SiliconBeat

Do we smell a bottom? (Pun unintended, but apt nonetheless.)

As the downsizing of the American dream continues, we noticed this Reuters story in our in-box:

Asia, Mideast to unleash “go west” property drive

Here’s a quote from the story, which, like a drop of water, seems to contain a world within it:

“Instead of talking about emerging markets in Asia, now emerging markets could be in the U.S.,” said Yu Lai Boon, chief investment officer of Dubai World, a state-owned investment firm. “As investors in the Middle East, we’re seriously looking at the U.S. and European markets right now as the beginning of investment for the next golden era.”

Could this be what our appetite for cheap foreign stuff and expensive oil, coupled with a manic housing market, has wrought: foreign buyers for our real estate. That should please The Blackstone Group, at the very least.

There’s been a lot of huffing and puffing over the recent passage of a compromise bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, commonly referred to as “FISA.” Opponents are particularly annoyed that the bill would grant immunity to the telephone companies if they cooperate with the government’s program of warrant-less wiretapping.

I’m still trying to understand the issue here better, though my gut tells me that the telephone companies are getting off too easy.

Adding to that gut feeling was this analysis from MAPlight.org on political contributions from telcoes to lawmakers, particularly those who changed their votes to favor the bill. According to MAPlight.org:

“Ninety-four House Democrats voted in favor of this measure–rejecting immunity–on March 14, then ‘changed’ to vote in favor of the June 20 House bill–approving immunity.

And why did those 94 change their votes. Surely it couldn’t be for money. Could it? Read the rest of this entry »

Google finally named a replacement for its outgoing chief financial officer, George Reyes. He is Patrick Pichette who comes to the search juggernaut after seven years at Bell Canada.

So how do you make a new top executive feel at home at his new job where he will be surrounded by people who are probably a whole lot richer than he is? Read the rest of this entry »

Alliance Fiber Optics Products, the Sunnyvale supplier of fiber optic components, raised its guidance Wednesday on sales for its second quarter set to end June 30. The company said it expects to report net sales above $10 million, higher than the $9.5 million it had predicted two months ago. The company said that quarterly profits “are expected to improve significantly, compared with the year ago quarter, as well.” The company attributed the improvements to “stronger than expected bookings from key customers.”

Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang and Chairman Roy Bostock explained why they found their company’s new agreement with Google “so exciting” in a letter to shareholders Wednesday. But the bottom line of the communication was to urge them to vote AGAINST the dissident slate of directors being nominated by Carl Icahn. We quote herewith: Read the rest of this entry »

Asyst Technologies, the Fremont chip-making equipment manufacturer, said that it received word that a hedge fund run by Bryant Riley intends to nominate its own slate of six directors to “in an attempt to gain control of Asyst’s Board of Directors,” according to a press release put out by Asyst Wednesday afternoon. If elected, the new directors “intend to sell (Asyst) through an auction process” according to the release. Read the rest of this entry »

Proxim Wireless reported in a filing today that it was “advised” last Friday by its accountants, Fitzgerald, Snyder & Co., that it was resigning. The reason? It seems that the “engagement” partner at the firm who handles Proxim’s account, is leaving. Proxim also announced that it hired a new accounting firm, Mark Bailey & Co., with which, Proxim says neither it nor anyone on its behalf consulted over the last two-and-a-half years.

We wondered whether Read the rest of this entry »

The personal computer combined with the Internet changed everything. right? That seems to be one of the most essential maxims of the “new” economy. If you buy that, then this breathless release about “Groundbreaking Engagement Research” will be further proof of your worldview.

It seems that MTV Networks and Harris Interactive co-operated on “new” research that “reveals a critical companion metric to measuring audience size, pioneering a new way for advertising brands to target the most engaged and valuable audiences.”

The study “provides empirical evidence that” — are you sitting down? Read the rest of this entry »

I have a column in the Mercury News today about Mike Homer’s battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and the social media and networking campaign started by the UCSF Memory and Aging Center.

For those who want to know more, or get involved, here a few more relevant links: Read the rest of this entry »

Genelabs Technologies announced that it was notified last week by Gilead Sciences that it was terminating their research collaboration into a hepatitis C drug treatment. The license and research collaboration agreement between the companies was signed in September 2004. Under it, Gilead paid Genelabs a nonrefundable $8 million upfront payment and provided $11.2 million in research funding during the first three years of the agreement. Read the rest of this entry »