The end of Moore's Law?

In a recent article, "Chip-shrinking may be nearing its limits", the authors publicize a well-known question in the semiconductor industry: Is there an end to Moore's Law?

For the next decade or so, it seems advances in traditional semiconductor process technology combined with new developments in nanotechnology, quantum computing, and/or other innovative ideas may help continue Moore's Law. Beyond that, only time can tell.

Salary, Stock Option and AMT

Recently, my friend Dean wrote this humorous article about Stock Options and Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).

I got tired of this guy trying to sell stock option and quoting income I need to clarify something.

You might think UNCLE Sam is dumb but he is ACTUALLY very smart.

Some guy invented stock option to try to cheat tax but they didn't get away with it.

Apparently, some people don't report the GAIN ON stock option so UNCLE same got smart and started to ADD gain to the stock option AS INCOMES.

That is why you see a lot of inflated income in the silicon valley. Next time, add all your wages and then compare them to your w2, you will notice that sometimes your w2 have lot more
in box 2? Why because they added your gain on option to your income. So you might be only earning $40,000 but you received $40,000 so the compensation will become $80,000. BTW; companies are smart, they give out stock options through the brokers. Brokers get money when you sell. Because of AMT, most people sell on the same day they exercise (they still make money if you lose money), it is bad to hold options long time because of of AMT.

Next time if this guy tells you he is stock option broker ask him or her what is AMT and why is it so lucrative for Uncle Sam. Options are inherently dangerous, it is like gambling. I have a book over 1000 pages long about options, if you are bored I can lend it to you.

If you haven't heard of AMT, take a look at the following article:

Alternative Minimum Tax 101

17 Miles

Picture shot at 17 Miles (Monterey) yesterday.

Golden Gates National Sea Shore

Went to the S.F. Legion of Honor museum yesterday and hiked along the sea shore with a clear view of the Golden Gates Bridge.

Peach Flowers

This flower image was shot at 11:00 am this morning.

Quantum Computing Demo

A startup company called DWave recently demonstrated a 16-qubit quantum computer for commercial use. They showed two applications:

• pattern matching
• planning/scheduling

Both are well known NP-complete problems, which previous researchers have found efficient solutions on (theoretical) quantum computers.

It's tax time

"'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." -- Benjamin Franklin

The 3 top rated tax preparation software are:

1. TurboTax
2. TaxCut
3. TaxAct

However, beware of the various versions/packages that comes with these softwares. TurboxTax is priced in at least 4 different categories: Basic, Deluxe, Premier, and Home & Business. Depending which combo package you are shopping, you may also have to pay addition for the accompanying state tax and e-file options.

Imagine what will happen if the government switch to a flat tax system. A lot of accountants, lawyers, and some tax software companies will be in trouble getting new businesses.

Internet TV

Joost.com, the internet broadband TV based on peer-to-peer (P2P) technology, has been live on Beta for a few weeks. Here is a sample screen shot published from their website:


It was formerly known as the Venice project, which was backed by the founders of Skype.

Let's just wait and see how the TV industry will evolve after this.

Immigrants are the backbone of US tech innovation

A recent study shows that foreign nationals living in the United States have the largest share of patent application filings in the United States. Chinese engineers were the largest group of patent filers, with 26.8% of filings, followed by Indians with 21%.

Ron Hira of IEEE (USA) and vice president of career services points out the contribution of foreign born engineers to the U.S. economy:

"One of the most important policy conclusions is that highly skilled immigrants play an important role in creating this intellectual property, and we want them to stay here," Hira said.

Ed Levin County Park

This picture was taken at Monument Peak in the Ed R. Levin County Park today.

Smoking-ban leads to Quit-smoking movement

Ringing in the New Year of 2007, a new anti-smoking regulation has been enforced in Hong Kong. Smoking is prohibited in public places, parks, and recreation areas except certain designated smoking spots. Such a social change seems to incite a new wave of quit-smoking movement. It seems the new law has given more people a reason to quit smoking, which is a good thing.

Historically, new trends in Hong Kong tends to followed quickly by nearby regions in mainland China and elsewhere. Hopefully this new anti-smoking campaign and it's quit-smoking movement will inspire similar acts in the mainland or other places in south east Asia.