Mergers & Acquisitions are hardly rare in the world of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) or Computer Aided Design (CAD). Indeed, seldom does a quarter pass without one Electronic Design Automation (EDA) vendor buying another. The same is true in the Mechanical CAE and Mechanical CAD/PLM industries. Indeed, being acquired by one of the top three vendors in EDA or in MCAD is a favorite exit strategy for small start-ups that develop a specialized or breakthrough technology. This exit path is especially attractive as the IPO market for venture-backed companies dries up.While EDA companies usually buy smaller EDA companies, and MCAD companies likewise, it’s not unheard of for crossover to occur. For example, MCAE vendor ANSYS recently acquired EDA vendor ANSOFT.More unusual, however, is for one of the leading EDA or MCAD vendor companies to acquire one of the other members of their respective oligopolies.Such a possibility recently surfaced in the news, wherein CADENCE (San Jose, CA) is reportedly pursuing MENTOR GRAPHICS...

Richard MacNeal (the "M" in MSC) has sold his company to MSC. Read the press release here.

But before you go there, you might want to head over here, and download the new Cyon Research report on the MCAE market, to gain a better understanding of the terrain in this realm. The report is free.

The latest the AP-Ipsos survey results are just in, measured in mid-June. And guess what! More Americans than ever say the country is going in the wrong direction! Seventy six percent (76%) now say the country is definitely on the wrong track. That's up from 71% in April and 66% near the end of 2007.Some 17% still (inexplicably) insist that the country is going in the right direction. That’s the lowest percentage of die-hards ever recorded by the survey.The overall level of US pessimism is the worst in almost 30 years, worse than Bush 43’s first recession, worse than Bush 41’s recession, and worse than Reagan’s economic dips. Consumer confidence alone is now the lowest it’s been in 28 years. Most blame the current rising food and gas prices, falling home values and unending war. Imagine that! Asked about Bush 43’s handling of the US economy, 72% said they disapproved."For the average American, everything's going wrong. I think there's a lot of reasons for households to be pessimistic," said Mark Zandi, chief economist...

I'm at SuperNova 2008, in San Francisco. Here are some of the session topics:The Theory and Practice of Networks • Does Telecom Have a Future? • Networked Business Models • Whose Social Graph? • The Internet is People: What We Know, and What it Means • Cyberspace Constitutional Moments • The Meaning of Openness • All the World’s a Game: What the Web can Learn from Virtual Worlds • Liquid Conversations and Distributed Content • Going Green: Toward a More Sustainable Technology Industry • Who is Driving Marketing Innovation? • Monetization for Today’s Internet… and Tomorrow’s • Wireless Disruption • Privacy and Security in the Network Age • Does the Media Get the Message? "The shift to network-based computing, services, business processes, marketing, entertainment, social relationships, connectivity, and culture will challenge our assumptions about how the world works. Those who fail to appreciate the complex implications are at risk. Those who can take...

Friday June 06, 2008 marked the latest low point in the steadily sinking US economy of Bush 43’s second recession, with a one-day triple dose of bad news. Ongoing unregulated speculation and still more Middle East tensions (e.g. an Israeli official threatened military action against Iran's nuclear installations) drove the price of a barrel of crude oil to a record level above $138, up 13% in just two days. On June 06 alone, crude-oil prices spiked $10.75, the largest one-day gain ever recorded. Regular gas, now at a record $4.00 per gallon average across the country, will surely and quickly follow the oil spike (CA regular is already at $4.40 per gallon). Ordinary US citizens are not the only ones being squeezed. Truckers and airlines are also suffering. Indeed, any businesses that use raw materials made from oil, like tires, toiletries, paper towels, bath tissues, plastic packaging, paint, mobile phones, light bulbs, cushions, mattresses, car seats, carpets, steering wheels, polyesters, computer screens, etc.,...

The most recent blog entry in this space dealt with Topic #4 from the following May 29 news list:   1. Scott McClellan’s new memoir about the Bush 43 White House   2. Bear Stearns disappearing into JP Morgan Chase   3. SPAM sales on the rise   4. Q1 GDP being revised up from 0.6% to 0.9%Today we’ll tackle Topic #2.On May 29, 2008, Bear Stearns and JPMorgan Chase announced that the stockholders of Bear Stearns, at a special May 29 meeting, approved the merger with JPMorgan Chase. Approximately 84% of shares voted in favor. The merger closed on May 30, 2008. Each outstanding share of Bear Stearns common stock was converted into 0.21753 shares of JPMorgan Chase common stock, and Bear Stearns became a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase. Also, the NY Federal Reserve Bank and JPMorgan Chase agreed that they will complete the previously-announced sale of $30 billion of assets by subsidiaries of Bear Stearns and the related financing on or about June 26, 2008, a time period “to help ensure the smooth transfer of this large...