These three outfits are in cyclical industries, but all of them have conservative balance sheets--SMC has nearly five times as much cash as debt, and Fanuc and Keyence are debt free.

FORBES: Cash For Sale

They've just released a firmware update for their Intel-based systems cleverly titled: "SMC Firmware Update 1.0, " with zero explanation as to the purpose of the update.

ENGADGET: blogger-avatar

MSPs heard last year that the Individual Patient Treatment Requests (IPTR) system, which patients can use to get drugs not yet approved for general use by the SMC, is an "inequitable process" that favours young, middle-class and articulate applicants over more suitable vulnerable people who cannot speak up for themselves.

BBC: Scottish 'orphan drugs' fund launched