Articles by Tim Ellis

Tim Ellis is a data junkie, economist, and game geek. He is the creator and co-host of the 7-year, 300-episode improvised comedy sci-fi podcast Dispatches from the Multiverse. Tim has worked for a variety of Seattle startups including Redfin, Porch, Moz, Glowforge, and Finvari. Read more from Tim at Ellis.FYI, or follow him on Bluesky at @AngryOldTim.bsky.social.

Spotted: Amazon robot maps sidewalks north of Seattle, laden with cameras and sensors

Latest from Tim Ellis

Can’t wait for Super Mario Odyssey? Play 5 games that let you possess enemies and other characters

Perhaps the most intriguing thing revealed in Nintendo’s E3 presentation on Tuesday was Mario’s new possession ability in the upcoming… Read More

Xbox One X vs. Nintendo Switch: 2017’s new gaming consoles couldn’t be more different

What’s the key to the gaming crown, pushing more pixels or enabling unique experiences? With Sunday’s unveiling of the Xbox… Read More

Chevrolet Bolt EV Review: At 200+ miles with juice to spare, this is the affordable electric car to beat

For years I have been waiting for automakers to come out with an all-electric car that can travel over 200… Read More

Amazon stock vs. Seattle real estate: Which was the better investment over the past 20 years?

Today is the 20th anniversary of Amazon’s IPO. In case you haven’t noticed, Amazon has been on quite the hot… Read More

Shane Chen of Inventist at his workbench with the Solowheel Iota prototype

Undeterred by copycats, Hovertrax inventor Shane Chen pushes boundaries of personal transport

You may not have heard of Inventist, but if you’ve spent much time walking the streets of downtown Seattle lately,… Read More

PAX Unplugged: Penny Arcade’s new tabletop-only convention debuts this November in Philadelphia

At PAX South on Friday in San Antonio, Penny Arcade creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik announced PAX Unplugged, a… Read More

Social robot Jibo delayed yet again as Amazon Echo continues to define smart speaker market

Backers of the “social robot” Jibo received disappointing news last week as Jibo CEO Steve Chambers announced another shipping delay… Read More

Stitches Creators Doug Brinbury and Jason Rankin

‘Stitches’ card game features monsters, an abomination, and … vocabulary?

Q: What do robots, polar bears, lobsters, tigers, a giant monster abomination, and vocabulary have in common? A: The new… Read More

Nintendo’s new NES Classic mini-console sells out instantly everywhere

Hoping to get your hands on Nintendo’s latest “new” gaming system, the NES Classic Edition? Good luck.

This morning the system was released to retail and sold out nearly instantly everywhere… Read More

PAX West concludes with a real-life version of ‘The Wizard’ in Seattle

It’s going to be tough for the organizers of PAX to out-do themselves after this. For the big finale of… Read More

Great indie games you missed while standing in line at PAX West 2016

Even with four days to take it all in, it’s impossible to experience everything that PAX West has to offer.… Read More

Jibo ‘social robot’ cancels overseas orders, as Amazon Echo redefines the category

Jibo is having trouble. The round, cute “social robot,” which raised more than $3.7 million on Indiegogo, was originally scheduled to be… Read More

Artist's rendering of the proposed WSCC Expansion, looking northeast up Pine Street at the intersection of Ninth Avenue.

Will Convention Center expansion alleviate the PAX West ticket crunch?

Tickets to this year’s PAX West (formerly known as PAX Prime) went on sale Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. sharp,… Read More

Nintendo fans ‘leak’ fake NX controllers, follow up with making-of videos a few days later

Nintendo fans on Reddit were in an uproar last week when a user going by the name “Idriss2Dev” posted the… Read More

Analysis: Wii U has twice as many top-rated exclusive games as PS4 and Xbox One combined

It is clear that Sony has run away with the “win” in the current video game console generation in terms… Read More

Seattle startup Propella launched their lightweight, single-speed ebike on Indiegogo today.

Seattle electric bike startup Propella debuts affordable e-bike, taking cues from Tesla and Apple

A few years ago, 2011 UW graduate Ben Tarassoli was looking for an electrically-assisted bicycle (e-bike). Although there were plenty… Read More

Custom ‘Super Mario Maker’ level punishes Omegathon finalists at PAX

The twelfth annual PAX Prime gaming convention drew to a close Monday night in Seattle with the top two Omeganauts “Mighty”… Read More

What it’s like to compete in the PAX Omegathon: A 3-time Omeganaut tells all

One of PAX’s central attractions is the Omegathon, a tradition dating back to the very first PAX in 2004. Twenty… Read More

Everything is Huge at PAX

As the twelfth annual PAX Prime gaming convention kicks off its four-day takeover of downtown Seattle, you might be seeing some strange sights around town. Like a 20-foot tall monster snapping light poles and smashing a police car on Pike. It’s all part of the increasingly extravagant displays that companies are putting together to attract gamers at Seattle’s largest convention… Read More

Top Stories from Tim Ellis

Spotted: Amazon robot maps sidewalks north of Seattle, laden with cameras and sensors

Latest from Tim Ellis

Can’t wait for Super Mario Odyssey? Play 5 games that let you possess enemies and other characters

Xbox One X vs. Nintendo Switch: 2017’s new gaming consoles couldn’t be more different

Chevrolet Bolt EV Review: At 200+ miles with juice to spare, this is the affordable electric car to beat

Amazon stock vs. Seattle real estate: Which was the better investment over the past 20 years?

Undeterred by copycats, Hovertrax inventor Shane Chen pushes boundaries of personal transport

PAX Unplugged: Penny Arcade’s new tabletop-only convention debuts this November in Philadelphia

Social robot Jibo delayed yet again as Amazon Echo continues to define smart speaker market

‘Stitches’ card game features monsters, an abomination, and … vocabulary?

Nintendo’s new NES Classic mini-console sells out instantly everywhere

PAX West concludes with a real-life version of ‘The Wizard’ in Seattle

Great indie games you missed while standing in line at PAX West 2016

Jibo ‘social robot’ cancels overseas orders, as Amazon Echo redefines the category

Will Convention Center expansion alleviate the PAX West ticket crunch?

Nintendo fans ‘leak’ fake NX controllers, follow up with making-of videos a few days later

Analysis: Wii U has twice as many top-rated exclusive games as PS4 and Xbox One combined

Seattle electric bike startup Propella debuts affordable e-bike, taking cues from Tesla and Apple

Custom ‘Super Mario Maker’ level punishes Omegathon finalists at PAX

What it’s like to compete in the PAX Omegathon: A 3-time Omeganaut tells all

Everything is Huge at PAX

Review: Does the Pebble Time smartwatch live up to its Kickstarter hype?

How Penny Arcade manages PAX ticket sales — and why your crazy idea to fix them won’t work

PAX Prime prices hit a record high as organizers eliminate all-weekend passes

How to Win at Kickstarter: I backed 96 projects in 3 years without getting burned once

Apple Watch? Whatever. Reviewing the Timex Datalink, the world’s first smartwatch

Kickstarter campaign to save Seattle’s Paseo restaurant fizzles as backers retreat

August Smart Lock skips over pre-order customers to stock Apple stores instead

Breaking pencils (and bending iPhones) easier than Consumer Reports suggests

Amazon Wish Lists disappear for hours

Neal Stephenson Terminates Kickstarted Sword-Fighting Game Clang

Reasons To Be Skeptical of Jibo, the Overly Cute Robo-Servant