No joke: Justin Bieber, Paul Allen’s Vulcan sued over loudness at Portland concert

Justin Bieber

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has been tied up in all sorts of lawsuits during his technology career. That just goes with the territory when you become a multi-billionaire in the software industry. Lawsuits happen. But, we’ve got to say, this is among the most bizarre legal actions we’ve ever seen. (OK, perhaps just behind FunnyJunk’s lawyer… Read More…

FunnyJunk lawyer ends bizarre lawsuit against The Oatmeal, still claims victory

Matthew Inman

One of the strangest legal cases we’ve seen in some time is now over. Charles Carreon, an attorney for the Web site FunnyJunk, has dropped his case against Seattle Web comic Matthew Inman, aka The Oatmeal. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which represented Inman, announced the dismissal today on its Web site. “Matthew Inman spoke out against… Read More…

Watch this man destroy a T-Mobile store in England (and then get arrested)

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T-Mobile is trying to go for a little bit of a tougher image with its advertising campaign. But I don’t think this is what the company had in mind. A man in Manchester, England went absolutely berserk in a T-Mobile retail store, ripping displays off the wall and taking a fire extinguisher to the surroundings…. Read More…

Memo of the day: Who keeps calling 911 from RealNetworks?

RealNetworks HQ. Wikipedia photo

We’ve heard about companies being on life support, but this is a new one on us. With flatlining revenues and a moribund stock price, RealNetworks certainly needs resuscitation. Is it time to call in the paramedics? Here’s a memo sent to employees of the Seattle company today by its facilities manager, asking staffers to revisit… Read More…

Redfin exposes gritty underbelly of real estate with Twitter feed @REConfidential

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Who knew that being a real estate agent entailed so many odd encounters. But thanks to Redfin we are now getting a closer peek into this strange and — at least what appears to be — wild world. Earlier this week, the Seattle online real estate company unveiled a new Twitter feed @REConfidential. Like the… Read More…

Startup incubator takes to the seas with wild idea to house foreign entrepreneurs

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Now, we’ve heard some wild concepts over the years. But the latest idea getting some buzz in Silicon Valley (not to mention cash from well known angel investor Peter Thiel) goes a bit off the deep end. An organization by the name of Blueseed Co. is proposing a “visa-free offshore incubator” — housed in renovated… Read More…

How EA could have spent $1.3B on a company called Sexy Action Cool

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Do you think Electronic Arts would have shelled out $1.3 billion for a company called Sexy Action Cool? It could have happened if PopCap Games stuck with its original name. Before it unleashed massive hits on the planet like Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, PopCap was actually known as Sexy Action Cool. No joke. That… Read More…

Image: PopCap’s zombie greeting to the new bosses at EA

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It’s a good thing to know that the folks over at PopCap haven’t lost their sense of humor– even though many of the employees were transformed into multi-millionaires today when Electronic Arts agreed to buy the Seattle game maker for as much as $1.3 billion. In the spirit of PopCap’s blockbuster game, Plants vs. Zombies,… Read More…

Jeff Bezos touts the power of long-term thinking, budgets $42M for a 10,000 year clock

Jeff Bezos

We’ve talked before about how Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos is not afraid to be misunderstood for long periods of time. And, perhaps, nothing showcases the Seattle billionaire’s iconoclastic spirit more than his latest project: Funding the construction of a $42 million clock in the Texas mountains. We wrote about the project last week, but Wired… Read More…

Inside Seattle’s geek craft fair

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The Happy Go Techy Expo, held Saturday at the University of Washington, was a little bit geek craft fair, and a little bit mobile application showcase. GeekWire photographer Annie Laurie Malarkey stopped by to capture some of the wacky gifts, accessories, apps, food and crafts. Here’s a look at Annie Laurie’s photo gallery from the all-day… Read More…

Meet the geek dogs of Seattle

Conenza's Tony Audino with Stitch

Every day is Take Your Dog to Work Day here at GeekWire and, for that matter, at dozens of other tech companies around Seattle. It’s pretty commonplace to see canine companions wandering the offices startups in Pioneer Square, Belltown and South Lake Union. But, in true celebration of the official holiday today, we’re showcasing some… Read More…

How one Seattle company is looking to capitalize on The Royal Wedding

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A few days ago, someone asked me if GeekWire had any plans for covering the royal wedding. At the time, I said there was “no formal coverage plan” unless we found some interesting Seattle angle. Well, here’s one for you. Guess who owns the Web site, RoyalWedding.com? The holder of that domain is none other… Read More…

Practical Nerd: A Norwescon vision of tomorrow’s tech

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I have seen the future. And it wears goggles and Victorian clothing. At least, that’s the immediate impression you might get after visiting Norwescon 34, which was held this past weekend near SeaTac airport. More than 3,500 attendees sold out the 2011 iteration of the long-running regional science-fiction and fantasy convention, in which “steampunk” (a… Read More…

Earthquake-proof desk designed to withstand one million pounds of debris

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The next time the “big one” hits, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a steel-plated desk (complete with oxygen mask, food storage, flashlight, blanket and other amenities) nearby? Bainbridge Island-based desk manufacturer LifeGuard Structures is trying to make that a reality, touting an “earthquake-proof” desk that can withstand 1.2 million pounds of falling concrete, beams… Read More…

Another victim of technology: Nordstrom piano players?

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We got a bit of a chuckle after Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. slammed the iPad for U.S. job losses, with the Illinois Congressman arguing for the defense of the paper industry. Now, here’s another cause Jackson Jr. can take on: Nordstrom piano players. The L.A. Times reports that the Seattle retailer has been eliminating in-store… Read More…

Sprint’s latest ad strategy: Wish a Missouri woman a happy 100th birthday

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Sprint is locked in a heated battle with Verizon and AT&T, a situation that got more challenging  with AT&T’s planned $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile. Sprint’s secret weapon? It happens to be Veatrice Henson, a Missouri resident who is turning 100 this year. As part of a new ad campaign starting today, Sprint is encouraging… Read More…

Apple finds PopCap game ‘Unpleasant Horse’ just a little too unpleasant

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This probably was not the way that PopCap Games’ experimental game studio 4th & Battery wanted to start off. Then again, maybe it’s just the type of thing that could help establish the edgy new game development group. Just three days after the studio’s public debut, 4th & Battery’s first mobile app for the iPhone, dubbed… Read More…

Death Cab for Cutie plans historic livestream of new music video at 4 p.m.

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I am really curious to see how this turns out. At 4 p.m. today, the Seattle/Bellingham band Death Cab for Cutie plans to conduct what it is calling the “first live, scripted, one-take, music video shoot ever.” You can tune into the action on Death Cab’s Web site or Facebook page (or below) where the band… Read More…

Jeopardy Fail? Contestants unable to identify FailBlog on game show

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Maybe Alex Trebek is a secret FailBlog fanatic. The wildly popular humor Web site — developed by the folks at Seattle’s Cheezburger Network — was the subject of a little Jeopardy trivia this week. You know you’ve hit the mainstream when your company’s product appears on a game show. It’s even better if folks actually… Read More…