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Junior Geek of the Month: Theo Monnin’s ‘aerial activism’ pairs drone photography and conservation

How the SolarWinds hackers are targeting cloud services in unprecedented cyberattack

by Christopher Budd on December 23, 2020December 23, 2020 at 10:59 am

[Editor’s Note: Independent security consultant Christopher Budd worked previously in Microsoft’s Security Response Center for 10 years.] Analysis: To understand where the SolarWinds attackers are going next, and how to defend… Read More

Holiday parties in a pandemic: Tableau orders 3,500 meals to go; Smartsheet serenaded virtually; more

by Kurt Schlosser on December 23, 2020December 23, 2020 at 10:59 am

Looking for a way to celebrate the holiday season with employees while also injecting some much-needed support into the Seattle restaurant scene, Tableau Software placed the to-go order of the year… Read More

Get Help During the Holidays and Beyond with ALLtech

Convenient access to health care has always been a priority for the ALLtech Benefits Trust. During a holiday season that already has stress levels at an all-time high, ALLtech is… Read More

Junior Geek of the Month: Theo Monnin’s ‘aerial activism’ pairs drone photography and conservation

by Kurt Schlosser on December 23, 2020December 22, 2020 at 11:30 am

For as long as he could remember, Theo Monnin had a poster of an SR-71 Blackbird aircraft hanging on his bedroom wall. As a kid, he enjoyed visits to The… Read More

Another Seattle power couple commits to giving away their fortune as part of the Giving Pledge

by John Cook on December 22, 2020December 22, 2020 at 9:27 pm

Seattle philanthropists Sarah and Rich Barton have signed the Giving Pledge, joining more than 200 billionaires and ultra-wealthy people around the globe who’ve pledged to give away their massive fortunes.… Read More

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Can vaccinated people still transmit COVID-19? The answer is key for herd immunity, research finds

by Kellie Schmitt on December 22, 2020December 23, 2020 at 7:14 am

As coronavirus vaccines are distributed throughout the country, a big question remains: Even though the vaccines reduce symptomatic COVID-19, can vaccinated individuals still transmit the virus? The answer could significantly… Read More

Electric aircraft motor company MagniX lands deal to power UK startup’s planned 300-plane fleet

by Bryan Corliss on December 22, 2020December 23, 2020 at 10:13 am

A Seattle-area company has been picked to provide the electric motors for a proposed fleet of 300 aircraft to be built in the United Kingdom by 2030. The deal has… Read More

Blue Christmas | Beautifully Renovated Craftsman in Wallingford

Beautifully renovated craftsman home in Wallingford. Designed to integrate modern updates with original elements; this home features original box beam ceilings, handsome hardwood floors, original built-ins, and period leaded glass.…

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Bill Gates caps tough year on upbeat note: When he thinks life will be ‘much closer to normal’ again

by Todd Bishop on December 22, 2020December 22, 2020 at 10:18 am

Bill Gates was in the news this year almost as much as when he was running Microsoft, as an advocate for science and equity in the pandemic. If things turn… Read More

They make a good Teams: Slack CEO’s virtual wedding could take place on rival Microsoft tool

by Kurt Schlosser on December 22, 2020December 22, 2020 at 8:45 am

Three weeks into his $27.7 billion honeymoon phase with Salesforce, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield’s real wedding could have an unwelcome guest of sorts, in the form of rival Microsoft Teams.… Read More

Fun & Geeky

Holiday parties in a pandemic: Tableau orders 3,500 meals to go; Smartsheet serenaded virtually; more

They make a good Teams: Slack CEO’s virtual wedding could take place on rival Microsoft tool

Amazon donating 2,000 tropical plants like those in Spheres for sale to benefit Seattle zoo

Be your selfie: Seattle mask makers FriendlyFace design a way to bring smiles during the pandemic

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

Podcast

Feast or famine: How restaurants and grocery stores will evolve in the years ahead

by John Cook on December 22, 2020December 23, 2020 at 11:09 am

Cashierless checkout. Ghost kitchens. And robotic pizza makers. Those are just a few of the trends we’ll tackle in this episode of 2025: Tomorrow, Today, a new podcast created by GeekWire… Read More

How the COVID-19 relief bill could change the future of game livestreaming in the U.S.

by Thomas Wilde on December 21, 2020December 22, 2020 at 10:15 am

U.S. livestreamers may see major changes to their business model as a result of legislation in Congress’s latest COVID-19 relief bill. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which passed late… Read More

Health Tech

Can vaccinated people still transmit COVID-19? The answer is key for herd immunity, research finds

Two Seattle techies create bracelets to let people signal they’re vaccinated against COVID-19

Madrona continues to back Ovation.io as Boston startup raises $21.5M for its lab software platform

RealNetworks releases free ‘MaskCheck’ app to automatically monitor public health compliance

Read more health technology articles on Health Tech.

Microsoft files amicus brief with other tech giants in case against ‘dangerous’ NSO Group

by Taylor Soper on December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 at 4:19 pm

A group of tech companies including Microsoft today filed an amicus brief in a case brought by WhatsApp against NSO Group. The brief outlines how private-sector offensive actors (PSOAs) such… Read More

Peloton to pay $420M for Precor, longtime Seattle-area maker of commercial fitness equipment

by Kurt Schlosser on December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 at 4:33 pm

Peloton announced Monday that it is acquiring Precor, the longtime Woodinville, Wash,-based makers of commercial fitness equipment, in a deal valued at $420 million. Peloton has been riding a wave… Read More

GeekWire Podcasts

Feast or famine: How restaurants and grocery stores will evolve in the years ahead

GeekWire Podcast: What Seattle’s billion-dollar startups say about the region’s tech industry

GeekWire Podcast: Facebook fallout; Seattle’s status as ‘Cloud City’; testing SpaceX Starlink

Wait, was that COVID?! Revisiting the early days of the pandemic to investigate a viral mystery

Listen to more GeekWire Podcasts.

Seattle-based Bloccelerate raises $12M for first fund to invest in blockchain startups

by Taylor Soper on December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 at 12:34 pm

Bloccelerate VC just raised $12 million for its first fund that will back startups selling blockchain technology to enterprise customers. The 3-year-old Seattle-based firm plans to invest in 10-to-15 early-stage… Read More

Jeff Bezos pledges $25M more to All in WA to help group provide COVID-19 relief across state

by Kurt Schlosser on December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 at 12:34 pm

Jeff Bezos is doubling his contribution to All in Washington, a statewide effort to provide COVID-19 relief funds. The Amazon CEO pledged $25 million in matching funds on Monday, equaling… Read More

Seattle-area startup Group14 raises $17M to charge up battery-enhancing tech

by Lisa Stiffler on December 21, 2020December 21, 2020 at 9:59 am

Woodinville, Wash.-based Group14 Technologies has raised $17 million to expand development and sales of its silicon-carbon composite material that can replace the graphite anodes in lithium-ion batteries, dramatically improving their… Read More

Lockheed Martin announces a deal to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.4 billion

by Alan Boyle on December 20, 2020December 20, 2020 at 9:39 pm

Lockheed Martin has struck a deal to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings in an all-cash transaction valued at $4.4 billion, the two companies announced today. The agreement marks the latest combination… Read More

Poetry vs. programming: Wandering the city, a writer finds the intersection of literature and code

by Frances McCue on December 20, 2020December 22, 2020 at 8:09 am

[Editor’s Note: Frances McCue is a poet, writer, co-founder of nonprofit community writing center Hugo House, and a teaching professor at the University of Washington. She reads this piece in… Read More

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 13, 2020

by GeekWire on December 20, 2020December 20, 2020 at 8:00 am

See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 13, 2020.… Read More

Podcast

GeekWire Podcast: What Seattle’s billion-dollar startups say about the region’s tech industry

by Todd Bishop on December 19, 2020December 23, 2020 at 11:10 am

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: Seattle’s tech community just reached a new milestone: 10 unicorns, privately held companies valued at more than $1 billion.… Read More

Xbox users who bought ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ can get a full refund after disastrous launch for popular game

by Thomas Wilde on December 18, 2020December 20, 2020 at 10:59 am

Microsoft is expanding its Xbox refund policy specifically to accommodate consumers looking to return digital copies of the recently-released action RPG Cyberpunk 2077, which has been plagued by bugs and… Read More

‘The week has literally exploded’: Tech security startups grapple with SolarWinds fallout

by Todd Bishop on December 18, 2020December 19, 2020 at 9:18 am

Ah, the week before the holidays. A great moment to take a breather after a difficult year, cut out early, do some online shopping, spend time with the family. Not… Read More

SolarWinds hack: What we know, and don’t know, so far

by Bob Sullivan on December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 at 10:46 am

I keep hearing this from people I respect: It’s hard to overstate how serious the SolarWinds hack is. So, yes, it seems to be the Big One. I suspect we’ll… Read More

Amazon donating 2,000 tropical plants like those in Spheres for sale to benefit Seattle zoo

by Kurt Schlosser on December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 at 10:49 am

If you want your home office to look a little more like Amazon’s tropical office setting, here’s a chance to grab some unique plants like those in the tech giant’s… Read More

Commentary: How the distributed workforce of tomorrow can leave behind the racism of the past

by Cheryl Ingram on December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 at 9:27 am

We will soon turn the page on a pandemic that has consumed the conversation in boardrooms across America. Along with the rapid adaptation of digital workforces, we have seen another… Read More

Meet the startups that just pitched at a virtual Demo Night hosted by Female Founders Alliance

by Taylor Soper on December 18, 2020December 18, 2020 at 9:58 am

Entrepreneurs selling everything from STI screening kits to skincare products to software tools pitched their ideas at the third annual Demo Night for Ready Set Raise, a startup accelerator run… Read More

Video

How the SolarWinds hackers are targeting cloud services in unprecedented cyberattack

Holiday parties in a pandemic: Tableau orders 3,500 meals to go; Smartsheet serenaded virtually; more

Get Help During the Holidays and Beyond with ALLtech

Junior Geek of the Month: Theo Monnin’s ‘aerial activism’ pairs drone photography and conservation

Another Seattle power couple commits to giving away their fortune as part of the Giving Pledge

Latest GeekWire Videos

Can vaccinated people still transmit COVID-19? The answer is key for herd immunity, research finds

Electric aircraft motor company MagniX lands deal to power UK startup’s planned 300-plane fleet

Blue Christmas | Beautifully Renovated Craftsman in Wallingford

Bill Gates caps tough year on upbeat note: When he thinks life will be ‘much closer to normal’ again

They make a good Teams: Slack CEO’s virtual wedding could take place on rival Microsoft tool

Fun & Geeky

Feast or famine: How restaurants and grocery stores will evolve in the years ahead

How the COVID-19 relief bill could change the future of game livestreaming in the U.S.

Health Tech

Microsoft files amicus brief with other tech giants in case against ‘dangerous’ NSO Group

Peloton to pay $420M for Precor, longtime Seattle-area maker of commercial fitness equipment

GeekWire Podcasts

Seattle-based Bloccelerate raises $12M for first fund to invest in blockchain startups

Jeff Bezos pledges $25M more to All in WA to help group provide COVID-19 relief across state

Seattle-area startup Group14 raises $17M to charge up battery-enhancing tech

Lockheed Martin announces a deal to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.4 billion

Poetry vs. programming: Wandering the city, a writer finds the intersection of literature and code

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of Dec. 13, 2020

GeekWire Podcast: What Seattle’s billion-dollar startups say about the region’s tech industry

Xbox users who bought ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ can get a full refund after disastrous launch for popular game

‘The week has literally exploded’: Tech security startups grapple with SolarWinds fallout

SolarWinds hack: What we know, and don’t know, so far

Amazon donating 2,000 tropical plants like those in Spheres for sale to benefit Seattle zoo

Commentary: How the distributed workforce of tomorrow can leave behind the racism of the past

Meet the startups that just pitched at a virtual Demo Night hosted by Female Founders Alliance

After huge growth in 2020, Seattle startup Rec Room raises $20M to expand virtual hangout game

Microsoft says internal probe finds malicious SolarWinds code, no sign of further impact yet

Seattle’s Pure Watercraft raises additional $14M to power its plans for electric boat motors

Cloud data giant Rubrik acquires tech and IP assets from Seattle startup Igneous

Virtual Planetarium: North Pole Adventure

201 & 301 Virtual Demo Day Presentations