Week 21 – Visiting Detroit


Who would have thought I’d end up sitting outside in the sunshine in downtown Detroit writing the first draft for my next blog. I’m here with a few of my Mentor colleagues to attend SAE Convergence and to have a discussion with GM about a possible DAC keynote. Stay tuned (and keep your fingers crossed) — I hope to tell you more about that at a later time. SAE Convergence is a two-day conf... » read more

Week 20: Marketing Musings


Last week I was on vacation in Pacific City at the Oregon Coast. We usually take our dogs there twice a year. They love the freedom to roam around on McPhillips Beach, less crowded than other beaches in the area, and we usually take them a couple of times up Cape Kiwanda’s Great Dune, more than 200 feet up. We were amazed how warm it still was and not just from the work of climbing the dune. ... » read more

Week 19: Ready. Steady. Go!


The window for submitting to the IP and designer tracks opens on Oct. 23. It’s time to get ready and check with your management if you can present your work at DAC. You can find the submission details and a link to last year’s content here. You can even browse presentation examples from past designer tracks. If you are an EDA vendor, the designer track is a good opportunity for your use... » read more

Embedded At DAC


It seems to be one of DAC’s best kept secrets – right up there with what happened to Free Monday – that about 30% of the conference content is focused on embedded systems and software (ESS). The call for contributions is still open and I want to remind you that you can submit your research work in ESS to DAC. When Leon Stok of IBM was General Chair for the 48th DAC he started our embedded... » read more

Something Is Cooking


I’m sure you are all eager to hear a report from the DAC Executive Committee meeting last week in Portland. The important things first: The weather was great and the team cooking event – it’s hard to imagine a better team-building exercise – was a ton of fun. Nobody threw food at me and we had no accidents in the kitchen…well, except for the fact that Ramesh Karri, our security chair,... » read more

We Are Getting Serious


This week we have our in-person Executive Committee meeting in beautiful Portland, Oregon. I know I’m biased but I really believe that Portland is worth a visit. It’s a very walkable city with some hidden gems downtown such as the Lan Su Chinese Garden, an oasis in our small but vibrant Chinatown, and Waterfront Park down by the Willamette River. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the we... » read more

Who Changes Us


Most of us have one of more people that had a huge impact on our life. For me one of those is my former husband, Klaus Cirkel. We met when we were still at university, RWTH Aachen, in western Germany. I was slowly making my way through the metallurgy curriculum. Well, Klaus was the total opposite. He was driven and his drive was infectious. He motivated me to expedite my degree then to take the... » read more

Week 14: To My Fellow Procrastinators


“The psychological principle is this: Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.” — Robert Benchley, American humorist, 1930 Are you a procrastinator? For the record, I am. My creative juices flow much better when I’m under deadline. However my tendency to delay does have downside. Last weekend we had planned to go backpack... » read more

Week 13: Cruising The Deep Submicron


These cooler, shorter days can only mean one thing: It’s time to get in the last beautiful late summer, early autumn motorcycle rides. Surprised? Well, I ride a 2005 Harley Davidson Dyna Low Rider. I’m a picky rider who prefers the kind of perfect weather conditions that have prevailed in Oregon during the last few weekends. Here is a little clip from a recent tour around Crater Lake in sou... » read more

Week 12: A New Path For The DAC Pavilion


Most early mornings, I take my two Miniature Schnauzers for a long walk in Portland’s Forest Park. For those of you new to Portland, our Forest Park is the largest urban forest in the United States, with more than 5,000 acres and 80 beautiful hiking trails and paths. It is wonderful way to start the day, with the blue sky framed by the deep green foliage. It’s still fairly quiet at 7:00 am,... » read more

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