We continue to work to move the book on Network Solutions and the Internet forward. For those of you familiar with the story of the origins of the Internet, you know that DARPA (then called ARPA, the Advanced Research Projects Agency) created the computer network that led to its development. I am an admirer of DARPA and the people who work within the organization to push forward defense and defense-related technologies.

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The recent events in Iran have also drawn my interest. It appears that protests for and against the re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are gaining in momentum and violence is quickly increasing, with thousands of Iranians in the streets. While it is possible that this unrest will lead to the eventual election of a president who is more interested in Iran’s becoming a responsible member of the global community, it could also be the beginning of a new wave of repression against the Iranian people. I hope that this glimmer of freedom gives the Iranian people the strength they need to rid themselves of the tyranny they have been living under since their Islamic Revolution in 1979. That would indeed be a good thing for Iran, and for the rest of the world.

At the same time, things seem to be heating up in North Korea again, with much saber rattling and threats of new missile and nuclear bomb tests. It seems to me that the world is increasingly unstable. This will present the Obama administration — which is already weighed down with the economic meltdown and domestic policy concerns — with additional challenges that will make it increasingly difficult for us to keep close attention to all of the problems we face in the world today.

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Friday is the vote on the change in SAIC’s preferred stock program. I personally believe that each of the affected shareholders should contact their financial advisors and then make up their minds themselves. I made a decision on the matter, but I’d rather not tell you what it was.

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Last Monday I was visited by my old friend Don Hicks, who lives in Newport Beach. I am really pleased that he and I have been able to establish a business relationship since he is one of my favorite people and he was a big contributor to the SAIC board for many years. If any of you know Don, I’m sure he would like to hear from you.

Last Tuesday I was visited by John Evey and Andy Young from the Venter Institute. They would like to use my boat Solutions for a series of monthly Pacific Ocean samplings at various locations they’ve been studying for a number of years in the Southern California Bight area. This would involved sampling trips twice a month for two years. They will be looking to see what viruses and bacteria are in the ocean and what concentrations they can detect of other biological species such as diatoms.

– Bob