This is a continuation of A Cadence Carol... before reading this post, be sure to have read the first four installments! Stave I: Moore’s Ghost, Part I and Part II Stave II: The First of the Three Spirits, Part I and Part II * * * * * Awaking in the middle of a prodigiously tough snore, and sitting up in bed to get his thoughts together, Ben Easer had no occasion to be told that the bell was striking two. He felt that he was restored to consciousness in the right nick of time, for the special purpose of holding a conference with the second messenger. But finding that he turned uncomfortably cold when he began to wonder which form the new Spectre would take, he established a sharp lookout all around the bed. I don’t mind telling you that he was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances, and that nothing between a baby and rhinoceros would have astonished him very much. Now, being prepared for anything, he was not by any means prepared for nothing, and consequently, when the bell struck Two and no shape appeared, he was taken with a violent fit of trembling. Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen went by, yet nothing came. Finally, he picked up the television remote, to see what he could see if by shaking it he could somehow persuade whatever spirit was going to appear to do so. No sooner had he picked it up then the television flickered on and he heard his name come forth from the screen and bade him enter. He obeyed. He was in his own room. There was no doubt about that. But it had undergone a surprising transformation. The walls and ceiling were so hung with lines of code, in every computer language he could think of. There were laptops of every kind strewn about the room, running simulations, and, as he could best tell, running verification of every sort of design imaginable. Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne of servers, mobile devices, and smart electronics were blueprints and designs of every kind, processors and memory modules to make his head spin. On the wall hung an image of a silvery palace with a strange perspective with no ceilings . In easy state upon the throne sat a jolly, tall Giant with black hair, glorious to see, who bore a bottle of what looked to be a glowing protein shake. He held it up, high up, to shed its light on Ben, as he came peeping round the door. “Come in!” exclaimed the Ghost. “Come in! and know me better!” Ben entered timidly and hung his head before the Spirit. “I… I… was expecting you at 2:00…” he said, for want of something to say. “I am on California time,” said the Giant, “and I know you are, too, for I have done my homework!” said the Spirit, in a surprisingly gentle tone. For the Spirit wore the face of Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Cadence , with sparkling eyes and a genial grin, and doing one’s homework is what the spirit of Lip-Bu Tan is all about. The Spirit wore long, green robes and gloves , with an indigo-colored scarf wrapped around his neck multiple times and flowing onto the floor. Behind him was a white horse with wings , wearing a gold bridle inlaid with green and multicolored stones and jewels. Ben stared at him, slack-jawed, for a moment. “I am the Ghost of EDA Tools Present,” said the Spirit. “I bet you have never seen anyone like me, before!” he exclaimed. “Never,” said Ben, meaning it. “Have you never walked forth with the other members of my work family?” “I don’t think that I have,” said Ben. “I am afraid I have not. Have you many brothers and sisters, Spirit?” “More than seven thousand, worldwide,” said the Ghost. “A tremendous work family to provide for,” muttered Ben. The Ghost of EDA Tools Present raised his protein shake. “When innovation goes hand-in-hand with drive and one-family mindset, the resources make themselves available,” said the Spirit. “Why, look at the Warriors. They all work together as a unit, and…” “I don’t follow basketball,” Ben sniffed. The ghost rose to his full height. “There’s your problem,” he said. “Spirit,” said Ben, submissively, “conduct me where you will. I went forth earlier on compulsion, and I learned a lesson which is working now. If you have aught to teach me, let me profit by it.” “Touch my sash,” as the ghost held out the tie to his robes. Ben did as he was told, and held it fast. The room vanished immediately. The two, ghost and Ben, were conveyed and yet without wind to offices upon offices. The sight of men and women working steadily behind their computers and in conference rooms interested the ghost very much, for he stood with Ben beside him in the doorways, and as they passed, the ghost sprinkled dust from his protein shake bottle. As he did so, the recipients’ eyes lit up with a new idea, with a new way to solve each problem, and then they redoubled their efforts. As they passed a conference room that was filled with the diverse members of a team in Silicon Valley and the different accents of the team were raised in conflict, the Spirit of Lip-Bu Tan pulled a water bottle from the depths of his robe and sprinkled droplets of water on the whiteboards and conference tables, and good humor was restored to all, with new ideas flowing as the water flowed from his inexhaustible water bottle. “Is there a particular flavor in what you sprinkle from your bottles?” asked Ben. “There is. My own.” “Would it apply to any kind of engineering problem on this day?” asked Ben. “To any open to receive it. To an innovative mind, most.” “And why is that, Spirit?” “Because it needs it most.” ...to be continued... stay tuned for Part II! ---Meera![]()
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