Author: Frank Catalano

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

Video

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 pm1 Comment

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

Video

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

Video

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

Video

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

Video

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

Video

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

by Frank Catalano on September 27, 2018September 27, 2018 at 7:05 amComment

Seattle education startup Bamboo Learning is previewing its second Alexa skill at the same time it’s announcing an investment from Amazon’s Alexa Fund. Bamboo Math will be the next interactive… Read More

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

by Frank Catalano on September 27, 2018September 27, 2018 at 6:48 amComment

More than a year after pulling its recommendation for several Microsoft Surface laptops and tablets, Consumer Reports is reversing itself. But the newer Microsoft Surface Go still isn’t getting CR’s… Read More

Salesforce and Apple partner on new iOS integrations and developer promotions

by Frank Catalano on September 24, 2018September 24, 2018 at 4:44 pmComment

Salesforce its strengthening its ties to Apple with a series of initiatives announced Monday, from exclusive iPhone and iPad features for the Salesforce mobile app to encouraging Salesforce developers to… Read More

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

by Frank Catalano on September 21, 2018September 21, 2018 at 7:59 amComment

Whole Foods may have been just the start. Amazon and a Mumbai-based private equity firm, through an investment entity, is acquiring a company in India that operates 523 supermarkets and… Read More

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

by Frank Catalano on September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 at 12:34 pmComment

It’s a moment familiar to many Amazon shoppers: search or browse, and you’re presented with an overwhelming array of product choices. Sometimes, you freeze. But we all know how to… Read More

Amazon to move past Microsoft for No. 3 spot in advertising revenue, new study finds

by Frank Catalano on September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 at 10:31 amComment

Amazon is on track to displace Microsoft in U.S. advertising revenues this year, joining Google and Facebook as one of the top three digital ad publishers. That’s the conclusion of… Read More

Microsoft launches ‘groundbreaking’ Flagship School initiative with 17 schools globally

by Frank Catalano on September 18, 2018September 18, 2018 at 1:54 pmComment

Microsoft is deepening its efforts in education by literally getting in on the ground floor. On Tuesday, it launched its Microsoft Flagship School Program, announcing partnerships with 17 schools around… Read More

Tech Moves: OfferUp hires its first CFO from eBay Americas; Porch adds CMO and two VPs; and more

by Frank Catalano on September 18, 2018September 18, 2018 at 8:29 amComment

OfferUp has named its first chief financial officer. The Seattle-based mobile ecommerce marketplace announced Tuesday that Rodrigo Brumana is joining the company as CFO, an appointment the company says is… Read More

Video

Amazon reportedly investigating alleged incidents of third-party sellers paying employees to delete reviews and share secret sales data

by Frank Catalano on September 17, 2018September 17, 2018 at 7:28 pmComment

How much would it be worth to a third-party seller on Amazon to be able to have negative reviews deleted? Get internal sales volume and buyer habit statistics? Or even… Read More

Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne Benioff to buy Time magazine for $190M

by Frank Catalano on September 16, 2018September 17, 2018 at 10:50 am1 Comment

The venerable newsmagazine Time, a nearly 100-year-old media institution, is about to have new owners — Marc Benioff, Salesforce chairman and co-CEO, and Lynne Benioff, his wife. If the proposed… Read More

Washington STEM gets $75K SAP Concur grant to expand ‘career connected learning’

by Frank Catalano on September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 at 10:24 amComment

Education nonprofit Washington STEM is receiving a $75,000 grant from SAP Concur to help it expand student opportunities to explore STEM careers. The Seattle-based organization announced Thursday that it’s been… Read More

KEXP returns to Seattle airwaves after 11-year-old digital memory card takes station down

by Frank Catalano on September 11, 2018September 11, 2018 at 4:05 pm 8 Comments

After a Tuesday morning drive that was a morning dry for KEXP‘s traditional radio listeners, the Seattle station is back on the air with its over-the-air signal. But not before… Read More

Seattle’s KEXP broadcasts dead air during morning outage, but station’s digital signal stays alive

by Frank Catalano on September 11, 2018September 11, 2018 at 1:40 pm 3 Comments

If a tech-friendly streaming station goes off the radio airwaves, does anyone in a tech-centric city notice? Seattle nonprofit indie and alternative rock station KEXP suddenly went fuzzy and silent… Read More

T-Mobile signs $3.5B deal with Ericsson for 5G network hardware and software

by Frank Catalano on September 11, 2018September 11, 2018 at 8:04 amComment

T-Mobile and Ericsson announced a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar contract for Ericsson to provide both hardware and software for T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network deployment. The two companies say the deal is worth… Read More

Video

How to survive the election: 5 tips for online news consumers from digital media experts

by Frank Catalano on September 8, 2018September 8, 2018 at 12:49 pm 2 Comments

OK, digital denizens, this one’s on you. The primaries in the U.S. are done next week. The general election lies ahead. You live in a democracy. You need solid information to… Read More

Podcast

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

by Frank Catalano on September 3, 2018September 3, 2018 at 9:00 am 8 Comments

You may think of Seattle’s Cinerama theater as just a cool place to watch movies. Yet for some, it represents an international pilgrimage. “Earlier this year we had someone who… Read More

Teachers and parents want more help with school technology, Microsoft and DreamBox surveys find

by Frank Catalano on August 29, 2018August 29, 2018 at 7:43 am1 Comment

Two different surveys, released by Microsoft and DreamBox Learning, find both parents and teachers would like to see more support for tech in classrooms — just in time for back-to-school.… Read More

Smart speaker sales take off globally, but consumer appetite for novel uses is fickle

by Frank Catalano on August 25, 2018August 25, 2018 at 9:46 am 2 Comments

While the quarter-by-quarter battle for smart speaker market share gets all the attention, the longer-term struggle to change consumer behavior has just begun. There is little question that smart speakers… Read More

‘Minecraft: Education Edition’ comes to iPad, as education features expand to mainstream version of game

by Frank Catalano on August 20, 2018September 6, 2018 at 11:49 am 2 Comments

Just in time for back-to-school, “Minecraft: Education Edition” is coming to Apple’s iPad. And also for the first time, a set of features created for the Education Edition has been… Read More

Podcast

How this workshop creates some of the world’s top sci-fi and fantasy writers, inside a Seattle house

by Frank Catalano on August 14, 2018August 14, 2018 at 5:56 pmComment

This and every summer around the first of August, 18 students leave a house in Seattle’s University District, after an intense six weeks in a crucible of creativity. Graduates over… Read More

Video

Listen up: Digital audiobooks now the ‘fastest growing format’ as tech and titles improve

by Frank Catalano on August 11, 2018August 11, 2018 at 10:55 am 2 Comments

If your idea of a good time reading is to do it with your ears, you’re in good company. Digital audiobooks are outpacing even ebooks in sustained growth. Long gone… Read More

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

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

Amazon to move past Microsoft for No. 3 spot in advertising revenue, new study finds

Microsoft launches ‘groundbreaking’ Flagship School initiative with 17 schools globally

Tech Moves: OfferUp hires its first CFO from eBay Americas; Porch adds CMO and two VPs; and more

Amazon reportedly investigating alleged incidents of third-party sellers paying employees to delete reviews and share secret sales data

Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne Benioff to buy Time magazine for $190M

Washington STEM gets $75K SAP Concur grant to expand ‘career connected learning’

KEXP returns to Seattle airwaves after 11-year-old digital memory card takes station down

Seattle’s KEXP broadcasts dead air during morning outage, but station’s digital signal stays alive

T-Mobile signs $3.5B deal with Ericsson for 5G network hardware and software

How to survive the election: 5 tips for online news consumers from digital media experts

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

Teachers and parents want more help with school technology, Microsoft and DreamBox surveys find

Smart speaker sales take off globally, but consumer appetite for novel uses is fickle

‘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

Gamesforum Seattle

SciTech Northwest 2018

Innovation, Privacy And The Public Good In The Digital Age