To: robert b furman who wrote (8304 ) 4/18/2003 11:48:59 PM From: dvdw© Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 207038 The more things change the more they stay the same; in the case of the semiconductor industry this is also true, but the framework that casts this truth is different for products and industries. This means that the Semiconductor industry will continue to grow enormously but the growth may not come in areas where everyone is looking. By way of example here is an article about a new material semiconductor process that may or may not yield products suitable to scaled applications; spacedaily.com The point is much of what is happening in the market is the search is at center stage. While the hunt is underway, capital is shifting back and forth like a roulette ball waiting to land on a numbered hole. People that say that we are in an economic funk as a statement about the economy are dead wrong; there are major pockets of uncertainty about whose growing and whose not. At the beginning of a New Business and technology cycle, semiconductors may not be the big push, new materials could take the lead as precursors to changing entire competitive landscapes. The new materials markets might have their breakthrough in semiconductors, housing, or a hundred other areas, its up to you to discover where and than decide at what stage are these breakthroughs. Many small caps new materials companies have been doing the R&D for 10 to 15 years getting ready for this moment of their emergence, where applications closed to them are opened, putting pressure on old materials while the innovations are made on the backs of the new. we are on the verge of great things, keep all your senses alert, because you never know when a single word could be your first clue about where to begin looking.