Conversation Central Podcast

Guest: Karen Savala, President, SEMI Americas Host: Karen Bartleson, Sr. Director, Corporate Programs and Initiatives, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. For the past few years, the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain has been under tremendous pressure. Karen Savala, President of SEMI Americas, joins us to share some of the trends for the future and why the pressures may never let up. Karen Savala: “We find that the semiconductor manufacturing industry is now tied more than ever to the national GDP . . . [and to] consumer electronics. . . . This whole trend towards consumers has really changed the supply chain dynamics and the way that customers are ordering supplies, products and materials. . . .The other trend is the diversification of the end product. . . .This complexity driven by the consumer is having a really big effect on the supply chain.” During her show, Karen Savala talks about: What manufacturers in the semiconductor supply chain have been doing to address the pressures What SEMI members believe the trends are that create pressures in the manufacturing supply chain Whether or not there are some links in the supply chain that are completely stable or could cause a catastrophic failure What she believes the future hold for the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain What the Internet of Things mean to SEMI and its members Karen Bartleson and Karen Savala  

Guest: Jill Tarter, Bernard M. Oliver Chair, SETI Institute Host: Karen Bartleson, Sr. Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. We made the hop and a skip over to the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute to meet with SETI’s Bernard M. Oliver Chair, Jill Tarter. Do you remember the movie, “Contact”, will Jodi Foster? Well, Jill is the *real* Jodie Foster. She has dedicated her life’s work to asking questions for which we all want answers. Are we unique? Is the nearest technology or life so far away that we are basically alone? Or is there intelligence outside our world? Jill Tarter takes us inside the world of SETI and talks about the science that happens at SETI, how they go about looking for intelligence outside of earth, and what would happen if we find signals that indicate there really are intelligent beings out there. If you are interested in being involved in the search, Jill will tell you how you can become one of SETI’s Citizen Scientists. “In looking for extraterrestrial intelligence, we can’t really define intelligence. So, what we do is we use technology as our proxy. What we’re looking for is evidence of someone else’s technology doing something to their environment in ways that we could sense over interstellar distances.” During the show, Jill talks about: The kind of science done at SETI. Whether or not we can know that is life elsewhere. The tools that are used as they search for extraterrestrial intelligence. How SETI handles the massive amounts of data. SETI’s Citizen Scientist Program. How often they receive new and interesting signals. What will happen the moment someone locates a signal that is not occurring naturally. Links of interest: SETI Institute Contact, the movie About Jill Tarter SETI Live (Citizen Scientist) Support SETI Jill Tarter and Karen Bartleson

Guests: Stan Krolikoski, General Chair, DVCon 2014 and Ambar Sarkar, Chair, Technical Program Committee (TPC), DVCon 2014 Host: Karen Bartleson, Sr. Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. The Design & Verification Conference (DVCon), sponsored by Accellera, continues to thrive as the premier conference for functional design and verification, focused on bringing information to engineers from the leading edge of technology, techniques, standards, and methods. Among many of the conferences best features is its unique and popular poster session. During the conference, attendees themselves choose the best paper and best poster in real time. We invited the General Chair and Technical Program Committee Chair of DVCon 2014 to share some of the secrets to its success. They tell us what it’s like to lead this conference and how you can benefit from it whether or not you are able to attend. Ambar: “It’s a focused conference. I am actually a practicing engineer, and one of the things that I can get out of DVCon, and this is what the TPC knows, is that everything that is presented has a very pragmatic and practical aspect to it. Our goal, is that everyone leaves the conference, and comes out with at least one idea that they can take back and practice.” We would like you to please take note that DVCon is very excited to announce that it is expanding into Europe! You will be able to join the Design and Verification Conference and Exhibition Europe on October 14th and 15th, 2014, in Munich, Germany. Stan: “One of the things we are doing is extending the DVCon brand. There will be a DVCon Europe coming in October this year in Munich. . . .there is a call for papers right now . . . .We really want to have DVCons around the world.” During the show, Stan and Ambar talk about: Why design and verification engineers should want to attend the Design and Verification Conference  2014. The secret that is causing DVCon to grow while other larger conferences are experiencing a decline. How they handle the high submission volume of DVCon papers. The hardest part thing about being General Chair of DVCon (a question for Stan). What Accellera is planning to do at DVCon in the future. How those who are unable to attend DVCon can still benefit from the conference. For your interest, you can read Peggy Aycinena’s EDACafé article mentioned by Stan Krolikoski, “Master & Commander: DVCon’s Stan Krolikoski,”Peggy is a freelance journalist and Editor of EDA Confidential. If you’ve attended DVCon, what do you enjoy the most about the conference? Let us know in the comment section below. Ambar Sarkar, Karen Bartleson, and Stan Krolikoski

Guest: Eric Nystrom, Director, Social Media, Dell Host: Yvette Huygen, Director Worldwide Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. The social media revolution has rapidly taken over the business world.  Companies are striving to create social media strategies that work to meet their goals while also appealing to customers and continually offering them value.  Dell has developed a well-recognized social media strategy that employees are passionate about and customers engage with. We invited Eric Nystrom, a Director of Social Media at Dell, to talk about empowering businesses to harness and harvest the power of social media. Eric Nystrom: “We found out that social media was going to be really critical for Dell in 2005/2006 when we really started our journey. . . .We learned early on that conversations were happening about all parts of our business, not just about marketing or customer care. Harnessing and harvesting the value of social media across our business, in all aspects of our business, has proved to be very valuable.” During his show, Eric talks about: How critical social media is to Dell’s business and why. How Dell is able to keep track of everything their program is covering as well as demonstrate the value of the program to executives and employees. The five main points of Dell’s Global Social Media Policy: Protect Information Be Transparent and Disclose Follow the Law, Follow the Code of Conduct Be Responsible Be Nice, Have Fun and Connect Dell’s Social Media and Community University (SMaC U) . What he believes is going to change in terms of social media for business in the next couple of years. Advice he has for those doing social media in a business context. Links of interest: Dell Dell’s Global Social Media Policy

Guest: Oleg Logvinov, Director, Market Development at STMicroelectronics’ Industrial & Power Conversion Division; Chief Technical Officer, Board Member, and Co-founder of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance Host:  Karen Bartleson, Sr. Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. In a decade or so, the world as we know it will change dramatically. The Internet of Things is emerging and it will surely be the next technological revolution. It will bring about communications and interactions between man and machine, the likes of which only science fiction writers dreamed. Oleg Logvinov is an expert in the up-and-coming Internet of Things. He talks about what it is, how it is being created, what scenarios we can expect to live in, plus increasingly critical security and privacy issues. The Internet of Things is poised to alter the way we work, play, and live. Oleg Logvinov: “. . . [The Internet of Things] presents itself in so many different ways to so many different people. It depends on who you are what you are working on. The Internet of Things may be a sensor connected to the cloud [or] maybe it’s a collection of devices working behind the scenes to make your life better. That is one of the interesting elements of the Internet of Things. Since this is an emerging . . . field, it presents an opportunity to define what it will be.” During his show, Oleg talks about: What the Internet of Things is. What it will look like to have smart devices talking to each other and how it’s already happening. Where all of the processing is that enables the Internet of Things. Whether or not he believes the Internet of Things presents a threat of security and privacy and how the concern is being addressed. What standards have to do with the Internet of Things. The social and economic changes that he believes we are about to undergo and how humanity will be impacted. Links of Interest: IEEE Standards Association — Internet of Things “STMicroelectronics Drives Internet of Things Growth with Innovative MEMS Technology and Wireless Links” “ST and Thingsquare Team Up to Advance Easy-to-Use Internet of Things” HomePlug

Guest: Mike Malone, American author, columnist, editor, investor, business-man, and television producer; expert on Silicon Valley business and technology Host: Karen Bartleson, Senior Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. (This is Part 2 for Mike Malone’s “The Phenomenon Known as Silicon Valley. Click here for Part 1) If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. Mike Malone is the world’s first daily tech reporter. As a veteran Silicon Valley journalist and author, he is intimately familiar with the evolution of this amazing high-tech mecca. In this two-part show, Mike takes us back to the very beginning when soldiers coming back from war changed the face of northern California. He then takes us through the emergence of the world’s greatest high-tech companies and ends with a view of what could bring about the demise of Silicon Valley or keep it infinitely sustainable. Mike Malone: “Silicon Valley is really a nexus of a lot of different forces–historical forces and technological forces. It all kind of converged in the late 1940s.” During his show, Mike talks about how it came to be that Silicon Valley is what Silicon Valley is: Part 1 (Click for Part1) -Historical Silicon Valley figures -The development of key historical Silicon Valley technologies -The emergence of key Silicon Valley companies Part 2 -The explosion of companies that gave us Silicon Valley -Moore’s Law -The rise of the Internet that led to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn -Whether or not he thinks there is something that will bring about the demise of Silicon Valley -The Future of Silicon Valley Links of interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_S._Malone Michael S. Malone’s books on Amazon “I Write About Silicon Valley”, Forbes Mike Malone, Huffington Post

Guest: Mike Malone, American author, columnist, editor, investor, business-man, and television producer; expert on Silicon Valley business and technology Host: Karen Bartleson, Senior Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. (This post was updated on November 4th, 2013 to only include Part 1. Click here for Part 2) If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. Mike Malone is the world’s first daily tech reporter. As a veteran Silicon Valley journalist and author, he is intimately familiar with the evolution of this amazing high-tech mecca. In this two-part show, Mike takes us back to the very beginning when soldiers coming back from war changed the face of northern California. He then takes us through the emergence of the world’s greatest high-tech companies and ends with a view of what could bring about the demise of Silicon Valley or keep it infinitely sustainable. Mike Malone: “Silicon Valley is really a nexus of a lot of different forces–historical forces and technological forces. It all kind of converged in the late 1940s.” During his show, Mike talks about how it came to be that Silicon Valley is what Silicon Valley is: Part 1 -Historical Silicon Valley figures -The development of key historical Silicon Valley technologies -The emergence of key Silicon Valley companies Part 2 (click for Part 2) -The explosion of companies that gave us Silicon Valley -Moore’s Law -The rise of the Internet that led to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn -Whether or not he thinks there is something that will bring about the demise of Silicon Valley -The Future of Silicon Valley Links of interest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_S._Malone Michael S. Malone’s books on Amazon “I Write About Silicon Valley”, Forbes Mike Malone, Huffington Post

Guest: Bob Metcalfe, Ethernet inventor, Professor of Innovation, University of Texas at Austin Host:  Karen Bartleson, Sr. Director Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc., President, IEEE Standards Association If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. Ethernet celebrated its 40 year anniversary earlier this year. For four decades, Ethernet has changed how people work and communicate all over the world. Because of her position as President of the IEEE Standards Association, our very own Karen Bartleson had the privilege of interviewing Bob Metcalfe, co-inventor of Ethernet. With permission from the IEEE Standards Association, we are republishing this show so that you can enjoy Bob’s story of how Ethernet evolved from an interesting technology into a global standard. Bob Metcalfe: “. . .we convinced Digital Equipment Corporation and Xerox to begin cooperating to develop something they could use to interconnect their products. So, here I have Digital Equipment Corporation, Xerox and Intel all discussing how they were going to build this network that they were going to use, and someone said, ‘. . . These are major US corporations conspiring in restraint of trade,’  . . .[so, we decided], ‘Why don’t we make it an open standard?’ . . .We created a project at IEEE and gave our standard to IEEE, and the IEEE project would made it a standard.” During the show, Bob talks about: The invention of Ethernet At what point Ethernet start evolving and becoming a standard How he thinks Ethernet and its subsequent incarnations are going to look like 40 years from now Some words of wisdom for the next generation of engineers What energy means to the Ethernet and vice versa Links of interest: Original IEEE Article and Video Wikipedia Robert Metcalfe Wikipedia Ethernet IEEE STandard 802.3

Guest: Laurent Maillet-Contoz, CAD Manager, STMicroelectronics Host: Karen Bartleson, Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. A virtual prototype can be a lonely thing unless it can play well with others. Integration of virtual prototypes requires using models from various sources. There must be model-to-model and as well as model-to-tool interoperability. Laurent shares how interoperability could be enhanced to enable a sustainable market for models and tools and provides a status on existing related standards. Laurent Maillet-Contoz: “It is difficult [for virtual prototypes to interoperate], because models which are used to create virtual prototypes  may  come from various sources. . .  If you do not have any standard, . . . you might decide to implement a model using your own specific interface, and I will select another choice, and in the end, it will not work. . . What we want is to ensure standard APIs so that models can compile and connect together and exchange information in a seamless way without adapters.  If we want to ensure full interoperability, we need to have standards that expose interfaces for all kinds of communications.” Laurent talks about: why it is difficult for virtual prototypes to interoperate. what goes into a standard that makes an interface that is interoperable. one of the most difficult challenges he has faced in getting virtual prototypes to work together. challenges that occur when you have models interoperate or interface with tools themselves. advice he would give to an young engineer who is just starting out in virtual protyping and dealing with interoperabity issues. Links of Interest: STMicroelectronics Accellera

Guest: Anupam Bakshi, CEO, Agnisys Host: Karen Bartleson, Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. Anupam Bakshi, CEO of Agnisys, shares why he believes EDA companies must collaborate or die. What is the big deal about collaboration? For a company like Agnisys, collaboration is a must because customers need working solutions and collaboration is how you get those. Anupam: “For a company like ours, collaboration is a must, because we provide solutions for the customers and when the solutions don’t work, then the customer complains, and we are out of business, so we have to collaborate.” During the show, Anupam talks about: •    Experiences he has encountered where collaboration would have solved a big problem •    At what point competitors draw the line between sharing information with each other and protecting their intellectual property •    Whether or not he feels smaller companies have a lot to lose in collaboration •    Shares what it takes to create a startup company in EDA •    How, from his perspective, small companies work to collaborate •    How a company deals with collaboration and different time zones •    The advice he would give to a young engineer who is first starting out Links of Interest: Agnisys

Guest: Amol Bhinge, Senior Verification Manager, Freescale Host:  Karen Bartleson, Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. As the size and complexity of SoC designs increase, a not-unexpected problem arises. Scaling the simulation environment to fit the demands of a state-of-the-art SoC requires skill, experience, creativity and collaborative innovations with EDA vendors. Amol Bhinge talks about how to overcome the never-ending obstacles facing SoC engineers today and tomorrow Amol Bhinge: “It is really becoming monstrous. The challenges are becoming . . . crazy. Chips are getting so complex in terms of size itself that it’s getting very difficult for the simulation environment and the verification environment . . . to catch up with design size. . . .When the next project comes, it’s three times bigger than the previous project.” During the show, Amol talks about: why he is passionate about scaling the simulation environment his most triumphant moment during the simulation of an SoC what he knows that might surprise someone who is very experienced in SoC simulation what he envisions verification of SoCs will look like 10 years from now Links of interest: Freescale

Guest: Sheela Pillai, Director of Verification, Altera Host: Yvette Huygen, Director Worldwide Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. With the spotlight on increasing complexity of microprocessors and SoCs, it’s tempting to think that FPGA verification isn’t so difficult. After all, FPGAs are much smaller so their challenges are smaller, too, right? Wrong. Sheela Pillai talks about why FPGA simulation is not only different from verifying other kinds of chips, but it comes with unique challenges that are no less daunting. Sheela Pillai: “FPGA design has changed quite a bit over the years, specifically for the last decade. It is becoming more and more realization to silicon. It is more hard IPs and functionalities integrated in silicon.” During the show, Sheela talks about: What makes the modern FPGA so challenging and complicated The most complicated challenge she has faced when dealing with FPGAs today The challenges she faces when introducing new FPGA methodologies and what she does to convince people to adopt them Her involvement in  interesting allocations that complex FPGAs have been used in Advice she would give to engineering students Her thoughts on whether or not the complex FPGA will become more complex in the future Links of Interest: Altera

Guest: Dr. David Z. Pan, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin Host: Karen Bartleson, Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. What is behind the advances in technology that we don’t always see as employees of EDA, semiconductor, and electronics companies? Research, of course. Universities continue to be a critical constituent in the evolution of our astonishing success. Dr. David Z. Pan tells us about the research his group undertakes in pushing the design-manufacturing envelope as they constantly look forward in technology. Dr. Pan: “Recently my group has been working quite a lot on pushing 3D-IC manufacturing issues and reliability issues. As we know for the time being, scaling is continuing. We have 14 nm and 10 nm on the horizon but ultimately the horizontal scaling stops and the vertical [must start].” Dr. Pan talks about: What is going on in his research group as they push the design envelope 3D-IC Extreme scaling A bio project that one of his PHD students worked on Self-assembly Nanophotonics Whether or not he thinks the next generation is being well prepared to enter the workforce and cary on the always-faster-moving world of technology Links of Interest: University of Texas at Austin

Guest: Scott Runner, Vice President of Engineering, Qualcomm Technologies Host:  Yvette Huygen, Director Worldwide Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. There are over 6 billion mobile connections, over 1 billion people access social media with their phones, 80% of users rely exclusively on their cellphones to take photos, 80% use their phones to navigate, a third watch movies on their phone.  The world is getter smaller, thanks to the dramatic improvements in communication technologies, devices, and policies. The future of global telecommunications is being enabled by design automation. That’s because underlying this socio-economic shift is the modern, unbelievably complex System-on-a-Chip (SoC). Scott Runner of Qualcomm Technologies Inc. discusses how mobility and integrated SoCs have helped the world advance through communications. Scott Runner: “What SoCs have fostered is the ability to integrate different disparate technologies that have enabled mobility. For example, the ability to integrate a modem technology that allows you to place a 4G LTE voice call, data call, while also playing video games and . . . be on a video call. You can do a lot of disparate things together on one platform with reasonable power without burning out your battery in a short period of time.  SoCs have enabled that.” During the show Scott discusses: Why he believes SoCs are at the heart of a very critical soci-economic shift that is taking place in how people communicate globally. Specifically how SoCs are impacting the shift. The next generation’s visions/ideas and whether or not they will be what drives what happens ongoing in communications and integration of SoCs. Whether or not people recognize and understand the importance of this topic. His perspective on what has to change and what technologies have to catch up and be imagined and created to help make this shift happen. What he thinks is going to happen in the next five to fifteen years that is intriguing in relation to this shift in in communications. Links of Interests: Qualcomm Technologies

Guest: Martin Barnasconi, Product manager / cluster leader AMS/RF system design methods, NXP Semiconductors Guest Host: Ed Sperling, Editor in Chief, System Level Design If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. Designing a mixed-signal chip isn’t a simple process, even at 140 nanometers. Designers have to tightly connect the analog, digital and software content on these chips, facing numerous challenges in order to get the architecture right the first time. In a conversation with Ed Sperling, Martin Barnasconi talks about how system-level verification, virtual prototyping and even analog IP reuse can play important roles in addressing these challenges, and about why it’s so important to cross the boundaries of analog, digital and software. Martin Barnasconi: “Systems are evolving, and whether you like it or not software will control your radio function…We need tools where software and digital and analog hardware come together.” In this show, Martin talks about: The challenges of tightly connecting analog, digital and even software content on mixed signal chips: Functional and system-level verification Multi-chip solutions Whether the digital or analog side of creating mixed-signal chips is more painful Time-to-market pressures and what they could mean for the reuse of analog IP The possibility of prototyping in the analog space The need to deal with different competencies, whether you are an analog, digital or software designer Links of Interest: NXP Semiconductors System Level Design

Guests: Hamid Mahmoodi, Associate Professor of Computer Engineering, San Francisco State University; Rhonda Simmons, Director, Workforce Development, Office of Economic and Workforce Development, City and County of San Francisco; Dan Stoner, Recruiter, “Minister of Possibilities”, Bay Area Video Coalition Host: Karen Bartleson, Senior Directory, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. In an offline conversation, Professor Hamid Mamoodi mentioned a new and growing program called TechSF. In a nutshell, we learned that TechSF was a program started by the City of San Francisco to equip San Francisco residents with the skills to work in tech. Since the tech industry is near and dear to our hearts, we wanted to learn more about TechSF. We traveled up to San Francisco to the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), one of TechSF’s program partners, to find out more about this fascinating program from Hamid Mahmoodi, Rhonda Simmons, and Dan Stoner. Quotes from the show: Dan: TechSF was set up [by the mayor’s office] to help support the tech sector in San Francisco . . . [and to] support job seekers and hiring managers and put the two together in a unique way. Rhonda: We try to focus on individuals . . . that may not typically engage in technology: women, various ethnic groups, populations that are poorly represented in the field. Our focus is to outreach, do recruitment and really try to target individuals that may or may not understand the industry and know how to get into it. [TechSF also targets] . . . folks that need a certain amount of retraining . . . Hamid: San Francisco State University is one of the many partners involved in this project. We are on the education side. . . . Our role is to ensure that our graduates obtain the skill that is demanded of them in the marketplace in the tech industry. We try to achieve this goal by working with the [TechSF] partners and the tech industry [itself] to understand what the skills are, what the current trends are and then see which of those are lacking in the curriculum. Then, we try to bridge the gap by introducing project based learning opportunities to our students. In this show, you will learn: What TechSF is How to sign up for the BAVC program How long TechSF has been in place, where it stands now, and where the City of San Francisco would like the program to be in the next year About success stories How companies, universities, communities, and individuals can support TechSF Links of Interest: TechSF Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) San Francisco State University From left: Karen Bartleson, Hamid Mamoodi, Rhonda Simmons, and Dan Stoner

*This show was recorded in December, 2012. Guest: Chris King, Chair, Smart Energy Demand Coalition Host: Karen Bartleson, Senior Directory, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. Chris King, Chair of the Smart Energy Demand Coalition, is a luminary on Smart Grid. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition, the Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid, the U.S. Demand Response National Action Plan Coalition, and Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative. What is Smart Grid? Chris says, “The Smart Grid is really what the Smart Grid does not was the Smart Grid is. [It’s about] what benefits it brings. It brings energy savings, peak demand reduction, more renewable energy, cleaner energy, [and] more convenience to consumers. The technical definition is ‘adding sensors, controllers and meters.’” In short, what the Smart Grid is varies from consumer to consumer, because it boils down to how people individually utilize the technology. During the show, Chris talks about What Smart Grid is. The SmartMeter and Smart Grid technology as a whole. Where Smart Grid technology exists today. Whether or not Smart Grid technology invades personal privacy and causes heath issues. The possibility of a global Smart Grid and whether or not challenges exist for emerging countries. *This show was recorded in December, 2012. Links of Interest: Smart Energy Demand Coalition Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid U.S. Demand Response National Action Plan Coalition Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative SmartMeter Green Button Blue Button

Guest: Russ Housley, Former* Chair, Internet Engineering Task Force Host: Karen Bartleson, Sr. Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. Have you ever wondered how the Internet works? It is organizations like the Internet Engineering Task Force that make the Internet function as such an interconnected part of our everyday lives. Russ Housley, Former* Chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force, joined us on Conversation Central to give us a look at the work behind the Internet. Russ Housley: “The Internet is both a technological thing and a sociological thing.” During the show, Russ talks about What the Internet is and how it works The voluntary standards produced by the IETF A couple of the widely deployed and widely successful Internet standards The secret to making the IETF work when there is no voting within the organization Rough consensus and running code His proudest moments so far with the IETF What he sees for the future of the Internet *Update (3/21/13): Russ Housley is now the Chair of the Internet Architecture Board Links of interest: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Internet Society (ISOC) Internet Architecture Board (IAB) Five Principles of OpenStand

Guests: Stan Krolikoski, General Chair, DVCon; Distinguished Engineer, Cadence Design Systems, and Dr. Ambar Sarkar, Technical Program Chair, DVCon; Chief Verification Technologist, Paradigm Works Host: Yvette Huygen, Director, Worldwide Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. If you will be in the San Francisco Bay Area from February 15th – February 25th, join other design and verification experts at the 2013 Design and Verification Conference (DVCon). We paid an early visit to the Double Tree hotel in San Jose CA, the home of DVCon 2013, to talk to two of its key organizers, Stan Krolikoski and Ambar Sarkar, about DVCon’s rich history and future. Stan is the General Chair and Ambar is the Technical Program Chair of this year’s DVCon, which is sponsored by Accellera. They are energized about what you can expect and look forward to at the conference. Stan: “They key [of DVCon] is imparting knowledge. I want the newbie who comes, who is just starting out in design and verification, to learn a lot.  I want someone like Ambar to come around and get just one nugget out of the conference that makes him say, ‘I could use that I work.’” Ambar: “In my profession, I’m a consultant, and I work with the whole spectrum of people who are at different levels of maturity. I can honestly say (and this is what excites me) to each and every one on of my customers: You can go to DVCon and learn something from the conference . . . ” During the show, Ambar and Stan talk about: • What led DVCon to its 25th year • A surprise ending to a near-disaster: a no-show speaker • The culture of DVCon • What is exciting about the upcoming conference Links of interest: DVCon Accellera Ambar Sarkar, Yvette Huygen and Stan Krolikoski

Guest: Sheldon Reynolds, Former Lead Guitarist of Earth, Wind & Fire Host: Karen Bartleson, Sr. Director, Community Marketing, Synopsys Inc. If your browser doesn’t support Flash, click here to download the show and play it locally. We packed our bags and headed down to Los Angeles, California where Sheldon Reynolds welcomed us into his recording studio. Sheldon is best known as the Former Lead Guitarist of Earth, Wind & Fire. Have you ever wondered if we are alone in this universe? With influences like Star Trek, Star Wars, and modern Sci-Fi shows, the human race has taken quite an interest in the possibility. Recently, Sheldon has started a project called The Search for Life. His interest in the possibility of life outside of our planet spurred a desire in him to support organizations and companies that have a hand is searching for extraterrestrials. Organizations like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)  and companies like Synopsys are just two examples. Sheldon Reynolds: “Hearing a signal from somewhere else would at least bring a certain amount of curiosity. It answers a lot of questions. I grew up being the one who wanted to know the origins of life. . . .  It’s always been a part of my life, and I just wanted to share that with people. . . . I wanted to be someone who helps . . . to bring a higher sense of conciousness to everybody.” During his show, Sheldon talks about: The Search for Life Project How organizations like SETI are searching for life. What will happen if we find a signal that we believe is from extraterrestrial intelligence. Whether or not we are sending out signals into space. What inspired Sheldon to get involved with the search for life outside our planet. How you can get involved and support The Search for Life. If you are interested in supporting the Search for Life Project, click below to donate and watch a short video by Sheldon.   Links of Interest: The SETI Institute Sheldon Reynold’s Website Donate to The Search for Life Project