Geek of the Week: Vertafore’s Eric Danas, from petrophysics to user-experience design

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Eric Danas has worked for more than 15 years in the field of user-experience design — currently working with Vertafore, a Bothell-based company that makes software for the insurance industry. How did he get his start? As an exploration petrophysicist in the oil industry, of all things. The experience interested him in the challenges of using technology… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Toby Crittenden mixes politics and technology at Washington Bus

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Toby Crittenden is a political geek — part of a generation that makes intuitive use of technology as a natural part of the democratic process. Our latest Geek of the Week is program director of Washington Bus, a non-profit organization that combines old-fashioned transportation with new technology, using everything from road trips to cutting-edge Facebook… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Chip Brown of Puzzazz on puzzles, bees and making a clock from scratch

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Chip Brown, our latest Geek of the Week, spends his days immersed in puzzles and technology as the chief architect for Puzzazz, the Seattle-area startup known for products including puzzle e-books for Kindle. But his personal life is just as interesting, with hobbies ranging from beekeeping to a playing a challenging variation of Scrabble known… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Kristina Wang, aerospace grad student

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It’s a fascinating time right now in the world of aerospace, as a variety of projects and ventures seek to usher in a new era of spaceflight — fueling the imagination of people with a passion for airplanes and spacecraft. Kristina Wang is a great example, and we’re pleased to introduce you to her as… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Robert Clarke, 14-year-old tech journalist

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A few weeks ago, we brought you the story of Bill Sleeper, the 96-year-old technology enthusiast. Here’s further proof that geeks come in all ages. Our latest Geek of the Week, Robert Clarke of OmniTechNews, is one of the smartest and hardest-working technology reporters around — going to tech events, analyzing the latest gadgets and… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Giordano Contestabile, PopCap Games mobile strategist

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Our latest Geek of the Week, Giordano Contestabile, is working at one of the most interesting intersections of technology right now, video games and mobile phones, as the senior director of product and business strategy for mobile at Seattle-based PopCap Games. But his path to this point was anything but a straight line. The native of… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Bill Sleeper, 96-year-old tech enthusiast

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“Can I give you a demo?” It’s not unusual to hear those words inside the offices of a technology company, but this is the Merrill Gardens retirement community in Mill Creek, north of Seattle. The man with the cool gizmo is Bill Sleeper, 96, the resident technology guru. And the subject of his demo is a… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Jeff Teper, father of Microsoft SharePoint

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Our latest Geek of the Week, Jeff Teper, had been at Microsoft for about six years in 1998 when he oversaw the formation of a new group focused on “knowledge management.” Later that group would launch a new business collaboration technology, then called SharePoint Portal Server. SharePoint has since become one of Microsoft’s largest products, surpassing… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Matt Shobe, BigDoor chief design officer

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Our latest Geek of the Week, Matt Shobe, is in charge of design for BigDoor, a Seattle-based company bringing the mechanics of video games to a variety of sites and online services. But his geek credentials go much further, from his passion for flying to his appreciation for good old-fashioned Windows keyboard shortcuts. Continue reading… Read More…

Geek of the Week: Amazon’s Mai-lan Tomsen Bukovec

Mai-lan Tomsen Bukovec, Amazon Web Services director. (Annie Laurie Malarkey photo)

Some people tell great stories about camping out for the latest gadgets, but when your life experience includes time in the Peace Corps in West Africa, your strongest memories of waiting in line are very different. That’s just one of the characteristics that distinguishes our latest Geek of the Week. Mai-lan Tomsen Bukovec grew up… Read More…