Author: Frank Catalano

Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) is a veteran tech strategist. He brings a long history in both traditional and digital media to his reporting and analysis. His contributions cover education technology, culture, science fiction, the arts, and the confluence of media & technology.

Behind the scenes at Cinerama: Landmark movie house becomes an international pop culture draw

‘Minecraft: Education Edition’ comes to iPad, as education features expand to mainstream version of game
How this workshop creates some of the world’s top sci-fi and fantasy writers, inside a Seattle house
Listen up: Digital audiobooks now the ‘fastest growing format’ as tech and titles improve

Latest from Frank Catalano

The Riveter and Alaska Airlines partner to create ‘The Official Airline of the Future of Work’

by Frank Catalano on November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 at 3:09 pmComment

Coworking just became coflying. Seattle-based coworking space provider The Riveter announced Tuesday that it’s partnering with Seattle-based Alaska Airlines to exchange membership benefits over the coming year. Among the mutual rewards:… Read More

Flying to HQ2? Amazon’s picks intensify competition between Alaska and Delta in Seattle

by Frank Catalano on November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 at 1:56 pmComment

Want to get from Amazon’s HQ1 city to all three of the new cities revealed by the tech giant on Tuesday in the fastest way possible? You have two airline… Read More

Microsoft expands Surface family with new Surface Go LTE Advanced model

by Frank Catalano on November 12, 2018November 12, 2018 at 7:47 amComment

Microsoft announced Monday that it is adding a new model to its Surface Go line, one that has the capability of connecting to the internet over LTE cellular data networks.… Read More

First-ever Nebula award for game writers approved by professional science fiction writers organization

by Frank Catalano on November 12, 2018November 12, 2018 at 6:22 amComment

For the first time, game writers will be able to claim one of science fiction and fantasy’s prestigious Nebula awards. Officials of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America… Read More

Tech Moves: Karat names SVP sales; Phytelligence taps VP operations; SigmaDesign adds new office

by Frank Catalano on November 9, 2018November 9, 2018 at 9:57 amComment

Karat has named John Besteman as its senior vice president of sales. Besteman earlier ran sales teams at Forrester Research and Gartner. Karat, which conducts first-round technical interviews for software engineers… Read More

LinkedIn Learning embraces content from education companies, integrating it in one platform

by Frank Catalano on November 9, 2018November 9, 2018 at 11:40 amComment

LinkedIn is again expanding its professional learning options by integrating content into LinkedIn Learning from outside companies that are focused on education. On Friday, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn announced that Harvard Business… Read More

Amazon wins in shopper satisfaction for buying groceries online, but Walmart is more popular

by Frank Catalano on November 8, 2018November 8, 2018 at 11:29 amComment

A new national survey shows it’s a two-store race when it comes to buying groceries online, but there’s no clear leader overall. The research from the Retail Feedback Group finds… Read More

International booksellers end strike against Amazon’s AbeBooks after company reverses stand

by Frank Catalano on November 8, 2018November 8, 2018 at 10:19 amComment

A strike by international rare book dealers to withhold their books from Amazon-owned AbeBooks is over, after an organization that represents the booksellers said AbeBooks has reversed a decision to… Read More

Lyft and Uber promote Election Day discounts to get voters to polls or vote-by-mail ballot drop boxes

by Frank Catalano on November 6, 2018November 6, 2018 at 3:24 pmComment

Ride-hailing services Lyft and Uber — and their community partners — are promoting discounts to get voters to the polls on Tuesday. Or, in vote-by-mail states, to get ballot holders… Read More

Tech Moves: New CFOs at Crowd Cow, Echodyne, and Icertis; Olis Robotics taps scientist; and more

by Frank Catalano on November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 at 2:49 pmComment

Crowd Cow, a Seattle-based marketplace for craft meat straight from farm to consumer, has added its first chief financial officer and head of marketing. Michelle Newbery joins as CFO, coming… Read More

Election Day: What you need to know about tech’s role in Tuesday’s vote, from issues to ballots

by Frank Catalano on November 5, 2018November 6, 2018 at 11:56 am1 Comment

The election Tuesday is likely to be one of the most closely watched mid-term contests in years. Early indications already point to an unusually high turnout, both nationwide and around… Read More

Hundreds of international booksellers go ‘on vacation’ to protest move by Amazon’s AbeBooks

by Frank Catalano on November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 at 7:44 amComment

Book lovers trying to find rare volumes on Amazon-owned AbeBooks may see fewer choices, as hundreds of international booksellers have started what’s being called a “flash strike” against the site.… Read More

Can Renton be a major tech hub in greater Seattle? If tech history is a guide, its approach must change

by Frank Catalano on November 2, 2018November 2, 2018 at 9:02 amComment

RENTON, Wash. — This city and cutting-edge tech startups are not strangers to each other. But they have an on-again, off-again kind of relationship, despite flirtations that date back decades. You… Read More

Amazon launches ‘Amazon Future Engineer’ program to support computer science education

by Frank Catalano on November 1, 2018November 1, 2018 at 1:10 pm1 Comment

Amazon is officially launching a new program it calls “Amazon Future Engineer,” a broad, community-based push into schools and education that represents a renewed emphasis on education, an area in… Read More

Privacy and the public library: NYPL’s chief digital officer looks to raise awareness in Seattle visit

by Frank Catalano on October 27, 2018October 27, 2018 at 8:29 amComment

If you want to see how a public library adopts technology at scale, consider heading to New York City. There, the New York Public Library has 92 locations and more… Read More

A talking white board? Alexa for Business extends to non-Echo devices for workplace environments

by Frank Catalano on October 25, 2018October 25, 2018 at 8:54 am1 Comment

As part of its continuing effort to make the intelligent voice assistant Alexa available everywhere, Amazon has announced that third-party devices will now work with Alexa for Business, its program… Read More

Corporate news alert startup Factal launches 24/7 global service with core Breaking News team

by Frank Catalano on October 23, 2018October 23, 2018 at 11:18 amComment

Factal, which provides incident and news alerts for corporate users, announced Tuesday that it’s started round-the-clock global coverage after more than a year of testing with large corporations. The Seattle-based… Read More

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TLDR: Another Facebook exec leaves, Avalara is sued, and global startup founders pitch in Seattle

by Frank Catalano on October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 at 5:56 pmComment

Facebook keeps losing executives from its acquisitions. The latest: Brendan Iribe, co-founder and one-time CEO of Oculus, is heading for a different reality. In a status update appropriately posted on… Read More

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Should Google be regulated? Expedia’s Barry Diller says yes, to stop competition with advertisers

by Frank Catalano on October 17, 2018October 17, 2018 at 11:16 am 2 Comments

Add one more voice to calls for regulation of Google: Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of Expedia Group. Diller, interviewed by CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin during an event at… Read More

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From Cinerama and MoPOP to KEXP and Upstream, Paul Allen’s cultural legacy permeates Seattle

by Frank Catalano on October 16, 2018October 16, 2018 at 3:24 pmComment

Many will remember him as the co-founder of Microsoft, or the owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers. But Paul G. Allen had a deep and broad impact… Read More

Amazon donates $2M to create fund to help immediate needs of Seattle school students

by Frank Catalano on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 at 10:39 am1 Comment

Amazon is announcing a $2 million grant to help Seattle school students. But the focus isn’t the latest shiny education technology. Instead, it’s that missing raincoat, a weekend backpack full… Read More

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How to motivate Millennials to give blood? Bloodworks NW launches app after successful test

by Frank Catalano on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 at 5:56 amComment

How do you encourage new generations to adopt a habit of their older predecessors? A major regional blood center is betting, in part, on a mobile app. Bloodworks Northwest on… Read More

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As learning technologies enter a ‘heady place,’ DreamBox CEO thinks skepticism was justified

by Frank Catalano on October 14, 2018October 18, 2018 at 1:38 pmComment

Being a little late out of the gate with new tech may not be a bad thing when you’re dealing with kids. It’s not that DreamBox Learning‘s Jessie Woolley-Wilson is… Read More

Facebook reveals new details of account breaches, revises login token theft down to 30M people

by Frank Catalano on October 12, 2018October 12, 2018 at 11:02 amComment

Facebook is releasing new details of an attack that gave hackers access to tens of millions of individuals’ Facebook accounts. At the same time, it revised downward the number of… Read More

Seattle education startup Actively Learn acquired by N.J.-based Achieve3000, terms undisclosed

by Frank Catalano on October 2, 2018October 1, 2018 at 10:49 amComment

A modestly sized Seattle startup is being bought by an established education technology company that says it reaches nearly 3 million students worldwide. Actively Learn, which has built a digital… Read More

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Articles by Frank Catalano

Top Stories from Frank Catalano

Behind the scenes at Cinerama: Landmark movie house becomes an international pop culture draw

Latest from Frank Catalano

The Riveter and Alaska Airlines partner to create ‘The Official Airline of the Future of Work’

Flying to HQ2? Amazon’s picks intensify competition between Alaska and Delta in Seattle

Microsoft expands Surface family with new Surface Go LTE Advanced model

First-ever Nebula award for game writers approved by professional science fiction writers organization

Tech Moves: Karat names SVP sales; Phytelligence taps VP operations; SigmaDesign adds new office

LinkedIn Learning embraces content from education companies, integrating it in one platform

Amazon wins in shopper satisfaction for buying groceries online, but Walmart is more popular

International booksellers end strike against Amazon’s AbeBooks after company reverses stand

Lyft and Uber promote Election Day discounts to get voters to polls or vote-by-mail ballot drop boxes

Tech Moves: New CFOs at Crowd Cow, Echodyne, and Icertis; Olis Robotics taps scientist; and more

Election Day: What you need to know about tech’s role in Tuesday’s vote, from issues to ballots

Hundreds of international booksellers go ‘on vacation’ to protest move by Amazon’s AbeBooks

Can Renton be a major tech hub in greater Seattle? If tech history is a guide, its approach must change

Amazon launches ‘Amazon Future Engineer’ program to support computer science education

Privacy and the public library: NYPL’s chief digital officer looks to raise awareness in Seattle visit

A talking white board? Alexa for Business extends to non-Echo devices for workplace environments

Corporate news alert startup Factal launches 24/7 global service with core Breaking News team

TLDR: Another Facebook exec leaves, Avalara is sued, and global startup founders pitch in Seattle

Should Google be regulated? Expedia’s Barry Diller says yes, to stop competition with advertisers

From Cinerama and MoPOP to KEXP and Upstream, Paul Allen’s cultural legacy permeates Seattle

Amazon donates $2M to create fund to help immediate needs of Seattle school students

How to motivate Millennials to give blood? Bloodworks NW launches app after successful test

As learning technologies enter a ‘heady place,’ DreamBox CEO thinks skepticism was justified

Facebook reveals new details of account breaches, revises login token theft down to 30M people

Seattle education startup Actively Learn acquired by N.J.-based Achieve3000, terms undisclosed

Amazon Alexa Fund invests in Bamboo Learning as startup introduces screen-friendly Alexa math skill

Consumer Reports reinstates recommendation for Microsoft Surface laptops on new reliability surveys

Salesforce and Apple partner on new iOS integrations and developer promotions

Amazon takes stake in major Indian grocery chain, signaling worldwide brick-and-mortar ambitions

What’s not to ‘like?’ Amazon tests machine-learning driven Scout instant recommendation engine

Demystifying Digital Twin

New Tech Seattle (Blockchain & Crypto)

Seattle Angel Conference SAC XIV November 2018