Thursday, May 29, 2003

Cracked Bell   I blogged about historic Bell Labs a few posts ago and then I saw a disheartening mention in the Wall Street Journal (May 23).    Because of the Telecom collapse, the research budget for Bell Labs has been cut to about $115 million - down from $350 million.   Now the pure research part of the lab is down to 1/3rd of the 1996 level and the focus is limited to telecomm products.  How shortsighted!   The companies that have a real future (and that will determine our future way of life) invest heavily in pure R&D.  A great example is Microsoft.  While they, of course, do research and testing in computer science, they also spend a lot on pure R&D in numerous other areas.  Keep that in mind when investigating what stocks to invest in. 10:24:35 AM    comment []

Live long and prosper   I am all for diversity and trying to accommodate the needs of all people but sometimes things get a little out of hand.  Multnomah County in Oregon (Portland) put out a call for interpreters for mental patients and people seeking public assistance.  The list of over 50 languages included Klingon.   So all you Trekkers out there who have mastered the language - you are needed in Portland!  (After taking some well-deserved teasing over the matter, county officials rescinded the call for Klingon interpreters.) 10:17:53 AM    comment []