead?
- 07.01.2009
FPGA startup CSwitch appears to have closed its doors, according to several industry sources. Read More…
Video: Inside CSwitch headquarters
- 07.02.2009
Tired of being stonewalled by CSwitch executives, Mark LaPedus and I stopped by CSwitch's headquarters Wednesday on a quest for answers. Unfortunately, we didn't get many.Read More…
CSwitch shutdown confirmed
- 07.03.2009
CSwitch President and CEO Doug Laird confirmed that the company halted operations in the last few weeks in an effort to conserve cash as it entered negotiations with potential buyers. Read More…
Actel names CFO
- 07.15.2009
Former Kulicke & Soffa executive Maurice Carson will join Actel company as executive vice president and chief financial officer effective Aug. 17.Read More…
FPGA nuggets from 2009 Embedded Market Study
- 07.23.2009
There was some interesting data about FPGA to emerge from Embedded Systems Design magazine's 2009 Embedded Market Study, presented a couple of months back on TechOnline.Read More…
ESL/HLS buzz at DAC
- 07.30.2009
The buzz over electronic-system level design and high-level synthesis seems to have reached a new level at this year's Design Automation Conference.Read More…
A ‘whole new paradigm shift’
- 08.05.2009
During a visit to SiliconBlue, I heard that some customers are treating the company's FPGAs like ASICs, enlisting SiliconBlue to do the FPGA development work and stamping their own logos on the devices. Read More…
On awards and giant cupcakes
- 08.19.2009
In a world currently plagued by economic recession and conflict, it's inspiring to know that someone still has the tenacity, drive and baking skills to fulfill his or her dream of creating the world's largest cupcake. Read More…
FGPAs to ‘green’ the web?
- 09.02.2009
Add this to the growing list of things people are counting on FPGAs for: “greening” the web by enabling faster searches using less power. Read More…
An event like no other
- 09.09.2009
On Sept. 16, EE Times will present a virtual conference on designing next-generation SoCs that promises to explore the challenges faced by developers of both ASIC- and FPGA-based SoCs.Read More…
Yet another FPGA startup
- 09.15.2009
A recent EE Times article revealed yet another FPGA startup, NuPGA. Read More…
Mayan calendar predicts demise of Moore’s Law
- 09.30.2009
Many have unsuccessfully predicted the end of Moore's Law. But what about predictions made before the law even existed? Read More…
FPGAs well represented on Silicon 60
- 10.05.2009
FPGA vendors are well represented on the latest version of EE Times' Silicon 60 emerging startups list, with three of the six FPGA startups we've been following making the cut. Read More…
Time Warp
- 10.14.2009
Cypress Semiconductor's flashy new PSoC Creator IDE is heavily based on the company's old Warp VHDL development software.Read More…
EDA pundits envision more ‘ASIC-like tools’ for FPGAs
- 11.03.2009
A pair of EDA pundits outlined some ways EDA would evolve, including getting more revenue from FPGA users. Read More…
Some cool stuff from ICCAD
- 11.11.2009
There were several interesting FPGA-related papers presented at the 2009 International Conference on Computer-Aided Design last week in San Jose. Read More…
Cramer salutes Altera
- 12.01.2009
Altera's fourth quarter sales guidance improvement got props from TV's Jim Cramer. Read More…
Draft of FIPS 140-3 released
- 12.16.2009
NIST released for public comment the second draft of the proposed FIPS 140-3 government computer security standards, which contain requirements for resistance to power analysis attacks. Read More…
End of the road for MathStar (for real this time)
- 01.13.2010
Divining the logic behind defunct programmable logic vendor MathStar's acquisition of language translation software vendor Sajan takes a little bit of effort.Read More…
Beware of DPA attacks
- 01.20.2010
Benjamin Jun, vice president of technology at Cryptography Research has a message for FPGA users regarding differential power analysis attacks.Read More…
SiliconBlue claims 100 design wins
- 01.30.2010
I recently spoke with Kapil Shankar, CEO of FPGA startup SiliconBlue Technologies, who told me the company now has over 100 design wins under its belt and will seek another round of financing in the next few months. Read More…
A dissenting opinion on the ‘programmable imperative’
- 02.17.2010
Jack Harding, CEO of ASIC design and services provider eSilicon, has a simple question for those who say FPGAs are displacing ASICs: Where is the money?Read More…
Altium claims 500 new U.S. customers in past year
- 02.22.2010
Ten months after dramatically cutting the price of its circuit board design tool, Altium says it has added more than 500 customers in the U.S. over the past year. Read More…
What’s Your Take on Tabula?
- 03.01.2010
On paper, Tabula seems like a surefire winner. But I'm looking for a reality check, asking programmable logic users to share their thoughts on the startup and its newly announced technology. Read More…
What’s your take on Actel’s SmartFusion?
- 03.10.2010
After getting some pretty good responses to a request for perspectives on Tabula, we are going to the well again to ask for reader responses to Actel's new SmartFusion family.Read More…
Xilinx among finalists for Design Team of the Year
- 03.17.2010
Xilinx is among the finalists for the EE Times ACE Awards' Design Team of the Year honor.Read More…
China’s telco capex cuts trouble analysts
- 03.31.2010
Wall Street analysts continue to warn that capex reductions by China's telecom providers could hurt top line revenue at programmable logic vendors. Read More…
NetFPGA design contest
- 04.07.2010
Stanford University's NetFPGA program is holding a design contest, asking design teams to produce a working implementation employing any hardware and software design methodology and targeting the NetFPGA development platform.Read More…
A fork in the road to 28-nm FPGAs
- 04.22.2010
Xilinx and Altera may both be using TSMC for manufacturing at the 28-nm node, but the two companies have selected different manufacturing processes, at least for high-end products. Read More…
Notes from ESC’s great debate
- 04.29.2010
One Embedded Systems Conference event that definitely lived up to its billing was the debate between Jim Turley and Clive “Max” Maxfield about embedded versus discrete processors. The event was, as advertised, both entertaining and informative. Read More…
Help Erach Desai’s daughter
- 05.25.2010
Erach Desai, a longtime analyst in the EDA and semiconductor community, is facing his worst nightmare. His 16-year-old daughter, Jacqueline, has been diagnosed with stage IV osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. They could use a helping hand. Read More…
What’s in a name?
- 06.24.2010
Xilinx has decided to rebrand its next generation FPGA families in a move driven by its future use of a unified and scalable architecture based on a 28nm high performance, low power manufacturing process.Read More…
Do you remember … the world before USB?
- 07.08.2011
Do you remember how painful working with computers used to be with things like PS/2 connectors, RS-232 connectors, Centronics interfaces, SCSI interfaces, and goodness knows what else?Read More…
Where have all the Mentors gone?
- 07.11.2011
I just received an email from a young engineer that made me feel rather sad… maybe we can offer this youngster some sage advice…Read More…
Embrace your inner geek!
- 07.13.2011
Did you know that July 13 is “Embrace Your Geekiness Day”? (This is not to be confused with Geek Pride Day, which is celebrated on 25 May)Read More…
I want to build a “Hassler” – does anyone have the circuit?
- 07.14.2011
This is an audio circuit that generates interference when someone speaks loudly – it provides a way to “train” your colleagues to speak in a softer tone.Read More…
Am I a racist? Are you?
- 07.18.2011
I just took an online test described in Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.” The result has certainly given me something to ponder…Read More…
GPS Car locator app for droid smartphones
- 07.22.2011
Car Locator, which is available from the Android Market and the V CAST App Store, is a very clever application. Read More…
Do NOT read this blog!
- 07.22.2011
It seems that henceforth I may have to include disclaimers with any of my blogs that are on non-programmable-logic-related topics saying…Read More…
A cornucopia of iPad apps (Part 1)
- 07.25.2011
Is it really just a little more than a month ago that I took the plunge and purchased an iPad? I find that hard to believe, because I can’t remember life without it…Read More…
Book Review: 100 Power Tips For FPGA Designers by Evgeni Stavinov
- 07.25.2011
In many ways this is an unusual book – one that will provide something of interest to almost every reader…Read More…
Periodic Table of Programmable Logic
- 07.27.2011
Now here’s something you don’t see every day…Read More…
The Periodic Table of Programmable Logic – Rev #1
- 07.28.2011
Wow! Just yesterday as I pen these words I posted my blog suggesting that we might create a Periodic Table of Programmable Logic and I’ve been overwhelmed by the response…Read More…
Words of wisdom, straight from the bottle…
- 08.01.2011
Someone who should know better just sent me a bunch of quotes related to drinking alcohol (I particularly like the warnings)…Read More…
Seeing sounds and tasting colors
- 08.01.2011
One engineer sees black-and-white gate-level schematics in color. Are there any synaesthete design engineers who see black-and-white RTL in color?Read More…
It’s hard to be in a bad mood while you’re playing the ukulele!
- 08.02.2011
Yesterday I didn't even know how to spell 'Ukulele', but then ordered a ‘Build Your Own Ukulele Kit’ and now I can’t wait for it to arrive…Read More…
A cornucopia of iPad apps (Part 2)
- 08.06.2011
Did you know that there are currently more than 90,000 apps for the iPad according to the App Store page on the Apple website?Read More…
Micrium makes uC/OS-III RTOS source code available
- 08.08.2011
Source code for popular real-time kernel now available for free evaluation.Read More…
‘They’re Made Out Of Meat’ by Terry Bisson
- 08.09.2011
In this short story by Terry Bisson we listen in on two aliens from a mechanical civilization talking about what to do with regard to their first contact with the human race.Read More…
Bill Bryson on cricket
- 08.09.2011
It is not true that the English invented cricket as a way of making all other human endeavors look interesting and lively; that was merely an unintended side effect.Read More…
Well, Morph Me!
- 08.10.2011
Every now and again I come up with an idea that’s way ahead of its time, but I don’t have the resources or money or time to do anything about it…Read More…
A cornucopia of iPad apps (Part 3)
- 08.13.2011
In which we discover some REALLY cool applications…Read More…
Video: A robot that flies like a bird
- 08.15.2011
This really is quite amazing. Something like this bird would be available only in the realm of science fiction in the not-so-distant past.Read More…
The Periodic Table of Programmable Logic – Rev #2
- 08.17.2011
I’ve waded my weary way through all of your suggestions – accepted some, rejected others, and added some of my own…Read More…
What do QR codes have to do with a “bad hair day”?
- 08.17.2011
QR codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or almost any object about which users might need information.Read More…
Mystery robot dog from the 1950s
- 08.17.2011
This is just so amazingly cool. It’s almost a retro version of Doctor Who’s robot dog K-9.Read More…
The coffee ring effect revealed
- 08.18.2011
Every now and then, some bright spark pauses for a second and says “Just a cotton pickin' moment, I wonder what’s causing that?”Read More…
Hot iPad app: Notes Plus (handwriting, text, shapes, audio…)
- 08.18.2011
Notes Plus is in a league of its own – this is the sort of app that fully utilizes all of the iPad’s capabilities and turns the iPad into a tool rather than a toy.Read More…
Hot iPad app: iCircuit (electronic circuit editor and simulator)
- 08.19.2011
My old chum Alvin just emailed me to say that he is really impressed with an iPad app called iCircuit…Read More…
I want impossible balls too!
- 08.22.2011
I love magic tricks and optical illusions, and these just blew me away…Read More…
Mega-cool new electronics products from SparkFun
- 08.23.2011
New product line helps beginners in programming, prototyping, and designing with electronics.Read More…
Stand back – I have a ukulele and I’m not afraid to use it!
- 08.24.2011
I'm proud to report that I just finished building my first do-it-yourself ukulele kit.Read More…
Free webinar on creating radiation-immune FPGA designs
- 08.25.2011
I’m becoming increasingly interested in the effects of radiation on designs intended for terrestrial applications – especially those implemented using FPGAs.Read More…
I need help to recreate an amazing color vision experiment
- 08.25.2011
A few years ago I posted a column about a rather amazing color vision experiment. I’m now a little closer to recreating this, but I could still use a little help…Read More…
Has Mentor traded its high-level synthesis (HLS) Catapult C organization?
- 08.26.2011
I can hardly believe my ears. I just heard a rumor that “Effective on August 31, 2011, the High Level Synthesis organization, which produces Catapult C, will become part of a new entity with Calypto Design Systems.”Read More…
Why the guy who fixes your computer hates you!
- 08.26.2011
I just saw a funny article on Cracked.com titled “6 Reasons The Guy Who’s Fixing Your Computer Hates You”…Read More…
Tactical Nuclear Penguins
- 08.26.2011
Am I man enough to tackle the world’s strongest beer? You bet your Emperor Penguin I am!Read More…
Video: Amazing electronic trick (how is this done?)
- 08.26.2011
I have to admit to being seriously intrigued. I just saw an electronics-based trick that I cannot explain…Read More…
Diamond planet – black hole eats star – life on Mars – lots more “stuff”
- 08.29.2011
Good grief – it’s early Monday morning and my brain is already reeling with all of the interesting info that is flashing before my eyes…Read More…
Free 2-day class for SmartFusion mixed-signal FPGAs
- 08.29.2011
If you are based in Silicon Valley, California, you might want to sign up for this free 2-day training course on 6-7 September 2011…Read More…
Bacon T-Shirts and Doctor Who sonic screwdrivers
- 08.31.2011
May 1000 curses rain down on the heads of the guys and gals at Think Geek who torment me with products I never knew I wanted…Read More…
Most useless machine ever plus another coin trick
- 09.01.2011
Have you ever seen a video of something called “The Most Useless Machine Ever”? In fact this is really rather cool…Read More…
Are “Cord Hogs” the solution to multiple cables in your backpack?
- 09.02.2011
This is a plastic “thing” that is designed in such a way as to facilitate your winding electric cables around it and securing them so they don’t unravel.Read More…
Free Webinar: Establishing a requirements-driven FPGA/ASIC design process
- 09.02.2011
This webinar will present advanced chip design methods and practices that are now essential for any design project.Read More…
Altium Designer made available to over 5,000 GoEngineer customers
- 09.02.2011
Altium signs GoEngineer to distribute next-generation electronics design software to Western and South Central U.S.Read More…
Don’t miss Xilinx at IBC 2011
- 09.06.2011
Xilinx has just announced its participation at IBC 2011 in Amsterdam, from September 8-13, at the RAI Exhibition and Congress Centre, Stand #10.D25, Hall 10.Read More…
Xilinx is on a roll
- 09.06.2011
I don’t know why, but suddenly I’m being bombarded with press releases from the folks at Xilinx…Read More…
Amr Mohsen – A story so bizarre…
- 09.06.2011
I thought it may be worth while reminding those who did not witness this tale the first time around or who had forgotten just how crazy our industry can be.Read More…
Radiation-shielding design and analysis tool now available
- 09.07.2011
Developed by Raytheon, the TopAct tool accelerates space, defense, energy, and medical application developmentRead More…
I want to join a mob
- 09.07.2011
I don’t want to be initiated into a gang of rascally rascals, you understand – I just want to be part of a Flash mob…Read More…
Free worldwide power and platform management seminars from Lattice
- 09.12.2011
Board designers can learn to reduce power and platform management costs up to 50%, increase reliability, and reduce the risk of board re-spins.Read More…
Some interesting “stuff” and some mega-weird “stuff”
- 09.12.2011
I don’t know where to start. I have just seen the most amazing bunch of videos…Read More…
OMG! Words fail me!
- 09.13.2011
Following my previous blog that showed a man flying without a plane, my old chum George just pointed me at two videos that left my heart pounding…Read More…
ClioSoft granted patent for Universal Data Management Adaptor
- 09.14.2011
Hmmm – this is an interesting development – to be honest I’m not quite sure what it means with regard to how it affects version control and design data management solutions from other vendors. Read More…
What’s the funniest/goofiest/spoofiest sci-fi video on YouTube?
- 09.14.2011
I don’t know why, but I just started wondering as to what would be the funniest and/or goofiest and/or spoofiest science fiction video on YouTube…Read More…
A cornucopia of incredible images and videos
- 09.19.2011
Oh my goodness gracious me … there is so much amazing “stuff” out there in the Internet that I don’t know whether I’m coming or going… Read More…
The early days of electronic design…
- 09.22.2011
I am going to be posting a new series of blogs on EDA-related topics and also on whatever captures my attention at the … “Ooooh, Shiny!”Read More…
Am I suffering from adoxography and/or apodyopsis?
- 09.22.2011
For one reason or another I was looking for something or other (and this is one of my better days) when I ran across an interesting website…Read More…
Hurray for us space primates!
- 09.26.2011
There have been all sorts of interesting news items recently, from new rockets to strange exoplanets to the possibility that some things may go faster than the speed of light…Read More…
Faster than the speed of light?
- 09.26.2011
In the scientists at CERN really have detected particles travelling faster than the speed of light, the ramifications are incredible…Read More…
Free webinar – Intro to FPGA design using MATLAB and Simulink
- 09.28.2011
One thing I’m really impressed about is all of the free educational and instructional resources that are available these days…Read More…
How it was: Data communications
- 09.30.2011
In 1980 I started working for SITA – Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques – in Harare in Zimbabwe…Read More…
I’m in love!
- 10.01.2011
I just treated myself to a new pair of noise-cancelling headphones that have me tap-dancing down airplane isles with joy…Read More…
How It Was: PCB Layout from Rubylith to Dot and Tape to CAD
- 10.03.2011
Dot and Tape refers to the product used to lay the patterns of tracks and IC/transistor pads on to mylar sheets; before Dot and Tape there was Rubylith…Read More…
Oooohhhh, Shiny!!! The BMW i8 concept car
- 10.03.2011
I’m not usually much interested in cars, but in the case of the BMW i8 I will make an exception… Read More…
Machinarium – One of the most amazing computer games I’ve ever seen!
- 10.03.2011
I keep telling myself that I don’t play computer games, but I just realized that I’m currently devoting hours of my time to an amazing creation called Machinarium…Read More…
How it was: Fan-fold paper and ASCII art
- 10.04.2011
In the context of computers, the term “fan-fold” refers to a continuous strip of paper that was folded back and forth in a zigzag manner…Read More…
Star Trek “gadgets” that now exist
- 10.05.2011
I just read an article about eight gadgets from Star Trek that have come into existence; some of these really do make you think…Read More…
You’re invited to Jasper’s annual user group meeting
- 10.06.2011
If you're interested in learning about more efficient verification techniques and technologies, then this is the event for you…Read More…
Farewell to Steve Jobs
- 10.06.2011
Yesterday evening I was working on a project when my wife – who had been watching the news – bounced into the room to inform me of Steve Job’s passing…Read More…
Friday Fun: All sorts of “stuff”
- 10.07.2011
I don’t know about you, but this has been a long week and I’m ready for a bit of a laugh…Read More…
How it was: ASCII, EBCDIC, ISO, and Unicode
- 10.07.2011
There's an old engineering joke that says: “Standards are great … everyone should have one!” The problem is that – very often – everyone does…Read More…
Infineon produces chips on new 300mm thin wafer technology
- 10.11.2011
I don’t know how he finds the time, but my old chum Brian LaGrave always seems to have his “finger on the pulse” when it comes to the latest and greatest technologies…Read More…
Meet my Mini Wind Walker
- 10.11.2011
As we all know, it’s not the size of your wind walker that's important… it’s what you do with it that counts…Read More…
Altera’s new ARM-based SoC FPGAs
- 10.11.2011
Well, today we certainly do have some exciting news, because Altera have just announced two new families of ARM-based SoC FPGAs at the 28nm node.Read More…
Using FPGAs to add IEEE 802.11n channel emulation capabilities to wireless test equipment
- 10.11.2011
Today’s announcement from octoScope made me realize just how little I know…Read More…
I am wearing my sad face
- 10.12.2011
I just met a really nice guy whose trade (TV repairman) is fading away as we speak…Read More…
How it was: Paper tapes and punched cards
- 10.13.2011
Users of the early computers required some kind of reliable, cheap, and efficient media for storing and transporting large amounts of computer data…Read More…
Book Review: Napoleon’s Privates by Tony Perrottet
- 10.13.2011
All-in-all, this is a very interesting read and I’ve learned all sorts of interesting nuggets of knowledge about all sorts of things…Read More…
Useful tools and tricks
- 10.13.2011
A couple of my recent writing projects have required me to capture and present equations, and it was not sufficient for me to use regular text like: y = (a + b) / (c + d) Read More…
Friday Fun: All sorts of “stuff”
- 10.14.2011
I don’t believe it – it’s Friday again – where does the time go?Read More…
How it was: Testing honking big computers
- 10.17.2011
Once we had designed a new mainframe computer and build the prototype we had to test it…Read More…
Oh, the irony!
- 10.18.2011
A friend just sent me an email containing a bunch of images that reflect life’s little ironies.Read More…
Travel Nightmares: Flying into the old Hong Kong airport
- 10.18.2011
Flying into the original Hong Kong airport was an experience everyone remembers… especially if you had not been forewarned…Read More…
Holding the ancient past in the palm of your hand
- 10.19.2011
I cannot tell you what it feels like to hold something like a 4200-year-old Sumerian tablet; It sends shivers down my spine…Read More…
How it was: Big computers talking to little computers
- 10.19.2011
In the not-so-distant-past, computers of different types from different manufacturer could not typically “talk” to each other…Read More…
Xilinx to demo Zynq-7000 EPP SW/HW development tools at ARM TechCon 2011
- 10.20.2011
Hot news about the forthcoming ARM TechCon 2011 – I only wish I could attend myself, but…Read More…
Book Review: The Artificial Ape by Timothy Taylor
- 10.20.2011
I was taught that our ancient ancestors started to become more intelligent, which allowed us to start creating tools, but maybe things didn’t occur in quite this way…Read More…
Wanted: Hexadecimal Nixie Tubes or similar display devices
- 10.21.2011
As usual I have an unusual hobby project simmering away on metaphorical stove…Read More…
Xilinx boasts 200+ design wins for 7 Series FPGAs
- 10.24.2011
To date, Xilinx says that it’s shipped thousands of Virtex-7 and Kintex-7 FPGAs worldwide…Read More…
Antique micromosaics are simply incredible
- 10.24.2011
I’d never heard about this art form before, so I just took a quick stroll around the Internet to discover that…Read More…
Piiigs iiiin Spaaace
- 10.25.2011
It’s not that I’d forgotten the Muppet Show per se – more that I rarely think about it…Read More…
Wow – Silego Technology sees 1127% growth!
- 10.26.2011
Deloitte’s 2011 Technology Fast 500 recognizes Silego Technology as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North AmericaRead More…
How it was: Life in the typing pool (I)
- 10.26.2011
In which my mother relates how, in September 1948, she was eager to start work on her first day as a qualified Shorthand Typist…Read More…
My mother’s twisted relationship with Lord Voldemort
- 10.31.2011
I have to admit that my eyebrows went up higher than usual when my mother informed me that she used to bounce Lord Voldemort on her knee when he was a little lad…Read More…
Peter Alfke Remembered, 1931-2011
- 10.31.2011
My friend Mike Santarini, publisher of Xcell Journal at Xilinx just told me of the passing of Peter Alfke, who was with Xilinx for more than 20 years.Read More…
From cyber-attacks to Scientology
- 11.02.2011
Today has been a funny old day… my mind is buzzing with all sorts of things…Read More…
How it was: CAD, CAE, and Netlisting
- 11.03.2011
In the mid ‘80s our design tools still featured a Pencil Re-Booter (aka an electric pencil sharpener); meanwhile, the “Delete Component” function was performed with an electric rotary eraser…Read More…
Xilinx to showcase secure products and applications at MILCOM 2011
- 11.03.2011
I just heard from the chaps and chapesses at Xilinx with regard to their forthcoming participation at MILCOM 2011Read More…
Fall 2011 edition of Xilinx Xcell Journal Magazine available now
- 11.03.2011
Hurray! The Fall 2011 edition of the quarterly Xcell Journal magazine is available for our delectation and delightRead More…
I’m so lucky to be here (Part 1)
- 11.03.2011
When you come to think about it, the chances of any of us existing (as the unique individuals we are) is incredibly, almost infinitesimally, small…Read More…
Two videos: Humming Birds (amazing) and Clean Balls (funny)
- 11.04.2011
Before we plunge into two incredible videos, I have a nugget of knowledge I’d like to share…Read More…
What’s the best post-apocalyptic book / film / TV program?
- 11.04.2011
I have a question for you to ponder – in your opinion, what would be the best post-apopolytic book, film, or TV program?Read More…
Congratulations to SiliconBlue for their ISO 9001 certification
- 11.07.2011
I just heard that the folks at SiliconBlue have been awarded the ISO 9001:2008 registration related to the design and manufacture of their mobileFPGA devices.Read More…
Weird forms of transport and other “stuff”
- 11.07.2011
I don’t know about you, but my day has already gotten off to an amazing start…Read More…
I’m so lucky to be here (Part 2)
- 11.07.2011
I was thinking about all of the dangers involved in actually growing up, which reminded me of some stories…Read More…
Lattice is shipping millions of Power Manager chips
- 11.07.2011
The folks at Lattice say that their low-cost, system-level power management solutions are willing broad market acceptance…Read More…
Two points to ponder (and maybe worry about)
- 11.07.2011
I cannot recall where I originally got this tidbit of trivia from, but…Read More…
Computer addicts never die… they simply go offline…
- 11.09.2011
A friend just sent me an email containing a bunch of pictures – some funny, some thought-provoking, and some a little sad…Read More…
Book Review: Principles of VLSI RTL Design – A Practical Guide by Sanjay Churiwala and Sapan Garg
- 11.09.2011
There are several things to note about this book, starting with the fact that it’s written by people who actually know what they are talking about…Read More…
Xilinx to demo next-gen FPGA technology for cable operators at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2011
- 11.10.2011
If you are planning on attending the forthcoming SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2011 in Atlanta, be sure to visit the folks from Xilinx…Read More…
How It Was: Programmable Logic
- 11.10.2011
At a seminar on programmable logic (FPLAs and PALs) I discovered that PALs were bipolar (technologically, not psychologically speaking)…Read More…
Roll Over Beethoven
- 11.10.2011
This is such a dreadful joke that I just had to share the pain…Read More…
Xilinx Alliance Program introduces Premier Design Services providers
- 11.14.2011
New ecosystem program addresses customers’ engineering resource and expertise requirements with access to highly qualified services providers.Read More…
Travel Nightmares: British Rail
- 11.14.2011
My travel nightmare occurred on a beautiful summer’s evening in June when my colleague and I attended a meeting of the Word Processing Association in Manchester…Read More…
How it was: Life in the typing pool (II)
- 11.14.2011
We worked from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm from Monday to Friday and From 9.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturday…Read More…
Congratulations to the folks at Xilinx
- 11.15.2011
The Xilinx Zynq-7000 family wins Embedded & Critical Systems award at IET Innovation Awards 2011Read More…
Altera announces industry’s first OpenCL program for FPGAs
- 11.15.2011
The folks from Altera have just announced a development program focused on the Open Computing Language (OpenCL) standard for FPGAs and SoC FPGAs.Read More…
SparkFun and Androids and Electric Sheep (Oh My!)
- 11.16.2011
You have to admire the folks at Sparkfun, because they always seem to be enjoying whatever it is they are up to at any particular moment in time…Read More…
I just missed becoming rich and famous… again…
- 11.16.2011
I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for the “thing” that will make me rich beyond my wildest dreams…Read More…
Travel Nightmares: It seemed like our journey would never end…
- 11.17.2011
This tale of woe comes from my mother regarding one of her visits to see me in America…Read More…
How It Was: Programming (and debugging) microprocessors
- 11.18.2011
Writing programs for microprocessors used to involve assembling programs by hand; paper-tape-based assemblers were “state-of-the-art”…Read More…
Friday Fun: Letter to the citizens of the USA
- 11.18.2011
I’m afraid that (much like myself) this is another item that falls into the “oldie-but-goodie” category…Read More…
How to turn your iPad/iPhone into a Digital Multimeter
- 11.18.2011
I just saw an interesting article that describes how to turn your iOS device (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch) into a digital multimeter…Read More…
How It Was: Life in the typing pool (III)
- 11.18.2011
About once every couple of months we had to clean the keys – those little arms with a letter at the end that whacked at the paper…Read More…
Xilinx enables industrial networking, motor control, and machine vision…
- 11.18.2011
Devices, platforms and partnerships will be on display at SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011 to accelerate development of advanced Ethernet, machine vision and networked motor-control applications…Read More…
I’m becoming hot and bothered…
- 11.21.2011
I am shocked and horrified (well, at least a tad surprised) by the fact that something as simple as measuring the temperature is proving to be so problematical…Read More…
Sloowww doowwwnnnn!
- 11.22.2011
People who have not experienced this tend to find it difficult to visualize, but I’ve talked to quite a few people who say “I know just what you mean!”Read More…
I have a rocky problem…
- 11.23.2011
I’m caught between a rock and a hard place as it were, because I want to create a miniature model, but I don’t know how to achieve the rocky surface/texture I’m looking for…Read More…
Free Webinar: Designing and developing pulse Doppler radars using FPGAs
- 11.28.2011
Learn how radar system engineers can reduce the time required to model, simulate, and implement radar system designs and their constituent signal processing algorithms…Read More…
Ask about free shipping…
- 11.28.2011
I guess that it’s because the holiday season is upon us that the number of TV “Infomercials” and suchlike are so prevalent, but there’s one thing I don’t understand…Read More…
Tutorial: Designing an FPGA from scratch – It’s like déjà vu all over again!
- 11.29.2011
A few days ago, my friend Sven-Åke Andersson called me to say that he's returned to work on his “FPGA from scratch” blog and he’s added a whole bunch of stuff…Read More…
Just call me “Max the Viking!”
- 11.29.2011
A few months ago I was invited to give the keynote presentation at the forthcoming FPGA Forum in Norway in February 2012; well, things just got even more exciting!Read More…
Film Review: Hugo (plus an amazing 3D video)
- 11.29.2011
During the Thanksgiving weekend I went to see the film Hugo – I cannot recommend this little rascal too highly…Read More…
I’m so lucky to be here (Part 3)
- 11.30.2011
In my previous I’m so lucky to be here column I described an unfortunate incident involving myself and a water barrel. Looking back, this was the least of my adventures…Read More…
Xilinx wins a bevy of product awards at EDN China Innovation Awards 2011
- 12.02.2011
Zynq EPP wins “Leading Product Award” while Kintex-7 FPGAs and the PlanAhead design analysis tool win “Best Product Awards”Read More…
Eeeek! Flying Sharks!
- 12.02.2011
Did you ever see those helium-filled, radio-controlled flying sharks and clown fish? I really wanted one but they were unavailable, until…Read More…
Life is a mosaic of pleasure and pain…
- 12.05.2011
As if I didn’t already have enough hobby projects … I just decided that I want to recreate The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh in mosaic…Read More…
How It Was: Medicine and Sinusitis
- 12.05.2011
To this day my sinusitis continues and despite all the attempts to cure it, all the medical profession appears to be able to do is…Read More…
Cool Beans! First FPGA in a watch!
- 12.06.2011
And not just any old watch – this is the world’s first light-powered GPS-synchronized watch!!!Read More…
Why? Why? Why?
- 12.06.2011
Gary Smith just sent me a bunch of “Why xxx” questions, so this is all his fault…Read More…
What’s the best Generation Ship science fiction book / film / song?
- 12.07.2011
In previous columns we’ve explored the best Time-Travel and the best Post-Apocalyptic books, films, and TV programs… now it’s time for Generation Spaceships…Read More…
Discovering my inner geek with a robot vacuum
- 12.08.2011
If you’ve been wondering which robot vacuum to purchase as a gift for yourself (or for your “significant other”), then wonder no more because all is revealed…Read More…
What’s the best book on how to *structure* an FPGA project?
- 12.09.2011
I just received an email from a reader asking a rather interesting question…Read More…
OMG! Lattice Semiconductor to acquire SiliconBlue!
- 12.09.2011
I have to admit that I am completely blown away… I certainly didn’t see this one coming… I’m too young for all of this excitement!Read More…
Grand opening of new Xilinx R&D center in Beijing, China
- 12.14.2011
Xilinx extends regional footprint, consolidates Beijing sales, marketing, application engineering, and R&D operations into single site.Read More…
Xilinx Research Labs Fellow Steve Trimberger is named IEEE Fellow
- 12.15.2011
Prestigious honor places Trimberger (holder of more than 185 patents) in the top echelon of the engineering communityRead More…
It makes you want to cry…
- 12.16.2011
One of the big news items in England at the moment is the cost and size of the security operation for the forthcoming 2012 Olympics, which are to be held in London… Read More…
Lattice to discuss all sorts of stuff at CES 2012
- 12.20.2011
The folks at Lattice Semiconductor say they will highlight a variety of programmable logic design solutions for mobile devices…Read More…
A really useful (free) tool for the severely disabled
- 12.20.2011
I've talked about this before… and doubtless I will talk about it again…Read More…
What’s the best “Messenger Bag” for me?
- 12.20.2011
I feel a bit like Goldilocks in the story of “The Three Bears” (and it's not often you hear someone say that)…Read More…
What are the best “unknown” gems of science fiction? (Part 1)
- 12.21.2011
There are some books that completely “blew my mind” when I was younger, but very few people I talk to about this sort of thing have heard about them…Read More…
Engineering simulators for the iPad
- 12.22.2011
My old chum Alvin just emailed me to tell me about a bunch of iPad apps that have only recently been released…Read More…
What are the best “unknown” gems of science fiction? (Part 2)
- 12.28.2011
Here are a two more science fiction books that really influenced me when I first came across them…Read More…
How It Was: My first Lucid Dream
- 12.29.2011
Suffice it to say that this was an occasion I shall always remember…Read More…
Book Review: Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
- 01.02.2012
After reading Robopocalypse – a hyper-realistic story of a robot uprising – I’m now keeping a very wary eye on my new computerized toaster…Read More…
Hurray! My jeans are no longer “flying at half-mast”
- 01.03.2012
I just took delivery of a leather belt from the Saddleback Leather Company – I think this will last me for the rest of my life…Read More…
OMG! Amazing home displays and automotive Ethernet AVB stuff from Xilinx
- 01.05.2012
The folks at Xilinx have just announced some mega-cool (dare I say ultra-cool … or even uber-cool) “stuff”…Read More…
Engineers may need more social skills, but…
- 01.06.2012
Everyone on the planet could stand to learn more and broaden their horizons; when you’re done preparing, here’s a final examination… Read More…
Heads up: Aart de Geus’ band is doing a charity gig on Jan 13th!
- 01.06.2012
This one-night only event will take place in the Theatre on San Pedro Square, 29 North San Pedro Street, San Jose, California, USARead More…
Counting down to the EOTWAWKI
- 01.07.2012
Well, the good news is that we may not have to fear the forthcoming Robot Uprising and it may not matter if engineers are lacking in social skills, because…Read More…
Stellamar’s All Digital ADC is going to the moon!
- 01.08.2012
Stellamar and the Finnish Meteorological Institute collaborate with innovative ADC IP in an upcoming FPGA-based lunar mission.Read More…
Make sure to visit Xilinx at the VLSI Conference 2012 in Hyderabad, India
- 01.08.2012
I hear that senior Xilinx executives will be keynoting and co-chairing at this industry forum…Read More…
Tensilica helps eliminate volume fluctuations in Digital Televisions
- 01.08.2012
Don’t you hate it when you are happily watching a television program and then an advert comes on that almost blows you out of your seat?Read More…
Jargon translation for research papers
- 01.09.2012
Do you ever wonder what the authors of research papers are really saying with all that stilted jargon? Here’s a ‘What they say’ and ‘What they mean’ translation…Read More…
I’m afraid that I’ve been a naughty boy…
- 01.10.2012
A few days ago I was waffling on about a mega-cool leather belt I’d purchased, but there’s a little bit more to the story…Read More…
How It Was: You used to be able to see the stars at night
- 01.11.2012
It makes me sad to think that a lot of kids growing up in the cities today have no idea of the beauty they are missing in the night skies.Read More…
Book Review: Alone in the Universe by John Gribbin
- 01.11.2012
It may well be that we are “It”, which makes it all the more important that we take better care of ourselves and the Earth…Read More…
What’s your “MUST READ” list in science fiction? (Part 1)
- 01.12.2012
If you were introducing someone to science fiction, what would you consider to be the “Must Reads” – the books that really influenced you?Read More…
Nothing stays the same (philosophically speaking)
- 01.13.2012
I was never exposed to philosophy at school or university, so I really don’t know much about it apart from what I’ve read in books…Read More…
How It Was: Meeting my first microcomputer
- 01.15.2012
I had been at the R&D center for only a week or so when my supervisor asked if I knew anything about computers…Read More…
Streaming your iPad videos thru a “Henry”
- 01.16.2012
I just discovered Apple TV; There is so much going on these days that it's easy to miss something like this…Read More…
How It Was: My adventures with computers in 1970s England
- 01.16.2012
Chris Lewis writes: “I was one of those kids who took everything apart to see how it worked, much to the annoyance of my parents…”Read More…
Wikipedia to blackout on Wednesday 18 January 2012
- 01.17.2012
Eeeekkk! How can they do this to me? I use the Wikipedia constantly throughout the day…Read More…
MIT announces a “faster-than-fast” Fourier transform
- 01.18.2012
For a large range of use cases, MIT researchers have found a way to increase the speed of one of the most important algorithms in the information sciences…Read More…
Book Review: Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriquez
- 01.18.2012
These books have proved to be so exciting (and scary) that I sometimes have to take a break and go for a walk to wind down a little before proceeding…Read More…
I want robotic balls!
- 01.19.2012
It looks like there was a bunch of great stuff at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), but one product that really caught my attention was the smart robotic balls…Read More…
Book Review: Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
- 01.19.2012
This story in this graphic novel is gripping to say the least, and the graphics are nothing if not attention-grabbing…Read More…
New Microcontroller Central website – changing the world bit-by-bit
- 01.19.2012
New NXP online community lets professional and hobbyists alike share design success stories and technical insights while providing technology news, product information, learning, and training.Read More…
Will robots soon be building houses using 3D Printing Technology?
- 01.20.2012
Within the next few years, 3D printing may have advanced to the stage that robots could “Print” a concrete house in a day…Read More…
Do you ever feel like something’s watching us?
- 01.21.2012
Quite apart from anything else, isn’t it amazing how much this image resembles a human eye?…Read More…
OMG! I opened the box and…
- 01.24.2012
I am well and truly flabbergasted. I think it’s safe to say that my ‘flabber’ has never been quite so ‘gasted’. I’m also speechless, and that doesn’t happen very often…Read More…
How It Was: PDP and VAX computers
- 01.24.2012
…we had a couple of PDP11/70’s ( I remember being told they cost $120,000 each), a PDP11/44, and a VAX 730…Read More…
Xilinx unveils latest and greatest 28nm 7 Series FPGAs at DesignCon 2012
- 01.26.2012
In addition to demoing their latest FPGAs, the folks from Xilinx will also be discussing stacked silicon interconnect technologies…Read More…
Stand Back! I have a robotic ball (and I’m not afraid to use it)!
- 01.26.2012
Do you recall my recent column “I want robotic balls”? Well, I now have one of my very own (“…my precious, my precious…”)Read More…
That Was Tricky! Where were our wireless packets?
- 01.27.2012
Why did the wireless network shut down when the production line started up?Read More…
Is that a banana in your pocket (or are you just glad to see me)?
- 01.28.2012
I just found myself looking at a picture of a banana with an associated USB cable and connector…Read More…
Looking for a present for your significant other?
- 01.29.2012
I don’t know about you, but as the years go by it seems to be getting harder and harder to know what to buy as a present for my wife.Read More…
For those who don’t think science is exciting…
- 01.30.2012
In 1927 the world’s longest-continuously-running scientific experiment was kicked off, which means this little rascal has now been running for 85 years…Read More…
How It Was: Watching the test card on TV
- 01.30.2012
In the days of yore, the television stations would broadcast programs for only a few hours a day – the rest of the time the “test card” reigned supreme…Read More…
Xilinx launches first 7 Series FPGA design platforms
- 01.31.2012
The first complete development kits for increasing system performance, lowering power, and reducing BoM with Xilinx 28nm FPGAs are being demonstrated at DesignCon 2012Read More…
How It Was: Seeing my first color television
- 01.31.2012
When I was a young lad, I don't think I was even aware that such a beast as a color television existed…Read More…
Good Grief… Not again!
- 02.01.2012
I’m starting to feel distinctly silly, because yet another electronics hobby project has failed to perform as expected…Read More…
The Winter 2012 issue of Xcell Journal magazine is available now
- 02.01.2012
The folks from Xilinx have just announced the immediate availability of the Winter 2012 edition of their quarterly Xcell Journal magazineRead More…
How It Was: Fiddling and twiddling with the TV controls
- 02.02.2012
In the not-so-distant past you had to constantly fiddle and twiddle with your television's controls to keep a reasonable picture on the screen…Read More…
OMG! My heart is pounding after watching these videos
- 02.06.2012
I can’t believe my heart is pounding so much when all I did was sit here and watch a video, goodness only knows what I’d be like if…Read More…
How It Was: Magnetic wire recorders
- 02.07.2012
If asked about the history of sound recording, you might think of the phonograph, the gramophone, and the magnetic tape recorder, but what about the wire recorder?Read More…
Free 2-day course: Designing with SmartFusion mixed-signal FPGAs
- 02.07.2012
SmartFusion mixed-signal FPGAs include a hard ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller core, so this course will be of interest to a wide audience… Read More…
Ten things I want to do before I die…
- 02.08.2012
I don’t want to sound maudlin, but every now and then as one gets older, thoughts of mortality do tend to cross one’s mind…Read More…
Don’t bandy paraprosdokians with me!
- 02.11.2012
I’m on Gary Smith’s “jokes list”, which means I never know what’s going to appear in my “Inbox”…Read More…
Norwegian Odyssey (Stardate 19984)
- 02.13.2012
As I pen these words, I’m in a small cottage high in the Norwegian mountains and deep in the Norwegian woods…Read More…
Norwegian Odyssey (Stardate 19985)
- 02.14.2012
It’s a bit of a blustery day in Trondheim, Norway, let me tell you…Read More…
Norwegian Odyssey (Stardate 19986)
- 02.15.2012
Far out, – What a day, a year, a laugh it is!Read More…
[Worst] Building contractor of the year awards
- 02.17.2012
I can only imagine what Canadian building contractor Mike Homes would have to say about these “things” (I don’t even have the words to describe them)…Read More…
Free panel: Hardware/software co-design from a software perspective
- 02.21.2012
Co-located with DVCon and hosted by the EDA Consortium Emerging Companies Committee, this free panel looks like a “must see” for anyone who is at DVCon.Read More…
Free Live Webinar: Achieving max efficiency / Precision motor control with Xilinx FPGAs
- 02.22.2012
I just heard from the folks at Xilinx about a rather interesting free live webinar on a subject that is dear to my heart – motor control using FPGAs…Read More…
The best FPGA papers of all time!
- 02.22.2012
The ACM/SIGDA Technical Committee has released a list of the best papers of the FPGA SymposiumRead More…
Norwegian Odyssey (Stardate 19987+6)
- 02.22.2012
Following my talk I received an email saying “Dear Max. I found your talk today both exciting, inspiring, and entertaining. Three of my favorites. ;-)”Read More…
What engineers really do…
- 02.25.2012
Is there a difference in perception between what your friends, parents, kids, and your boss thinks you do… and what you actually do?Read More…
Book Review: The Art of Hardware Architecture by Mohit Arora
- 02.29.2012
Although this book is primarily targeted at the designers of ASICs / ASSPs / SoCs, quite a few of the topics are also applicable to FPGA designers…Read More…
How cool is this? – An Automatic NoC Generator!
- 03.02.2012
Just to make sure we’re all tap-dancing to the same drum beat, the term NoC stands for “Network on Chip”Read More…
Cadence book preview: Advanced Verification Topics Part 2
- 03.06.2012
Book preview: The acceleratable Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) packages allow portions of a standard UVM environment to be accelerated using a hardware accelerator…Read More…
The best and worst alarm clocks ever…
- 03.08.2012
Whoever was in charge of designing my current alarm clock had an unusual sense of cruelty…Read More…
What were they thinking: Leprechauns building a park
- 03.09.2012
For the dose of humor today, I look to the Irish. Saint Patrick ’s Day is coming up and so I thought I would look at the story of a local park…Read More…
One-bit processor and a mega-cool Turing Machine
- 03.12.2012
I don’t know about you, but I am REALLY tempted to build one of these Turing Machines for myself..Read More…
Which are the best wireless iPad speakers?
- 03.12.2012
After listening to Supertramp on my iPad with headphones, I started pondering the idea of wireless loudspeakers, but which ones shouls I choose?Read More…
Viewpoint: Towards a lean and mean SystemVerilog
- 03.13.2012
While neither the number of pages of the SystemVerilog standard nor the number of keywords it needs suggests anything about its efficiency, as an empirical measure, together they may…Read More…
Cadence book preview: Advanced Verification Topics Part 3
- 03.13.2012
Book preview: The acceleratable Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) packages allow portions of a standard UVM environment to be accelerated using a hardware accelerator…Read More…
Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli receives EDAA Lifetime Achievement Award
- 03.13.2012
Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli is a legend in the EDA industry and has been recognized for that with the EDAA Lifetime Achievement Award…Read More…
Enter to win a USB card loaded with 32-bit MCU software tools and more!
- 03.13.2012
I have to say that I really rather like the announcements from the folks at Silicon Labs, who manage to present their message in a “Bang – Bang – Bang” format…Read More…
How do you say “Max The Magnificent” in [insert language here]?
- 03.14.2012
I was pondering how to say “Max The Magnificent” in Russian, and from there my mind started racing…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – Mar 14th
- 03.14.2012
Duolog, Mentor, ClioSoft, Carbon, Arteris, EdXact, Methodics, ARM, Freescale, Fujitsu, Vivante made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
A treasure-trove of tasty Turing machines
- 03.15.2012
With regard to my previous blog on a very interesting Turing machine, I’ve been bouncing around the Internet discovering all sorts of cool things…Read More…
Tales from the entrepreneurial trenches: Dermott Lynch
- 03.15.2012
This is the first in a new series of articles that talk about the lessons learned by entrepreneurs in the course of their success and failure…Read More…
Weird, Wacky, and Wonderful “Stuff” (Part 1)
- 03.15.2012
I have friends who devote vast amounts of time to scouring the Internet for the latest and greatest for your delectation and delight…Read More…
Lost in time like tears in rain. [pause] Time to die.
- 03.16.2012
Generally speaking I would class myself amongst the most cheerful of men, but every now and then…Read More…
What were they thinking: Full Body Teleportation
- 03.16.2012
This patent describes a pulsed gravitational wave wormhole generator system that teleports a human being through hyperspace…Read More…
If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal
- 03.19.2012
It’s strangely entertaining watching the republican candidates popping up and down like some bizarre reincarnation of Whac-A-Mole…Read More…
What can I believe about foods?
- 03.20.2012
Who is paying for all of the studies that keep barraging me with information about my health, food items and how I should live my life?Read More…
Polaris Designs enters the FPGA prototyping market
- 03.20.2012
A new startup has acquired some FPGA prototyping assets and hopes to make an impact by doing things a little differently…Read More…
Just call me “Tracker Trucker Max”
- 03.20.2012
I can't tell you exactly which flavor my new truck is, but it's a honking great big one with a large extended cab and four doors…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – Mar 21st
- 03.21.2012
X-Fab, Synopsys, Applied Materials, Kilopass, Ploughshare and Cadence made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Weird, Wacky, and Wonderful “Stuff” (Part 2)
- 03.21.2012
When do you think the bikini was invented? If you say the 1960s or 1970s, then have I got news for you…Read More…
What should you do if attacked by a group of clowns?
- 03.22.2012
Here’s some helpful advice from EDA Analyst Gary Smith…Read More…
Book Excerpt: FPGA-based Prototyping Methodology Manual
- 03.22.2012
This book collects the best practices FPGA-based Prototyping of SoC and ASIC devices into one place for the first time…Read More…
Embarrassing medical moments
- 03.22.2012
I just received what purports to be descriptions of embarrassing incidents that really happened.Read More…
What were they thinking: Hung Far Low
- 03.23.2012
Yes, this is a real name of a restaurant in Portland – the oldest Chinese restaurant in town and the city paid a lot of money to have this sign restored…Read More…
Now I’m “Truck-less Tracker Trucker Max”
- 03.23.2012
I dropped my truck off at the shop to be augmented with accoutrements, but this left me on foot…Read More…
SparkFun’s introduction to microcontrollers for K-12 educators
- 03.23.2012
SparkFun Electronics to host Continuing education class in conjunction with the Colorado School of MinesRead More…
Top considerations when selecting a 32-bit ARM microcontroller
- 03.27.2012
Selecting the right 32-bit ARM microcontroller shouldn’t mean you have to compromise on your requirements…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – Mar 28th
- 03.28.2012
Synopsys, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Element14, MunEDA, Avery, Cypress, Mentor, S2C, Cosmic Circuits and Analog Bits made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Book Review: The Software IP Detective’s Handbook by Bob Zeidman
- 03.28.2012
This book is of interest to anyone who wants to know more about the creation, use, and misuse of software intellectual property, including…Read More…
ESL is alive and well – Synopsys explains
- 03.28.2012
ESL is a convergence point between hardware and software, tool and IP. The Synopsys audio subsystem shows in several ways that ESL is very much alive and well…Read More…
Book Excerpt: FPGA-based Prototyping Methodology Manual Part 2
- 03.30.2012
This book collects the best practices FPGA-based Prototyping of SoC and ASIC devices into one place for the first time…Read More…
Fundamentally powerful
- 03.30.2012
Monday is the start of something new and powerful. It is the start of a major experiment within the EDA Designline that could have big ramifications…Read More…
April Fool’s Day pranks
- 03.30.2012
There must be so many pranks that people can pull on Sunday. Care to add one to the list?Read More…
BYT-ON – World’s first graphene-based processor (graphene-based FPGAs to follow)
- 04.01.2012
Digital Core Design, the world-famous design laboratory in Bytom, Poland, has developed the world’s first processor made of graphene – the BYT-ON.Read More…
Well, just call me “Mr. Silly”
- 04.01.2012
I’m feeling a bit like Mr. Silly at the moment, because I just read this week’s email newsletter from This is True…Read More…
“It’s not fair!” said Tom darkly
- 04.01.2012
Several prominent figures, including Steve Wozniak and Isaac Asimov, have cited “Tom Swift” as an inspiration…Read More…
Power 101 – Power consumption
- 04.02.2012
What consumes the most power? In this first editorial in the power series, several people weigh in with their opinions…Read More…
Preparing for the forthcoming Zombie Apocalypse
- 04.02.2012
Out of all the horror genres I was *not* interested in, zombies were right at the top of the list, until…Read More…
Opinion: What Comes After Power Intent Formats?
- 04.03.2012
The industry is now converging on a power intent–based low-power design methodology. Can we consider the basic problem to be solved? What’s next?Read More…
Rentable avatars that can attend conferences in your place
- 04.03.2012
Well, rarely does a day go by that I don’t get to see or hear something that makes me say “Wow, what an interesting idea…”Read More…
Book Review: Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future by John MacCormick
- 04.03.2012
I have to admit that I am overwhelmed with admiration for the way in which John MacCormick tackled this topic…Read More…
My new moniker is “Tracker Trucker Max Esquire”
- 04.04.2012
I am now in possession of my upgraded truck, which is so tasty that I think it may be appropriate to add the “Esquire” honorific to my moniker…Read More…
Book Review: Hacker’s Delight by Henry S. Warren, Jr.
- 04.05.2012
This is the book if you delight in subtle programming tricks and small algorithms that can be used to make your code “tighter” and more efficient…Read More…
SparkFun promotes electronics in schools with East Coast tour
- 04.05.2012
The SparkFun Crew will travel from Massachusetts to South Carolina spreading the Embedded Electronics LoveRead More…
Embedded Software Boot Camp – Early registration deadline approaching
- 04.05.2012
The Barr Group’s embedded Software Boot Camp course is coming up on May 7-11 at Hanover, Maryland (near the BWI Airport)Read More…
Opinion: Challenges and techniques to meet power budget in complex systems
- 04.05.2012
Power reduction methods are well known but the problem is how to optimize the use of this set of techniques to reach the power budget and device specifications…Read More…
What were they thinking: Frighteningly powerful
- 04.06.2012
How are Frankenstein and power related? An interesting course of events…Read More…
Get ready for a sight you’ll never see again…
- 04.09.2012
The next transit of Venus occurs on 5/6 June 2012. If you miss this one you’ll have to wait until December 2117!Read More…
Power 102: Power in the flow
- 04.09.2012
Where in the flow can you save the most power? That depends upon who you talk to…Read More…
Rescue your wet phone / camera / whatever…
- 04.09.2012
You just dropped your iPod or iPhone in the toilet AGAIN? Fear not, because the Bheestie Bag is poised to leap into action.Read More…
Opinion: Power is everyone’s business
- 04.10.2012
Results were presented at the forecast panel and, to no one’s surprise, they unanimously picked power as the biggest concern of EDA users…Read More…
Win a Precision32 32-bit USB MCU dev kit from Silicon Labs
- 04.10.2012
I just received the following rather terse, but jolly interesting, email from the guys and gals at Silicon Labs…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – Apr 11th
- 04.11.2012
intoPIX, EDAC, Coventor, SEMATECH, Cadence, SMIC, Gartner, MarketPublishers.com, Oasys and Breker made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
The “Well-Endowed” Array
- 04.11.2012
The National Science Foundation needs a name for its new radio astronomy center…Read More…
Power 103 – Power Consumption
- 04.11.2012
Power consumption is due to several components including dynamic and static power. This episode provide a brief explanation of the various types of power… Read More…
SoC low-power verification requires a full-chip solution
- 04.13.2012
A much better approach is to use the embedded processors in simulation to exercise all the Power Shut Off modes of the SoC…Read More…
Power 104: Reducing power consumption
- 04.16.2012
Power reduction is necessary in both the dynamic and static areas. While improvements in the fabrication processes can have a large impact…Read More…
These are the jokes the Muppet Show refused!
- 04.16.2012
In which we find some of the best (or worst, depending on your point of view) puns I’ve seen recently.Read More…
Protect and share your data – SafeSync for Home or Business
- 04.18.2012
I recently saw a live (over-the-web) demonstration of SafeSync, and I have to say that I was very impressedRead More…
Pre-DAC – EDAC Event – Emerging Companies
- 04.19.2012
Do you want to learn how to navigate through the stages of a startup company and the changing business climate? This may be the event for you…Read More…
Power 105: Estimation
- 04.20.2012
How accurate can power estimation be? Well that depends on a number of things and not all tasks require the same level of accuracy…Read More…
How to build a successful software technology company
- 04.20.2012
The first in a series of conversations will outline the critical milestones which must be conquered to take a start-up from early stages to a strong, growing, sustainable business.Read More…
Power 106: Verification
- 04.23.2012
Power adds another layer of complexity which has to be verified and requires additional tool support…Read More…
Adobe Photoshop CS6
- 04.23.2012
I got a preview of the latest version of Photoshop the other day and I have to say I am impressed, but this blog will be controversial…Read More…
Power related papers – DVCon 2012
- 04.23.2012
There were several papers presented at DVCon this year that had to do with power. This contains a synopsis of each and download links…Read More…
The best book on Fuzzy Logic?
- 04.23.2012
I'm looking for a book from which I can get a good grip on Fuzzy Logic – sufficient to allow me to capture and implement a simple algorithm on an MCU or in an FPGA.Read More…
In search of a power model
- 04.24.2012
Last April, at EDP 2011, I began a search for a power model. Power models existed but they were for high performance, GHz based designs…Read More…
Algotochip – part tools, part service
- 04.24.2012
Algotochip is a startup that has been around since 2009 and is a tool developer and service company, but they have no plans to sell their tools…Read More…
What’s the best (and worst) name for a politician?
- 04.24.2012
My mind is currently spinning along thinking up good names for politicians, like…Read More…
Book Review: The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
- 04.25.2012
This is like no other Zombie book I ever read.The ending was completely unexpected and left me gasping.Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – Apr 25th
- 04.25.2012
Symtavision, I love DAC, Mentor, ResearchandMarkets, Renesas, Si2, IPextreme and Synopsys made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Power 107: Power Delivery Networks
- 04.25.2012
Optimizing power in a chip is one thing, but you still have to get power to where power is needed and that is the difficult job of the power delivery network…Read More…
Google drive: I wish I could drive them out of town!
- 04.26.2012
Google continues to make unreasonable claims with content on the Internet. Once the heroes of the Internet, they have turned into the “evil empire”…Read More…
Engineer down! Someone needs our help!
- 04.27.2012
I just received an email from someone who we will call Dave (because that's his name). Dave says…Read More…
Check out MAKE’s Hardware Innovation Workshop!
- 04.27.2012
I just received an email from Sherry Huss, who is Maker-in-Chief over at Make Magazine and Maker Faire.Read More…
Power 108: Powering forward
- 04.30.2012
In this blog, we take a look at where people think power will be in three years and ten years time. What do you think?Read More…
Yet another threat to your PC, but this one looks to be real…
- 05.01.2012
I'm so used to receiving fake “doom and gloom” emails that it comes as something of a surprise to run across a real, legitimate menace…Read More…
Apache adds support for 20nm and 3D
- 05.01.2012
Power reduction is the new primary design consideration, and Apache wants to stay ahead of the curve, providing the tools necessary to analyze and optimize it…Read More…
Questions re the concept of “ground” and related “stuff”
- 05.02.2012
Earth ground, chassis ground, common, signal ground, voltage ground … my head hurts!Read More…
Book Review: In Pursuit of the Unknown by Ian Stewart
- 05.02.2012
I just finished “Pursuit of the Unknown – 17 Equations That Changed the World,” and I have to say that this was a jolly good read.Read More…
Using GPUs to accelerate EDA applications
- 05.03.2012
Having immense computational power and high memory bandwidth packed in a commoditized hardware platform, GPUs have already been successfully utilized…Read More…
Clipix – is this the tool we’ve all been waiting for?
- 05.03.2012
The Web has become an indispensable tool. The only problem is keeping track of all the places you've been and the things you've seen.Read More…
Comparing four 32-bit soft processor cores
- 05.03.2012
Our old friend Sven-Åke Andersson from Sweden has been experimenting with a number of 32-bit soft processor cores…Read More…
What were they thinking? Stopping a car
- 05.04.2012
With the power series over, it is time to reinstate some fun. How would you stop a car?Read More…
New Companies exhibiting at DAC: ICScape
- 05.07.2012
DAC is quickly approaching and with it we can expect to see many new companies showing their tools for the very first time…Read More…
The Lone Ranger and Tonto go camping…
- 05.07.2012
When I was a young kid in England, I used to love the black-and-white American TV program called The Lone Ranger…Read More…
Enough of the sideshows – it’s time for some real advancement in functional verification!
- 05.08.2012
Functional verification has become the congestion point for many designs and the bane of many companies trying to sell their IP…Read More…
Well, this certainly took me by surprise…
- 05.08.2012
This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge…Read More…
Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, and Thunderbirds
- 05.09.2012
My mind is churning away thinking about the various different genres of television programs I used to watch as a kid circa the early 1960s.Read More…
Interconnect modeling at 20nm – more of the same or completely different?
- 05.10.2012
If you’ve been following any of the industry discussion about double-patterning, you know that words such as “coloring,” “colorless,” “cutting,” “stitching,” and “anchoring” are now part of the vocabulary for 20nm design…Read More…
What were they thinking: copyrighting APIs
- 05.11.2012
In the epic battle between Oracle and Google over the Java API, the jury questions fair use…Read More…
Best of the web – May 11
- 05.11.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Is this a map of dark matter or the “fools gold” equivalent?
- 05.11.2012
Like Winnie the Pooh, I am a bear of simple brain, and many things confuse and confound me. One such topic is that of dark matter.Read More…
The fascination of Max
- 05.12.2012
In which a reader asks … a lot of questions pertaining to the “Magnificence of Max”Read More…
The most beautiful words in the English Language are…
- 05.14.2012
This is the sort of thing that, once you see it, you can’t fail to have your own thoughts and suggestions…Read More…
Tales from the entrepreneurial trenches: Dermott Lynch – Part2
- 05.15.2012
This is the first in a new series of articles that talk about the lessons learned by entrepreneurs in the course of their success and failure…Read More…
New companies at DAC for the first time in 2012
- 05.15.2012
This is the first of a series of blogs preparing you for DAC this year. This one lists the new companies exhibiting for the first time…Read More…
Wow – I am “tickled pink” as they say!
- 05.15.2012
Being “tickled pink” refers to enjoyment great enough to make the recipient glow with pleasure – which certainly describes my current state of being…Read More…
New Companies at DAC: Esencia Technologies
- 05.16.2012
Esencia has just announced the EScala design platform which is primarily aimed at audio and video applications that have compute intensive algorithms…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – May 16th
- 05.16.2012
Mathworks, MIPS, Imperas, Cadence, Sigrity, Kilopass, EVE, Carbon and ams made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Book Review: Shakespeare – The World as Stage by Bill Bryson
- 05.16.2012
This is an interesting and informative book that had me rolling on the floor laughing…Read More…
Power Intent Standards
- 05.16.2012
This is an entry in the EDA DesignLine power archive related to power intent standards…Read More…
SIG, Panel and more at DAC
- 05.17.2012
These are the events that I am involved with at DAC this year. I hope to see you at one of them…Read More…
Americans should stop whining about gas prices!
- 05.17.2012
Gas was much cheaper when I first came to America 22 years ago, but even today the price isn’t too bad compared to many other countries…Read More…
Best of the web – May 18
- 05.18.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Gearing Up for DAC – Verification demos
- 05.18.2012
This entry is the first in the what to see at DAC blogs. It includes listing about the demos that companies will be showing in the area of verification…Read More…
What were they thinking: Chicken Tikka Masala
- 05.18.2012
Who invented Chicken Tikka Masala, and while we are about it, where did the term curry come from…Read More…
It looks unappealing and it smells appalling, but…
- 05.18.2012
I note that people seem to be giving my office a wide berth as they pass by my door.Read More…
I’m going to walk across America!
- 05.21.2012
I’ve decided to walk from Central Park in New York to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco (metaphorically speaking).Read More…
Towards a formal, automated chip design monitoring system
- 05.22.2012
Today’s projects are enormously complex. Just the silicon portion is now beset with complications like process variation, mushrooming design rules, and, soon, multiple patterning, just to name a few…Read More…
Gearing Up for DAC – Above RTL
- 05.22.2012
This is the second in the series of what to see at DAC blogs. It includes listing about the demos that companies will be showing in the area of design above RTL…Read More…
Can you handle an All Programmable Planet?
- 05.22.2012
Actually, you don’t have much of a choice, because it’s here already!Read More…
Is it true? Embedded MCU designers learning FPGAs?
- 05.22.2012
Over the last few weeks I’ve been asking my microcontroller friends what they know about FPGAs; the results certainly surprised me…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – May 23rd
- 05.23.2012
Corelis, Space Codesign, OCP-IP, Mentor, NanGate, Tanner, Aldec and Imperas made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Power optimization starts early in the process
- 05.24.2012
For many companies, power optimization starts at the RT level, but Docea Power attempts to take it to the ES level…Read More…
Tweet-a-Thief uses social media to fight crime
- 05.24.2012
Tweetathief was established to provide a central portal for people to post about lost and stolen items, pets, or people…Read More…
What were they thinking: Facebook IPO
- 05.25.2012
Facebook didn’t have a great IPO. Was it greed, was it misinformation, was it deceitful…Read More…
Best of the web – May 25
- 05.25.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Tektronix believes in embedded instruments
- 05.25.2012
On chip instrumentation is becoming a necessity as external observability declines and the uses for the technology grows…Read More…
Gearing up for DAC – RTL to GDS II demos
- 05.28.2012
This entry is the third in the what to see at DAC blog series. It includes listing about the demos that companies will be showing in the area of RTL to GDS II…Read More…
What will change on the road to 3D ICs?
- 05.29.2012
In the long term, getting to a full use of 3D stacking of homogeneous logic dies, perhaps in reaction to a final end to transistor scaling, will require more extensive changes to the design flow…Read More…
Catapult + Calypto = ESL power optimization
- 05.29.2012
After one year we see the first results of the transfer of the Catapult technology from Mentor to Calypto. ESL power optimization…Read More…
Opinion: Lifting the system-level fog with SoC verification
- 05.31.2012
DAC begins in a few short days in Fog City, otherwise known as San Francisco. Gary Smith EDA has weighed in once again with a comprehensive list of what to see at this year’s conference…Read More…
Best of the web – June 1
- 05.31.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Cadence announces results of collaboration on 3D ICs
- 06.04.2012
3D ICs have been in the news a lot recently, and it is sometimes difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Cadence hopes that they can make reality a little clearer…Read More…
Synopsys announces hybrid prototyping
- 06.04.2012
Bringing together a virtual prototype and a physical prototype can create a prototype that is available throughout the complete development cycle…Read More…
Gary Smith kicks off DAC with his industry commentary
- 06.05.2012
Gary Smith started off the first morning of DAC serenading the early attendees of the pavilion panel with live music. He regretted that they were performing these days without Aart De Geus…Read More…
Transit of Venus – Help us recreate a scientific experiment
- 06.05.2012
I think this is a GREAT idea. Full instructions are given on the Transit2012 webpage. All you have to do is…Read More…
The emerging middle class of EDA
- 06.05.2012
The business model for a startup in the EDA industry has changed and this has significant impacts on the whole industry…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – June 6th
- 06.06.2012
Cadence, Synopsys, TSMC, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, ATopTech, OneSpin, MunEDA, Agilent, S2C, Target Compilers, Atrenta, Sagantec and Mentor made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Hurray! I saw the Transit of Venus!
- 06.06.2012
When I arrived home, bits of blue sky were visible here and there, but these bits of blue sky were not in the same place as the setting sun… Read More…
SparkFun gears up for fourth autonomous vehicle competition (AVC)
- 06.06.2012
SparkFun's AVC event welcomes inventors worldwide to battle it out for $1,000 prize in this annual race.Read More…
How to track your engineering tools
- 06.07.2012
This is going to blow one reader's socks off, because he emailed this question to me just 1 minute ago and I hope to post my response blog in under 5 minutes… Read More…
What were they thinking: Sex sells at DAC
- 06.08.2012
Sexual discrimination and the objectification of women are still around us every day as evidenced at DAC this year. This has to stop…Read More…
Best of the web -– June 8
- 06.08.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Why everyone needs a good proofreader…
- 06.08.2012
I wanted THAT comma just where I put it, for gosh sakes!Read More…
The Ancient Order of Froth Blowers
- 06.08.2012
I just received a photo of the Transit of Venus from “Down Under” (Australia), which – and don’t ask me how – lead me to the idea of forming a not-so-secret society…Read More…
Ray Bradbury RIP
- 06.08.2012
As you've doubtless heard by now, one of the all-time Science Fiction “Greats” – Ray Bradbury – passed away a couple of days ago on June 5, 2012.Read More…
Can you beat these bagpipe jokes?
- 06.09.2012
when I was reading this month's issue of the Reader's Digest, I spotted a great bagpipe joke as follows…Read More…
Will your next ASIC ever be an FPGA?
- 06.12.2012
The never ending question of how much FPGAs are eating into ASICs keeps taking new twists and turns and discussed in two recent events…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – June 13th
- 06.13.2012
Freescale, GEO, STMicro, Globalfoundries, Altera and SEMI made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse – I am not alone!
- 06.13.2012
And you all thought I was being silly… well, shame on you! (grin)Read More…
Buzz words can kill the buzz
- 06.14.2012
Ever been confused by buzzwords, acronyms or other such things in presentations. What are you pet peeves? Read More…
What were they thinking: mowing a lawn
- 06.15.2012
Child labor laws are somewhat strict in this country, but after you see how much energy kids have, it seems a shame not to try and capture it in some way…Read More…
Best of the web -– June 15th
- 06.15.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
It truly is a different world…
- 06.15.2012
While driving home from work yesterday, I heard a report on the NPR (National Public Radio) that made me think “We truly do live in a different world…”Read More…
Why people like the British
- 06.18.2012
Knowing that I'm from England, a friend just sent me a humorous email that purports to contain true snippets from British Newspapers.Read More…
I love Stanley (and Stanley loves me)
- 06.18.2012
I'm waiting for someone to say “Excuse me, do you happen to have any jumper cables,” so that I can proudly whip out my Stanley…Read More…
Fully Depleted Silicon on Insulator devices
- 06.19.2012
Bulk silicon may be nearing the end of the line as scaling becomes more problematic, FD SOI gives it a kick in the pants, possibly down to 11nm…Read More…
Changing business models as Atrenta buys NextOp
- 06.20.2012
With the big three no longer buying many startups, it open the way for the emerging middle class of EDA…Read More…
What were they thinking: Verification levels
- 06.20.2012
I know it is not Friday, but I will be off on vacation for a couple of days and did not want to deprive you of some fun, so here it is a couple of days early…Read More…
Best of the web -– June 22nd
- 06.21.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
A blast from the past — Red Dwarf
- 06.22.2012
I am currently a very happy Max, because I just discovered that Red Dwarf is available from the iTunes Store…Read More…
Mega-cool micro-design contest
- 06.27.2012
I just heard from that young man-about-town Richard Quinnell – the editor of Microcontroller Central – that he's running a micro-design contest.Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – June 27th
- 06.27.2012
Mentor, Synopsys, SMIC, Infineon, Cadence, Ambarella, Analog Devices, National Instruments and Xilinx made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Is it real, or is it Photoshopped?
- 06.28.2012
These days we have all sorts of incredibly sophisticated tools at our disposal, both to create fake images and to detect them.Read More…
Best of the web -– June 29th
- 06.29.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
What were they thinking: covering a bald spot
- 06.29.2012
Back to the pool of crazy patents this week and this is one for those with that dreaded bald spot that needs to be covered…Read More…
Our society is doomed…
- 06.29.2012
Someone just sent me a photograph that makes you think “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry”… Read More…
Microcontroller Invasion!
- 07.01.2012
A few weeks ago I was cogitating, contemplating, reflecting, and generally ruminating on “this and that” when…Read More…
How can this be possible?
- 07.02.2012
I really don’t know what to say (and that's not something you hear me say very often)…Read More…
Death by armpit!
- 07.03.2012
I don’t quite recall how this came about, but I was chatting with my wife (Gina The Gorgeous) yesterday evening when the topic of underarm deodorant came up.Read More…
Happy 4th July to the victors and losers alike
- 07.03.2012
In design and verification, there should be no victors and losers. We should share information more freely…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – July 5th
- 07.05.2012
Elliptic, Ultratech, IBM, UMC, Cadence, Brite, MIPS and Broadcom made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
What were they thinking: very slow gambling
- 07.06.2012
When we think of gambling, we tend to think of high paced slot machines or James Bond winning it all at the craps table. Not with this invention…Read More…
Best of the web -– July 6th
- 07.06.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Guest blog: Challenges in chip integration
- 07.10.2012
If you are designing large chips in a just-in-time environment, there are a few tactics you can employ to achieve the best results. Read on to find the answers…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – July 11th
- 07.11.2012
Mentor, Synopsys, SMIC, Altera, Aldec, Agilent and Cadence made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
I want a Jumbo Jet Executive Desk!
- 07.11.2012
I've said it before and I'll say it again – I LOVE the stuff they do over at MotoArt…Read More…
High praise for Alfa Insurance
- 07.12.2012
I just returned from a quick trip down to my local Alfa Insurance office, and I have to say that I am mega-impressed…Read More…
What were they thinking: Tech-talk
- 07.13.2012
The English love to make fun of things, including technology and themselves. This BBC video does both perfectly…Read More…
Best of the web -– July 13th
- 07.13.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Accellera make new version of SystemC library available
- 07.17.2012
Accellera adds new capabilities to its SystemC proof-of-concept library including support for transaction-level modeling…Read More…
Mommy, why does that man smell like coconuts?
- 07.17.2012
In which we explore a “do-it-yourself” recipe for underarm deodorant that features coconut oil as a binding agent…Read More…
Atrenta talks about power
- 07.17.2012
There are three main power activities that we are involved with – estimation, optimization and verification. We are also working on power intent reconciliation…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – July 18th
- 07.18.2012
EVE, Synopsys, Breker, Xylon, Lattice, Microsemi, Xilinx and Cadence made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Yum Yum – canned uranium ore!
- 07.18.2012
The really funny thing about this can of uranium ore webpage is the associated comments, for example…Read More…
What were they thinking: Cures for jet lag
- 07.20.2012
As I prepare for my annual pilgrimage to England, I wondered about the advances in cures for jet lag…Read More…
Best of the web -– July 20th
- 07.20.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Opinion: Relationships matter
- 07.24.2012
What is the value of hiring a public relations specialist? Priceless according to Nanette Collins who points out several ways in which they can help…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – July 25th
- 07.25.2012
Mentor, Aldec, TVS, TSMC, ARM, S2C, Esterel, Synopsys and TowerJazz made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Low-power webinars worth watching
- 07.25.2012
Please disregard the man behind the curtain, this low power webinar series is worth listening to, but if you read the description it may scare you away…Read More…
No! It’s not fair!
- 07.25.2012
I really don’t think it's “cricket” for people to tempt me in this way, because I am a weak man…Read More…
What’s happening at OCP-IP
- 07.26.2012
Ian Mackintosh updates me about four developments in the world of OCP-IP and a sneak peak at his new book on management…Read More…
What were they thinking: Brain Optimization
- 07.27.2012
We see Groupons for everything these days, but this one really caught my eye. Can someone really perform brain optimization on me…Read More…
Best of the web -– July 27th
- 07.27.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
The 2012 Olympics opening ceremony … WOW!
- 07.30.2012
Did you see the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games on Friday? I have to say that I was completely blown away…Read More…
How social media tools can change the EDA space for the better
- 07.31.2012
How important is social media within EDA? One opinion is that you cannot do business without it and those that try and leaving a lot on the table…Read More…
Have you got the globes? No, I always walk this way!
- 07.31.2012
You tend to forget just how much more information there seems to be when you are looking at globe as opposed to a flat map / projection.Read More…
Statistics, statistics and damned lies
- 07.31.2012
Piracy is a series issue, but I get annoyed when people twist statistics in ways that support their opinion and don’t stick to the facts…Read More…
Book review: Empower your inner manager
- 08.01.2012
A new management book written by one of our own entrepreneurs will help you plot a course for self-improvement…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – August 1st
- 08.01.2012
Xilinx, Oski, Synopsys, Ciranova, Newark element14 and Calypto made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Shakespearian version of the Hokey Pokey
- 08.01.2012
To be honest, this is one of those songs you are brought up with and never really think about. I remember the big family Christmas parties when I was a kid…Read More…
The adventures of a Sherlock Homes “wannabe”
- 08.02.2012
In which one of our readers turns into an amateur sleuth, tracks down the doer of a dastardly deed, and ensures that the scales of justice are balanced.Read More…
Synopsys acquires Springsoft – thesis dead
- 08.03.2012
My emerging middle class thesis within EDA appears to be dead. Will Synopsys get indigestion…Read More…
Best of the web – August 3rd
- 08.03.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
What were they thinking: America’s top colleges
- 08.03.2012
Forbes publishes their top American college list and I don't believe a word of it. I rename it the top ego list…Read More…
What’s the dress code where you work?
- 08.03.2012
I stopped at the gas station on the way into work the other day to grab a cup of coffee. As I was leaving, a guy about my age was entering. Together we provided quite a contrast… Read More…
A different perspective on life
- 08.04.2012
We create things from sand, as do the monks from Drepung Loseling Phukhang Monastery, but the results are very different…Read More…
Book excerpt: Introduction to Open Core Protocol
- 08.07.2012
The Open Core Protocol (OCP) is designed to accelerate IP core-to-core interface design efforts and this book is designed to bring you up to speed faster…Read More…
Don’t fall in the… arrggghhh!!!
- 08.07.2012
I just saw a couple of very interesting pictures. I'm not sure if they are real or not…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – August 8th
- 08.08.2012
Synopsys, Renesas, TSMC, ASML, ARM, Kilopass, ASSET InterTech and Mentor made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
There’s punography everywhere!
- 08.09.2012
It seems that everywhere you turn these days you run into more punography, but what can we do about it?Read More…
What were they thinking: a use for body piercing
- 08.11.2012
Body piercing has always been a strange thing to do to me, but now I find that they may have a real application. Hmmm. Still don’t think I am going to get those studs…Read More…
Best of the web – August 10th
- 08.11.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Book excerpt: Introduction to Open Core Protocol Part 2
- 08.13.2012
The Open Core Protocol (OCP) is designed to accelerate IP core-to-core interface design efforts and this book is designed to bring you up to speed faster…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – August 15th
- 08.15.2012
ARM, Cadence, Globalfoundries, Verific and Aldec made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Opinion: Security is the Achilles heel
- 08.16.2012
One of the first changes that must occur is in the way Internet of Things System-on-Chip devices are designed and manufactured…Read More…
What were they thinking: Apple, Google, Oracle and Samsung dueling
- 08.17.2012
The technology dueling continues between Apple, Samsung, Google and Oracle. Will anyone win…Read More…
The worst is behind you…
- 08.20.2012
Is the worst behind you? Or can you think of something that is even more cringe-inducing?Read More…
Book excerpt: Introduction to Open Core Protocol Part 3
- 08.21.2012
The Open Core Protocol (OCP) is designed to accelerate IP core-to-core interface design efforts and this book is designed to bring you up to speed faster…Read More…
September is National Preparedness Month
- 08.21.2012
Are you ready for an emergency? This article provides a list of things you need to do or have ready…Read More…
Cheesy Sci-Fi TV Series of the 60s and 70s
- 08.22.2012
Here are some of the cheesy Sci-Fi TV Series I used to watch in the 60s and 70s. Did you see these? If so, which did you like the best (and which did you hate the most)?Read More…
ASSET releases IJTAG tutorial
- 08.23.2012
IJTAG could bring some standardization to the usage of on-chip instrumentation, a move that will help make this a much easier task in SoC design…Read More…
Best of the web – August 24th
- 08.24.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
Startup spotlight: Verifyter
- 08.24.2012
I always love it when I get to learn about a new company, a start-up with a vision for the future, something that hasn’t been tried before…Read More…
What were they thinking: sock wedgie
- 08.24.2012
On Fridays, I love to find some humor for the week, and patents are often a source of inspiration. Here is one I found for a problem I didn’t know existed – a sock wedgie…Read More…
Hurray! Xilinx outperforms Spacely Space Sprockets
- 08.27.2012
Spacely Space Sprockets came in at number 25 of the twenty-five largest fictional companies in history with 2007 revenues of $1.3 billion.Read More…
Opinion: Integrating power electronics design technologies
- 08.28.2012
The need to supply, modify and control the voltage, current or frequency of electric power creates some considerable challenges…Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: How Apple-Samsung will impact standards development
- 08.28.2012
The significant and relevant impact of this lawsuit on the development and adoption of standards has been widely overlooked… Read More…
Seriously?
- 08.29.2012
My knee-jerk reaction was “Oh dear, what have I said or done that has raised my friend's ire?”Read More…
What were they thinking: backups and patents
- 08.31.2012
Do you know what patent #1 was about? Surprise there are two of them…Read More…
Book excerpt: High-level synthesis blue book
- 09.04.2012
The promise of high-level synthesis (HLS) is a powerful one: the ability to generate production-quality register transfer level (RTL) implementations from high-level specification…Read More…
Which science fiction books SHOULD be made into films?
- 09.04.2012
Over the years I've often thought “I wish they would make this into a film!” Here are a few suggestions off the top of my head…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – September 5th
- 09.05.2012
Sonics, Arteris, Cadence, Synopsys, Sand 9, Ericsson and Altera made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
EDA countdown
- 09.05.2012
It is difficult to believe, but it was almost a year ago when I took over the EDA Designline and here are the top articles for the year…Read More…
Dr. Who Sonic Screwdriver TV Remote — I WANT!!!
- 09.06.2012
I'm too young for all of this excitement. I just saw a Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver Programmable TV Remote.Read More…
Best of the web – September 7th
- 09.07.2012
Blogs from around the web that made my “best of the web” list this week…Read More…
What were they thinking: Jet powered surfboard
- 09.07.2012
Design patents can be somewhat controversial and this is perhaps at the heart of the Apple-Samsung controversy. Do you know what a design patent is…Read More…
“Under the hood” of Altera’s 20nm offerings
- 09.10.2012
While chatting with Misha Burich, CTO at Altera, I learned myriad tidbits of trivia and nuggets of knowledge of which I was previously unaware…Read More…
Book excerpt: High-level synthesis blue book – part2
- 09.11.2012
The promise of high-level synthesis (HLS) is a powerful one: the ability to generate production-quality register transfer level (RTL) implementations from high-level specification…Read More…
EDA Countdown: 4-6
- 09.11.2012
This is a countdown of the top ten design articles seen in the EDA Designline during my first year at the helm…Read More…
Opinion: Why IDEs for hardware design fail
- 09.11.2012
Hardware designers hate integrated development environments (IDEs), and they have good reasons to do so…Read More…
Book excerpt: Mixed-signal methodology guide
- 09.12.2012
This book, Mixed-signal Methodology Guide provides a broad overview of mixed-signal design, verification and implementation methodologies…Read More…
CEO Spotlight: Ellis Smith, Blue Pearl Software
- 09.12.2012
Ellis Smith, CEO of Blue Pearl talks about the approach they are taking for being successful in the FPGA software market…Read More…
I want a Beard Beanie!
- 09.12.2012
I know I'm being silly, but I just ran across something called a “Beard Beanie” that I think is really fun in a strange sort of way…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – September 12th
- 09.12.2012
Xilinx, Altera, UMC, Breker, ASML, Aselta, ASSET, Oski, Carbon, X-fab, CEVA and Mentor the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
What were they thinking: The world is your lawyer
- 09.13.2012
Freescale makes a contest out of invalidating a patent. Do you want to be the next patent lawyer and find the technology that makes the point…Read More…
A package just arrived on my desk…
- 09.14.2012
What if I were to find myself an old Webster wire recorder and load this spool, would I hear an ethereal voice saying something like…Read More…
Power domain verification: Beyond traditional DRC, LVS and ERC
- 09.17.2012
For many power domain issues, functional simulation can be performed successfully without catching the circuit error…Read More…
EDA Countdown: top three
- 09.18.2012
This concludes a countdown of the top ten design articles seen in the EDA Designline during my first year at the helm…Read More…
Book excerpt: High-level synthesis blue book – part3
- 09.18.2012
The promise of high-level synthesis (HLS) is a powerful one: the ability to generate production-quality register transfer level (RTL) implementations from high-level specification…Read More…
Collaborative advantage: The future of fabless design?
- 09.18.2012
Virtual reaggregation is necessary to re-aligning data dependencies that were split apart from disaggregation of the supply chain…Read More…
Book excerpt: Mixed-signal methodology guide part 2
- 09.19.2012
This book, Mixed-signal Methodology Guide provides a broad overview of mixed-signal design, verification and implementation methodologies…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – September 19th
- 09.19.2012
Cadence, Synopsys, EVE, Kilopass, Aldec, Digital Core Design, Sisvel, SMIC and IC Insights made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Power2U – What a jolly good idea!
- 09.20.2012
In addition to two regular power sockets, this little beauty also has two USB ports capable of charging iPhones and iPads.Read More…
What were they thinking: do you know your Rapunzel Number?
- 09.21.2012
The Nobel prizes are awarded every year for significant contributions to science, literature and peace, but do you know about the Ig Nobel prizes?Read More…
Book Review: Empower Your Inner Manager by Ian Mackintosh
- 09.21.2012
if you want to be a manager – or if you are already a manager – I would really appreciate it if you would read this book.Read More…
Book excerpt: High-level synthesis blue book – part4
- 09.25.2012
The promise of high-level synthesis (HLS) is a powerful one: the ability to generate production-quality register transfer level (RTL) implementations from high-level specification…Read More…
Book excerpt: Mixed-signal methodology guide part 3
- 09.25.2012
This book, Mixed-signal Methodology Guide provides a broad overview of mixed-signal design, verification and implementation methodologies…Read More…
LVS Debug: The Good, The Bad, and The Future
- 09.25.2012
LVS debug of today’s complex designs is challenging and time-consuming, but reducing LVS debug time while continuing to provide reliable, high-performance designs is a requirement for chip designers who want to meet their tight tapeout deadlines and satisfy customers…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – September 26th
- 09.26.2012
Dongbu HiTek, EMA, Symtavision, Synopsys, Globalfoundries, element14, Cadence, Analog Devices, ProPlus, ChipEstimate, Aldec, CEDA, X-Fab and more made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Yes, it is art!
- 09.26.2012
These ceramic versions of tin cans were created by a mathematician called Ned who specializes in chaos theory.Read More…
Ethics and freedoms are not global
- 09.27.2012
Working in a global society requires us to be accepting of others people’s ideas about ethics, morals and laws that define what they call freedom…Read More…
The Oski 72 hour challenge
- 09.27.2012
What was the Oski 72 hours DAC challenge all about and will they do it again next year?Read More…
What were they thinking: relief for inebriated guys?
- 09.28.2012
OK, guys. How many of you remember being drunk? And yes, I am being sexist because this invention is only for guys…Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: Celebrating Ten years of OpenAccess!
- 10.02.2012
This year, Si2's OpenAccess standard turns 10, and there are a number of special celebrations to mark this very significant occasion…Read More…
Book excerpt: Mixed-signal methodology guide part 4
- 10.02.2012
This book, Mixed-signal Methodology Guide provides a broad overview of mixed-signal design, verification and implementation methodologies…Read More…
Is collaboration the way of the future?
- 10.02.2012
Up to this point we have brought in blocks of IP to help with the design of large systems, but what about insourcing the skills needed? DARPA thinks it might be a good idea…Read More…
Power2U 4 Me!
- 10.02.2012
Of course I should have turned off the power first, but “I R an Engineer” and I know what I'm doing…Read More…
Using HexaFlexagons to pass secret messages
- 10.02.2012
When you fold paper you can do amazing things. One use are Flexagons, many of which are hexagonal in shape and have more than 2 sides…Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – October 3rd
- 10.03.2012
JEDEC, Jasper, eMemory, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Mentor, Teledyne LeCroy, Globalfoundries, IBM, Intermolecular, Synopsys, Open-Silicon, ARM, EDAC, Sand 9, Sidense and Kilopass made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Why is Synopsys buying EVE?
- 10.04.2012
Now that the news is out, the question of why has to be asked. Is it to create a new product category or are they just completing a product line?Read More…
Startup Profile: ProPlus Design Solutions
- 10.04.2012
ProPlus Design Solutions is a successful spin out from Cadence that turns a small revenue stream into a vibrant company again…Read More…
What were they thinking: Apple crazy?
- 10.05.2012
The patent system is being abused and today’s blog is directed straight at one of my favorite companies, Apple, who has been filing ridiculous patents…Read More…
What’s the most amazing book no one (you know) ever read?
- 10.09.2012
This book, which has to be one of my “all-time favorite reads,” is sitting on the shelf in my office as we speak…Read More…
Patents, innovation and misuse
- 10.09.2012
A few weeks ago, I had some words to say about a patent prior art search contest and even more with some Apple filings. Here is some updated information…Read More…
Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli to talk at ICCAD
- 10.09.2012
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of ICCAD, Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli will talk about “ICCAD at 30 Years: Where we have been, where we are going”…Read More…
Wherefore art thou Tensilica?
- 10.10.2012
A little bird tells me that things are going so swimmingly well at Tensilica that…Read More…
Well, Swoosh Me!
- 10.10.2012
I am somewhat flabbergasted, because a “swoosh” just took me completely by surprise.Read More…
CEO and Professor Spotlight: Andreas Veneris
- 10.11.2012
Andreas Veneris is the CEO of Venssa Technologies and a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Toronto providing a unique look into verification research…Read More…
What were they thinking: If Alan Turing had lived to be 100…
- 10.12.2012
Alan Turing created the mathematical basis on which most of hardware design rests, but he also backed us into a corner we do not seem to be able to escape from…Read More…
A pig, a mouse, and two asses walk into a bar…
- 10.12.2012
This all started with an email whose subject line was “Allergic to cats?” Inside this email was an image that certainly made my eyes water…Read More…
Yet still the dog doth grunt and snore…
- 10.15.2012
The shop assistants (who are growing younger by the day), looked at us like we were from another planet…Read More…
Monk fish croon their soothing songs of snooze…
- 10.16.2012
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear… I think I can feel a challenge coming on…Read More…
McNamara comes clean on Adapt IP
- 10.16.2012
The EDA gossip rag recently found out that Michael McNamara had left Cadence and published a bunch of rumors about him and his new company. Read here for the facts…Read More…
Mega-cool audio reality costume
- 10.16.2012
The people at Think Geek keep on coming up with things I never knew I wanted (until I see them) and that I cannot afford, like…Read More…
3D ICs can no longer be considered an emerging technology
- 10.16.2012
I will be the first to say that there is still a lot of room for improvements with 3D ICs and the levels of automation that go into their design, but this week it has become clear …Read More…
OMG! The most amazing “must see” photos!
- 10.17.2012
You simply MUST look at these pictures – trust me, you won’t regret it (have I ever lied to you before?)Read More…
EDA/IP Weekly Roundup – October 17th
- 10.17.2012
ATopTech, Kilopass, ARM, Cypress, element14, Arteris, Sonics, Sidense, CEVA, Phil Kaufman, TSMC, Mentor, Cadence, Synopsys, Springsoft, MunEDA, Analog Bits and Berkeley made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Altium, what have you done?
- 10.17.2012
I was completely blown away when I heard the news that CEO and founder Nick Martin has been squeezed out.Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: Silicon photonics is hot — at Si2
- 10.17.2012
The benefits are huge – three orders of magnitude improved communications bandwidth, lower power consumption, EM / noise immunity, just to name a few…Read More…
What were they thinking: long distance irrigation
- 10.19.2012
We have an Arthur Paul Pedrick to thank for an invention that could save the world from famine. He describes an arrangement for conveying unsalted water to a region of the Earth…Read More…
RIP Stanford R. Ovshinsky
- 10.19.2012
We have lost a truly great inventor who had an impact on many of the things we take for granted in our daily lives and yet his name was never well known…Read More…
A finer body of men…
- 10.19.2012
Well, things are certainly bouncing along merrily here in the pleasure dome (my office). In fact, I just took place in a jolly interesting email exchange…Read More…
Jasper CEO talks EDA success
- 10.23.2012
Jasper Design Automation CEO Kathryn Kranen opines on what it takes to build and grow a company.Read More…
Personal supercomputer for only $100!
- 10.24.2012
For only $100, the Parallella is a personal supercomputer based on a Zynq All Programmable SoC from Xilinx and an Epiphany multi-core processor from Adapteva.Read More…
Understanding standard essential patents
- 10.24.2012
Do you know what standard essential-patents are and how they are meant to be used? It seems as if some companies are no longer playing fair…Read More…
Which sci-fi author would you like to meet?
- 10.25.2012
Seriously, here's your chance to pick which science fiction author you would like to see at one of our forthcoming UBM events.Read More…
NEMS eyed for CMOS power gating
- 10.25.2012
The steady rise in leakage power over the last decade has made low-power design an exceedingly difficult problem mainly because attempts to control leakage power tend to negatively impact performance and switching energy…Read More…
What were they thinking: Scientists responsible for their work
- 10.26.2012
When a bridge fails – who is responsible? The designer, the people who constructed it, shoddy materials that are out of spec…Read More…
$100 Supercomputer – YES! We made it!
- 10.29.2012
Well, what an exciting time. I'm happy to inform you that we succeeded in pushing the guys at Adapteva over their Kickstarter goal.Read More…
Prototyping your way to shorter design cycles
- 10.30.2012
This articles contains two case studies where design teams on different continents were able to reduce their design cycle time. In both of these examples, the design teams used virtual prototyping and accurate models…Read More…
Oski sponsors hardware model checking award
- 10.30.2012
A few days ago I received a press release from Oski Technology related to its sponsorship of the annual Hardware Model Checking Competition (HWMCC). After the challenge that they performed at DAC last year…Read More…
“Arrgghh,” said I…
- 10.31.2012
In which we discover yet another way in which Hurricane Sandy can mess up your day…Read More…
Design West 2013 — Call for papers
- 11.01.2012
The deadline for paper submissions for Design West 2013 is almost upon us.Read More…
Chip group says business model must evolve
- 11.01.2012
With venture capital scarce, the Global Semiconductor Alliance says chip companies must come up with new business models in order to thrive.Read More…
Changing the political system
- 11.01.2012
If you were in charge of elections, what changes would you make?Read More…
What were they thinking: Motorized ice cream cone
- 11.02.2012
Back to the weird and wacky patents and with this one the inventor clearly needs a few additional ideas. Can you help?Read More…
Lattice Semiconductor’s stars are shining brightly
- 11.02.2012
Lattice could be on the brink of something big – taking programmable devices into places they have not been seen before…Read More…
There *is* a man in the moon!
- 11.02.2012
The more you look at the moon, the more there is to see, and the more your mind turns to philosophical musings and meditations.Read More…
Crazy acquisition chatter
- 11.05.2012
The levels of chatter surrounding rumored acquisitions is picking up, and financial pundits have some crazy ideas.Read More…
How to protect kids using iPods/iPads?
- 11.05.2012
My friend Richard has three young iPod/iPad using daughters whom he wishes to protect from the negative influences one can find on the Internet.Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – November 7th
- 11.07.2012
Agilent, Aldec, Altera, Atrenta, Databeans, GSA, JEDEC, Macnica, Mentor, Novarm, Silicon Labs, Synopsys, Weightless and X-FAB made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
SparkFun to host “Introduction to Arduino” workshop
- 11.07.2012
Attendees will receive a SparkFun Inventor's Kit and will be introduced to hands-on skills for programming their very own electronics.Read More…
These made me chuckle…
- 11.07.2012
I was reading the 12/12 issue of Reader's Digest yesterday evening, and I spotted a couple of gems I wanted to share…Read More…
Myths, hype and the building blocks of SoCs
- 11.08.2012
How much of a typical chip is based on IP reuse? As a percentage, is it going up or down? Here are some figures that may surprise you.Read More…
What were they thinking: Christmas in October
- 11.09.2012
I was dismayed the other day when I went into a department store and they were playing Christmas music. It almost made me want to leave the store…Read More…
Geek Hat competition at Design West 2013
- 11.09.2012
How exciting! I just heard that there is to be a Geek Hat competition at the Design West 2013 Conference and Exhibition.Read More…
Man-from Mars Radio Hat
- 11.12.2012
Back in the 1950s, the Radio Hat was a portable radio built into a pith helmet that would bring in stations within a 20 mile (32 km) radius.Read More…
IP integration is hard
- 11.13.2012
“Integrating IP is hard” explains Atrenta’s Manoj Bhatnagar. That is why TSMC asked for our assistance in creating a set of rules for their IP qualification program…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – November 14th
- 11.14.2012
Altera, ANSYS, Atrenta, Berkeley, Everspin, Freescale, Imperas, Mentor, Synopsys, X-FAB and Xilinx made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Why do I need an RTL to GDS flow?
- 11.15.2012
Flows are a fact of life. You can’t get away with them, but what does a modern flow look like and how could it help your process? Read on…Read More…
Chip integration: solving duplicate name conflicts during file merging
- 11.15.2012
Layout merging is a routine practice in chip design. When this happens, cells from different layout files may have the same name. The choice of how to process these duplicate names depends on the situation…Read More…
What were they thinking: more patent abuse
- 11.16.2012
I don’t know about you, but I am getting tired of the way that our industry is abusing the patent systems and as a result costing tax payers a huge amount of money…Read More…
EE Times University: Intel’s intelligent systems explained
- 11.16.2012
Cloud computing has been getting a lot of attention, but it is just a small piece of a bigger trend – the Internet of Things and a new generation of embedded systems. Find out all about it in a series of upcoming webinars…Read More…
Taser for kids
- 11.20.2012
Specially engineered for children. Has a lower voltage output and smaller barbed spikes than the popular adult model compliance tool.Read More…
Synopsys rolls out upgrade to HAPS
- 11.20.2012
HAPS is going back to its roots with a more modular architecture and takes advantage of some new features in the Virtex 7 architecture giving more capacity and performance…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – November 21st
- 11.21.2012
Advantest, Agilent, ARM, element14, IC Insights, Mentor, Sonics and UMC made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Urban Air – Bamboo billboard “gardens in the sky”
- 11.21.2012
It's easy to get sucked into the Kickstarter vortex if you aren't careful. Every time you visit the site there is something new to peruse and ponder…Read More…
CEO spotlight: Ghislain Kaiser, CEO Docea Power
- 11.27.2012
In this interview with Ghislain Kaiser, co-founder and CEO of Docea power, we talk about the finding of a need and the ways to go about satisfying that need, including some problems along the way…Read More…
Three funny videos
- 11.27.2012
Sometimes you need a laugh… and these videos make me laugh out loud!Read More…
Blogs and use of new media
- 11.27.2012
Do you have a blog and are you happy with the number of hits that it gets? If not consider moving your blog to the EDA Designline…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – November 28th
- 11.28.2012
Accellera, ASSET, Atrenta, Cadence, EDALab, eSilicon and IAR made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Thinking about Gift Cards? Think again!
- 11.28.2012
I'm not sure if all of these issues are true in every case, but I will absolutely be reading the fine print before shelling out any more of my hard-earned cash.Read More…
You too can be a “Layaway Santa”
- 11.28.2012
I think this is a jolly good idea, and that any of us with a few extra dollars in our pockets should think seriously about spreading a little cheer.Read More…
Cadence donates multi-patterned lithography technology
- 11.28.2012
Cadence Design Systems has donated extensions to the Open Access community which enable physical design tools to represent Multi-Patterned Technology.Read More…
What were they thinking: Newspapers want a cut of Google’s pie
- 11.30.2012
Greed is at work everywhere and when someone is successful, everyone wants to freeload. That is what is going on with publishers in Europe…Read More…
The day Albert Einstein most feared is upon us!
- 12.03.2012
Is it true? Have we bred an entire generation of idiots?Read More…
“Best of 2012” Aldec Webinars Available Online
- 12.03.2012
I must admit that some of these titles look rather interesting…Read More…
Cypress to host virtual worldwide embedded design conference
- 12.03.2012
The PSoC virtual event on December 12 and 13 will offer 24 hours of programming on new design techniques, hot applications, and expert design panels.Read More…
Jasper Design’s Kranen talks biz models, investment
- 12.04.2012
In the second part of our interview with Jasper Design Automation CEO Kathryn Kranen, we talk about business models, global investments and more.Read More…
Robotic lie detector
- 12.04.2012
I remember one day when my friend Carl brought a lie detector to our junior high school…Read More…
Synthesis no longer the killer app
- 12.04.2012
Synthesis was the killer app in the transition to the RTL design paradigm. When a new abstraction emerged, everyone expected that it would again be synthesis that would be the killer app, but as so often happens – they were wrong…Read More…
Collaborative advantage: Design impact of 450mm transition
- 12.04.2012
Increased inter-die / edge-to-edge wafer variation and additional edge defects are just one of the additional problems that has to be dealt with in the transition to 450mm wafers…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – December 5th
- 12.05.2012
ARM, Calypto, D&R, Global Unichip, Kilopass, SIA, Synopsys and Tensilica made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
A look back on 2012: Industry observations
- 12.05.2012
What do the executives of EDA, IP and semiconductor companies think the biggest trends in the industry are? This blog has them all in one place…Read More…
Don’t talk to me about Windows 8!
- 12.05.2012
Arrgggh! My wife just bought a new PC loaded with the Windows 8 operating system. I tried to wrap my brain around it and now my head hurts!Read More…
What were they thinking: Favoring Wall Street
- 12.07.2012
SEC regulation FD (fair disclosure) was put in place to protect the small investor and ensure they had the same information as the big guys. But Facebook seems to have turned that around…Read More…
Union Jack vs. Union Flag
- 12.07.2012
I'm always interested in discovering something new, and I am now embroiled in a delightful morass of “stuff.”Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – December 12th
- 12.12.2012
Agilent, Altera, ARM, Imec, Mentor, MIPS, Newark element14, Oasys, Real Intent, Research and Markets and Synopsys made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
ProDesign is back
- 12.12.2012
There are times when the EDA industry seems like the game of Whack-a-Mole. A company gets bought, the founders leave and start another company…Read More…
A look back on 2012: Business successes
- 12.12.2012
Was 2012 a good year for EDA companies? Many of the respondents of my survey had a lot to tell me about how good business was for them…Read More…
A look back on 2012: Accellera
- 12.13.2012
Standards drive our industry and this past year was a big one for standards and Accellera in particular. Hear what they have to say about 2012…Read More…
Book review: Variation-Aware Design of Custom Integrated Circuits
- 12.13.2012
This book looks at the subject of variations in a chip’s operating conditions and random variations across the chip. Finding out if the chip will provide sufficient yield is paramount to business success…Read More…
iPad stuffer – this is not an app – app
- 12.14.2012
Looking for a stocking stuffer. Well, if you looking for a rather unusual gift, this may be it – if you know somewhat creative and a little bit silly…Read More…
What were they thinking: Christmas patents
- 12.14.2012
So, it is that time of year when many people have Christmas on their mind and to go with it there are many crazy people who think they have the new, best thing that everyone will want – not!Read More…
A look back on 2012: Design tools and flows
- 12.18.2012
What advances were made in design tools and flows during 2012? This collection from my survey will fill you in…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – December 19th
- 12.19.2012
Agilent, CEVA, Gartner, M31, MIPS and Mentor made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
A look back on 2012 – Verification
- 12.19.2012
What advances were made in verification tools and flows during 2012? This collection from my survey will fill you in… Read More…
TI and University of Florida student collaborate on FRAM research
- 12.19.2012
I just heard about a rather interesting university research story that improved upon the FRAM technology used in TI’s MSP430 Wolverine platform.Read More…
Energy harvesting + sensor network nodes = autonomous sensor network nodes
- 12.20.2012
My friend Luiz would like to share his paper that introduces the non-specialized reader to two combined technologies: energy harvesting and sensor network nodes.Read More…
Altium introduces “Ideas”
- 12.20.2012
I just received news of a rather interesting offering from those clever guys and gals at Altium…Read More…
System Hyper Pipelining = 16 MCU cores on a Spartan-6 LX9 FPGA
- 12.20.2012
My friend Tobias has been working on a rather cool technology called System Hyper Pipelining in which he uses registers to multiply the functionality of IP cores.Read More…
A look back on 2012: Semiconductor
- 12.20.2012
What advances were made in semiconductors and chips during 2012? This collection from my survey will fill you in… Read More…
Happy, inspiring video – “Bring Me Sunshine”
- 12.20.2012
Someone just sent out a link to a really good video that made me feel really happy (I'm still smiling as I pen these words)Read More…
What were they thinking: Triskaidekaphobians prepare
- 12.21.2012
Many people suffer from triskaidekaphobia and so this coming year is going to be very difficult for them, but there is good news…Read More…
Samsung and partners create 14nm FinFET test chips
- 12.21.2012
Samsung, Cadence, ARM, Synopsys and Mentor all work together to create 14nm FinFET test vehicles that will help to hone the process for production…Read More…
What were they thinking: changes to design patents
- 12.28.2012
The US Congress loves to tinker rather than tackle big issues. This year they tinkered with design patent law…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – January 2nd 2013
- 01.02.2013
Analog Bits, Mentor, Tanner and Xilinx made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
That’s strange – my clothes have shrunk!
- 01.02.2013
I think I must be the victim of some strange disturbance in the space-time continuum, because my clothes appear to have been shrinking over the past few months.Read More…
GravityLight – What a GREAT idea!
- 01.03.2013
There are currently over 1.5 billion people in the World who rely on biomass fuels (mostly kerosene) for lighting once the sun goes down.Read More…
Prediction for 2013 – Technology
- 01.03.2013
What do people in the EDA and semiconductor industries expect to happen in 2013? This clearly establishes the directions that they intend to focus on and where they will place their dollars…Read More…
What were they thinking: Games tied to player
- 01.04.2013
Well, the New Year is off to a great start – at least in terms of patents being published that get my craw. In this case, it is a game maker who has decided they want to control who can play their games, who can sell them and if they can ever be resold…Read More…
Windows 8 – what’s all the fuss about?
- 01.08.2013
This is a first hand account with bringing a Windows 8 system up. What went right and what went wrong…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – January 9th 2013
- 01.09.2013
Atrenta, EDAC, Freescale, Globalfoundries, IPextreme, Mentor, Oasys and SATA-IO made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Where do babies come from, daddy?
- 01.09.2013
When I heard my father's response, I remember thinking “You Cunning Rascal” (or words to that effect).Read More…
Patents in EDA
- 01.10.2013
How many patents do EDA companies hold and how useful are they? A recent IEEE Spectrum article tells us the winners…Read More…
Predictions for 2013 – EDA/IP
- 01.10.2013
What do people in the EDA and semiconductor industries expect to happen in 2013? This clearly establishes the directions that they intend to focus on and where they will place their dollars…Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: CES – All about software and standards
- 01.10.2013
The Consumer Electronics Show illustrates an important trend. While software means nothing without hardware to execute it and interact with the real world, the value of that hardware is now being defined primarily by software — and standards…Read More…
How NOT to make a training video
- 01.10.2013
Watching this video leaves you not knowing whether to laugh or cry…Read More…
What were they thinking: Attack by memo
- 01.11.2013
This week in what were they thinking, I go back to looking at some crazy patent filings that just provide some fun and make you scratch your head a little…Read More…
Hogan says retooling underway for custom 2.0
- 01.11.2013
The time has come to re-architect both the environment and the simulators to meet the challenges confronting custom design today. The semiconductor industry is now facing a major retooling for “Custom 2.0” for 2013 and beyond…Read More…
Video: It’s bigger on the inside!
- 01.14.2013
Now I want to start playing with this augmented reality software myself…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – January 16th 2013
- 01.16.2013
Altium, Arctic Sand, Forte, GUC, Hemlock, IC Insights, ICManage, Linley, Oasys, OneSpin, Real Intent and UMC made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Dynamic pricing just tried to bite me
- 01.17.2013
When I looked yesterday it was only $22.50 – today it's gone up to $46.26 – I think they're watching me!Read More…
Need to clone Windows 8 – help!
- 01.17.2013
My troubles with Windows 8 continue and I am tired of having to reload the operating system from scratch. Need to be able to clone…Read More…
What were they thinking: A crazy patent makes money
- 01.18.2013
Most of the crazy or obvious patents I look at have no commercial value, but this one actually got bought before it had even issued…Read More…
Prediction for 2013 – Business
- 01.18.2013
What do people in the EDA and semiconductor industries expect to happen in the industry in 2013? The big 3 EDA players will be reduced to 2, one way or another…Read More…
Danger Will Robinson! (Walk towards the light)
- 01.18.2013
I activate Switch #3… the Amber light goes out and the Green light starts breathing full time… the members of the audience grip their seats in dread anticipation of what is to come…Read More…
Gnarly to the Max
- 01.22.2013
Here are four rather amazing (dare I say “totally tubular”) videos I am currently sharing with everyone I know.Read More…
Where is the center of the Internet?
- 01.22.2013
The US may have created the Internet initially, but today it truly is a global resource and sometimes the US may be the last to know about an exciting new app that outstrips the growth of sites such as Facebook and Twitter…Read More…
Altium’s vision for the future of electronic design
- 01.22.2013
I recently had a chat with Altium's new CEO, Kayvan Oboudiyat, and CTO, Aram Mirkazemi, and I have to say that I'm impressed with their vision of the future of electronics design.Read More…
Cadence and Imec introduce 3D IC Memory on logic DFT
- 01.22.2013
There are several hurdles to overcome before 3D IC become common place and today Cadence and Imec say they have filled one of those holes with a DFT solution targeted at Memory on Logic chips…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – January 24th 2013
- 01.23.2013
Cadence, Carbon, DesignCon, Faraday, IAR, IC Insights, iSuppli, Lattice, Mentor, Semico, Synopsys and UMC made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Video: “Our Story” – History of the world in just two minutes!
- 01.24.2013
I honestly don’t think it's possible to watch this all the way through without pausing for a few minute's thought, reflection, and rumination.Read More…
Free lunches happen – two events
- 01.24.2013
There is such a thing as a free lunch and here is your opportunity to get two in one month if you live in Silicon Valley. Find out about design data management and the challenges of DDR memories…Read More…
PCIe 3.0 equalization Webinar
- 01.24.2013
This live webinar this morning was packed with information about what you need to do to deal with equalization in the PCIe 3.0 implementation if you hope to achieve 8Gbps…Read More…
What were they thinking: Crazy method patent
- 01.25.2013
There is a lot that can be learned by looking at the simple and stupid. This is one of those. A great example of a method patent…Read More…
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub
- 01.25.2013
I am currently wearing my sleep-deprived face (and let's not talk about my hair).Read More…
Smoke re-concentrator refurbishes blown electronic components
- 01.28.2013
As one engineer told me: “It's amazing how much black smoke they can fit into even a small FPGA these days, and once it's out there is no getting it back in again – even if you catch it all in a jam jar.”Read More…
DesignVision award winners announced
- 01.29.2013
Winners were selected based on three criteria: how well the product met the market’s vision and offered unique insight into customer needs; the originality of the solution and if it offered a new approach to meeting market needs; and the quality of the implementation and how well it fits the market requirements…Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: What is interoperability, really?
- 01.30.2013
When industry leaders collaborate to create a standard, the reason always cited is “interoperability”. Yet do we really understand what is meant by this seemingly simple term?Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – January 30th 2013
- 01.30.2013
Cadence, EnSilica, Kilopass, Mentor, Oasys, Phoenix, ProPlus, Real Intent, S2C, Semico, SMIC, Synopsys, TSMC and Verific made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Agilent and SiSoft team to bring jitter to IBIS
- 01.30.2013
IBIS-AMI models used to design and optimize high-speed serial links have lacked comprehensive jitter-modeling parameters and were limited to simple, first-order models of transmitter output drivers and receiver input-termination behavior…Read More…
Wafer demand increasing in 2013
- 01.31.2013
Looking at the supply chain is a good way to see what demand is coming down the pipe. Semico believes that 2013 will see increased demand for wafers…Read More…
Planning to fail is planning to fail
- 01.31.2013
Hardware teams understand the importance of planning, but does the act of project planning guarantee success to the same degree that avoiding project planning guarantees failure?Read More…
What were they thinking: Copyright in the digital age
- 02.01.2013
It is easy to poke fun at the patent system, but what about copyright? It is rather dated and the University of Glasgow starts thinking about how to change it…Read More…
My brain hurts!
- 02.04.2013
I'm having some difficulty wrapping my brain around a question that just came winging its way across the Internet to me.Read More…
Algotochip gets an endorsement for their algorithm-to-GDS II approach
- 02.05.2013
Algorithm-to-chips is what Algotochip does. They turn algorithms into chips by converting behavioral algorithm C-code into architecture C-code into RTL into GDS-II. Now they have an endorser…Read More…
Fourth CEO at Calypto
- 02.05.2013
Calypto has another new CEO. No reason given for the change and no big announcements with the new man in charge…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – February 6th 2013
- 02.06.2013
Adapteva, Altium, ARM, Cadence, DCD, GlobalFoundries, IC Insights, Semico and Synopsys made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
SparkFun’s going to teach me all about the Arduino!
- 02.06.2013
There's a whole bunch of cool stuff headed our way at the forthcoming DESIGN West 2013 Conference and Exhibition, including free hands-on training sessions from the folks at SparkFun.Read More…
Stitch and ship will sink your chip every time
- 02.07.2013
Instead of thinking like a systems integrator, development teams often assume that because the IP, fabric and memory subsystem have all been tested, the entire flow should work…Read More…
Finger lickin’ good
- 02.07.2013
A couple of days' ago, someone sent me a rather interesting picture…Read More…
Quotable Quotes (but don’t quote me)
- 02.07.2013
I must admit that I'm a sucker for a good quote. I like the philosophical ones and the thought-provoking ones and the funny ones and…Read More…
What were they thinking: Desktops and laptops in decline – duh!
- 02.08.2013
Why are so many people surprised, or think they are being smart by predicting the decline of the desktop. Its all very simple…Read More…
What light through yonder window breaks?
- 02.08.2013
I've been making some progress on the “prop” to accompany my forthcoming presentation as to how radiation can affect embedded systems at DESIGN West 2013.Read More…
A unique EDA company: Verific
- 02.12.2013
While there may be several business models within the EDA industry, there is perhaps no EDA company as unique as Verific, and the possibilities of developing into a very interesting business model…Read More…
Don’t stand on the cat’s whiskers!
- 02.11.2013
Well, all I can say is that this past weekend I was exposed to a new level of skullduggery that left me gasping with astonishment.Read More…
Yes, We CAN Hear You Now! The Rise of Embedded Speech
- 02.12.2013
Day-by-day I am becoming more-and-more excited, because DESIGN West is racing towards us as we speak.Read More…
Meet some folks who are having a worse day than you
- 02.13.2013
You think you're having a bad day? Wait until you see these videos!Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – February 13th 2013
- 02.13.2013
Asset, Cadence, Calypto, Cosmic Circuits, Forte, Fujitsu, Imperas, Incentia, OneSpin, Panasonic, Real Intent, Synopsys, Tanner and UMC made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
The Beeriodic Table
- 02.14.2013
My old chum Jack Olsen just sent me a really interesting image titled “The Periodic Table of Beer Styles”.Read More…
The Jazz Age – Mega-Retro Roxy Music
- 02.14.2013
Very “Cool Beans” – I just heard about a new instrumental album called “The Jazz Age” from Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music fame.Read More…
What were they thinking: heated glasses
- 02.15.2013
I love it when something thinks they are being really clever and yet it is also clear that they don’t have a clue. How many ways would this invention not work…Read More…
Pounds, Shillings, and Pence
- 02.18.2013
I was just reflecting on the fact that things are so much easier these days now that there are only 100 pennies in the English pound.Read More…
Mock Electronics: An Eclectic Emporium of Electronic Elements
- 02.18.2013
After complaining for years that there's nowhere to purchase electronic components locally, I've just been introduced to the most amazing electronics shop…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – February 20th 2013
- 02.20.2013
Agilent, ARM, Breker, CEA-Leti, Ceva, EMA, GlobalFoundries, Mentor, NanGate, NXP, Sagantec, Sensory and ST made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
LSI transforming itself again
- 02.20.2013
The best companies are always ahead of the curve and survive the changes. LSI is making another change by switching its processor supplier…Read More…
My hat’s off to Toshiba
- 02.21.2013
So many product test videos show the products only in a good light, so the fact that some of these videos show the products failing puts an interesting spin on things.Read More…
And that’s when I said “Doh!”
- 02.22.2013
You would not believe the wonderful little retro portable TV I just discovered at Mock Electronics.Read More…
What were they thinking: the iWatch is coming
- 02.22.2013
OK, so perhaps that is a little premature, but Apple thinks the idea has enough merit that they have filed a patent about it. At the moment it has not be granted, but it does provide some interesting insights…Read More…
Emulation Whack-a-Mole
- 02.22.2013
The FPGA prototyping and emulation market seems to be like Whack-a-Mole. As soon as one company is purchased, another one appears – this time Reflex CES…Read More…
Anyone for a free breakfast next week?
- 02.22.2013
Next week will be an exciting week as I head down to San Jose for the functional verification event of the year – DVCon. Catch me moderating a breakfast panel on Tuesday 7:00am…Read More…
SystemVerilog – It’s official and it’s free
- 02.25.2013
Accellera has announced that the revised version of the IEEE 1800™ “Standard SystemVerilog is now available through the IEEE Get Program…Read More…
VHF, VHF, wherefore art thou VHF?
- 02.26.2013
I want a small box that can connect via WiFi to the Internet on one side and stream live television (in the form of a VHF signal) out of the other side.Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – February 27th 2013
- 02.27.2013
Accellera, Agilent, ASSET, Blue Pearl, KLA-Tencor, Mentor, Multicore, Oasys, OneSpin, Symtavision and Synopsys made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
In space no one can hear you scream… or can they?
- 03.01.2013
An experiment that will change the scientific world forever – a plan so audacious that not even NASA has attempted it!Read More…
What were they thinking: Can a mouse be used for that
- 03.01.2013
Crazy patents are often the work of a single person who wants to become a mad inventor, but large corporations do it as well…Read More…
Was Brian Bailey right?
- 03.05.2013
Several years ago Gary Smith declared that “Brian Bailey was right.” Recent events have made me conclude that the question was wrong. Now I think we know the question…Read More…
Executive Focus: OneSpin CEO Brinkman
- 03.05.2013
Raik Brinkman, engineer at OneSpin, now leads the company and used 2012 as a time to reflect on industry changes and set a new course for the company…Read More…
Un-compromising a compromised iPhone?
- 03.05.2013
My friend has an iPhone, which he believes has been compromised.Read More…
Hands-on speed training at DESIGN West
- 03.05.2013
I just saw the Hands-On Speed Training schedule for the forthcoming DESIGN West Conference and Exhibition.Read More…
What were they thinking: Influencing Washington
- 03.08.2013
How much do tech companies spend on lobbying Washington? No wonder politicians never bother listening to us…Read More…
Blast from the past – Practical Wireless mags circa 1972
- 03.08.2013
Ooooh, this takes me back. I just opened the first one from January 1972. There's no way to artificially replicate that 41-year-old magazine smell.Read More…
Am I easily pleased, or easily fooled?
- 03.12.2013
It's the little things that tell you when designers simply don’t have a clue.Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: Open source leads multimedia convergence
- 03.12.2013
One of the main themes at CES this year was the battle for the living room and multimedia convergence. Collaborative software development can actually lead innovation trends…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – March 13th 2013
- 03.13.2013
Aldec, Asygn, Cadence, EMA, GreenPlug, HDL, IAR, Mathworks, Mentor, Pulsic, Rambus and Renesas made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
DESIGN West: The rise of embedded vision
- 03.13.2013
Embedded vision is everywhere around us, including industrial automation, surveillance, automotive safety systems, medical devices, and the hottest kids’ toys.Read More…
Bluespec announces emulation for simulation prices
- 03.14.2013
Bluespec is introducing a high-speed verification and hybrid prototyping solution for RTL IP that they claim eliminates many of the problems of FPGA prototypes at simulation prices…Read More…
What were they thinking: Patent trolls and restrictions
- 03.15.2013
Two things happened to me this week, both related to patents, which make my heart heavy. Patent restrictions and industry acceptance of patent trolls…Read More…
Embedded vision: Is your smartphone watching you?
- 03.18.2013
The new Galaxy S4 smartphone from Samsung will be able to use its camera to watch you watching it.Read More…
Are you my third cousin twice removed?
- 03.18.2013
Have you ever heard the terms “second cousin” and “third cousin” and wondered what they meant?Read More…
Book: Analog Design and Simulation using OrCAD Capture and PSpice
- 03.19.2013
This blog post is a condensation of a series of posting on EDN about the book Analog Design and Simulation using OrCAD Capture and PSpice, written by Dennis Fitzpatrick…Read More…
What is an EDA startup?
- 03.19.2013
When does a startup stop being a startup? According to EDAC that may be when they get acquired…Read More…
SparkFun announces this year’s Autonomous Vehicle Competition (AVC)
- 03.19.2013
The ultimate competition for makers, tinkerers, robot enthusiasts, otherwise known as the Autonomous Vehicle Competition (AVC), is scheduled for June 8, 2013.Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – March 20th 2013
- 03.20.2013
Accellera, Agilent, ARM, Blue Pearl, CMP, CriticalBlue, Docea, Imec, Global Unichip, Mentor, Newark, Oasys and STMicro made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Debugging a reactor
- 03.20.2013
What do a computer and a nuclear reactor have in common? Both were brought down small creatures getting into the works…Read More…
What were they thinking: A clock
- 03.22.2013
It is amazing what some people consider simple or complex. While time is not the most rational number system and decimal might be easier, this patent has another idea…Read More…
What do Bob Dylan, Woodstock, and Wavy Gravy have to do with Design West?
- 03.25.2013
Sometimes the way the world works leaves me gasping with astonishment and delight.Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – March 27th 2013
- 03.27.2013
Analog Devices, ARM, MorethanIP, OCP-IP, Synopsys, Tabula, Toshiba and Xilinx made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
What is the future for Network-on-Chip?
- 03.28.2013
Sonics recently conducted a survey to find out what people are looking for in commercial on-chip networks…Read More…
Are iPads region locked?
- 03.28.2013
Recently, I ran across something that I found to be a tad strange.Read More…
What were they thinking: A memory without a cache
- 03.29.2013
Normally you get a patent for creating something new. This patent appears to want to patent the removal of something…Read More…
Free webinars – Introduction to Functional Verification
- 03.29.2013
I just heard that my good friend Brian Bailey will be the lecturer presenting a series of webinars next week.Read More…
IP reuse requires both design reuse and verification reuse
- 04.02.2013
In this era of ever shrinking time to market windows, for semiconductor organizations to win the race to market, they must master IP-based design, and in particular IP reuse encompassing both design and verification reuse…Read More…
Rethinking communications: Automating tapeout review reporting
- 04.02.2013
Tapeout of a chip is a collaboration between the design house and the foundry. Replacing manual error reporting with an automated reporting capability provides a number of benefits to both the report generator and the report recipient…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – April 3rd 2013
- 04.03.2013
Accellera, ARM, Asset, Digital Core, EDAC, FishTail, Gartner, GlobalFoundries, ProPlus, Silicon Labs, TSMC and Xilinx made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Analog Devices Design Conference 2013 boasts experts from ADI, Xilinx, and MathWorks
- 04.04.2013
Global design conferences connect attendees with high-performance signal processing experts from ADI, Xilinx, and MathWorks.Read More…
Your chance to win a wireless mesh networked propeller beanie
- 04.04.2013
The folks at Synapse Wireless are offering everyone the chance to win a free wireless mesh networked propeller beanie.Read More…
Ajoy Bose – transitions and the creation of Atrenta
- 04.04.2013
How do you go from working for Bell Labs to starting up a number of EDA companies? Atrenta’s Ajoy Bose tells of his transitions from the largest to the smallest of companies and what he learned along the way…Read More…
The “Top 10” worst computers of all time
- 04.05.2013
Have you ever owned a computer that made you want to pull your hair out? Read More…
What were they thinking: no transparency
- 04.05.2013
I am getting on my soapbox today to complain about the way tickets are sold for large concerts. This may not be true where you are but this is the way it is done in Portland…Read More…
Learning electronics with the Arduino
- 04.05.2013
There's always something unexpected going on here in the Pleasure Dome (my office). Just a few days ago, for example, I received an email from Don Wilcher…Read More…
IP Nightmares
- 04.09.2013
While we accept the necessity of IP, everyone seems to have plenty of grips as well. What are your biggest complaints about IP developers or users?Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – April 10th2013
- 04.10.2013
Altera, ARM, Cadence, Chenming Hu, Cypress Semi, IC Insights, Imperas, Kathryn Kranen, Mentor, Si2 and TSMC made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Collaborative advantage: OpenPDK releases ESD design spec; IRPS 2013
- 04.10.2013
The OpenPDK Coalition at Si2 has released an important specification on electro-static discharge (ESD) design best practices to improve reliability for integrated circuits, particularly at advanced process nodes…Read More…
Pass me a tube of Gravity Glue!
- 04.10.2013
My friend Jack Olson just sent me an email pointing me toward the most AMAZING images…Read More…
Jasper’s Kranen talks EDA pricing and value
- 04.11.2013
In this final part of the interview with Jasper’s CEO Kathryn Kranen, she talks about their unique way of doing business and how Jasper creates value for their customers at a fair price…Read More…
Video: Victorian Steampunk Radiation Suitcase
- 04.11.2013
This little beauty is equipped with the most sophisticated radiation protection known to Victorian science…Read More…
What were they thinking: stimulus coverage
- 04.12.2013
Constrained random stimulus generation is wasteful and misguided and when coupled with poorly devised coverage metrics gives a false sense of security. This patent makes the situation worse…Read More…
Your FREE Design West Expo Pass is waiting for you!
- 04.12.2013
Even if you cannot persuade your company to shell out for an All Access Pass, you can still signup for a Free Expo Only Pass that is worth its weight in gold!Read More…
There’s a Dru just for you!
- 04.12.2013
I'm always amazed by the ways in which folks can take something relatively boring and “jazz it up”.Read More…
Maximizing floating-point processing in 20nm FPGAs
- 04.12.2013
One talk I really want to attend at Design West is on floating-point processing in FPGAs…Read More…
The Internet of Things: Boon or Bane of Society?
- 04.12.2013
On Tuesday April 23 at Design West 2013, I will be hosting and moderating a “Shop Talk” session on the Internet of Things (IoT) from 7:00 to 8:00am.Read More…
Riddle me this…
- 04.15.2013
A strange experience in the kitchen leaves me pondering the hidden mysteries that surround us…Read More…
I just survived a Hawaiian shirt catastrophe
- 04.16.2013
Sometime in the wee hours of this morning, whilst I was happily snoozing away, the most humongous sound rattled our house.Read More…
DAC – here we come – time to SKY
- 04.16.2013
There are several changes being made to the DAC program this year and I spoke with Yervant Zorian about them. Today we learn about the SKY talks…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – April 17th 2013
- 04.17.2013
Accellera, Altera, ARM, Atrenta, Flexras, Forte, Gold Standard, Hardent, Jasper, Semico, Space Codesign, Symtavision, Synopsys and TSMC made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Max is on the bacon train … and it’s not slowing down
- 04.17.2013
A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would care to host and moderate a “Shop Talk” session at Design West 2013, but there was one small problem…Read More…
Content in the home
- 04.18.2013
It seems as if I have been wanting, and waiting for good solutions to home media for many years now and the suppliers are still failing to deliver. Some progress has been made…Read More…
I’d give my right * for that!
- 04.18.2013
When I'm writing, I often like to include quotes and relevant phrases, but sometimes the words I'm looking for are on the tip of my…Read More…
What were they thinking: An engine that consumes its own exhaust
- 04.19.2013
You could say this patent is a blast from the past, but would it work today?Read More…
Meet a bacon chef at Design West 2013
- 04.19.2013
Well, it seems that my “My Cup Runneth Over” on the bacon front, and it's not often you'll hear me say that…Read More…
Mentor claims SW teams will not buy modified HW tools
- 04.23.2013
When software and hardware people come together there are always interesting differences. Mentor believes that SW folk will not buy modified HW tools…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – April 24th 2013
- 04.24.2013
ARM, Aspen Labs, CEVA, Corelis, Digi-Key, EDAC, IC Manage and Mouser made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Corporations continue to get away with theft
- 04.24.2013
What is the correct punishment for a shoplifter? Why does the same not apply to corporations. Google pays a 24 cent fine…Read More…
Semico looks into the medical world
- 04.25.2013
Semico has a new research report that looks into the healthcare industry…Read More…
What were they thinking: Drink your dinner leftovers
- 04.26.2013
What to do with the dinner leftovers? Well, with this patent you may be able to turn them into a healthy drink…Read More…
Video: Propeller beanies put Design West in a spin
- 04.29.2013
People were clamoring to attend the free training sessions so as to receive their own wireless mesh networked propeller beanie.Read More…
Parasitic extraction in the age of double-patterning
- 04.30.2013
Addressing new extraction accuracy, complexity, and computational requirements at 20 nm and below…Read More…
Sonics and ARM craft agreement
- 04.30.2013
ARM has taken a license to the Sonics interconnect patent portfolio and they will work together on power management…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – May 1st 2013
- 05.01.2013
ARM, Cadence, CEVA, Freescale, GlobalFoundries, Nanette Collins, OneSpin, Sonics, Synopsys and Triquint made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Awesome Moustache Camera at Design West
- 05.01.2013
I have to admit that I am in awe of the most amazing “Moustache Camera” I saw at Design West.Read More…
Adaptive IP is the wave of the future
- 05.02.2013
At 28nm, process variation effects and dynamic variations due to fluctuating operating conditions may obstruct system performance or cause system instability. This is where implementing adaptive IP can help…Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: Si2 Celebrates 25 Years at DAC
- 05.02.2013
1988 was also the year that leaders in the semiconductor industry determined the need for a new global standards organization to focus on improved design tool flow integration…Read More…
What were they thinking: Gluteal cleft
- 05.03.2013
Where in the US is it permitted for men to show their gluteal cleft while being illegal for women?Read More…
A new kind of IP company
- 05.06.2013
AMD is going to try a new business model that if successful could be the start of a new trend…Read More…
Yours truly profiled in Circuit Cellar magazine
- 05.06.2013
Glancing through the contents list my orbs fell across the eye-catching title: “An Interview with Clive 'Max' Maxfield”Read More…
A consumer reports methodology for IP
- 05.07.2013
SoC designers need better IP quality! They need a system to check the overall quality of the delivered IP, similar to a Consumer Reports analysis…Read More…
Sage solving an orphan EDA problem
- 05.07.2013
What do you do when a problem exists that needs a new solution, but the number of potential customers is small? Expand the market…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – May 8th 2013
- 05.08.2013
Agilent, AMD, Cadence, CircuitSutra, ClioSoft, eMemory, Evatronix, Fishtail, Forte, MOSIS and Synopsys made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
What will the IP landscape look like in the future
- 05.09.2013
This is the first in a series of industry feedback I received from an IP survey sent out some weeks ago. Today the question is what will the IP landscape look like in the future…Read More…
Good Grief! Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies
- 05.10.2013
These cookies will do me so much good that they practically count as health food!Read More…
A Camera Lucida for the 21st Century
- 05.13.2013
A few days ago I became aware of a rather interesting project on KickStarter.com…Read More…
Atrenta’s Ajoy Bose: 2nd rising of EDA
- 05.14.2013
This is the second part of an interview conducted with Ajoy Bose, CEO of Atrenta. He talks about EDA in the past and the future…Read More…
Cat in a shark suit riding a Roomba and chasing a duck
- 05.14.2013
Just when you thought you'd seen it all…Read More…
Was I just talking to an artificial intelligence?
- 05.14.2013
This may sound a little crazy, but I seriously think I may have just had my first conversation with an artificial intelligence.Read More…
EDA in the Cloud: OneSpin says your design is secure
- 05.15.2013
OneSpin has a new offering that makes your design secure even while utilizing Cloud services…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – May 15th 2013
- 05.15.2013
Real Intent, Synopsys and Yamaha made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
The awesome majesty of the universe
- 05.15.2013
A recent science program on the television completely blew me away…Read More…
How much of the chip does IP fill?
- 05.16.2013
How much content does it take to maker a chip unique? Maybe less than you think. Read More…
Rapid progress in silicon photonics standards
- 05.16.2013
Silicon photonics sees exciting developments, such as enabling data infrastructure to support codesign of electronics and microphotonics devices in the design tool flow.Read More…
What were they thinking: exhibiting at DAC
- 05.17.2013
Every year there are new companies exhibiting at DAC and we all know that most of them will not be back. Here are two very likely candidates for that list…Read More…
Just in the nick of Tempus
- 05.20.2013
Cadence has introduced a new signoff timing simulator that introduces multi-core path-based analysis that they say will provide a 10X performance increase and 3% reduction in pessimism…Read More…
Video: Dancing Lego
- 05.20.2013
This video involves a Raspberry Pi, five servos, and a bunch of Lego…Read More…
Achieving inner peace
- 05.20.2013
What does it take to always be cheerful, to ignore aches and pains, to relax without alcohol, and to sleep without the aid of drugs?Read More…
Preparing for DAC: Technical panels
- 05.21.2013
There are eight panels at DAC this year. Which ones should you attend?Read More…
Mega-cool Camera Lucida app for the iPad
- 05.21.2013
Initially I assumed that this app was for drawing on the iPad screen … I was so wrong!Read More…
Your chance to win an Exploration & Discovery experience and go behind the scenes at NASA!
- 05.21.2013
Littelfuse's Speed2Design Exploration & Discovery program brings engineers behind-the-scenes at NASA's Ames Research and Johnson Space Centers.Read More…
ARM TechCon 2013 – Call for Papers Now Open
- 05.22.2013
Now in its seventh year, ARM TechCon is ranked one of the top three critical events in the embedded sector.Read More…
Mega-cool Image Blender app for the iPad
- 05.22.2013
This is a simple and clean iPhone and iPad app with a single purpose – blending multiple images together.Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: OpenDFM achieves production status
- 05.22.2013
The OpenDFM standard has achieved production support status for process nodes down to 28nm, and development support through 20nm…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – May 22nd 2013
- 05.22.2013
Aldec, Avery, Berkeley, Cadence, Cypress, DAC, GlobalFoundries, IDC, Imec, Imperas, Mentor, Oasys, OpSIS, Real Intent, Renesas, Samsung, SEMI, Si2, Tezzaron and TSMC made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Semi market contracted in 2012
- 05.22.2013
According to IDC, the semiconductor market contracted 2.2% last year although larger companies saw bigger losses…Read More…
DRC debugging challenges in AMS/custom designs at 20 nm
- 05.23.2013
The traditional DRC verification flow used by custom layout designers simply can’t provide the needed level of productivity when debugging DRC results at advanced nodes….Read More…
Penetration of Verification IP
- 05.23.2013
How does the market for verification IP compare to design IP…Read More…
What were they thinking: Confessing to an apparition
- 05.24.2013
This is an interesting patent in that it has some sensible elements and some that are are totally crazy…Read More…
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Donny
- 05.24.2013
A couple of evenings ago, I went to see Crosby, Stills, and Nash in a live concert – it was BRILLIANT!!!Read More…
Blending furiously
- 05.28.2013
I've been playing with the Image Blender app on my iPad, and I have to say that it is a LOT of fun.Read More…
Physical process simulation
- 05.28.2013
Coventor simulates the fabrication process and they have just done a major upgrade to their SEMulator3D product…Read More…
Preparing for DAC: Keynotes and the IoT
- 05.28.2013
If the Internet of Things or increased mobile connectivity excites you, or scares you, you may want to go the three keynotes at DAC this year…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – May 29th 2013
- 05.29.2013
ARM, ATopTech, Atrenta, Avery, Cadence, ClioSoft, Concept, EnSilica, G-Analog, Kilopass, Mentor, National Photonics, PRO DESIGN, ProximusDA, S2C, Silicon Frontline, STMicroelectronics, Synopsys, TSMC, UMC and Xilinx made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: Low-power futures industry meeting at DAC
- 05.29.2013
Si2 and the IEEE DASC are co-sponsoring an open industry meeting on low power standardization futures…Read More…
IEEE 1801-2013: A bold step towards power format convergence
- 05.30.2013
The new IEEE 1801-2013 Standard for Design and Verification of Low Power Integrated Circuits is much more than an incremental release of UPF. It is nothing less than the first truly open, convergent power format standard …Read More…
ARM announces AMBA 5 CHI – the Coherent Hub Interface
- 06.03.2013
ARM has now named the 16 core architecture with CoreLink cache coherent network and dual memory controllers as AMBA 5 Coherent Hub Interface…Read More…
Jasper and Duolog tackle IP integration problems
- 06.03.2013
Jasper and Duolog are creating integrated design and verification flows that tackle some of the toughest problems associated with integrating hundreds of IPs into an SoC…Read More…
Video: Funny magic trick
- 05.31.2013
I just ran across a video on YouTube (where else) billed as “Easily the funniest magic trick I've ever seen!” So, of course, I had to take a look…Read More…
What were they thinking: Overly complex design
- 05.31.2013
I think Wile E. Coyote was the kind of person who created many of the patents I find to write about in my “what were they thinking” series. You know what I mean – those absurdly complicated gadgets…Read More…
Stand back! I’m poised to use my Camera Lucida iPad app!
- 06.03.2013
Check out an amazing image created by someone who knows what she's doing… and then we discover what I've been up to…Read More…
Collaborative Advantage: Compact Model Council transfers to Si2
- 06.04.2013
Si2 welcomes the Compact Model Council, the standards body supporting the SPICE model, into its ranks just as Dr. Chenmin Hu, father of the “BSIM” SPICE model, receives this year’s EDAC Phil Kaufman Award…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup of standards news – June 5th 2013
- 06.05.2013
Accellera, DAC, IEEE, Stanley Krolikoski, Si2 and TechAmerica made the standards lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup of product and IP news – June 5th 2013
- 06.05.2013
Adapt-IP, Agilent, Atrenta, ATopTech, Ausdia, Berkeley, Blue Pearl, Cadence, Carbon, CircuitSutra, CMP, Cortus, Forte, IPextreme, Khalifa, Kozio, Mentor, Microsemi, Plunify, Target Compiler, Vayavya and Xilinx made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup of back end and foundry related news – June 5th 2013
- 06.05.2013
ARM, Globalfoundries, Mentor, Samsung and Synopsys made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
What were they thinking: Slithering a snake
- 06.07.2013
How many of you have a pet snake and want to take it for slither? Well, you just may need this invention…Read More…
DAC 2013 theme
- 06.07.2013
What was the theme for DAC 2013? I think one area became a distinct theme given how broadly it was talked about…Read More…
Sad Dog Diary
- 06.10.2013
This video consists of a series of images of dogs with a human narrator saying what they are thinking.Read More…
DAC Keynote: Gregg Lowe
- 06.11.2013
Gregg Lowe of Freescale gave the first of the keynotes at DAC 2013. He says that the Internet of Things will create several challenges such as power efficiency that have to be overcome…Read More…
My first drawing with my iPad Camera Lucida
- 06.11.2013
How exciting – I just created my first drawing using my iPad Camera Lucida app!Read More…
DAC in Austin: success or failure?
- 06.11.2013
The numbers are in for the 50th anniversary DAC in Austin. How did this year fare compared to previous years…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – June 12th 2013
- 06.12.2013
Analog Bits, Atrenta, Carbon, Cypress, Gartner, Imagination, Rambus, SK Hynix, Synopsys, Toshiba and Wi-LAN made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
Wading through the sands of time
- 06.12.2013
In which we peruse and ponder some electronics articles published in a daily newspaper circa the 1920s.Read More…
The future is here (but I’m not ready)
- 06.13.2013
In my previous blog we pondered the past. In today's column I'd like to contemplate, ruminate, and speculate about the future…Read More…
What were they thinking: A place to sleep
- 06.14.2013
An interesting little patent today that shows how simple a patent can be…Read More…
Duck! Low-flying pizza!
- 06.14.2013
Can you imagine a future in which the skies (and restaurants) are jam-packed with miniature copters?Read More…
Atrenta’s Ajoy Bose: lessons from an entrepreneur
- 06.18.2013
What would Ajoy Bose say to an aspiring entrepreneur?Read More…
Saddleback Leather meets airport security
- 06.18.2013
An interesting thing happened to me on my recent trip to New York…Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – June 19th 2013
- 06.19.2013
Arasan, Cadence, IBM, IEEE, Intellitech, Mentor, Real Intent, Toshiba, UMC and X-FAB made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
DAC Keynote from James Truchard
- 06.19.2013
James Truchard says the future is all about platform based design and that if you are an RTL designer, you had better start becoming a software engineer…Read More…
What were they thinking: F for parking
- 06.21.2013
Parking should not be difficult, unless of course you are misdirected…Read More…
Happy Summer Solstice
- 06.21.2013
Good grief – it's that time of the year again – June 21 is the longest day (and shortest night) of the year…Read More…
Is small always sexy
- 06.21.2013
Silicon Frontline is going for the big devices in its power analysis tool…Read More…
Semiconductor industry strengths and weaknesses in the Asia Pacific region
- 06.24.2013
The question for Japan’s semiconductor industry is how to regain its competitiveness given the new international competitive environment…Read More…
Semico has some eye popping numbers
- 06.24.2013
Semico Research Corp has been looking into the rising costs associated with new process nodes and the numbers don’t look pretty…Read More…
By the light of the silvery (super) moon
- 06.24.2013
In the wee hours of the night, under the light of the so-called “super moon”, the were birds singing their merry songs…Read More…
RoboCup is about to kick off in Eindhoven and Mathworks will be there
- 06.25.2013
What has soccer/football got to do with EDA? When it is played by autonomous robots, it is all about design in this student competition…Read More…
Circuit reliability: Old problem? New problem? Or both?
- 06.25.2013
Circuit reliability is not really a new concern. Smaller devices, thinner wires and thinner gate oxides are more susceptible to electrical overstress, and each new manufacturing node is more sensitive…Read More…
GPS-Driven, FPGA-Decoded Nixie Tube Speedometer
- 06.25.2013
I just saw the first video of the GPS-Driven, FPGA-Decoded Nixie Tube Speedometer created by Luke Miller; the end result is beautiful to behold.Read More…
EDA/IP weekly roundup – June 26th 2013
- 06.26.2013
Accellera, Agilent, Cadence, Gartner, MathWorks, Mentor, Synopsys, Tektronix, UltraSoC, UMC and Verifyter AB made the lineup today. See here for their news…Read More…
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