Massive capex spend from Intel, Samsung, TSMC will skew industry dynamics

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/23/01/2012/52785/massive-capex-spend-from-intel-samsung-tsmc-will-skew-industry-dynamics.htm

 

Huge 2012 capex budgets at Intel, Samsung and TMC will skew the industry dynamics to make it extremely challenging (impossible, in many cases) for smaller companies to remain competitive, says IC Insights.

 

Intel has announced a capex budget of $12.5bn, Samsung a budget of $12bn and TSMC a budget of $6bn. The three companies should account for a third of the industry’s total capex in 2012.

 

Samsung, Intel and TSMC have been leading the capex table for some years. “Since 2009, these three companies have boosted capital spending by astounding percentages,” says IC Insights, “in 2010, TSMC doubled its capital spending compared to 2009.  In the same year, Samsung tripled its spending!  In 2011, Intel doubled its capex compared to 2010.”

Samsung is significantly boosting spending for logic.  Approximately $6.5bn of Samsung’s 2012 capex budget is dedicated to logic ICs.  Samsung currently has a lucrative business serving as Apple’s foundry partner for the A4 and A5 application processors used in iPad tablet computers, iPhones, and iPod touch devices.  It does not want to lose this business. Samsung is demonstrating that it has the means to provide all the process and manufacturing muscle needed when Apple considers a foundry partner to build its next-generation processors.  Besides serving as a foundry partner for Apple, Samsung is aggressively ramping its in-house application processor business as demand increases for its smartphones, tablet PCs, and other mobile/media related devices.

 

Demand soaring for hot dogs, exotic sausages (The Orange County Register)

http://m.ocregister.com/articles/sausages-355940-masterlink-hot.html

"After the taste test, [Murcia] canceled plans to use the legendary Vienna Beef as his hot dog supplier. His menu of gourmet sausages and stadium-style hot dogs includes four Masterlink products: the all-beef frankfurter with casing and the Portuguese Hawaiian, Andouille and Hot Polish sausages.

Murcia said he also sampled many sausages before launching his Brats Berlin food truck last summer in Orange County. Murcia, who also operates the Crepes Bonaparte food truck, said he went with Masterlink because it offered the best tasting sausages. Masterlink also worked with Murcia to create a line of exotic sausages -- kangaroo, wild boar and alligator.

"The (sausages) really wow our customers," Murcia said. "It's definitely paid off going with them. Customers can definitely tell the difference."

See picture: "Game Day in Orange serves Masterlink's Portuguese Hawaiian sausage topped with egg, grilled veggies and a Chipotle dressing. Game Day uses the same bun supplier as In-N-Out Burger. " (NANCY LUNA)

Location: Masterlink's factory is hidden behind Big's Grill in Fullerton on State College Boulevard. Big's menu includes Masterlink's sausages. Masterlink will sell directly to the public if you stop by the plant. They recommend you call first to see what products they have available. Phone: 714-870-6040. Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Address: 327 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. (NANCY LUNA)

Microsoft: Win8 Simplifies, Improves Parental Monitoring of Kids Computer Activities | PCWorld

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/255582/microsoft_win8_simplifies_improves_parental_monitoring_of_kids_computer_activities.html

"With Windows Live ID-based accounts, parents can also apply usage control settings for their children accounts across multiple PCs. Settings established by parents are stored in Microsoft's cloud-based Family Safety service.

For example, parents can restrict the websites children visit and games they play, establish time limits for using PCs and specific applications, and prevent children from seeing certain Windows Store applications based on their age rating."

NYTimes: Public Pensions Faulted for Bets on Rosy Returns

From The New York Times:

Public Pensions Faulted for Bets on Rosy Returns

Public pension funds in the United States are struggling to lower their assumed rates of return, which are criticized as too lofty in the current market environment.

http://nyti.ms/Ltua82

" "The actuary is supposedly going to lower the assumed reinvestment rate from an absolutely hysterical, laughable 8 percent to a totally indefensible 7 or 7.5 percent," Mr. Bloomberg said during a trip to Albany in late February. "If I can give you one piece of financial advice: If somebody offers you a guaranteed 7 percent on your money for the rest of your life, you take it and just make sure the guy's name is not Madoff."

Public retirement systems from Alaska to Maine are running into the same dilemma as they struggle to lower their assumed rates of return in light of very low interest rates and unpredictable stock prices."
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NYTimes: Clash of the Theme Parks

From The New York Times: Clash of the Theme Parks, http://nyti.ms/Jwq5Rs

" For reasons that economists can't quite pin down, Americans have not cut back on expensive theme park vacations the same way they have pared retail spending and other discretionary purchases."

I know the answer to this one. Guilt and stress. Guilt about not spending more time with your elementary school aged kids, and needing a break yourself from the daily grind. This has been motivation behind more than one of our holiday vacations...

Qualcomm's push into the connected home

http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/17/killer-deal/

" Qualcomm often cites the connected home as a key rationale for buying San Jose-based Atheros, which was the largest acquisition the San Diego wireless chip giant has completed to date.

"The smartphone market and tablet market are strong, which is good for Qualcomm," said Craig Barratt, president of Qualcomm Atheros. "But the strategy around buying Atheros was not just to have (connectivity) technology integrated into the phone. Qualcomm has already made a lot of progress there. It was more about entrance into these new markets."
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LA Times - Facebook shareholders are wedded to the whims of Mark Zuckerberg

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=2144687&postId=2144687&postUserId=7&sessionToken=&catId=6220&curAbsIndex=1&resultsUrl=DID%3D6%26DFCL%3D1000%26DSB%3Drank%2523desc%26DBFQ%3DuserId%253A7%26DL.w%3D%26DL.d%3D10%26DQ%3DsectionId%253A6220%26DPS%3D0%26DPL%3D3

" The 28-year-old company founder is today one of the most deeply-entrenched chief executives in American business. Thanks to a two-class stock structure, Zuckerberg will own about 28% of Facebook but control 57% of all shareholder votes. To put it simply, he can do whatever he wants with Facebook, and you, the shareholder, don't have a say — not even if you team up with every other outside shareholder in the company. You can't veto a decision or vote down his choice of board members.

At heart, these arrangements are expressions of contempt for the very principle of taking a company public. Facebook didn't have to go public to raise money, of which it had plenty in the bank. It was pushed into doing so by federal law, which mandates public financial disclosures once shares in a company become distributed to a large enough insider group. Zuckerberg was indisputable king of Facebook the private company; so why should anything change for Facebook the public corporation?"
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Electric Giraffe at Maker Faire

This is a giant walking giraffe, similar to the tiny yellow walking giraffe displayed on the table in the foreground. You gotta love it, because it's ears are two lava lamps. It would be awesome if someone created this huge giraffe just based on the fact that lava lamps look like the stubby antlers of a giant electrified giraffe. But in actuality the creator claims that this began as an art car project for Burning Man that somewhere along the way took a different turn.

Maker Faire really is a cross between the Renaissance Faire (but here it's Steampunk dressup) , the Consumer Electronics Show, and Burning Man (lots of things on fire, but no naked girls). And, it has really good food, because the Bay Area doesn't tolerate cr*p food. That Paella place had 6 (six) 6-foot pans cooking paella. One entire pan was devoted to holding something like 200 peeled cloves of garlic.

The big theme this year was 3d printing. Combined with open source OS and single board computers (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Beagle), now anyone with an idea can create and sell something that previously required huge sums of capital to get access to: tooled plastics/metals, motherboards, etc. The industrial age assumed big corporations would efficiently and cheaply provide solutions to people. But this traded off nimbleness for efficiency. Into the breach steps these new rapid manufacturing tools.

Understanding J.P. Morgan’s Loss, And Why More Might Be Coming | The Big Picture

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/05/understanding-j-p-morgans-loss-and-why-more-might-be-coming/

"In the days and weeks ahead, the Federal Reserve will no doubt support legislation to stop this scenario from ever happening again. It will not work. The real fix is the same one that has been around for a 1,000 years. It is called capitalism. Let these institutions fail. Tell their creditors they are on their own and push for transparency so everyone can see what banks like J.P. Morgan do. Finally, get out to the way and let the markets fix this problem. This would undoubtedly wreak havoc in the short term, but it will serve as a lesson to everyone in the future that taking such large risks has consequences.

Instead Bernanke will give assurances, hint at more money printing and encourage J.P. Morgan to bury these positions in the hold-to-maturity account where they do not have to be marked to market and we can all pretend they do not exist."
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Samsung Galaxy Note rooted, pictures can now be taken without embarassment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehXcnqntsro

I bought an international version of the Samsung Galaxy Note which allowed me to buy one before the US versions came out - but the big downside was that the Hong Kong ROM in mine would not allow the shutter sound to be turned OFF. Yes, there was no app or system setting that allowed turning the shutter off, and even setting media volume=0, or system sound = mute didnt do it.  Undoubtedly a privacy thing in Hong Kong. So I was forced to do what I swore I would never do - root my phone.  In this case I had no warranty to worry about since I bought the phone from a private seller. So what did i have to lose? And the shutter sound was driving me effing bananas.  It played at maximum volume even with system volume off or muted.  Making me look like an idiot user who doesnt know how to turn the shutter sound off!!

The link above is to a tutorial to reflash a Galaxy Note that has a newer ROM (I had LA2).  The new ROM is already ROOTed.  I suppose I could also have reflashed to a ROM that allowed the shutter sound to be turned off.  But I might as well have root.

And best of all it did not wipe the phone!  I still have all my apps and settings!!  All of you Android users know how long it takes to restore your phone to it's perfect customized configuration...

Planning & Executing the Mission to Get Bin Laden : The New Yorker

http://m.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/08/110808fa_fact_schmidle

" During the next four minutes, the interior of the Black Hawks rustled alive with the metallic cough of rounds being chambered. Mark, a master chief petty officer and the ranking noncommissioned officer on the operation, crouched on one knee beside the open door of the lead helicopter. He and the eleven other SEALs on "helo one," who were wearing gloves and had on night-vision goggles, were preparing to fast-rope into bin Laden's yard. They waited for the crew chief to give the signal to throw the rope. But, as the pilot passed over the compound, pulled into a high hover, and began lowering the aircraft, he felt the Black Hawk getting away from him. He sensed that they were going to crash."
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NYTimes: A Car Chase, Secret Talks and Second Thoughts

http://nyti.ms/JE8Rjc

" A rendezvous point was agreed upon in an area some miles west of the embassy where an official car would meet the vehicle carrying Mr. Chen. The plan was for the lawyer to be helped into the embassy car.

But as the two vehicles were about to converge, the Americans noticed Chinese security cars tailing them, one behind the embassy car, the other behind the car with Mr. Chen and his friend, an American official who was briefed on the events said.

It was clear the handoff would have to happen in a rush. As Mr. Chen's car moved into an alley, the embassy vehicle drew alongside, and the lawyer was pulled into the American vehicle. The Americans evaded the two Chinese cars and headed for the embassy, the official said."
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