Pat, wasn't Jim's response the the greatest!!! I'm going to show his response to all my relatives and friends in New Jersey.
Yes, it was fabulous! Thanks, JW!
In fact, last night I decided to go back to the archives to re-read that infamous post I did on the Motley Fool that eventually showed up on SI and caused so much debate.
The only prediction on that list that didn't materialize was Telstra and that was a political decision completely outside Amati's influence.
What brought us together here on SI was the excitement of learning a new technology, an odyssey that transcended the desire for money to one where knowledge and understanding were the driving force. To borrow a figure from mythology, Amati was the golden ring, the object that powered the search. All the essential characters were present: heros, heroines, antagonists, tricksters, and every sort of hanger-on you can imagine: the maimed, angry, hurt, petty, funny, witty, selfish, brilliant . . . There was music, poetry, philosophy, debate --- qualities that drew us together beyond our need to know.
Great works of fiction are either character driven or story driven. Once in awhile they're both as in War and Peace. I think if it were written the Amati story would reveal it was driven by the story --- the emergence of ADSL/DMT as the superior bandwidth technology --- and by character --- the brilliant professor without a genius for management, the aggressive manager without a gift for leadership, the second-in-command whose damage control reached Nobel Prize proportions, and dozens of others whose roles were smaller though none the less important. Against all this would be the evolution of the industry and the intrigues of those following from the sides --- we, the little people. Weaving throughout the story would be pride, greed, arrogance, lust, passion, hatred, jealousy, and from time to time, generosity, loyalty, honesty, dignity, integrity --- qualities that make one's glance in the mirror less than damning.
TI won the golden ring and years down the road when our kids and their kids take their telco-supplied bandwidth for granted, we'll smile, knowing we were there at the start, convinced Amati could turn copper to gold.
We didn't invest in a company as much as an idea and in that sense, we hit a home-run.
Now to find a company that can leverage our knowledge to the next level.
Where's Bond???
Cheers!
Moneypenny |
