Articles by Molly Brown

Molly Brown is a freelance writer and editor covering tech, travel, books, and more. Follow her @evilmolly and reach her at molly@geekwire.com.

Bill Gates picks his 5 top summer reads for 2019, with no shortage of heavy topics

Review: ‘Zucked’ examines Facebook’s unchecked power and ‘catastrophic’ results for us all
Key takeaways from former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s new book, ‘From the Ground Up’
5 rules for being fearless in business and life from AOL veteran and investor Jean Case

Latest from Molly Brown

White House announces competition for $100 million in grants to support TechHire now open

by Molly Brown on November 17, 2015November 17, 2015 at 10:15 am

Last March, the White House announced $100 million in grants to support President Obama’s TechHire initiative. Today, the Department of Labor is opening up the applications for those grants. According to… Read More

Motorola enlists Ashton Kutcher and ‘would you rather’ game to plug its new smartphone

by Molly Brown on November 17, 2015November 17, 2015 at 8:50 am

This is an interesting tactic to take to sell smartphones — making fun of people’s addictions to their smartphones. “We have a theory that people are actually in love with… Read More

Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year isn’t even a word

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 at 4:06 pm

Oh-no-ji! That’s right. Oxford Dictionaries has picked an emoji as its go-to word of 2015. And not just any emoji — the ubiquitous “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji. “There… Read More

Madrona’s William Ruckelshaus to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 17, 2015 at 8:11 am

A well-known name in Seattle’s business world, William Ruckelshaus, will receive our nation’s highest civilian honor — the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ruckelshaus, a strategic director at Madrona, was one of… Read More

Google says its app can better understand your questions now

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 at 2:33 pm

Google says that its app can better understand the meaning behind more complex queries, making it more able to deliver the answers you’re seeking. In a post today by product manager Satyajeet… Read More

Hate to floss? This gadget could help

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 at 1:34 pm

Ugh. Flossing. It is probably the last step before bed that is the easiest to skip or forget. However, flossing is incredibly important for your overall health. This Kickstarter with a gadget… Read More

In the season of giving, Amazon and Starbucks gift cards will likely rank high

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 at 1:02 pm

We’re still over a week out from the most infamous shopping day of the season, but if you prefer to give gift cards instead of presents, you might want to… Read More

In response to criticism, Facebook to turn on its ‘Safety Check’ feature more during disasters

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 at 11:12 am

On Friday, social media proved to be a fast, effective way for those seeking help, shelter or information during the terrorist attacks in Paris. Facebook turned on its “Safety Check”… Read More

Round two? T-Mobile’s John Legere takes on Donald Trump in another epic Twitter throwdown

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 at 10:22 am

In the world of public social media battles, T-Mobile’s John Legere took on Donald Trump for the second time this weekend. The battleground? Twitter. The subject? Well, it started with… Read More

Expedia’s yearly ‘vacation deprivation’ study shows Americans leaving four days unused for 2015

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 at 9:18 am

The end of the year is approaching fast, and if you’ve got some extra vacation time to use or lose, consider this a friendly reminder to get on that. Expedia… Read More

Microsoft announces $75K grants to connect communities worldwide to the Internet

by Molly Brown on November 16, 2015November 16, 2015 at 8:46 am

Microsoft announced a grant initiative that will give grants averaging $75,000 to companies around the world to help bring “affordable Internet access to underserved markets.” It’s called the Affordable Access Initiative. Microsoft… Read More

People mobilize on Twitter using #PorteOuverte, #OpenDoor in response to Paris shootings

by Molly Brown on November 13, 2015November 13, 2015 at 4:22 pm

People seeking and offering shelter quickly mobilized on Twitter using the hashtag #PorteOuverte, or #OpenDoor, today after the tragic shootings and the violence unfolded in Paris. Tourists and guests in Paris:… Read More

Video

Mark Cuban will make his own hoverboards, thank you very much

by Molly Brown on November 13, 2015March 27, 2018 at 4:50 pm

So, if you could imagine Mark Cuban going something along the lines of “screw you guys, I’ll make my own hoverboards,” then you pretty much get the gist of this… Read More

This California family already wins coolest holiday light display with their Death Star

by Molly Brown on November 13, 2015December 15, 2015 at 7:27 pm

If the idea of driving past one more Santa and his sleigh yard decoration makes you want to poke your eyeballs out, here’s a light display idea — the Death Star.… Read More

From tragedy to ‘Star Trek’: Check out this new uplifting cartoon from the Oatmeal

by Molly Brown on November 13, 2015November 13, 2015 at 11:41 am

If you haven’t already, you should take time to see the latest cartoon from the Oatmeal. It tells the story of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, but overall, it’s meant… Read More

Another week, another ‘Star Wars’ trailer with new scenes

by Molly Brown on November 13, 2015December 15, 2015 at 7:27 pm

Yadda, yadda, yadda. New Star Wars trailer. Just watch it. There are some new scenes here, but the one that makes this worthwhile is Han Solo handing Rey a blaster.… Read More

Is all this tech money turning us into snobs? Seattle ranks No. 5 on list of ‘snobbiest’ U.S. cities

by Molly Brown on November 13, 2015November 13, 2015 at 9:41 am

This is probably one list we don’t want to be on — the “Snobbiest Cities in America.” RoadSnacks, a site that uses data to sort out the more human side… Read More

Take a look at the lame, awful original trailer for ‘Star Wars’

by Molly Brown on November 13, 2015November 13, 2015 at 8:56 am

Thanks to Man’s Life, this little blast from the past came back to our attention — the original trailer for Star Wars. “Back in the winter of 1976, there was… Read More

What happens when a self-driving Google car gets pulled over by the police

by Molly Brown on November 13, 2015November 13, 2015 at 8:42 am

Google’s self-driving car experienced another rite of passage of road life this week — getting pulled over by the cops. Google posted about the event on its self-driving car project’s… Read More

This app will tell you if that fancy beer is good or not before you buy it

by Molly Brown on November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 at 2:25 pm

How many times have you fallen for a label, gone with what’s on sale, or listened to your idiot friend when it came to your beer purchase? According to this… Read More

University of Washington’s KUOW to buy Pacific Lutheran University’s KPLU

by Molly Brown on November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 at 2:04 pm

Seattle-based radio station KUOW will buy Pacific Lutheran University’s KPLU, according to an announcement by the University of Washington station today. From the online statement: “Pacific Lutheran University plans to sell its… Read More

Take a look at the latest pictures from inside that new ‘Star Wars’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner

by Molly Brown on November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 at 11:38 am

Reuters photographer Edgar Su posted some great pictures of what it’s actually like inside that new Star Wars-themed Boeing 787 Dreamliner painted like R2-D2. As Business Insider reports, Su got a… Read More

Can quitting Facebook make you happier? This study says yes

by Molly Brown on November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 at 10:16 am

A new study shows that those who don’t spend time on Facebook tend to be happier. “People on Facebook are 39 percent more likely to feel less happy than their… Read More

Redfin report shows sellers are ‘optimistic,’ but might be overvaluing their homes

by Molly Brown on November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 at 9:16 pm

Homeowners looking to sell are driven more by optimism than urgency in a housing market that is “approaching something that resembles normalcy,” according to the latest Redfin Research report. Redfin also… Read More

Someone flew a drone into Seattle’s Great Wheel

by Molly Brown on November 12, 2015November 12, 2015 at 10:57 am

Police are looking for the person who flew a drone into Seattle’s Great Wheel yesterday. The crash happened around 4 p.m., according to this King 5 report above. Thankfully, there… Read More

Don’t call her a princess: Leia gets promoted in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

by Molly Brown on November 11, 2015December 15, 2015 at 7:28 pm

Princess Leia is getting a new title. In an Entertainment Weekly article, J.J. Abrams reveals the new name for the character formerly known as Princess Leia. “She’s referred to as General,”… Read More

Reddit AMA with REI CEO spirals out of control with questions over membership tactics

by Molly Brown on November 11, 2015November 11, 2015 at 4:06 pm

REI made headlines a few weeks ago when it announced that it would be closed on Black Friday, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year for brick-and-mortar stores, and… Read More

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg gets to sponsor a Navy submarine

by Molly Brown on November 11, 2015November 11, 2015 at 3:43 pm

Facebook executive, founder of the “lean in” movement and org, and now a sponsor of a Navy submarine? That’s right. According to the AP via Stars and Stripes, The U.S.… Read More

U.S. launches beta site for veterans to help them better navigate services

by Molly Brown on November 11, 2015November 11, 2015 at 12:56 pm

Navigating any government website can turn into a downright nightmare, but what if you had to do it on the regular? That’s why the U.S. government is launching a site… Read More

You can now sign up to beta test J.J. Abrams’ new spy video game

by Molly Brown on November 11, 2015November 11, 2015 at 11:32 am

One of J.J. Abrams’ next projects after Star Wars is helping create a video game. Partnering with video game creator Chair, makers of Infinity Blade, Abrams and his production company Bad Robot are… Read More

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