David Herro, Harris Associates' chief investment officer - international, is best known for his international stock-picking prowess. SmartMoney dubbed him one of the "World's Greatest Investors" in 2007 and Morningstar named him 2006's "top international fund manager."

More recently, Herro has gotten attention (some unwanted) for being a steadfast bull on European banking stocks caught in the global credit crisis, as detailed in an earlier video. He's also taking a contrarian stance on the state of the economy, as detailed here.

Herro, who directly manages $20 billion, also sees value and opportunity in big-cap tech stocks like Intel, SAP, and Hewlett-Packard. Herro is also placing a big bet on Michael Dell, arguing his namesake company is a turnaround story that could post huge returns for investors willing to look beyond Wall Street's short-term focus.

A funny thing is happening amid all the recession talk: Most big tech companies are reporting spectacular earnings and revenue growth, especially those with significant overseas business.

"There's no economic slowdown that's effecting most tech companies," says David Kirkpatrick, senior editor of Internet and technology at Fortune. "Tech stocks are down because the conventional wisdom is 'we're in a recession or heading into one' -- but that's clearly wrong for most tech companies [which] are powering ahead."

Kirkpatrick's comments come in the wake of stronger-than-expected results from IBM, Intel, Google, and EMC in recent weeks, and Amazon.com and Apple last night.

Updated from 4:45 pm EDT

From Silicon Alley Insider, April 23, 2008:

Apple posted a good March quarter: Revenue beat the Street by a wide margin and Mac sales -- the crucial metric -- beat expectations. Weak spots: Profitability. March quarter EPS came in below some expectations, and June quarter EPS guidance is weak, too. After a quick 4-5% after-hours jump, shares are trading down about 4%.

March quarter revenue came in high: $7.51 billion, 8% above the Street's $6.95 billion consensus, up 43% year-over-year, and beating whispers up to $7.2 billion. EPS was a little soft at $1.16 vs. whispers near $1.25-1.30, but beat $1.07 consensus.» More

In an effort to both steal Yahoo's earnings thunder and strike a blow against Google, Microsoft launched a live preview version of Mesh Tuesday evening.

Mesh is Microsoft's answer to cloud computing, a potential paradigm shift in computing.

"To individuals, the concept of 'My Computer' will give way to the concept of a personal mesh of devices -- a means by which all of your devices are brought together, managed through the web, as a seamless whole," Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie said in a memo about Mesh.

But rather than a true effort to allow users to access documents and applications from any device, anytime, anywhere, Mesh looks like an attempt to adapt the cloud concept to a PC-centric world.

But Andy Kessler, former hedge manager, All-Star tech analyst, author and Tech Ticker contributor, often bucks consensus and does so again here.

Rather than shrinking, he says Silcon Valley is on an upswing with jobs plentiful and smaller companies enjoying the tickle-down effect of growth at big names like Google, as well as big trends like cloud computing.

In the final segment of my one-on-one with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, we discuss the potentially touchy subject of Forbes senior editor Daniel Lyons, better known as Fake Steve Jobs. Turns out Woz has met Fake Steve, and is even a fan. Things take a turn for the worse, though, when Woz and I end up on opposite sides of the Mac-PC line in the sand. Tune in as we square off in a Segway joust -- maybe not the best idea I ever had, considering Woz sponsors an annual Segway polo tournament.

Here are the earlier excerpts from my Woz interview. Enjoy!

• Get Ready for Woz!
• Wozniak: Creating the 'Computer of My Dreams'
• Wozniak on Today's Young Innovators
• Wozniak's Favorite Gadgets (Yes, He Packs a Laser)
• Wozniak: Stock Jock? No. News Junkie? Yes.

Steve Wozniak is no day trader. But he is intrigued by certain opportunities in tech-related industries now. And how does he keep in touch with the world? Hear his thoughts on news and community in a Web 2.0 world.

For the earlier excerpts of my Wozniak interview, click here, here, here, and here. Plus, stay tuned to Tech Ticker for more from the Woz!

As you'd expect, Steve Wozniak is a real gadget guru. In this segment of my one-on-one with the Apple co-founder, he talks among other things about being an early adopter of calculator watches, using his Garmin Nuvi GPS on walks, and the mobile phone he really prefers. He also reflects on his love of music, which led him to sponsor the legendary US Festivals in the early 1980s.

To see earlier excerpts from my Wozniak interview, click here, here, and here. Plus, stay tuned to Tech Ticker for more from the Woz!