Spencer F. Katt

The resignation of Steve Case may not be the only sign of a shake-up at AOL. El Gato heard that the company has put Gotham, the ad agency for its Internet unit, on notice. Having run with Gotham for more than eight years, AOLs newly appointed executive vice president of brand marketing, Leonard Short, apparently […]

“Yes, we have no Banias,” sang the melody-challenged Mouser as he noted Intels announcement officially naming its upcoming mobile processor Centrino. But while Spencer welcomed the name change, he took issue with the logo. “It looks like someone pulled the wings off the MSN Butterfly,” cackled the Kitty. Speaking of MSN and torture, El Gato […]

For Micromuse, last months Friday the 13th may have indeed seemed to be an unlucky day as the company announced that its chairman and CEO, Greg Brown, will step down to take a job at Motorola as president and CEO of its Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector. Micromuses board quickly placed CFO Mike Luetkemeyer […]

On the chilly eve of the Winter Solstice, Spencer once again found himself curled up in front of the fire, postulating on the future. For added inspiration, he pulled out this years Litter Box from under his club chair and relived this years best tips. In his Feb. 11 column, the Kitty noted that a […]

Last week, Spencer speculated on whether Larry Ellison, after a conspicuous absence, would rejoin Team Oracle for the rest of the Americas Cup New Zealand yacht race. This week, the Katts curious about who will still be on board at Oracle itself. As of press time, the Kitty had heard Oracle was reorganizing and possibly […]

After a quick stop in Baltimore to check out the Sun-Microsoft proceedings, His Hirsuteness found himself pretty impressed by J. Frederick Motz, the U.S. district judge hearing the case. Looking and sounding like a cross between Johnny Carson and Ross Perot, the judge appeared to be no fool. While his questions at first appeared naive, […]

His Hirsuteness doesnt expect youll hear the hypnotic “It Was a Very Good Year” by Sinatra in the halls of Peregrine Systems San Diego digs any time soon. The company has faced $100 million in accounting improprieties; the loss of its CEO, CFO and chairman; numerous shareholder lawsuits; a delisting from Nasdaq; and the sale […]

Though the week was preceded by news of Comdex producer Key3Medias announcement of possible bankruptcy protection, the fall show went off without a hitch. Like days of old, the event was filled with CEO predictions, barbs and behind-the-scenes demos. National Semiconductor CEO Brian Halla gave the Vegas confab a good deal to talk about as […]

Spencer got a tip the old-fashioned way last week: from a person cowering in a phone booth. According to the tipster, Lehman Bros. is not pleased with the IP telephony system the company installed last summer. “Disastrous” was how the caller described it, as she pumped coins into the phone. For example, on several occasions, […]

Attendees rocked out in the Big Apples Hudson Theater as rock legends Gary U.S. Bonds, Chubby Checker and the Shirelles helped Hewlett-Packard launch its Compaq Tablet PC last week. The audience was also treated to host Dick Clark, of “American Bandstand” fame, quizzing HP execs on music trivia. “Who knew company Prez Michael Capellas knew […]