I'm back from a great vacation

[theFox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Jeff Fox)]

Dear Low Fat Computing Mail list readers:

Hi, I am back from vacation and made a few changes to my web site.
Let me try to get caught up in the list mail.  I changed email
return addresses to my registered domain name and had to unsubscribe
and resubscribe to this list.

>Even though DYOP is ten year old technology, if it can be made popular
>we may get the business community to look at the newer stuff.

I agree that DYOP uses some ten year old stuff and some state of
the art stuff.  The FPGA are really neat and with fairly low
financial investment so in relatively low time periods anyone
with an interest could experiment with things like custom
circuits and computers designed for whatever exactly they
want to do and have something like the interactivity of a Forth
system.

Custom VLSI seemed way beyond the reach of a low budget
project many years ago.  Everyone said that it takes a long
time and costs lots of money.  They were right.  But the FPGA
world is also very different than when Chuck was is in it
many years ago.  It was interesting for Chuck years ago and
for many people now.

I was happy to post the links and place DYOP at my site.  It is
sych with Chuck encouraging anyone who is interested to do some
research and publish the results.  He says why should he be the
only person to have so much fun?

>I have synthesized the VHDL version, and run it in a
>Xilinx gate array at about 25 MHz.  This is not too
>terribly far from the real-world performance of the x21
>chips running out of DRAM.  Plus, the chip seems to
>perform much more reliably than MuP21.

Another example.  I am sure it was an experience that has unexpected
value.  I would like to play with this stuff too.  F21 is
not the chip for everyone you know.  And if you want to
experiment with that line between hardware and software
this is a great way to jump in.  I was hoping to see
people contribute lots of tutorials and documentation on
their projects.  I wanted to do it too, but didn't have
the money to attend John's classes or the time to spend
on it with UT's problems and F21 needing testing etc.

>From: msimon@tefbbs.com (M. Simon)
>To: MISC
>Subject: RE: support, T-shirts, etc. (composite reply)
>
>I was goint to risk my own $$$ on the board. It would have been used
>to bring up the F21 and if it was working good enough we would have 
>a product.
>
>I use this method all the time to shorten development to payoff time.
>
>If it didn't work - I lost my $$$ and Jeff gained some help.

Mike Simon has been very cooperative and helpful with my project.
I have enjoyed his ideas about people experimenting with the
fast turn around technology.  My dream is not having things
stuck in a timeloop for ten years until I can pop out.

>I'm focusing on FPGAs, speeds are going up, prices down, risks minimal.
>And I can do 2 - 6 FABs a day for only the cost of my time. Jeff can do
>one FAB every three months if he has the $10K.

I don't have 10K at the moment, nowhere close.

>Jeff has the ultimate in speed and effiency. I can often add
>custom instructions and hardware in the FPGA to make up a 
>lot of the difference.

Being custom matched to application can be a 1000x.  The difference
between FPGA and custom VLSI from Chuck is not anywhere near as
big as that.  Chuck never intended F21 for everything.  He want's
to make lots of different custom chips.  He has just had a very
long and costly initial technology investment. ;-) Some of the
money raised went for conventional funding rather than just his
chip research.

Nonetheless he was saying the last time that I saw him how betrayed
he felt by the whole electronics industry having lied to him and
everyone for all these years about the transistor models. Damn it,
if they don't know they shouldn't just make something up.  I felt
that many people had missed the true humor in his joke at Forth
day that no one in the world knew this except for the people in
that room.  
(or those who have read http://www.UltraTechnology.com/fsc98.htm
regarding transitor models)

I told him that I thought that the way he matched the spectrums
to reverse align the models was brilliant and asked him if he
thought that anyone in the room knew what he was talking about.
He said no he could see it go right over their heads and
doubted if their would be any questions about the truely
revolutionary information that he had just given these people.

>Would I like an F21? You bet.
>
>But I want to suceed in the market place. To do this I have to lower
>the risk. Proprietary chips from companies with no track record
>run by 'flakes' do not inspire confidence.

Business flakes like Chuck and I are exactly the problem.  Chuck was 
questioning if he needed to change his image to be successful in business.  
Did he need to wear a three piece suit to succeed?  Was it that or retire
to Montana?  Every time he would say should I do that Min would say
Oh of course not!  As if he would rather be dead.  What a flake.

>We have a very good technology model run by some very competent
>people. Thanks to Chuck, Jeff, and many others.

Thank you.  I have been concentrating on the technology and not
on all the managment and marketing jobs at Ultra Technology, well
financing has been the one that has consumed most of my time. I
wish Chuck and I and others could have concentrated on the
technology even more.  

>What we are missing is a working business model.

I will post the various models that I have considered and a very
brief history of the funding and business model of UT.

When I started I owned 100% of my idea.  I went to Chuck and said
I would like to work with you and make a custom vlsi chip.  I was
considering doing it myself in PGA just as you have after studying
what you have done but I love your idea of going to custom VLSI and
tweaking it for a new level of custom.

I went over my idea of have smart coprocessors somewhat like the
simple windows accelerator and crude composite video output coprocessor
that he envisioned for P20, except for Analog, Serial, Network, and
parallel I/O.  The whole thing on one chip.  The perfect platform
for the fairly portable Forth applications. I had some crazy stuff
that would be absolutely nuts on F21.

My business model was that UT was mine could go anyway it
wanted, non-profit with me as paid employee (paid ;-), or
could become a corporation or partnership.  I had limited
financial support for the long haul but my free income
and free time seemed enough to go for it and Chuck agreed
to sign a contract between Computer Cowboys and Ultra Technology.
We also have discussed exactly what the contract meant to
us a number of times.  That is not a problem.  I have the
marketing rights to F21 for four years from the time it goes
into production or we declare it finished and ready to manufacture.
I can only sell those rights with the permission of Computer
Cowboys and if I default on my option to market the chip then
at some point all the rights revert to Computer Cowboys.

I know many people who have started many companies and succeeded
with some into multi-million dollar enterprises.  I asked their
advice.

I ordered a package to encorporate and sell stock certificates.
I was ready to do it but everyone advised me that it was not
the way to go.  Because I was a one man company with no track
record as a consultant no one would invest anything. I would
need someone with conventional experience, someone with a
sucessful business managment track record to get investors.

I asked these people if they were interested in stepping into
that role and writing their own ticket.  no luck.  I asked
if they knew of any investors who might be interested and
they said yes but you would have to give up all control and
almost all interest and agree to work on what they wanted
for a long term contract etc and advised me that I wouldn't
want to do it.

I had enough to get going and make chips but production
was the problem.  You needed at least $150,000 after development
to get your price down to $15 per chip.  That means that was
not enough to compete again FPGA on general purpose stuff let
alone on things the FPGA were optimized for.  It would need
more than 10K chips total to fly.  I figured I could pay for
100 at most myself.   Still a 100*F21 would be way cool.

I went to my family who have money and asked if they were interted
in investing or loaning money out of planned inheritances.  My
Mother said that it was not a problem and that I should not worry
about it.  She was convinced that this project would make me famous
and wealthy. My father said that he would prefer to give me the
money for fab runs and production of 10K parts out of my inheritance
rather than wait to let it be eaten up in taxes before his death.
He also advised me that I should reject the financing that had
been offered because I had this adequate back up financing with
no strings attached.

As the years dragged on even my family lost confidence.
As the years dragged on I got stuck in the business model that I
didn't really want namely I did everything and paid for everything
and got paid nothing more than occasional bread and water.  I
had to sacrifice and the strain resulted in divorce and bankruptcy.
But I kept on with F21.  I became an employee of iTV and then
they bought my contract with Chuck without my being told.  I continued
to work for them as did Chuck under the conditions of those contracts.

My mother was dying slowly and the end came very quicly.  After her
death my step father made it very clear that he had lost most of 
the inheritance in bad investments and much more in health related
payments, there was some money there but that he felt it would
be irresponsible to release it to me because like the other people
in my family they worried that I would spend it on chips that I
couldn't eat and that no one else believed in.

My father had paid for part of a couple of the fab runs.  It did make
two runs possibleo but then he became worried that I was working too 
many hours and never going to ever make any money so the best way to 
help me was to not return my calls or mail for a year.  When I got
through to him he advised me to give up the chip thing and get
a 40 hour a week job where I can retire.

Then I went through the problems with iTV but at least got some
chips.  I was nearly homeless now like everyone elese and could
either go out and find a regular job like everyone else except
Chuck and a few others I had the option to sell a few F21,
test the rest myself and maybe make more and more and more.
Maybe I could find someone would would not say that they
could not do business with someone who has to work 100 hour 
work weeks without vacation for years or not have a phone etc.

Well I made it a couple of months until a Bank computer siezed
$1000 of working capital when I was really poor.  That describes
the last three months.  You have all heard this before. I have
now sold a couple of chips so I have some hope again.

Now my options are:

1 Encorporate and sell stock (profit or non-profit)
2 Find partners
3 sell UT w/ or w/o a contract with the
4 sell a few chips and eventually find the guys who want 10K a week
5 change professions

Of course this precludes my having to go to jail for internet fraud.
Now I sold a couple of chips and if I sell a couple of more I will
get buy for a while.

I could most likely get buy with Tee shirts and posters it seems
from all of the enthusiams in the group and in c.l.f recently.
It was fun telling Chuck about all the flames I let a couple of
weeks ago on the net.

Now I would love to do #1 on the internet and you know at this
point I think I could.  I would just post the most recent version
of the history and business plan (half done) and do the stuff
to setup a button to sell stock.  If people got it I could do
more management, and more programming and engineering, and less
of the stuff (read survival) that takes up most of my time. This
would be my first choice if I thought it would work.  

My present business model is that I don't own all the currently
(in my mind) issued stock.  I owe several people stock and have
already given them working F21d chips.  I owe them the chips
just as I owe them stock because they have helped me by investing
their time and support.  I owe everyone in this list, some in
particular lots of chips for your encouragement.  It has been
difficult doing the impossible techincally, financially and
socially (regarding friends and family) and about all the
encouragement I get is from people in this list.  I consider
everyone in this list a stockholder, and some close to qualifying
for more chips F21d chips than I have already given away.  You
know if I get a job or get some money I can have more made.
(I just need to find the right fab and have money and ... )

If I felt that people might invest in stock in a documented
enterprise with a ten year history and record of someone 
believing in it enought to invest a lot of time and money
and feel that the terms of the stock offer are such that
investment is worth a gamble then I could be persuaded to
setup such a thing.  I would post the associated documents
and do the proper legal stuff 

The perfect solution of course would be non-profit with Chuck
and Michael and I as employees and eventually as fellows if
the thing ever made more money than we need.  I would prefer
this solution, or #2 as long as we don't have to give the
reigns to some business type.

I could also deal with a for-profit corporation since I
would be the major stockholder and presumably have some
real paying job as well.  I would have enough control to
see that Chuck and Michael were convered if it ever took
off.  Michael and Chuck are the next largest stockholders
after me when I issue Ultra Technology stock.

However either of these represents a huge risk since we all
know the track record is dismall and the situation is grave.
The risk is very high and the potential reward is also.

I would be thrilled with option #2 as long as they are human.

#3 make an offer.

#4 I have been told I will sell one more at least.  I think
   I should start raising the price.

#5 almost happened last week.  The offer for a vacation and
the enthusiasm and thought that my honesty on  the internet
caused suprised me.  I was really really enthused before Humboldt
Bank siezed all funds and shut me down again, this time
threatening criminal prosecution if I complained.

But I had a great vacation and posted a report at my web site with
links to lots of great artists.  Check it out.

Chuck said the contracts with iTV become invalid if they go out of
business or default on the terms such as paying a salary to him.  So
their status in that sense is somewhat uncertain.  The status of
all the players is pretty much out of the game unless something
happens to someone soon. I know I can make it for a few months now
that the Bank is no longer intercepting funds.

I have had acouple of offers for a new web site, even one with secure
internet commerce.  The idea of getting any kind of real support
rather than just blue sky ideas about what I could or should do
would be great.  Quite frankly it has been too close to the edge
for far too long.  I could not afford to pay for a phone or food
or a pcb for F21 but I have kept my website going.  The store
became quite a liability after I had to cover $1000 worth
or product out of pocket for months.  I wonder when the bank
will release the money and to whom.  It appears that after a
total of ten months they will release the money to me.

>My claim is that as insurgents the Grateful Dead model is
>more useful than the IBM model.
 
;-)

>We need more FORTH application articles in mainstream magazines.
>Control systems and the like. Where FORTH is incidental to the
>application.

Yeah, I agree. I would love to spend some time writing articles
and now that I have chips it is that or test them or eat.  Test
after some eating and drinking on vacation.

>Date: Sun, 21 Mar 1999 09:10:19 -0600 (CST)
>From: Dave Lowry <lowry@htc.honeywell.com>
>To: MISC
>Subject: P16 In FPGA Update
>
>P16 is now running from external EPROM.  The speed is limited to
>about 10 MHz due to the EPROM's 100 nsec access time.
> \ \
>-Dave

Dave's name appears on the UT signon message on P21Forth 1.04 
and has part of UT I think. ;-)

-----

I don't want to focus too much attention on the latest financial
problems that I have been having with one of my banks.  That
account is closed and I am done with them although if they don't
sent me my money before too long or decide that they need to take
me and my customers to court then we will not be done with them.

I would prefer to just move on to the next internet site or
merchant account.  I have proposed a plan to do just that.
that is why I placed the notice to people to update their
web links to www.ultratechnology.com if they are more than
a year old and still read www.dnai.com/~jfox  

But if you want to read a war story like the kind netscape
claimed are at my site, read the 250k worth of mail about
and to the bank. :-)

I hope to be able to setup better web shopping with more
products including a bunch of new videos of Chuck and I
and Tee shirts and PCB and whatever, I don't know.  I would
like the Offete products to fax an order directly to Offete
for them to fill etc.  I would love to have someone other
than I dealing with every single detail of UT.

Bye,
the Fox