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Celebrating the FPGA’s 40th Birthday

by Max Maxfield
June 12, 2025

The phrase “wake up and smell the coffee” is an idiom that means: “Pay attention to what’s really going on.” It’s not that this is in any way relevant to the following discussions: I was just wondering where and how this expression originated.

Now I come to think about it, this query was sparked by my hearing the news that the folks at Xilinx (now part of AMD) are celebrating June 2025 as the 40th anniversary of the first time a physical field-programmable gate array (FPGA) bid a cheery “Howdy” to the … Read More → "Celebrating the FPGA’s 40th Birthday"

Living in a Cubic World

by Max Maxfield
June 10, 2025

What I laughingly call “my mind” is usually jam-packed with a jumble of rambling miscellaneous musings, all vying for my attention… and today is no exception.

One of the topics that’s currently at the forefront of my consciousness (and quite possibly my unconsciousness, for all I know) is that of retro electronic toys.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that just saying this triggered a new cascade of concepts, starting with, “Hmmm, what does the word ‘retro’ mean?” (It’s one of those words that I know what … Read More → "Living in a Cubic World"

Is This the First Video Podcast with an AI Co-Host?

by Max Maxfield
June 5, 2025

Things are moving at breakneck speed in artificial intelligence (AI) space (where no one can hear you scream). For example, I’ve just been introduced to Sophie the Sage, who is the AI co-host of a video podcast.

Now, you may think “Sophie the Sage” is a strange sobriquet, but my own online moniker is “Max the Magnificent,” so I’m in no position to cast aspersions, not least that my throwing arm isn’t what it used to be.

I was just thinking back to a couple of … Read More → "Is This the First Video Podcast with an AI Co-Host?"

Machine Vision, Robotics, Industrial Applications? There’s an SOM for That!

by Max Maxfield
June 3, 2025

I’ve heard it said that “60 is the new 40,” which means that people in their 60s today are often as active, healthy, and youthful as people in their 40s used to be in previous generations. This must be true because, a few days ago, as I pen these words, I celebrated the 47th anniversary of my 21st birthday, and I don’t feel a day over… I’m sorry, what was it that we were talking about?

One of the (few) advantages of growing old is having been around for a long time, … Read More → "Machine Vision, Robotics, Industrial Applications? There’s an SOM for That!"

EYEO’s Eye-Opening Image Sensor Technology

by Max Maxfield
May 29, 2025

Today’s image sensors—the ones used in digital photography, surveillance, and machine vision—are amazing, awesome, and [insert your favorite superlative here]. Even more remarkable is the fact that they achieve all this while effectively “throwing away” around 70% of the incoming light. Can you imagine how much more amazing, awesome, and [your superlative here] they could be if they used 100% of the light instead? Well, now they can!

I don’t know about you, but I seem to experience things in waves, especially when it comes to topics of a technological twist. … Read More → "EYEO’s Eye-Opening Image Sensor Technology"

Will We Soon Say, “CMOS Sensors Drool, SPAD Sensors Rule”?

by Max Maxfield
May 27, 2025

We may think that today’s artificial intelligence (AI), especially Generative AI (GenAI) like ChatGPT, is terrific, but I’m informed that “We ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” I’m also informed that the “next big thing” in AI will be centered on images and video, specifically machine vision. However, today’s cameras, which were designed for humans, not computers, are still far from the point where they can capture image data for AI at a quality and quantity comparable to the data currently used to power large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT.

< … Read More → "Will We Soon Say, “CMOS Sensors Drool, SPAD Sensors Rule”?"

A CXL progress report: The elephant is learning to dance

by Steven Leibson
May 26, 2025

It’s been a year since I last looked at the developing CXL (Compute Express Link) standard (see “The Adventures of CXL Across the 3rd Dimension”) and, conveniently, SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) held a one-hour Webinar on the topic in April. The title of the presentation is “Unlocking CXL’s Potential: Revolutionizing Server Memory and Performance” and it’s available to view on BrightTalk. SNIA assembled three CXL … Read More → "A CXL progress report: The elephant is learning to dance"

Scaling Up and Scaling Out: Reimagining Silicon Switching for the AI Era

by Max Maxfield
May 22, 2025

This has been another “one of those days.” I’ve been discovering all sorts of things pertaining to what’s currently happening in the high-end of artificial intelligence (AI) space (where no one can hear you scream), and now I’m screaming inside and my head hurts. 

Let’s start with the concept of an “AI Pod.” This term can mean different things to different people, but it generally refers to a pre-configured, modular infrastructure solution designed to simplify and accelerate the deployment of AI workloads.

Read More → "Scaling Up and Scaling Out: Reimagining Silicon Switching for the AI Era"

A book that covers Heathkit test equipment? Yes, please

by Steven Leibson
May 19, 2025

Recently, I’ve written several articles about the Heath Company and its legendary Heathkits. I based these articles on discussions with and materials from Chas Gilmore, who joined Heath in 1966, worked there on and off for more than two decades, and eventually became its VP of product development, marketing, and sales. The articles were also based on discussions with, and a book by Chuck Penson titled “Heathkit: A Guide to the Amateur Radio Products.” (See the references below for links to these articles.) Imagine my surprise when I discovered a book titled “Read More → "A book that covers Heathkit test equipment? Yes, please"

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