Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Knighty Tin who wrote (28829)	6/4/1998 12:40:00 PM
From: Bipin Prasad	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

MB, I asked my doc how often he performs the LASIK surgery last week. He said 20-30 per week for himself. But I think he does 2-3 times, if not more. $5000.00 for both eyes. Green leaves are falling like snow in Minnesota. $250.00 fees per use. He has 3 partners. These clinic ads are popping up even in my small community newspaper. One interesting thing my doc mentioned was that he doesn't pay the fee to the company, but there's another guy(may be his partner) who pays the fee to VISX. Also btn one private company(who owns pattern) and xyz(?) created a third company which is VISX. So I don't know how much fees VISX is actually getting. Anyway, since I'm not in medical stocks, it's hard to know what to do with it: buy? short? stay away from it..? Well, my eyes are doing well. Today I have an appointment for an after one week visit. I'll let you know how I feel about it after one month for I have a mixed feeling about it. I had one eye done at a time over a week because I'm a chicken. It wasn't easy to work on the computer with one good vision and one bad one. However I still wouldn't do both at the same time. It's still an experimental surgery as you know. Here's a funny story: Since I'm over 40, I wanted mono-vision which means under correcting one eye, like 20-20 for one and 20-30 for the other, not to wear reading glasses immediately if I have 20-20 for both. My right eye was dominant one, so we decided to correct this one to 20-20 and under correct my left eye. Guess what? You're right! I think he under corrected my right one! Can you guess what he's going to say today when I visit him? It's good for guys under 40 for it doesn't correct near sighted. I had to do it because of kids' safety. I still have a little one at home. As you know well, there are not many activities little ones can do during winter in Minnesota. I don't like to sit in the pool room with foggy eye glasses. I can't see a thing without eye glasses for emergency. Thought it's better to have my eye surgery done than taking a risk. Go to the seminar to see if it meets your needs. I'll let you know how I feel about it after one month. regards, InSook

To: Knighty Tin who wrote (28829)	6/5/1998 5:08:00 AM
From: PaperChase	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

MB. Just want to get your opinion on the semi-equip sector looking forward. What event or industry changes need to happen before you would consider buying the semi capital equip companies like AMAT or Tokyo Electron? Would the movement to a 64 bit processor in PCs in the Year 2000 spur a recovery in the industry? Some failures of fabs in S.E. Asia (which will happen) would be viewed as a positive by the forever tech bulls who might then bid up AMAT on expectation of a recovery in the dram market. However, the flip side of this is that there would be less purchasers of capital equipment going forward and hence bankruptcy and merger mania in the semi-equip group can be expected (just like banks in the 90's). Is the recovery too far out to speculate? The reason I ask is that the rally in semi-equip companies took me by total surprise last year and even raised an eyebrow or two of the pros at Infrastructure.