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PAX has lost its luster: Growth of gaming show mutes the voice of independent developers

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Aug. 18, 2019

by GeekWire on August 25, 2019August 25, 2019 at 8:00 amComment

See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of Aug. 18, 2019.… Read More

Lydia Frank taps journalism skills and PayScale’s data resources to tell the wage equity story

by Lisa Stiffler on August 24, 2019August 23, 2019 at 3:21 pmComment

Officially, Lydia Frank is PayScale’s vice president of corporate and product marketing — a promotion that was announced this month. But parts of the job remind Frank of her first… Read More

Lean-in and connect with tech leaders at the GeekWire Summit

The GeekWire Summit is about a month away, and this year is lining up to be one of the best ones yet. We’ll explore the future of AI, health tech, transportation and privacy, with featured speakers that include Microsoft president Brad Smith; Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom; and Outreach CEO Manny Medina. We are excited for the return of the popular venture capital panel featuring leading investors + execs and Elevator Pitch startup competition finale.

Time is running out for these early-bird deals!

Podcast

Headphones, AI, and humanity: What these ‘AirMuffs’ say about the future of technology

by Todd Bishop on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019 at 1:26 pmComment

These newly released wireless Bluetooth headphones from Seattle startup Human are getting mixed reviews for their appearance, and their initial starting price of $399 (which the company quickly dropped to… Read More

How tech keeps Seattle’s transit system running — and why more innovation could be coming

by Aria Thaker on August 24, 2019August 24, 2019 at 11:19 am1 Comment

Amid a sea of green rectangles on a computer monitor, one had turned red. A RapidRide bus — the red rectangle — was travelling a bit too rapidly. It was… Read More

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Canadian biotech company Chinook Therapeutics raises $65M for rare kidney disease therapies

by James Thorne on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 4:19 pmComment

Chinook Therapeutics, a Vancouver, B.C.-based biotech company creating targeted therapies for kidney diseases, raised $65 million in a Series A financing round led by Versant Ventures with Apple Tree Partners… Read More

Impeccably Designed Home Nestled on Kirkland’s Rose Hill

Falling love is easy with this beautiful dream home in Kirkland boasting great curb appeal and 3,900 square feet of impeccably designed living space. Entertaining is a breeze with a…

See More Home Photos

Geek of the Week: Annee Ngo engages students with e-sports tied to education and real money

by Kurt Schlosser on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 2:19 pmComment

The popular belief may be that gaming and e-sports can serve to distract kids from focusing on what’s “really important,” but at Startup League in Vancouver, B.C., co-founder and CEO… Read More

GeekWire Calendar Picks: PAX West; LEGO Robotics; chaos engineering; and more

by Nicole Tanner on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 10:39 amComment

— Every Labor Day weekend, thousands of gamers descend upon the Washington State Convention Center for PAX West, the Pacific Northwest’s largest gaming convention. The 2019 edition marks the… Read More

Fun & Geeky

PokéBar, a Pokémon pop-up with Pikachu burgers and more, is coming to Seattle next year

Dimmest bulb on ‘Jeopardy’ is Alexa as Amazon’s A.I. is tasked with turning down the stage lights

Amazon to host free concert from roof of Seattle’s Pike Place Market with The Head and The Heart

Netflix documentary ‘Inside Bill’s Brain’ to offer unique look at Bill Gates’ work on big problems

For more fun & geeky stuff, check out Geek Life.

Capital One hacking suspect Paige Thompson appears in court, ordered to remain in custody

by James Thorne on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 2:38 pm 3 Comments

A federal judge in Seattle ordered Paige Thompson, a former Amazon employee accused of hacking Capital One and dozens of other companies, to remain in federal custody as her trial… Read More

Video

How this ‘tethered energy drone’ can help produce affordable clean energy with a small footprint

by Lisa Stiffler on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 3:27 pm 2 Comments

David Schaefer hesitates to call his technology a kite. It’s modeled on the same concept — a lightweight sail or wing with a frame that’s tethered to the Earth —… Read More

Health Tech

Canadian biotech company Chinook Therapeutics raises $65M for rare kidney disease therapies

Riding a telemedicine wave, docs trade white coats for the tech life, testing the limits of health care

Neuroscientists publish a ‘parts list’ for the brain, detailing differences between mice and humans

Could an app make warehouse work safer? Univ. of Washington algorithm flags risky ergonomics

Read more health technology articles on Health Tech.

Amazon-owned Audible sued by major book publishers over controversial speech-to-text feature

by Nat Levy on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 12:00 pmComment

Some of the top publishing companies are teaming up to sue Audible, the audiobook subsidiary of Amazon, arguing that a new feature that transcribes audiobooks to text amounts to copyright… Read More

Amazon responds to investigation revealing thousands of banned and unsafe items on its marketplace

by Nat Levy on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 10:17 amComment

Amazon’s marketplace for third-party sellers has become a huge part of its business, making up nearly 60 percent of gross merchandise sales last year. However, a new investigation by The… Read More

GeekWire Podcasts

Headphones, AI, and humanity: What these ‘AirMuffs’ say about the future of technology

Goodbye, iPhone: How Microsoft convinced me to switch to Android and the Samsung Galaxy Note10

Platform Power: Amazon, Facebook, Google, and the hidden forces driving the world’s top businesses

Microsoft has finally found its smartphone: Why the Samsung Galaxy partnership is so promising

Listen to more GeekWire Podcasts.

Tech Moves: Remitly names diversity lead; Tableau hires marketing exec; ArtsFund taps interim CEO

by James Thorne on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 9:35 amComment

— Kim Vu is the new head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Remitly, a Seattle startup that makes it easier to send money across borders. Vu most recently served… Read More

Riding a telemedicine wave, docs trade white coats for the tech life, testing the limits of health care

by James Thorne on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 4:22 pmComment

Dr. Michael Grabinski walks into the room, but he can’t talk yet. “I just picked up a patient,” he said. “There was someone in the waiting room.” It takes me… Read More

Amazon, Microsoft and other titans face scrutiny in report about killer-robot tech

by Alan Boyle on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 9:04 pm 4 Comments

Dutch activists are voicing concerns about technologies that could open the way for lethal autonomous weapons – such as AI software, facial recognition and swarming aerial systems – and are… Read More

Why Big Data is a bigger deal than venture capital in the artificial intelligence game

by Alan Boyle on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 6:49 pmComment

“Data is the new oil” may be a classic cliche characterizing how important raw numbers are for the computer industry, but when it comes to artificial intelligence ventures, the cliche… Read More

Jeff Bezos’ first job ad for Amazon turns 25 — here’s why it’s ‘very weak’ by modern standards

by Kurt Schlosser on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 11:27 pm 3 Comments

A modern analysis of Jeff Bezos’ first-ever job ad for Amazon, posted 25 years ago today, shows that the ad would rate “very weak” by today’s standards and even offers… Read More

Will tech make realtors obsolete? Investors debate the future of real estate

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 2:37 pm1 Comment

The real estate industry has undergone dramatic shifts over the past few years thanks to tech companies such as Zillow and Redfin, but some aspects of the industry haven’t changed… Read More

Video

How Jay Inslee moved the ball on the climate issue in presidential bid, and why he fell short of the goal

by Alan Boyle on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 6:28 pm 6 Comments

Jay Inslee may be out of the presidential race, but he’s not out of the minds of climate policy campaigners. The two-term Washington state governor won high praise from his… Read More

Today on GeekWire: Bezos and the Pentagon; Coffee startups brew new ideas; UW unveils tiny robot race cars

by Todd Bishop & Taylor Soper on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 11:37 amComment

Amazon’s bid to build the Pentagon’s war cloud has been mired in accusations of favoritism since the beginning. But a newly published ProPublica investigation reveals how close Amazon and CEO Jeff Bezos have… Read More

Public records reveal T-Mobile’s plan to make Seattle a 5G hub in partnership with UW and tech giants

by Nat Levy on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 1:08 pmComment

T-Mobile wants to make the Seattle region the capital of 5G innovation, and it has brought along an all-star cast to make that vision a reality. T-Mobile, along with the… Read More

Dimmest bulb on ‘Jeopardy’ is Alexa as Amazon’s A.I. is tasked with turning down the stage lights

by Kurt Schlosser on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 9:40 amComment

Alex and Alexa — it’s a match made in geek heaven. Amazon’s recent sponsorship of the popular television quiz show “Jeopardy” comes with some prime-time product placement for the tech… Read More

Report reveals new details about Bezos’ influence on Amazon bid for Pentagon cloud contract

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 1:36 pm 4 Comments

Amazon’s bid to build the Pentagon’s war cloud has been mired in accusations of favoritism since the beginning. But a new ProPublica investigation reveals how close Amazon and its CEO… Read More

Video

Tech ideas are brewing at these 5 coffee-crazed Seattle startups — and right in Starbucks’ backyard

by Kurt Schlosser on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 at 9:04 amComment

Independent coffee shops have always sought to carve out their spot in Seattle and elsewhere against Starbucks’ shop-on-every-corner mentality, whether it was with the flavor of their product or the… Read More

How this ex-Microsoft director launched a spa and salon software startup that has raised $91M

by Nat Levy on August 22, 2019August 21, 2019 at 11:02 pmComment

Sudheer Koneru thought he was pretty much done working. After stints at Microsoft and SumTotal Systems, Koneru considered himself semi-retired, or at least on a break, in mid-2008. He traveled… Read More

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee exits presidential race, vows to continue climate change fight

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 21, 2019August 22, 2019 at 9:35 am 2 Comments

Update, Aug. 22: Less than 24 hours after announcing his exit from the presidential race, Inslee said he will pursue a third term as Washington’s governor. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee exited… Read More

Video

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Aug. 18, 2019

Lydia Frank taps journalism skills and PayScale’s data resources to tell the wage equity story

Lean-in and connect with tech leaders at the GeekWire Summit

Headphones, AI, and humanity: What these ‘AirMuffs’ say about the future of technology

How tech keeps Seattle’s transit system running — and why more innovation could be coming

Latest GeekWire Videos

Canadian biotech company Chinook Therapeutics raises $65M for rare kidney disease therapies

Impeccably Designed Home Nestled on Kirkland’s Rose Hill

Geek of the Week: Annee Ngo engages students with e-sports tied to education and real money

GeekWire Calendar Picks: PAX West; LEGO Robotics; chaos engineering; and more

Fun & Geeky

Capital One hacking suspect Paige Thompson appears in court, ordered to remain in custody

How this ‘tethered energy drone’ can help produce affordable clean energy with a small footprint

Health Tech

Amazon-owned Audible sued by major book publishers over controversial speech-to-text feature

Amazon responds to investigation revealing thousands of banned and unsafe items on its marketplace

GeekWire Podcasts

Tech Moves: Remitly names diversity lead; Tableau hires marketing exec; ArtsFund taps interim CEO

Riding a telemedicine wave, docs trade white coats for the tech life, testing the limits of health care

Amazon, Microsoft and other titans face scrutiny in report about killer-robot tech

Why Big Data is a bigger deal than venture capital in the artificial intelligence game

Jeff Bezos’ first job ad for Amazon turns 25 — here’s why it’s ‘very weak’ by modern standards

Will tech make realtors obsolete? Investors debate the future of real estate

How Jay Inslee moved the ball on the climate issue in presidential bid, and why he fell short of the goal

Today on GeekWire: Bezos and the Pentagon; Coffee startups brew new ideas; UW unveils tiny robot race cars

Public records reveal T-Mobile’s plan to make Seattle a 5G hub in partnership with UW and tech giants

Dimmest bulb on ‘Jeopardy’ is Alexa as Amazon’s A.I. is tasked with turning down the stage lights

Tech ideas are brewing at these 5 coffee-crazed Seattle startups — and right in Starbucks’ backyard

How this ex-Microsoft director launched a spa and salon software startup that has raised $91M

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee exits presidential race, vows to continue climate change fight

Researchers watch Titanic wreck crumble, one year before OceanGate’s planned dives

Robotic race car platform from Univ. of Washington designed to speed research around A.I.

Why this sustainability-focused real estate developer is taking a cue from Steve Jobs

Windows 95 Weekend

Marvel Trivia Bar Crawl – Seattle

The Empire Strikes Back in the Park