Articles – Page 134

November 29, 2017

“Not many people have been able to start a car company a second time.” – Henrik Fisker

Let’s just come right out and say it: Henrik Fisker is like Elon Musk, minus the hype.

It’s hard to avoid comparing the two industrialists, given that the latter’s Tesla Motors and the former’s Fisker, Inc. are both designing and building sexy, fast, and expensive all-electric cars, and that both gentlemen hope to change the overall landscape of the vehicle marketplace.

But don’t jump to the conclusion that Fisker is … Read More → "The Quicker Fisker 2.0"

Attacking Ageism in Engineering

Inertia Drives Age Bias

by Kevin Morris

November 28, 2017

We hear a lot these days about ageism in tech careers. Clearly, there is ample evidence that employers stack the deck in favor of younger (and also male-er) talent. Also clearly, there is ample evidence that there are complex cultural issues affecting the demographic mix in engineering. But there are other, more subtle factors at play that have a major impact on who ends up sitting at the next lab bench. And, unless we understand (and compensate for) these factors, our long-term careers and even our technology may be at risk.Read More → "Attacking Ageism in Engineering"

SSD Abstraction

Virtium Manages IIoT Solid-State Storage

by Bryon Moyer

November 27, 2017

Some memory technologies are straightforward. Like SRAM. You want to write a byte? You write a byte. You want to read a byte? You read a byte. Other than that, you have an on/off switch, and that’s pretty much it. OK, it’s expensive and uses power and – oh yeah – it’s volatile. But still – it’s so much simpler than the “cheaper” memories.

Like DRAM, which comes with all the refresh baggage.

Or flash. Yeah, let’s stop on this one, since it’s our topic for today. Flash memory has always … Read More → "SSD Abstraction"

Let’s Get (a) Physical

RoweBots’ MedicalOS Does Just What is Says on the Box

by Jim Turley

November 22, 2017

“UNIX is basically a simple operating system, but you have to be a genius to understand the simplicity.” — Dennis Ritchie

You can turn a sailboat around faster than a battleship, and a minnow changes course quicker than a whale. Small-fry RTOS company RoweBots has made a sharp pivot and set its compass toward bright horizons in the medical-devices field.

If you’ve heard of RoweBots at all, it’s likely because of Read More → "Let’s Get (a) Physical"

Acceleration as a Service

Accelize Attacks Barriers

by Kevin Morris

November 21, 2017

Let’s say you have a huge batch of data that needs to be crunched. Maybe it needs the special help of some new neural network algorithm running on a massive server cluster, accelerated with a pool of FPGA accelerators. We’ll call you “Lisa.” But, Lisa, you don’t have a giant server farm with FPGA-based accelerators. You also don’t have the specialized software required to crunch your data, let alone the super-specialized version that can take advantage of FPGA-based acceleration. You’re just a team of specialized experts and several million … Read More → "Acceleration as a Service"

Unlikely Pairings

Recent Atypical Mergers

by Bryon Moyer

November 20, 2017

Companies come; companies go. I don’t focus a lot on who buys whom – there are plenty of folks breathlessly watching that stuff, so I mostly leave the drama to them. After all, it’s an age of consolidation and accumulation of immense corporate power. So your typical low- to mid-level merger may not be particularly noteworthy.

But lately, there have been a couple of mergers/acquisitions that have had some unusual features to them. Add to that the fact that they’re companies we’ve looked at before, and … Read More → "Unlikely Pairings"

Lattice Lives on the Edge

Company Focused after Failed Acquisition

by Kevin Morris

November 15, 2017

A year ago, Lattice Semiconductor was all set to be acquired by Canyon Bridge Partners, a “global private equity buyout fund headquartered in Palo Alto, California” for $1.3B. The industry lamented the loss of another independent FPGA company, with Xilinx and Achronix remaining the only two independent FPGA vendors, after Actel, SiliconBlue, and Altera had all been gobbled up by larger suitors.

The Lattice deal had some unusual properties, however. Unlike the other FPGA acquisitions, Canyon Bridge Partners was not a technology company expanding its portfolio. It turns out that some special parsing was required on Canyon … Read More → "Lattice Lives on the Edge"

How to Write a Manual

When RTFM Meets PEBKAC

by Jim Turley

November 14, 2017

“Save the Manuals!” – Car and Driver

I’ve got one word for you: #NaNoWriMo.

That’s the hashtag for National Novel-Writing Month, a lighthearted and voluntary effort to get budding writers to buckle down and start on that book. Your novel must be at least 50,000 words long (about 200 pages) and you’ve got to finish it by the end of November. Consider it a nudge to encourage your … Read More → "How to Write a Manual"

Fingerprints and Better Infrared

Sensor Improvements from Leti, OmniVision

by Bryon Moyer

November 13, 2017

We’ve reviewed a lot of sensors this year, both earlier and more recently, but there are a couple of other ones that need a few more column inches to describe. So today we look at new approaches to two unrelated sensors.

Finding Fingerprints

Our first … Read More → "Fingerprints and Better Infrared"

Red Asphalt, Blue Screen of Death

Self-driving Cars Have More Than Just Technical Hurdles to Overcome

by Jim Turley

November 8, 2017

“You’re safer in the race car than you are driving to and from the track.” – Mario Andretti

I’ll make you a bet.

Let’s flip a coin, and if it comes up heads, I’ll pay you $100. But if it comes up tails, you owe me $100. Sound fair?

Most people won’t take that bet. Even though it’s obviously fair and unbiased, with an exactly equal chance to win or lose, and has no hidden risks or … Read More → "Red Asphalt, Blue Screen of Death"