Re: MISC-d Digest V99 #34

[theFox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Jeff Fox)]

>Why doesn't Chuck publish his findings? Might be able to garner 
>some credibility.

The last time Chuck submitted an article for publication it was
rejected.  He is more concerned with other things right now.  Credibility
is a value judgement.  Only a few people seemed interested when he
revealed the breakthrough stuff last November at his fireside chat.

>>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.
>
>Its not image. 
>
>Its completing projects on time and under budget.

Sometimes I lost patience with people who say this.  They act as if
we didn't complete projects at iTV.  You can make prototype after prototype
and if no one decides to manufacture them, just make a new prototype of
something else to impress someone else it is not an engineering on time
and under budget issue.  I do get tired of hearing it.  

When I work a 100 hour week and only get to spend 2 hours on technical
work for Ultra Technology I rely on the incredible productivity that Forth
give me to keep up when I can.  But I see the fact that I am spending
2 hours on Ultra Technology technology and the rest of the time dealing
with everything else is primarily a funding or management problem.  If
it is a time and budget issue it is because everything can come to a
halt when their is no money at all.

>I'm a typical hippie flake at work. I set my own time schedules 
>and come and go as I please. All my flakiness is forgiven when I 
>deliver on time and under budget.

As a consultant that is the first rule, as long as you are on or ahead
of time and on or below budget everyone is happy.  However when you are
just an employee and they need you to work 100 hour weeks to get those
projects done on time and underbudget it reminds you that there is more
to being sucessful than geting things done on time and under budget.
Make it a fighter, no make it a bomber, no make it a fighter!  The delays
are management problems.

>>As the years dragged on even my family lost confidence.
>
>Late product. Over budget.

Ugh, Not exactly.  More like, the proof is who else has invested and how
much money have you made?  We have lots of money but what is the short
term profit margin?  I do get very tired of people writing about the
projects behind closed doors at iTV or the funding at Ultra Technology
who are just guessing.  I was told it was simply that I was working too
many hours and not making money.  I was told the project might make money
if someone invested but if I was just going to be the only person then
I should give up on it.  Things were within timeframe for the latest
business plan and only over budget because I was not forced to borrow
money at 100% interest rates etc.  It is not unlike the catch-22 imposed
by the bank.  I was told that his is your money but you can't have it
because you would do something irresponsible like keep working on the
chip project etc.  If it was late and behind budget it was because 90%
of the funds in the budget were being held as an excuse.  I have had
this kind of catch-22 double talk from the bank.  

One way I look at it is I am consistenly ahead of schedule and under
budget, but I am deal with 90% of the budget being delayed for eight
years.  I am very proud of what we have done virtually without funding.

>Have you checked with the SEC? You could be looking at another problem.

Yes I have.

>>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.  
>
>Won't work. Not enough FORTHers with the $$$$$$ to help.

I have done the first ten years out of my pockets.  I don't know.

>$150K - for fab. Plus you need a management team. And they 
>likely will want to get paid - sales or no. Another $300K (3 people,
>one year). Then offices. Another 50 - 100K. Ad budget. $150K.
>Refrence boards $20K (got to give some away to get press).

That is the not the budget that I suggested.  Or are you looking for one
of those $100 management jobs? ;-)  I was thinking of more minimal budgets
until it can be shown to be airworthy.  So far office has been very
small $300/mo and salaries have been minimal (0), well there was some
contract work paid out.

>Probably $1 -$2 million for a real business. Add an extra fab run or three
>and there goes another $million.

This was usually what I got told.  I can invest $500,000 but only if the budget
calls for me to get a $200 salary and hire a couple of people for $100K
and get an expense account etc.  It is not my intention to go that high,
it takes you into a different type of stock catagory anyway.

>I have given up on profit. I just want to profit my fellow humans.

the problem we have have with the vlsi route is that it is only of profit
as an example or in large quantity.  Few people can afford $500 per chip
for normal prototype fabs or the unfortunate $1000 per chip I had for the
last run.  Chick and egg stuff obvious.  We have demonstrated chips and
various boards and prototype products at iTV.  Manufacturing in quantity
to profit anyone is whole nother issue.

Then there is the issue of are smart weapons with F21 of benefit to fellow
humans or not?  I know if you work in a military industrial application
and order $1000 toilet seats you may not notice F21 but unfortunately
people who want to build cheap smart weapons have.  So just making a
profit or even making large quantities of chips is not as important
as what the chips are used for.  Will they really profit fellow humans
or just a few at the expense of others?

>Businessmen prefer low risk, high reward situations.
>
>Even a low risk, low reward situation is better than a high risk, 
>high reward situation.

I wonder.  I know people who gamble and lost huge amounts on companies
like Apple and Micron without knowning anything about technology or 
even owning a computer.  They know they are taking high risks and it
is a little like betting at the track.  I know a lot of people who like
to show how much they can afford to lose.  I could ask them for more
explanations but I suspect it would just be rationalization.  The stock
market is crazy with speculation these days.  The economy is mostly about
hype in the internet biz.

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

Your attitude does not generate confidence.  I have not given up that
there are some humans out there doing busines.  I will keep looking for
a while.

I made some changes to my store.  I changed it from four pages to three
by moving the f21 stuff onto the main store page with the videos and
renameing the P21 product page the Offete Product Page although it
includes the two versions of P21Forth from Ultra Techology.  I expanded
it to include most of the Offete product manual and will do more
work on it.  It gives a more complete picture.

Along with the new People Products and Programming buttons to
give three different indexes to the site I have been thinking of
adding a Contest button.

I want to give away F21 development system for the next few months.
I plan to give away an F21 development system each month starting
this month to people submitting development tools, programs for the
simulator and emulator or real chips, documentation and articles
on Low Fat Computing.  The simulator and emulator themselves and the
demo programs already submitted by Stas and myself are not included
in the competition.  One contest entry will be judged each month
as the winner of the competition and will qualify for either a
development system or a full refund if they have purchased a
develoment system.

I will announce the details at the web site soon under the Contest
button.  I wanted to toss out the idea here in this list before I
actually setup the button.  

Jeff Fox
Ultra Technology