Geek Life - GeekWire

Jeff Bezos buys $79M mansion in Florida’s exclusive ‘Billionaire Bunker’

by Kurt Schlosser on October 13, 2023October 13, 2023 at 9:01 am

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is expanding his real estate portfolio with the purchase of a $79 million mansion in South Florida. And it’s next door to a home he paid… Read More

Seattle’s former Cinerama becomes SIFF Cinema as new signs go up on iconic movie theater

by Kurt Schlosser on October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 at 4:01 pm

It’s time for the second act at a beloved Seattle movie theater. The former Cinerama is now SIFF Cinema, as new signs went up Thursday on the Belltown building that… Read More

Life goals: Megan Rapinoe says goodbye to soccer, and Seattle tech leaders share how she inspired

by Kurt Schlosser on October 6, 2023October 6, 2023 at 7:23 am

Megan Rapinoe’s reign is drawing to a close. But the global soccer star’s influence and activism is sure to continue to be felt on and off the pitch. After 11… Read More

Video

Get an AI reality check on ‘The Creator’ — Hollywood’s latest robo-doomsday movie

by Alan Boyle on September 29, 2023September 29, 2023 at 9:23 am

Over the next 50 years, will humanity become too attached to the artificial-intelligence agents that dictate the course of our lives? Or is forming a deep attachment the only way… Read More

Video

On the record: New vinyl Hi-Fi lounge in Seattle skips the algorithm and gets back to music basics

by Kurt Schlosser on September 20, 2023September 21, 2023 at 12:30 pm

The term “Seattle sound” often refers to the heyday of grunge music in the city. But the people behind a new cocktail lounge think Seattle has never sounded better thanks… Read More

Army vet and extreme marathon man Gavin Woody brings grit and grind back to role as a startup CEO

by Kurt Schlosser on September 16, 2023September 16, 2023 at 12:11 pm

The next time a work colleague or your boss tells you they “gotta run,” maybe it’s because they’re headed to another meeting or out to lunch. When Gavin Woody has… Read More

Inside BrickCon 2023, where serious LEGO geeks have been building for this moment

by Kurt Schlosser on September 9, 2023September 9, 2023 at 8:33 am

If you build it, they will come. Especially if you build a train, roller coaster, coral reef, space station, warship, castle, hot rod, battle scene or countless other things out… Read More

Tech entrepreneur Robbie Cape brings a taste of startup life to Mt. Joy, his new Seattle chicken joint

by Kurt Schlosser on September 7, 2023September 7, 2023 at 2:13 pm

The joy was on the face of Robbie Cape. And the Mt. Joy was in the mouths and bellies of those who attended the special preview of a food truck… Read More

Artist’s giant troll sculptures bring whimsy to Seattle-area woods — and a message about waste

by Kurt Schlosser on September 2, 2023September 2, 2023 at 5:04 pm

The giant trolls are here. A unique art project is leaving its big footprint on the Seattle area and the Pacific Northwest, bringing with it a message about waste, the… Read More

Fusion cuisine: Zap Energy fires up BBQ grill built to look like one of its high-tech, superheated devices

by Kurt Schlosser on August 26, 2023August 25, 2023 at 2:02 pm

Zap Energy, the Seattle-area startup that’s been cooking up a better way to generate fusion power, fired up a custom-made grill recently for a summer barbecue that featured an appropriate… Read More

‘Robotics is the future of food’: Artisan pizza restaurant Moto makes automation a key ingredient

by Kurt Schlosser on August 25, 2023August 25, 2023 at 8:27 am

When Lee Kindell first started making his Filipino-inspired brand of what he calls “odd pizza,” he was the artisan guy — a purist who made his dough by hand in… Read More

On the EV road again: A year after using an electric Mustang, father and son try a Tesla for long drive

by Kurt Schlosser on August 13, 2023August 14, 2023 at 11:12 am

Last summer, Aaron Blank and his son hit the road between Seattle and Los Angeles for a baseball-fueled journey that had more misses than hits, thanks to repeated confusion and… Read More

News Brief

Seattle City Council approves nearly $1M grant to help reopen Cinerama theater

by Kurt Schlosser on August 9, 2023August 9, 2023 at 8:29 am

The Seattle City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday to approve a nearly $1 million grant to SIFF to help the nonprofit reopen the Cinerama, the historic Belltown movie theater it purchased… Read More

Blurred lines between art and tech: AI’s impact on creativity elicits excitement — and some fear

by Kurt Schlosser on July 28, 2023July 28, 2023 at 10:29 am

In a building that used to be a grocery store in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood this week, the future of art and technology converged in a display and discussion around… Read More

News Brief

Seattle and King County councilmembers want to help reopen Cinerama theater with $2M in grants

by Kurt Schlosser on July 27, 2023July 27, 2023 at 9:42 am

Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis and King County Councilmember Joe McDermott are proposing legislation to provide a financial boost to SIFF, the new owners of the Cinerama movie theater, to… Read More

Paul Allen estate donates thousands of rare music, film and sci-fi artifacts to Seattle’s MoPOP

by Kurt Schlosser on July 26, 2023July 26, 2023 at 7:54 am

Thousands of one-of-a-kind artifacts from Paul Allen’s collection, spanning decades of cultural relevance, are headed to Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, the institution he helped found 23 years ago. The… Read More

‘X,’ rated: Twitter’s new branding is called a rip-off and worse as bird goes bye-bye

by Kurt Schlosser on July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 at 10:35 am

X now marks the spot where Twitter’s blue birdie used to be, as Elon Musk rebranded the social media company he owns. Those tweeting — or X-ing (?) — about it seem… Read More

Slice of gamer life: Xbox cooks up pizza-scented controller for ‘Mutant Ninja Turtles’ fans

by Kurt Schlosser on July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 at 9:09 am

Recognizing that nothing goes better together than pizza and video games, Xbox has designed a pizza-scented wireless video game controller to promote the upcoming “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”… Read More

Ex-Blue Origin engineer launches social club and gear rental platform for outdoor enthusiasts

by Kurt Schlosser on July 20, 2023July 20, 2023 at 8:23 am

A new indoor space in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood aims to get more people outdoors. To do so, Gearhouse is relying on a two-sided business in which it serves as… Read More

Seattle Seahawks dial up a vintage web experience with Microsoft to unveil throwback uniforms

by Kurt Schlosser on July 19, 2023July 19, 2023 at 4:05 pm

Paul Allen would be right at home scrolling the Seattle Seahawks internet experience today — so long as the late Microsoft co-founder and team owner’s dial-up connection was working. In… Read More

Major League Cricket in America, really? Backed by tech investors, Seattle Orcas make a winning debut

by Greg Shaw on July 16, 2023July 17, 2023 at 8:26 am

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas —The promise of cricket in America could be seen and felt in the most unlikely of circumstances. Awash in Friday night lights after a scorching Texas sun,… Read More

Rare corpse flower blooms in Amazon’s Spheres and thousands line up to snap a pic and take a sniff

by Kurt Schlosser on July 13, 2023July 13, 2023 at 8:20 pm

A line of people snaking through the Spheres on Wednesday and Thursday this week ended with a photo op on an upper floor of Amazon’s unique Seattle office building. But… Read More

Is baseball ready for robot umpires? We fielded an informal survey at the MLB All-Star Game in Seattle

by Kurt Schlosser on July 12, 2023July 12, 2023 at 10:11 am

Tuesday night’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Seattle attracted a sea of fans rooting for a variety of players and teams. In a tech city, it felt appropriate to… Read More

Drones light up Seattle sky with baseball images and more as part of All-Star Game celebration

by Kurt Schlosser on July 10, 2023July 10, 2023 at 9:46 am

Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez hopes to knock the lights out in Monday’s MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby. On Sunday, he showed up in the lights, as part of… Read More

Seattle tech vets bring India’s renowned Farzi Café to U.S. with new Bellevue restaurant

by Jenise Silva on June 22, 2023October 3, 2023 at 4:02 pm

Two veterans of the Seattle area’s tech industry have opened an Indian restaurant with Michelin-recognized roots in downtown Bellevue, Wash. As investors and franchisees of Farzi Café, this is not… Read More

Danish artist to troll Northwest with giant public sculptures, backed in part by Allen Foundation

by Kurt Schlosser on June 20, 2023June 21, 2023 at 3:09 am

Seattle’s famous Fremont Troll and the Seattle Kraken’s blue-haired mascot Buoy are going to get some company this summer when six giant hand-built Nordic troll characters come to Seattle and… Read More

Soundbites on AI: Seattle music vets share concern and enthusiasm for how tech might impact art

by Kurt Schlosser on June 19, 2023June 19, 2023 at 7:56 am

During a recent appearance on Conan O’Brien’s podcast, Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan offered a gloomy prediction for the future of music. He said that once kids get their… Read More

Seattle seeking artist to create design elements for electric vehicle charging stations across city

by Kurt Schlosser on June 14, 2023June 14, 2023 at 9:52 am

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and Seattle City Light are looking for an artist to help add a creative look to electric vehicle charging parking lots and… Read More

Video

The Great Gatesby? Green beacon at Bill Gates’ lakeside mansion lights up a literary mystery

by Kurt Schlosser & Todd Bishop on June 12, 2023June 12, 2023 at 12:55 pm

Bill Gates has made no secret of his love for “The Great Gatsby,” the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald in which a green light at the end of a… Read More

Video

Google’s search for top doodle ends with sixth grader’s artwork inspired by life with her sisters

by Kurt Schlosser on June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 at 1:08 pm

Like a lot of kids, Rebecca Wu has been doodling for quite some time. Her dad said she first started making art as a toddler, when she was able to… Read More