Disqus - Latest Comments for FrankCatalano

Re: SXSW PanelPicker®

FrankCatalano — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 15:41:32 -0000

As moderator, I'm excited to share that Elisabeth O’Bryon, Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer of the nonprofit Family Engagement Lab will also be joining our panel! Elisabeth’s background (both research and applied experience) as a bilingual school psychologist has deepened her understanding of the needs and experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse students and families, and how to support meaningful, asset-based partnerships between families and educators. Elisabeth transitioned from the academic world, carrying forth a commitment to applied research. As the chief impact officer at Family Engagement Lab, she ensures that the organization’s programs are informed by high-quality academic research and ongoing cycles of research with key stakeholders. She also evaluates the effectiveness of Family Engagement Lab’s solutions.

Re: A Farewell from Dick Stein

FrankCatalano — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 14:28:02 -0000

Dick, it's been your gentle, wry and often absurdist humor that's made midday mornings a joy to listen to. Oh. And the jazz. I've enjoyed, and learned, a lot. Will miss you on the mic, and trust and hope you'll occasionally resurface in whatever form suits your retirement best.

Re: Landmark product liability ruling puts Amazon’s third-party marketplace in a new legal pinch

FrankCatalano — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 15:11:47 -0000

The issues with crappy or counterfeit products, especially those claiming to be OEM replacements or parts, go back years. In 2011, I documented three bad experiences I had with sellers' products "fulfilled by Amazon," including a suspect laptop battery. Amazon should have cleaned up this problem years ago. https://www.geekwire.com/20...

Re: Unpack this: Amazon shipping snafu sends single order of seven small items in seven separate boxes

FrankCatalano — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 14:58:20 -0000

There is an option on Amazon order pages I've seen to group an order into as few shipments as possible. I always check that if it's offered, unless I need part of an order immediately. This clearly wasn't that, because all of the packages arrived on the same day, appeared to ship from the same warehouse, and even multiples of the same Mio flavor shipped in separate boxes.

Re: Unpack this: Amazon shipping snafu sends single order of seven small items in seven separate boxes

FrankCatalano — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 14:55:08 -0000

Certain items are required to be packaged by themselves in their own boxes due to their potentially hazardous nature, and some kinds of batteries probably fall into that category. But Mio? Probably not. I still wonder if someone was getting paid by the piece for each box they packed, had some performance incentive to pack more boxes ... or just was operating on automatic.

Re: Unpack this: Amazon shipping snafu sends single order of seven small items in seven separate boxes

FrankCatalano — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 14:35:40 -0000

Sharp eye, and you are correct. GeekWire is updating text to match visual confirmation. Even I missed it when I read the story. And it was my order.

Re: T-Mobile hit by voice and text outage due to widespread routing issue

FrankCatalano — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 19:39:40 -0000

Definitely having downstream effects. Neither of the callbacks scheduled with Alaska Airlines reservations have occurred. One was to my T-Mobile smartphone. The other to my VOIP "landline." And the estimated callback times crept up between the first and second attempts, to nearly 45 minutes. I wonder how many remote customer service agents also have T-Mobile and simply can't return calls.

Re: Lights, camera, Amazon: Should the tech giant buy Seattle’s iconic Cinerama movie theater?

FrankCatalano — Thu, 28 May 2020 15:56:21 -0000

I'm doing this from memory, not Wikipedia or deep cinema expertise, so someone will likely correct me. However, as I recall it was the most immersive of formats for its time (early 1960s) requiring multiple projectors and a special extra-wide screen made up of three-sided vertical strips. There's a Cinerama-format screen hidden behind the regular Seattle Cinerama screen.

Is it better than contemporary IMAX or digital 4K projection? Probably not. But that kind of film has its own charm and immersive quality.

Re: Lights, camera, Amazon: Should the tech giant buy Seattle’s iconic Cinerama movie theater?

FrankCatalano — Thu, 28 May 2020 14:20:17 -0000

It's worth noting that Seattle Cinerama, as of late 2018, was one of only three theaters worldwide that could still show Cinerama-format films. That historic fact alone would make it a cultural feather in Amazon's banana-shaped cap. It's more than a Seattle landmark. It's a rare functioning treasure of film history. https://www.geekwire.com/20...

Re: GeekWire reduces staff due to economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic

FrankCatalano — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 09:22:06 -0000

I've always appreciated Todd's and John's openness about the workings of GeekWire, but this is an especially sad inside view. My recollection is that both John and Todd have always been careful stewards of growth, not extending the organization's expenses beyond what could reasonably be supported. At the same time, GeekWire has achieved a national reach and must-attend events. Wishing the entire team the best and that this hit to excellent tech and business journalism is very temporary.

Re: DIY homeschool: One mom’s efforts to keep her kid’s brain from going mushy — plus experts’ tips

FrankCatalano — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 15:46:24 -0000

One more resource for families and teachers that launched on Friday: a searchable database called "Learning Keeps Going" from a coalition of education technology organizations. It includes news, tips, an "educator help desk" and a curated list of ~450 no-cost tools and content from tech providers. The database includes products from preK to adult learning, and includes information on technology "must haves" for use, subject category, degree of "free," aligned standards and support for families. It'll be updated on an ongoing basis. https://www.learningkeepsgo...

Re: Health officials advise people to work at home, postpone gatherings to slow spread of coronavirus

FrankCatalano — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 17:39:45 -0000

Other reporting indicates that King County Health defines "large groups" as 10 or more people.

As to the kind of events, King County describes them as, "concert venues, conventions, sporting events, and crowded social gatherings." https://www.kingcounty.gov/...

Re: Microsoft cancels MVP Summit due to coronavirus outbreak in Seattle area

FrankCatalano — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 18:20:53 -0000

Ultimately, the organizers of this month's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco announced late last Friday they were postponing the entire event, a day after Microsoft pulled out. https://www.gdconf.com/news...

Re: Amazon experiencing shipping delays amid busy holiday season and shift to one-day delivery

FrankCatalano — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 14:41:46 -0000

Similar situation here: Ordered two Prime items shipped from and sold by Amazon on Wed Dec 4 was told they wouldn't arrive until Mon Dec 9. However, Amazon is clearly working to make that a "by no later than" date: I received an update late yesterday that delivery is now scheduled for Sat Dec 7. Almost Prime speed.

Re: Alexa, who’s laughing now? Five years after debut, Amazon’s voice assistant defies early critics

FrankCatalano — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 16:26:45 -0000

GeekWire's own review of the first Echo didn't appear until December 29, 1994, when I finally received the invitation Echo I'd signed up for on launch day. I loved the sound, but gave it mediocre marks for what the headline called "so-so smarts."

Part of my original conclusion: "Echo is less successful as a true voice-activated, voice-response personal assistant. While news, weather and other fact-based information services work well (and being able to display more information on a smartphone or tablet screen is a nifty extension), more personal services – such as to-do lists and shopping – are implemented either clumsily or creepily. That makes Echo more novelty than must-have as a personal assistant. It’s optimized, for now, for voice-controlled music and other audio playback."

Things have changed a lot in five years. But that Echo is still in my living room. And the original remote that came with it is, too. https://www.geekwire.com/20...

Re: Can Fry’s Electronics survive the age of Amazon? Empty shelves at numerous stores spark concern

FrankCatalano — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 17:09:52 -0000

I recently dug up the "Best of Seattle" brief from Seattle Weekly about Fry's in 2003, shortly after it opened. How things have changed.

BEST NERD HANGOUT
Is your idea of a good time wading through 50,000 items, from circuit boards to consumer electronics, standing in line for hours, and then risking a strip search if your receipt isn’t in order? Then FRY’S ELECTRONICS is for you. Fry’s is legendary in the Silicon Valley for theme decor (from ancient Egypt to the Wild West), broad selection, and tight security. It finally opened a store in the Seattle area in August. The result: call-the-fire-marshal-size crowds. While the approach is something of a cross between RadioShack with a thyroid problem and a Sears appliance aisle, Fry’s focuses on the “technical customer.” Those who love it describe it in terms usually reserved for religious experiences. F.C. 800 Garden Ave. N., Renton, 425-525-0200.

Re: Can Fry’s Electronics survive the age of Amazon? Empty shelves at numerous stores spark concern

FrankCatalano — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 15:03:26 -0000

Fry's used to be known as the store with the free security frisk after every checkout. Perhaps this is a way to avoid that: Have nothing on the shelves to take.

Re: Amazon teams with Seattle schools to inspire underserved students to pursue STEM and robotics

FrankCatalano — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 20:45:31 -0000

Interesting that it took so long after launching in NYC (in January), where Amazon was trying to create a HQ2, for AFE to launch in Seattle ... its hometown. https://www.geekwire.com/20...

Re: Tax hike on Amazon and Microsoft to fund higher ed in Washington state passes legislature

FrankCatalano — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 14:33:24 -0000

Generally missed in the big numbers (but noted briefly in the story): That 20% increase in the B&O tax, as written, appears to apply to even individual business management consultants. So it's effectively an increase in the state "income tax" on sole proprietors who consult one or more businesses are not full-time employees of others. A not-insignificant B&O increase on one-person shops in terms of percentage, if not absolute dollars.

Re: GeekWire Update: A new managing editor, and a bigger focus on our founding vision

FrankCatalano — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 16:25:47 -0000

Really pleased for GeekWire and Taylor. He's a great choice.

Re: Returning to journalism, 30 years later: Can the profession’s standards survive its disruption?

FrankCatalano — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 15:58:27 -0000

Unfortunately, what even clever headlines and leads may argue for ("more journalists, not fewer") isn't the reality in the marketplace. It's going the other way, as the Pew data and recent developments show.

I think a reader can find non-clickbait headlines and leads. Depends on the news source. But even the most staid news outlets are trying to be more lively, based on what I've seen, even if it doesn't cross the line into clickbait. News writing style has always evolved with writing styles in society generally. I suspect a newspaper story from the 1830s would be almost unbearable to read today, if that style were a steady diet.

I did mention public relations practitioners and their role in my essay. But there is a lot more data I didn't have room to include (at the risk of going down a rabbit hole that descended into a black hole). For example, there's the fact the ratio of PR pros to journalists is now at more than 6:1, an outnumbering that's doubled in the past decade: https://muckrack.com/blog/2....

That imbalance can't help the situation I experienced, either, since not every PR person is a PR professional. The good ones are very good. The bad ones, well, aren't.

Thanks for the thoughtful note.

Re: Video: Inside Google’s wacky, Tunnel of Love-esque rollercoaster ride

FrankCatalano — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 13:40:06 -0000

Less a "rollercoaster" than a Disney-esque "dark ride," it has more in common with Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland than Matterhorn Bobsleds. But pretty impressive for a temporary attraction, if slow. Walt would probably have enjoyed building this for the 1964 World's Fair (as he did It's a Small World).

Re: Report: Huge CenturyLink outage caused by bad networking card in Colorado

FrankCatalano — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 13:31:49 -0000

I can't help but think about how a Seattle radio station was recently taken off the air by the failure of a compact flash memory card. Digital weak links abound. https://www.geekwire.com/20...

Re: Report: Huge CenturyLink outage caused by bad networking card in Colorado

FrankCatalano — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 08:21:44 -0000

Good cat-ch.

Re: Steam’s top sellers of 2018 show “games as a service” isn’t going away anytime soon

FrankCatalano — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 18:33:20 -0000

Good catch. Inadvertent error, due the large number of games and developers/publishers in the story. Corrected. Thanks for the heads up.