Depending on the terms of the sale, there will likely be a short-term boost to the bottom line of both SAIC and Leidos which may help ease the transition to two companies, at least in the eyes of shareholders. This boost won’t last. The present dismemberment of SAIC is a great disappointment to me; it is very difficult for me to watch.

– Bob

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This work could have implications for improvements in the area of fuel efficiency. I hope to have the opportunity to meet Katherine when I return to Michigan this fall for Homecoming.

* * *

I see that J. Craig Venter Institute recently announced a gift that Betty and I made to the organization. The gift will be used to help complete construction of the Institute’s sustainable laboratory and programs in microbial genomics in marine environments.

It’s no secret that I have long been an admirer of Craig and the work that his talented team is doing on a variety of scientific fronts. It is good to see this kind of pure scientific research being done here in San Diego, and I look forward to seeing the results of their work.

– Bob

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The FED has set up a Twitter account for the NSI book. If you are interested in tracking our progress, you’ll find us at @NSIBook.

* * *

Like everyone else this past week, I was shocked by the news of the Boston Marathon bombing, and I send my condolences to those with friends and family who were killed or injured. If it turns out that the perpetrators acted alone and not in direct contact with any foreign groups, then this kind of terrorist attack is extremely difficult to detect in advance and prevent.

Unfortunately, there are many people out there who wish to do our nation and our people harm. We cannot possibly prevent every single incident, though our track record since 9/11 has been a good one.

I saw on the news that two men were arrested today in Canada for plotting a terrorist attack against the Canadian railway. In this case, there was direction and guidance from al-Quida, which made detection possible before the terrorists could act.

– Bob

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Tony seems to me like he’s a good leader and I think he has a good chance of making the new SAIC successful. I believe the company is going to be in good hands, and I am glad for that. I wish Tony well in the difficult task he is taking on.

* * *

Betty and I were very sorry to get the news that our longtime friend Ed Frieman passed away last week. Ed was a theoretical physicist who served for some time as the director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography here in La Jolla, as well as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy.

Ed was a highly sought-after and respected advisor to the Departments of Defense and Energy and the intelligence community. Our nation will sorely miss his unbiased guidance on the physical sciences. He was a wonderful human being, and we wish his wife Joy and the rest of Ed’s family our deepest condolences.

– Bob

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The FED has posted highlights of the eleven screenings in nine cities on Facebook. The FED and Passage Productions were also at We the Owners first public film festival, located in San Luis Obispo. Photos and highlights can be seen on the Facebook page.

From what I have heard from my daughter, interest in the film, and in employee ownership, was high. The Ohio Employee Ownership Center ran a cover story in the organization’s Spring 2013 issue of Owners @ Work in the form of a Q&A with Mary Ann about the film, how it came about, and what the FED hopes to achieve with it. I think you will find it of interest.

* * *

According to a Washington Post article, nuclear energy in this country is again suffering a decline, mostly as a result of the high cost of building and maintaining nuclear facilities, and ongoing public concerns about safety. The safety issue was recently brought home for us here in San Diego when the San Onofre nuclear plant north of the city was shut down some time ago due to a release of radioactive gas and the discovery of unexpected wear to the metal tubes that carry water within the reactor steam generators.

I suspect that concerns about the safety of nuclear reactors in general can be solved, but it will be very expensive and difficult to attain in today’s economy. I would like to see nuclear power become a dominant force in our country, but the struggle may be too much, at least for the foreseeable future.

– Bob

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In another recent announcement, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation named the winners of its Marine Microbiology Initiative investigator awards. One of the 16 award recipients included Andy Allen, an outstanding young scientist who works with the J. Craig Venter Institute. A few years ago Andy and his team conducted ocean sampling from my boat Solutions off the coast of San Diego and they made some interesting discoveries.

I congratulate both of these researchers for their accomplishments.

* * *
A few weeks ago I received an interesting letter from Professor Bradford Orr, chair of the Department of Physics at the University of Michigan. Bradford brought me up to date with some of the important work that his department is doing in a variety of different areas, including an exploration of dark matter using a 1.4 GHz radio telescope, work on the ATLAS particle physics experiment at CERN — which observed a new particle in July 2012 consistent with the Higgs boson predicted by the Standard Model of physics — and much more. I look forward to hearing more about what the Department of Physics is up to during the course of the upcoming year.

– Bob

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– Bob

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The North Koreans are definitely bad guys — this can’t be changed. I believe we must do everything we can do diplomatically to make it difficult for the North Koreans to move their weapons program forward.

In addition, I believe that we should strengthen our defenses against the possibility of a North Korean attack. While the country still has a long way to go before they can mount a serious attack against the U.S. mainland, we must begin preparations for this possibility now.

* * *

I have been interested to see that the U.S. Senate is holding up confirmation of John Brennan for director of the CIA, apparently until certain senators get clarification about the Obama Administration’s policy on using drones to kill Americans within the boundaries of the United States. My understanding is that our Constitution prohibits this, so I am surprised that this is even a question.

However, the use of drones by the military, police, and government within our country is coming under increased scrutiny, with some lawmakers outlawing or curtailing their use for a variety of purposes. For example, in Charlottesville, Virginia, the police are prohibited from using evidence gathered by drones in criminal cases, and the mayor of Seattle recently banned the use of drones by the city’s police department.

I personally believe that police agencies should be able to use drones to collect evidence just as they use aircraft and other assets to do the same task now. I don’t really see any difference.

– Bob

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The other four women honored were Marye Anne Fox, Joan Jacobs, Jeanne Jones, and Darlene Shiley. The idea behind the Go Red for Women campaign is to publicize the fact that heart disease is the #1 killer of women and that more research is desperately needed.

I have included some photos from the event, including the five honorees, Betty and the rest of my family, and Zandra Rhodes.

– Bob

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I found Schmidt’s assertions particularly interesting because they echo an interview that I conducted in 2008 with Internet pioneer Vint Cerf while we were doing research for our upcoming book Names, Numbers, and Network Solutions. At the time, Vint was concerned that the Internet could fragment as governments struggled to assert control over the Internet within their borders. It appears that Vint’s prediction may very well come true, and this development concerns me.

* * *

I also read an article about the recent FCC proposal to create nationwide super WiFi networks. The networks would be very powerful and they would be provided to the public free of charge.

While the proposal has gained much support from companies that would directly benefit from increased Internet use, including Google and Microsoft, I am not surprised that the wireless industry, which makes billions of dollars each year in Internet access fees, is up in arms and is trying to kill the proposal. Although I am no fan of increased government spending, I do believe that this proposal has merit.

– Bob

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