Components
Tennenbaum and Vitesse
The WSJ profiles Tennenbaum Capital Partners in a Page One article today ($$$ Link to WSJ). I harbor no illusions about the risk inherent in my Vitesse Semiconductor (VTSS.pk) investment. The worst case scenario for the company is a liquidity crunch, which would leave it in the hands of creditors. The creditor most likely to benefit is Tennenbaum, and their track record should rightfully concern Vitesse investors.
Vitesse – Chapman Files Updated 13D
Robert Chapman filed another colorful 13D yesterday which disclosed a reduction in the number of Vitesse (VTSS.pk) shares he controls (7.3% to 6.2%). This time, it is his trading activity, not his prose, that is most interesting.
Evolution of the Hard Drive
Toms Hardware Guide published an article about the evolution of the hard drive, including benchmarking tests that bolt old hardware (circa 1991) to modern PCs. In the last 15 years, storage density has increased 10,000x!
Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Huawei.
I know two American engineers who have relocated to China to lead optical module design teams at Chinese equipment companies. They live and work in China for Chinese companies, using their skills to build custom modules – skills no longer in demand from their American Tier-1 telecom equipment employers.
Cisco’s Scorched Earth Strategy
Cisco swallowed another chip company this morning, Greenfield Networks. The notable thing about this acquisition is that Cisco rival Huawei/3Com built their high end system around the Greenfield device. I’m willing to bet that Greenfield was a lot more important to Huawei/3Com than it was to Cisco. And I’m willing to bet that’s why Cisco bought them.
Sony Playstation 3 Pr0N
Now that we have Youtube we can experience Hardware pr0n in video, rather than just snapshots.
Check out this YouTube Video of Japanese Engineers taking apart a brand new Sony Playstation 3. Jump to the 5 min mark to witness what pure engineering hardware lust sounds like in Japanese as these guys undress the cooling system of the PS3.
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Chinese FTTH Silicon Moves Forward
My five part FTTH in China series discussed the players, technology, and opportunity of FTTH in the worlds fastest growing economy. Teknovus, a private company I follow made an related announcement today. They’ve released the first GE-PON chip compliant with China Telecom’s (CHA) enhanced IEEE GE-PON 802.3ah standard.
Vitesse Q406 Conference Call Notes
I was strapped into a dentist’s chair (literally) while the Vitesse Q406 call was conducted. I’ve assembled my notes and thoughts from the replay.
Broadlogic and Cable’s Analog Ghetto
Broadlogic announced a chip today that provides a high density solution for converting Digital Cable TV channels to Analog. It’s a slick solution but I don’t think it will see mass adoption. Here’s why.
Vitesse Investment Thesis
I’ve been engaged in constant debate with readers and other investors about my position in Vitesse Semiconductor since disclosing it. Based on reader email, it was one of my more unpopular opinions. I thought it would be appropriate to share my investment thesis from early August with a wider audience.
