GSA Awards Dinner: Be Mindful!

The GSA Awards Dinner is the semiconductor version of the Oscars. Lights, cameras, and there is certainly plenty of action. This year there were close to 1,500 people to celebrate the semiconductor industry and all of our accomplishments so it is a networker’s paradise. Quite a few people mentioned purchasing our new book and photos were requested so I’m enjoying another 15 minutes of fame but I digress…

First there was the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award presented which I always look forward to. This year it went to Mr. Ming-Kai (MK) Tsai, Chairman and CEO of MediaTek which was well deserved. We included MediaTek in our book “Mobile Unleashed” so I know the full story of how MediaTek became one of the top fabless semiconductor companies. I have also worked with MediaTek over the years and if I had to pick one word to describe MK’s secret of success it would be “mindful”. He is mindful of his humble beginnings, he is mindful of his employees, he is mindful of his customers, his company, and his country. Again, this award was well deserved.

“I greatly appreciate receiving the highest honor from these undisputed experts on the semiconductor industry,” said Chairman Tsai. “I share this honor with my colleagues at MediaTek. This award validates the success so far of our mission to help connect the world’s next billion middle class people.”

The video tribute was also very good and I hope it is made public. One person on the video that stands out as both highly intelligent and incredibly articulate is of course Synopsys Chairman Aart de Geus. And if you have ever spoken to him in person you will know that this is his normal speech pattern. EDA is fortunate to have Aart, absolutely.

You can see the rest of the award recipients HERE.

Next was the keynote which I always look forward to but unfortunately this one was a bit unsettling, for me anyway. General Stan McChrystal, Former Commander of U.S. and International Forces and Author of Best-Sellers Team of Teams and My Share of the Task, talked about integrating intelligence and operations which revolutionized the way counter-terrorism operations are approached. The General used the hunt and subsequent death of Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as an example. The US Military hunted him down and dropped two 500lb bombs on a “safe house” where he was meeting with his spiritual adviser.

Naturally the following dinner conversation gravitated towards domestic terrorism and for that I also have one word and that is “mindful”. Politicians will not solve this problem. “Eye for an eye” responses will not solve this problem. Arming our citizens with handguns will not solve this problem. Building walls literally or figuratively will not solve this problem. How do people amass weapons, high capacity cartridges, ammunition, bomb making materials, Kevlar vests and leggings without someone knowing? Please be mindful and remember this is nothing new:

14 dead, 21 wounded: San Bernardino, Calif.
3 dead; 9 injured, Colorado Springs, Colo.
9 dead, 9 injured: Roseburg, Ore.
5 dead, 3 wounded: Chattanooga, Tenn.
9 dead: Charleston, S.C.
6 dead, 7 wounded: Isla Vista, Calif.
3 killed; 16 injured: Ft. Hood, Texas
12 killed, 3 injured: Washington, D.C.
5 killed: Santa Monica, Calif.
27 killed, one injured: Newtown, Conn.
3 dead, 4 injured: Brookfield, Wis.
6 killed, 2 injured: Minneapolis, Minn.
6 killed, 3 injured: Oak Creek, Wis.
12 killed, 58 injured: Aurora, Colo.
7 killed, 3 injured: Oakland, Calif
8 killed, 1 injured: Seal Beach, Calif.
6 killed, 11 injured: Tucson, Ariz.
8 killed, 2 injured: Manchester, Conn.
3 killed, 3 wounded: Huntsville, Ala.
13 killed, 32 injured: Ft. Hood, Texas
13 killed, 4 injured: Binghamton, N.Y.
5 killed, 16 injured: Dekalb, Ill.
8 killed, 4 injured: Omaha, Nebraska
32 killed, 17 injured: Blacksburg, Va.
5 killed, 4 injured: Salt Lake City
5 killed, 5 injured: Nickel Mines, Pa.
6 dead: Goleta, Calif.
9 killed, 7 injured: Red Lake, Minn.
5 killed, 9 injured: Meridian, Miss.
3 killed: Tucson, Arizona
2 killed, 13 injured: Santee, Calif.
7 killed: Wakefield, Mass.
7 killed: Honolulu, Hawaii
7 killed, 7 injured: Fort Worth, Texas
9 killed, 12 injured: Atlanta, Georgia
13 killed, 24 injured: Columbine, Colo.
5 killed, 10 injured: Jonesboro, Ark.
6 killed, 19 injured: Garden City, N.Y.
8 killed, 6 injured: San Francisco, Calif.
4 killed, 10 wounded: Olivehurst, Calif.
4 killed, 2 injured: Iowa City, Iowa
22 killed, 20 wounded: Killeen, Texas
10 killed, 4 wounded: Jacksonville, Fla.
5 killed, 29 injured; Stockton, Calif.
14 killed, 6 wounded: Edmond, Okla.
21 killed, 19 wounded: San Ysidro, Calif.