- Saturday, 28 November 2009
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A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject - Winston Churchill
Micron's spud king is dead
THE MAN behind Micron, potato billionaire Billionaire J.R. Simplot has died. He was 99.
Simplot, who was big man in spuds, made it to number 80 on Forbes magazine's 2006 list of richest Americans, with an estimated wealth of $3.2 billion.
In 1971, Simplot decided to put some of the money he had made flogging potatos in a little outfit called Micron, which wanted to make computer chips. He spent more than 20 million on a manufacturing plant and helped it to become a major producer of DRAM memory chips. He did not make as much money out of Micron as he did out of being the man who flogged chips to MacDonalds.
The rabid anti-smoker would pay employees $200 to quit smoking and even flew a couple of employees around schools exhibiting black lungs in bottles.
That, along with his distaste of alcohol, he credited for his long, active life. µ
L'Inq
AP
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Giacomo Bologna (pretty famous italian wine-maker) used to say:
“Costruitevi una cantina ampia, spaziosa e ben aerata, rallegratela di tante belle bottiglie queste ritte e quelle coricate da considerare con occhio amico nelle sere di primavera, estate, autunno e inverno, sogghignando al pensiero di quell’uomo senza canti e senza suoni, senza donne e senza vino, 
che dovrebbe vivere una decina d’anni più di voi”.
which is:
"Build an ample cellar, with lots of space and well aired, and fill it with many nice bottles, some standing and the others laying on a side. And consider them with a friendly eye in the evening. at spring time, summer time, autumn time, winter time, and chuckle, thinking of that man (who has no songs, no sounds, no women, no wine) that should live some 10 years longer than you will......
Sometimes people just walk in to borrow phone & test My memory. Real War is between Cheez-its & Pringles.

BTW: Thomas Stewart is NO Guy, if Guy at all. Also I believe theINQ uses abreviated form of American, So Go Learn That.Charlie Bashing is too Easy & Sad.GAME ON!

Back when Micron started, simple 4004 processor cost $2,000, So question is: why wern't there More Sideline Mgs? Well, maybe because of Multi Billions wasted by too hopeful of Consumers, 
NO One changed Much of anything (compared to mainframe cpu) for 20 years. King is Dead, yet lived to see realization of all Kings Dream. Long Live FOUR gigahertz.
TS Drashek
I lived in Idaho in the 60's, when Simplot would take two bulldozers with a log chain stretched between them & chain a new potato patch from the sagebrush, scaring the hell out of a bunch of jackrabbits. He would irrigate with water from the Snake river. Looks like the old boy finally had to cash in his chips, though.