Amelia's Weekly Fish Fry

The Security Puzzle

There is no such thing as a zero security risk. No matter what you build and how you build it, there will be bad guys lurking at the door, trying to get in. This week my guest is Paul Kocher (Cryptography Research Inc.) and we're looking at the trends in security in WiFi-enabled designs and discussing how you can solve the puzzling security problems in your next design.

Also this week, I check out the new Pi Store and give everyone the chance to win a Zedboard courtesy of Xilinx.

It's A Semi Party!

We're having ourselves a grand ol' semiconductor party this week. Granted it may not be as fun as those corporate holiday get togethers that happen around this time of year, when Norma in accounting wears a lampshade on her head, and you slip that white elephant gift you "won" under the desk of your unsuspecting cube mate, but we're gonna have some serious fun nonetheless. This week my guest is Harrison Beasley (Technical Working Groups Manager - Global Semiconductor Alliance) and we're gonna lay down some serious chat about the past, present, and future of the semiconductor industry. Also this week I unveil my choice for Amelia's geeky stocking stuffer and announce a brand new nerdy giveaway.

Their Eyes Are Watching You

They’re watching you. They know if you’ve been bad or good. They know whether you really need that cashmere sweater at Macys. A new form of seeing eye mannequins may be coming to a storefront near you and you may never know they are there. In this week’s Fish Fry, we’re checking out some technological enahnced mannequins from Italian company Almax, while trying to decipher where exactly on the creep-o-meter this new product lies. Also this week, I interview ProPlus Design Systems executive Chairman Zhihong Lui about modeling tools, what their NanoYield solution is all about, and why his favorite tunes to play on the accordion  Russian. I have a brand new nerdy giveaway to throw your way this week, but you’ll have to listen to find out what it is and how to win.

Gesturing For Control

In honor of Black Friday, Fish Fry is storming the gates and grabbing all the embedded designs we can get our grubby little hands on. OK, not really. We're going to wait just one more year to buy that new touchscreen embedded design, because by then, touch might have already been taken right out of the equation. Yep, we’re talking about gesture control this week. My guest is Fanie Duvenhage (Director of Human Machine Interface Division at Microchip Technology). Fanie and I are going to explore what this new 3D gesture controller is all about, why this GestIC chip is different (and cooler) than current camera-based gesture recognition interfaces out there, and how you can get your hands on a GestIC development kit so you can start designing with one. Also this week, I give everyone one more chance to win a Spartan-6 LX9 Microboard courtesy of Xilinx.Also this week, I give everyone one more chance to win a Spartan-6 LX9 Microboards courtesy of Xilinx.

MEMS the Word

Did you know that there are now more connected devices than people in the world? One of the biggest motivating factors pushing innovative development in these connected devices is MEMS. This week we're checking out all the nerdy goodness that the 2012 MEMS Executive Congress has to offer. I chat with a couple of the winners of the MEMS Technology Showcase about how their new products are launching an era of "MEMS Inside the Machine". I also talk with Benedetto Vigna (STMicroelectronics) about the trends in MEMS-enabled designs, where STMicroelectronics fits into the MEMS ecosystem, and where in the world you'll find the best skiing. Also this week, I review "Stuff You May Have Missed" (MEMS Executive Congress Edition) and give everyone another chance to win an LX9 Spartan-6 MicroBoard courtesy of Xilinx.

Magic, Mobile, and More

Where in the world will Fish Fry take us this week? First, we’re going to take quick stroll by the most recent Raspberry Pi news, then it’s on over to some “Magic Finger” technology being developed by the Universities of Toronto and Alberta, and then we'll drive into EDA land with Bill Neifert (Carbon Design Systems- CTO). Bill is going to chat with me about Carbon Design Systems's recent collaboration with Samsung, what $4 million dollars in venture capital funding has to do with it, and what exactly Carbon is going to do with all that cashola. I have a brand new nerdy giveaway to throw your way, but you’ll have to listen to find out what it is and how to win.

Scene Changers

The world of electronic design can change in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, things you thought were tried and true have flipped the script. This week we’re checking out why Synopsys decided to acquire of emulation powerhouse Eve, how non-volatile memory companies Kilopass and Sidense are settling their patent skirmishes (or not), and how Microsemi is shaking up the FPGA market with their new SmartFusion2 family of FPGAs.

You Had Me At MEMS

Let’s face it, MEMS is everywhere. Our technological lives (and even some of our careers) would not exist as we know them without MEMS. This week my guest is Karen Lightman (Managing Director of the MEMS Industry Group) and we’re talking about the biggest MEMS show of the year; why you should attend, what you could learn, and how you can break into the kingdom of executives and woo them with your MEMS design Also this week I check out a new yoga class in Portland called “Yoga for Yoda” and explain why I won’t be joining this class anytime soon.

It's All In The Timing (Closure)

How many of you have gotten lost in your own corporate office building? Maybe it was your first week on the job? As hard as it is for us to navigate our own buildings, can you imagine what its like for emergency responders? In this week’s Fish Fry we check out a new real-time 3D mapping prototype being developed by MIT and examine how it could revolutionize the way we navigate the world around us. Also this week, I interview Steve Yang (President and Founder - ICScape). Steve and I chat about how ICScape can help your timing closure problems, what their tool suite looks like, and what’s ahead for this new EDA startup from China.

Inching Along

Sometimes it feels like we’re just inching along toward innovation. Sometimes it feels like we’re flying by the seat of our pants toward the future without a seatbelt in sight. This week we’re talking about Intel’s long-range plans for a 5nm process node, why ESL should be playing a big role in your next low power design, and even why the cool kids aren't using discrete components for power supplies anymore. Also this week, I give away a copy of the book “Mixed-Signal Methodology Guide” courtesy of Cadence Design Systems.