Author: Frank Catalano

Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) is a veteran edtech and tech strategist. He brings a long history in both traditional and digital media to his coverage and analysis. His GeekWire contributions include pop culture, science fiction, the arts, and the confluence of media & technology, whether delivered by smart speaker, VR goggle, social media, AI algorithm or quaint airwaves.

Traditional publishers’ ebook sales drop as indie authors and Amazon take off

How I got caught up in a Presidential barring of ‘media,’ but not the media that now matters
VR in a social sphere: What MoPOP’s cutting-edge Holodome means for the future of shared ‘reality’
Inside MoPOP’s world-premiere Marvel exhibit: The human sides of heroes and their creators

Latest from Frank Catalano

Traditional publishers’ ebook sales drop as indie authors and Amazon take off

by Frank Catalano on May 19, 2018May 19, 2018 at 8:38 amComment

Ebook sales are dying. Ebooks are insanely popular. If the short definition of cognitive dissonance is holding two contradictory ideas to be true, ebooks are about as dissonant as digital… Read More

Raspberry Pi Foundation picks Seattle’s Living Computers Museum + Labs as one of four US sites for ‘Picademy’

by Frank Catalano on May 14, 2018May 14, 2018 at 7:20 amComment

The value of Pi will be unusually high this summer at Living Computers: Museum + Labs in Seattle. The Raspberry Pi Foundation, the UK nonprofit behind the incredibly popular and… Read More

How I got caught up in a Presidential barring of ‘media,’ but not the media that now matters

by Frank Catalano on May 12, 2018May 12, 2018 at 9:46 amComment

As the arm reached across to block my entry, I looked up, surprised. “I have a conference badge,” I recall saying, struggling to keep up with my former edtech industry… Read More

VR in a social sphere: What MoPOP’s cutting-edge Holodome means for the future of shared ‘reality’

by Frank Catalano on May 5, 2018May 5, 2018 at 10:19 amComment

When I was a kid, I loved Disneyland for the rides. But as I grew older, I appreciated the original Disney park in Anaheim for the 3-D immersive reality. From… Read More

Project Unicorn signs first companies to help schools handle the hairball of edtech data

by Frank Catalano on May 1, 2018May 1, 2018 at 3:47 pmComment

The rise of education technology in schools has also expanded one of edtech’s biggest hairballs: exchanging school, teacher and student data across different apps and systems. Now, an initiative named… Read More

From AR to VR: After games, what’s the next big market for ‘extended reality?’

by Frank Catalano on April 28, 2018April 28, 2018 at 10:12 am 3 Comments

It’s OK to be confused about what the hot markets will be for digitally extended reality. Because figuring out which uses will become popular next — whether that reality is… Read More

Podcast

Inside MoPOP’s world-premiere Marvel exhibit: The human sides of heroes and their creators

by Frank Catalano on April 28, 2018April 28, 2018 at 4:55 amComment

If you only know Marvel from the movies, you don’t really know Marvel. That’s the sense you get when you enter the world-premiere exhibition at the Museum of Pop Culture in… Read More

Certifying online journalists: A bad idea whose time has come?

by Frank Catalano on April 21, 2018April 21, 2018 at 8:34 am 20 Comments

In the battle against fake news, is it finally time to certify journalists? It’s a divisive question, but one that is becoming more interesting by the day. As a media… Read More

For investors, the future of education technology is now the workplace

by Frank Catalano on April 19, 2018April 20, 2018 at 4:51 amComment

SAN DIEGO — After several years of waiting for the K-12 market to grow faster, and a couple of years getting schooled in higher education, education technology investors seem to… Read More

From Rhapsody to Napster: How this pioneering music service coulda been Spotify — and why it isn’t

by Frank Catalano on April 14, 2018April 14, 2018 at 10:33 am 2 Comments

In streaming music, Spotify gets the celebrity. Spotify gets the global reach. Spotify gets the IPO. Yet the music service originally known as Rhapsody was the streaming pioneer. It had… Read More

$100K Google grant to fund King County Library System’s first regional makerspace

by Frank Catalano on April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 at 11:18 am 7 Comments

The King County Library System is opening its first makerspace this weekend. And it’s doing so with the help of a $100,000 grant from Google. The new ideaX Makerspace stakes… Read More

Apple to develop Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation novels into a new video drama series

by Frank Catalano on April 11, 2018April 11, 2018 at 1:20 pmComment

The classic Foundation trilogy is the latest science-fiction property to be adapted for a video series, and this time it’s Apple developing the project. After competitive bidding, Apple landed the deal… Read More

Seattle and King County library systems rank at top of global digital lenders as growth continues

by Frank Catalano on April 8, 2018April 6, 2018 at 12:08 pmComment

Library lending is increasingly going digital. And that global expansion of technology-based borrowing is being led by library systems serving Seattle and surrounding King County. This new series by contributing… Read More

‘Hey kids, it’s time for dinner!’ Amazon rolls out Alexa Announcements for Echo

by Frank Catalano on April 5, 2018April 5, 2018 at 6:08 pm 2 Comments

That Amazon Echo device in your home is about to get a lot more vocal — using your words. Amazon today is rolling out a new feature called Alexa Announcements… Read More

Should your kid use virtual reality? New Common Sense Media report gives guidelines for parents

by Frank Catalano on April 4, 2018April 4, 2018 at 5:30 pm 2 Comments

Non-profit Common Sense Media is weighing in on virtual reality use by kids. And much of the advice to parents boils down to keeping immersive sessions brief, having children sit… Read More

Analysis: After Amazon’s TenMarks shuts down, what then for K-12 schools and Amazon?

by Frank Catalano on April 2, 2018April 2, 2018 at 11:03 am 2 Comments

The sudden, relatively quiet notice late last week that Amazon would shutter its TenMarks business and end its TenMarks Math and Writing products at the close of the 2018-19 school… Read More

Can you go paperless on an overseas trip? The Geek’s Guide to International Travel, 2018 Edition

by Frank Catalano on April 1, 2018April 1, 2018 at 4:07 pm 4 Comments

It’s amazing the difference five years makes when traveling with tech. In April 2013, I felt as though I was living on the edge when I took a 10-day trip… Read More

Amazon to close TenMarks online education service after 2018-19 school year

by Todd Bishop & Frank Catalano on March 30, 2018March 31, 2018 at 5:20 amComment

Amazon will close its TenMarks online math and writing learning service after the 2018-2019 school year, the latest surprise twist in the tech giant’s foray into education technology. The company… Read More

Apple unveils $299 iPad for schools and free education apps in bid to regain its K-12 lead

by Frank Catalano on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 at 10:59 amComment

It’s on, Google. You too, Microsoft. That might be the best way to sum up Apple’s big reveal of how it plans to compete with the current two leaders in… Read More

Can Apple return to the head of the class? Tech giant to reveal new education plans after long slide

by Frank Catalano on March 25, 2018March 25, 2018 at 7:35 am 5 Comments

One-time education technology leader Apple is now a distant third in new computing device shipments to K-12 schools in the U.S. But this week, it may become clear about how… Read More

Podcast

Library of Congress saves the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus and other online ‘web cultures’

by Frank Catalano on March 14, 2018March 13, 2018 at 7:11 pm 2 Comments

If you had to describe the unique “culture” of the web by highlighting a bunch of websites, would you choose Slashdot? Giphy? Or both? That’s the kind of choice the… Read More

Reality check: Microsoft Windows gains in U.S. schools in 2017, but Google remains dominant

by Frank Catalano on March 7, 2018March 7, 2018 at 8:34 am 4 Comments

The latest numbers from market research firm Futuresource are slightly better news for Microsoft in a U.S. K-12 education market dominated by Google and Chromebooks. U.K.-based Futuresource Consulting has released its… Read More

Amazon Studios to adapt Iain M. Banks’ space-opera Culture novel, a ‘huge personal favorite’ of Jeff Bezos

by Frank Catalano on February 21, 2018February 21, 2018 at 11:24 am1 Comment

Iain M. Banks’ sweeping Culture science-fiction book series finally has a video home. Amazon Studios announced this morning it’s acquired the global television rights to the first novel, Consider Phlebas.… Read More

Bill Gates to guest star on ‘The Big Bang Theory’

by Frank Catalano on February 20, 2018February 20, 2018 at 1:09 pmComment

It’s only taken eleven seasons, but Leonard and Sheldon may finally get to meet Bill Gates. Warner Bros. and CBS, the studio and network behind the series The Big Bang… Read More

Seattle and Pittsburgh’s fantastic connection: a new ‘grand master’ of science fiction and fantasy

by Frank Catalano on February 19, 2018February 18, 2018 at 7:49 am1 Comment

Looking for a literary tie between Seattle and Pittsburgh? It may seem as hard to find as a unicorn. But it actually involves a unicorn. When the Science Fiction and… Read More

Podcast

Articles by Frank Catalano

Top Stories from Frank Catalano

Traditional publishers’ ebook sales drop as indie authors and Amazon take off

Latest from Frank Catalano

Traditional publishers’ ebook sales drop as indie authors and Amazon take off

Raspberry Pi Foundation picks Seattle’s Living Computers Museum + Labs as one of four US sites for ‘Picademy’

VR in a social sphere: What MoPOP’s cutting-edge Holodome means for the future of shared ‘reality’

Project Unicorn signs first companies to help schools handle the hairball of edtech data

From AR to VR: After games, what’s the next big market for ‘extended reality?’

Inside MoPOP’s world-premiere Marvel exhibit: The human sides of heroes and their creators

Certifying online journalists: A bad idea whose time has come?

For investors, the future of education technology is now the workplace

From Rhapsody to Napster: How this pioneering music service coulda been Spotify — and why it isn’t

$100K Google grant to fund King County Library System’s first regional makerspace

Apple to develop Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation novels into a new video drama series

Seattle and King County library systems rank at top of global digital lenders as growth continues

‘Hey kids, it’s time for dinner!’ Amazon rolls out Alexa Announcements for Echo

Should your kid use virtual reality? New Common Sense Media report gives guidelines for parents

Analysis: After Amazon’s TenMarks shuts down, what then for K-12 schools and Amazon?

Can you go paperless on an overseas trip? The Geek’s Guide to International Travel, 2018 Edition

Amazon to close TenMarks online education service after 2018-19 school year

Apple unveils $299 iPad for schools and free education apps in bid to regain its K-12 lead

Can Apple return to the head of the class? Tech giant to reveal new education plans after long slide

Library of Congress saves the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus and other online ‘web cultures’

Reality check: Microsoft Windows gains in U.S. schools in 2017, but Google remains dominant

Amazon Studios to adapt Iain M. Banks’ space-opera Culture novel, a ‘huge personal favorite’ of Jeff Bezos

Bill Gates to guest star on ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Seattle and Pittsburgh’s fantastic connection: a new ‘grand master’ of science fiction and fantasy

Dystopia or utopia? Author and futurist Ramez Naam revisits his 2015 predictions for the world

One-of-a-kind Hive Media Lab launches in Seattle, on a mission to invent the future of media

Boeing helps lead new $32M investment in Singularity University, explores deeper partnership

Science-fiction author Frank Herbert’s legacy to be honored with a new ‘Dune’ park in Tacoma

Varsity Tutors raises another $50M to expand globally, accelerate growth in Seattle

ChefConf 2018

Movie Night With Complimentary Chiropractic Adjustments

ISB’s 2018 Consilience Event: Exploring Plasticity