Sun Visor

The first year I came to the Bay Area, I immediately love the weather. What a nice California sunshine! Later on, I start to feel the sun light is a bit too strong for me. Especially when I drive on freeway, the sun light keep hitting my face and I hate it. More little dark dot appears on my face. My wife said this will become skin cancer and it freaks me out.

Recently, I see many women, Asian mostly, wear Transparent Sun Visors (as shown on photo) during lunch break walking. My first reaction, they looks so hilarious. They looks like Power Rangers. Later on, I see someone even wear the visors when driving. That's ridiculous! But on a second though, perhaps I can give it a try ...

So I bought one of those visor and sometimes wear this when driving. It really helps block the sunlight and I feel more comfortable. There are a few side effects though. Other drivers keep looking at you and think you are crazy or something. The good news is they tend to back off away your car. Also beware other drivers can't have your eye contact. It is not a good driving practice, so I don't wear it when drive in local.

Transparent sun visor

Language Tools

Silicon Valley is a very diverse city. Indian, Chinese, Mexican, I don't think any of them are consider minority here. Sometimes I wonder if I can read all these language, I will able to learn more about different culture.

Recently I find a Google translation tools. So I give it a try. Although not perfect, it translates around 70% of the correct message. The diffcult part is word with multiple meaning. The tools usually can't make good guess on it. But who can blame it? It is tough.

The following is a short story I think of today. I type in English. I copy and paste the Chinese translation. For those who know Chinese, you can judge how good the tools is.

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Rumor on Fear Factor

In 2006, the popular host of Fear Factor has been changed. The new host is a sexy lady. Audience are attracted by the lady and forgot about the original host. In fact, audience never see the original host on TV again. There is a reason for it. It is all because of an unseen episode of Fear Factor: House Haunting.

The fear factor team challenged the ultimate fear: life beyond dead. They went to the most haunted house in Mississippi. Unfortunately, this time they got into trouble. The whole team, including the host, were haunted and unable to recover till now. The program producer had no choice but to remove the episode and changed host.

*** *** ****

谣言在恐惧因素

2006 年, 恐惧 因素的普遍的主人被改变。新主人是一个性感夫人。观众由这个夫 人吸引和忘掉原始主人。事际上, 观众从未再看原始主人在电视。 有它的一个原因。它是全部由于恐惧因素一个未看见的情节: 议院 困扰。

恐惧因素队质询最后恐惧 : 生活在死者之外。他们去了被困扰的房子在密西西比。不幸地,这 时候他们惹上麻烦。整体队, 包括主人, 无法困扰和恢复直到现在 。节目生产商没有选择但去除这个情节和改变主人。

Google Language Tools

Analog Automation

Design automation has done a very good job on digital circuit. This enables engineers to design their circuit in high level description. Then let the software to translate it to circuit description (synthesis) and physical description (place and route).

However, design automation is nearly none on analog circuit. Engineers still need to design the circuit manually and layout it manually. Numerous companies tried to do analog circuit automation but none gain wide spread success, if not completely fails.

Recently I get a chance to use a software that is close to analog automation, and do it well. This tool is called Circuit Explorer. Well, it can't design or layout the circuit by themselves. But it helps the designers to optimize the circuit device size to meet the spec. Currently, most designers use parametrize sweep or simply random simulation to fine tune the design size. This is tedious. I don't think any engineer enjoy this task. Circuit Explorer help to do this job and it do it well!

Imagine this, you finish a circuit. Meet all the spec at room temperature and typical process corner. Nicely done. Now the next step. You need to fine tune the design size that it still meet the spec at different temperature and process corner. Man! There is lots of simulation and lots of button clicking. The good news, Circuit Explorer can automate all this work.

This tool isn't a break through on analog circuit design automation, but it really helps making life easier for analog designers.

Circuit Explorer
Planet Analog

Hiking and Walking

One activity I enjoy a lot in the Valley is hiking. The weather is so nice that you can go hiking anytime. There are many hiking trail in the Bay area. Some is easy, like the one in Foothill. Some is tougher, for example Mission Peak. Some has super view, such as Half Moon Bay. It is my interest to explore different hiking trails in the Valley.

Ever since I have a kid, there is not much free to go hiking. I still like to take a walk outdoor sometimes. So, I start to look for walking trail that fits for lunch break. So far, I only find two good trails nearby my company. They are Mountain View Shoreline park and Sunnyvale Baylands park. I go to Baylands park more often because it is closer for me and my walking partners. There is one drawback for Baylands park though: it charges for parking during the Summer. But over the last couple months, I discover a few "hidden spots" that can park for free. So, lunch break walking becomes my weekly activity now.

Bay Trail Pages

Cycle on housing price

Income level of people in the Valley doesn't increase much last several years. But housing price keeps going up. A two bed room townhouse in good condition can easily cost half a million.

Those so-call creative mortgage, such as interest-only mortgage, helps to keep housing afforability. Everyone want to live in a better house. And most are willing to push the affordability limit to buy a better house. When people bid a house, some will calculate their affordability based on interests-only mortgage rate. This pushing up the bidding price. As a result, this become a cycle on housing price. With housing price rocket high, people can't afford to buy a decent house without using interest-only mortgage.

Sense a housing bubble blurts!? But it just doesn't happen ... ...

Housing article

Wireless vs. Wrist

Wireless boardband become so common in the Valley. Even I've setup this at home. Look at the image above. It is captured from Yahoo! SBC DSL Ad. Do you think the girl is surfing the web comfortablely! I basically do the same thing every evening. Laying on my bed and surf the net. It seems so comfortable that you almost addict on it.

But there is a catch ... Look at the girls's wrist, bending at 90 degree. I do the same thing and it hurts after a while. In a long run, it isn't good for the hands.

So, all the tech guys here. If you figure out a way to use your laptop while laying (definitely laptop isn't designed to use that way). Let me know, we can file a patent together, perhaps it can become a nice product!

Yahoo! SBC DSL

An era of EDA industry

Ray Bingham, the former CEO of Cadence (CDN), is leaving the company for good. This concludes an era of Cadence, perhaps an era Electronic Design Automation (EDA) industry as well.

EDA was once a proud industry, especially in the 90's. Technology innovation on software tools makes possible to build IC chips with millions of transistors. A copy of EDA tool can easily cost $100K, per year! Research on EDA tools was a hot topic in Universities. I watched an TV interview of Jerry Yang, Yahoo founder. Before his Yahoo idea took off, he was planning to work on his Ph.D in Stanford focus on the EDA related research.

In the new millennium, innovation in the EDA seems to stall. Coincidently, it is the same time frame Ray became CEO of CDN. The big guy in EDA (including CDN of course) believe it is more effective to acquire start-up with good technology, rather to build on your own. It is no wrong to buy good technology. The problem is, once the start-up is bought, the engineers acquired will become less motivated to innovate (perhaps they are safe now!?). And for the big guys, the potential competitor is now gone, so just focus on marketing and try to sell more this and that.

When will a Google of EDA emerge ... I wonder!?

Related EE Times article

1st ever blog

Hi Web Surfers, this is my 1st ever blog. First let me give a brief introduction of myself. I live in the Bay Area Silicon Valley, work for an IC design software company. English is my 2nd language so please pardon my poor writing. I will focus my blog on Tech life in the Valley, especially on my industry. There are 2 things quite interesting happening in my industry in 2005.

First, the Design-For-Manufacturing phenomena (so call DFM). There are so many start-up proposing all kind of solution to address this problem, but none is promising. It is like a gold rush. A couple years down the road, it will be interesting to see how many can survive.

Second, the outsourcing. Yeah, not a NEW news. But I'm casting my vote here: outsourcing is a one-way street for tech jobs. Except there is another technology breakthough (e.g. anti-Internet). Outsourcing is just such a logical choice for CEOs. If you have 10 years experience on the right knownledge, you are probably safe for a while. Because most Enginners in China/India don't have that much experience yet (but don't worry, they will catch up). If you are fresh grad or junior, better have backup plan on your career path.

Sammycafe
July 9th, 2005

DFM Startups