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Katherine's blog

Obsessions: Thin films, writing, small business, and random web flotsam

November 17, 2001

 
Seven pages, and a really interesting image of greyhounds in the mist at dawn. Wonder where that's going...
posted 00:09 |

November 16, 2001

 
The layoff parade continues. This time it's Agilent, cutting 4,000 more jobs and reporting a $0.60 per share loss for the quarter ending October 31.
posted 09:42 |

 
An article in Semiconductor Business News blames supply chain chaos for the severity of the current electronics industry downturn. Supply chain problems probably aren't news to readers of this site, but I did think this quote was interesting:

“None of the CEOs in the semiconductor industry look at supply chain as a strategy; innovation and technology are still leading strategies," according to AMR Research analyst Vinay Asgekar.

Maybe it's time for semiconductor CEOs to rethink their strategic priorities.
posted 09:36 |

 
Ten longhand journal pages tonight, after only four last night and none the night before that. Could I finally be settling into a rhythm here? We can only hope...
posted 00:01 |

November 15, 2001

 
Now that the dust from the dot-com collapse has settled, companies are beginning to reassess the potential of e-commerce. SEMI seems to have figured out its role in the space as well, with a new initiative focused on e-commerce infrastructure and standards.
posted 16:33 |

 
Want some light reading but you don't have very much time? Try Story Bytes for very short stories from 2 to 2048 words. Despite the corny concept (lengths based on powers of two), the stories are actually pretty good.
posted 16:20 |

 
Earnings season continued, with Applied Materials leading the parade. The equipment bellwether reported a net loss of $0.10 per share, including a restructuring charge, for the quarter ending October 28. Net income excluding special charges remained positive, barely, at an anemic $0.03 per share.

Also reporting earnings were MEMC, Brooks Automation, and wire-bonding giant Kulicke & Soffa.
posted 11:17 |

 
Researchers at the University of New South Wales report a breakthrough in light emission from silicon. Few details were available, though the group did supply an image of their device.
posted 11:04 |

November 14, 2001

 
There's a saying in Japanese swordsmanship, that the line between life and death is as thin as a sheet of paper. It's illustrated by a sheet of rice paper with the character for life on one side and for death on the other. The idea is that you have to risk death in order to gain life. The more I think about it, the more generally applicable that attitude seems. Few decisions carry the same stakes as a duel with razor sharp steel, and yet... Writers, athletes, entrepreneurs, all walk that same edge. To succeed, you have to be willing to fail.
It can be pretty scary out here on the edge, but it's pretty exhilarating, too.
posted 23:42 |

 
I've totally blown any semblance of a schedule the last couple days. So now I'm surveying the wreckage of my To Do list and trying to get back on track. The good news is that it isn't as bad as I thought. A few priority items rise to the top, but I don't see any show stopping roadblocks.
posted 22:33 |

 
A free press discussion I noticed recently prompted me to post this link. It's the American Library Association's page on Banned Books Week, and it includes tons of information about challenges to intellectual freedom.
posted 17:18 |

 
This doesn't go on the front page because it isn't really news. The third quarter earnings season brings widespread layoffs, with Mattson , Vitesse, and Axcelis all contributing to the blizzard of pink slips.

Consolidation rumors are also proliferating, with various sources linking Infineon to just about everyone in the DRAM business.
posted 14:36 |

November 12, 2001

 
Picture Jack Nicholson's character in As Good As It Gets, before he falls in love with Helen Hunt. Then make him female and give her really noisy neighbors and just maybe a touch of PMS. The result would be this site, in which the author vents her irritation at .... well ... just about everybody. Yes, I know, everyone on the web does that, but this site does it so well that it's actually entertaining. (Caution: Rated R for language.)
posted 21:11 |

 
For last week's analyst day, Cymer put together an excellent set of presentations on lithography markets and laser technologies. The presentation slides and webcasts will only be available until November 21, though.
posted 16:57 |

 
Site tweaks:
Swapped the previous free sample article (on tool connectivity) for a new one (on Dow Corning's HSQ lawsuit). The tool connectivity article is still in the subscriber archives, however. Also made a note to myself to swap in something else in few months.
posted 13:59 |

 
From the mailbag:
Soitec has received a multimillion dollar order from AMD, which plans to use SOI wafers in its next generation microprocessors. The order is the largest in Soitec's history, both in number of wafers and dollars.
posted 13:54 |

 
I haven't read it yet, but I hear Andy Grove has written a memoir of his childhood in Hungary. It's called Swimming Across : A Memoir, and it's apparently much more personal than your typical business autobiography. Grove told the New York Times that he wrote it in part for his grandaughter, in case he's not able to tell her himself by the time she's old enough to understand.
posted 09:48 |

November 11, 2001

 
Spent the last hour or so reviewing old journals. (The paper kind.) That's always motivational. There's some good stuff hiding in there!
posted 21:22 |

 
Yes, a day off. Gasp! Spent the morning at my aikido dojo, and the afternoon watching Monsters, Inc.Which was a kid's movie, but fun. Photorealistic animated fur--what else would you expect from Pixar?--and a funny premise. Not nearly as much fun for grownups as Shrek or Toy Story, though.
posted 17:59 |

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