TechFlash: Seattle's Technology News

Wetpaint is putting on a new coat, transforming itself once again as the heavily-funded Seattle Internet company looks to become the premier destination on the Web for entertainment news. The new direction -- which includes a revamped logo, an editorial staff of 30 writers, editors and freelancers and 15 micro sites built around TV shows like Glee and Gossip Girl-- puts Wetpaint squarely in competition with giant publishers like Entertainment Weekly as well as online brands like Seattle's BuddyTV.

Wetpaint CEO Ben Elowitz believes that there's an "insatiable demand" for entertainment news and that his team has simply figured out a more compelling way to deliver it to targeted niche audiences. That method includes old-fashioned news gathering -- hence the New York-based editorial staff -- and a smart use of digital media technologies. If done properly, the combo may result in the chance to build a "media company of the future," Elowitz says.

Going back to its modest beginnings in Bellevue six years ago, one of the most entertaining traditions at the annual Penny Arcade Expo is "Pitch Your Game Idea," a.k.a. the "American Idol" of video games.

Some of the more memorable concepts in those early years revolved around such innocent characters as robots, ninjas, pirates and "koalas of perilous rage." Last year, the common thread was zombies.

And this year? Well, let's just say that the session this afternoon in downtown Seattle would probably deserve a rating of "M for Mature." See the video above for our traditional collection of highlights.

Previously on TechFlash: Video: Costumes of PAX ... PAX 2010: Our Best Bets ... PAX 2010: Videos, notes links ... Video highlights from last year's 'Pitch Your Game Idea' panel

I love college football. But I hate the timeouts, the penalties. Lou Holtz' half-time chatter and the other constant time wasters which tend to turn an hour-long game into a four-hour marathon.

But there was a technology -- which at least until today -- made some of the more boring gridiron games tolerable. My Comcast digital video recorder was a trusty ally during football season, allowing me to fast-forward through recorded games to the exact moment that I wanted to watch.

However, to my frustration and apparently the frustration of other sports fans across the Seattle area, Comcast has meddled with this more time-efficient method for watching games and all other TV programs. I noticed this today while attempting to watch a recording of the Florida-Miami (Ohio) game on ESPN. I'd fast-forward to the beginning of a play, and auto-correct would kick-in setting me back to a place I didn't want to be. That might have been the end of an interview with Florida head coach Urban Meyer, an inane sideline report or an ad for Bass Pro Shops.

Subjects covered this week: AT&T rolls out Seattle network upgrades, Clearwire targets the Internet generation, Paul Allen contemplates a title for his autobiography, and guest Marcelo Calbucci of Seattle 2.0 stops by the studio to talk about the upcoming Startup Day, and his own entrepreneurial roots.

As a special bonus, Marcelo also offers up two tickets to the event as prizes for this week's TechFlash Trivia contest. Listen to the final segment for the question, and see this post to submit your answer.

Listen below or subscribe to the podcast using this RSS feed (http://feeds.feedburner.com/techflashpodcast), or via iTunes or Zune. Call 206-876-5465 to leave a message for our next show, and continue reading for links related to this week's episode. Archive available here.

Ben Elowitz

Aspiring entrepreneurs in the audience will want to pay close attention to this week's TechFlash Trivia contest, because it comes with a special prize, courtesy Marcelo Calbucci, our guest on the latest TechFlash Podcast. Submit the correct answer to the question below for a chance to win a ticket to Startup Day on Saturday, Sept. 25, in Bellevue. We'll pick two winners at random from the pool of correct answers.

[We've also updated last week's post with the answer to our previous question about the unusual piece of furniture that Google's co-founders wanted to install on their jet. Go here for the answer, and the winner.]

This week's question is about Seattle tech entrepreneur Ben Elowitz, the co-founder and CEO of startup Wetpaint, who will be delivering the Startup Day keynote address. Here it is ...

A scene from Epic Mickey (Disney Interactive)

Video-game revivals were a central theme on the first day of the Penny Arcade Expo 2010 in downtown Seattle, but the two best examples of the trend were at completely opposite ends of the spectrum.

In one section of the convention center, Walt Disney artists penned custom drawings of Mickey and other characters for fans, in honor of the upcoming "Epic Mickey" game for the Nintendo Wii. It was a big hit among PAX attendees, based on the long line and the buzz on the PAX forums. Epic Mickey (and Deus Ex) creator Warren Spector also won praise for his PAX 2010 keynote Friday morning.

Meanwhile, over at the Take-Two Games booth, Gearbox Software was showing off the epic raunchiness of "Duke Nukem Forever," a long-awaited sequel to "Duke Nukem 3D," released in 1996. Read Wired's vivid rundown here, if you have the stomach for profanity and naked, three-breasted aliens.

I've been playing and seeing tons of video games so far at the Penny Arcade Expo in downtown Seattle today, and I'll have more on some of those in future posts, but walking around the exhibition floor served as a reminder that the real entertainment at PAX is the people -- and especially the costumes.

Here's a quick video of a few of the more elaborate getups on display.

Previously on TechFlash: PAX 2010: Our best bets

Should I take that job? Should I marry that guy? Those are among the important life decisions that Wisemuv wants to help people make. The year-old startup, with operations in Seattle and Mountain View, California, is described as an online "decision helper." We chatted with Wisemuv founder Chirag Pancholi, who came up with the idea for Wisemuv prior to proposing to his girlfriend, for the latest installment of Startup of the Week.

What’s your elevator pitch — in 140 characters or less... We help people tackle vexing situations in life with a neat tool that builds confidence when making decisions.

Brotman at Starbucks' offices in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. PSBJ Photo/Patrick Hagerty

Adam Brotman is Vice President, Digital Ventures at Starbucks. He’s one of the executives overseeing the coffee chain’s new Wi-Fi system and soon-to-launch digital network in stores. He spoke to TechFlash about the new initiatives, Starbucks’ digital future, and the joys of developing a coffee palate.

Dave Sizer photo, via Flickr.

During a briefing and tour yesterday at AT&T's high-tech complex at Redmond Town Center, one of the company's engineering gurus outlined the latest upgrades in the wireless carrier's voice and data network -- including activation of HSPA 7.2 on 90 percent of its sites in the Seattle region as of the second quarter, as well as additions to its collection of radio network controllers, among other improvements.

Nationwide, the company is spending $18-$19 billion on wireless and wireline improvements this year, a 5-10 percent increase over last year. It cites strong scores in call retention and mobile broadband speed as a result. AT&T is under pressure to make continuous improvements in its network -- and its reputation -- particularly given the possibility of losing its exclusive claim on the iPhone in the U.S. next year.

But what really got my attention was the talk about football.

MOD Systems, a maker of digital media kiosk technology, has raised more than $6 million from existing investors as the Seattle company looks to enter an "aggressive expansion phase." In a blog post announcing the financing, CEO Anthony Bay said that MOD is entering one of the most "exciting times in the company's history" as it looks to bring the technology to entertainment kiosks at airports and other retail locations.

The capital infusion comes at a critical time. In July, MOD -- which has been engaged in ongoing litigation with co-founder and former CEO Mark Phillips -- said in a court filing that it was running out of cash in the next 30 to 60 days. Despite that filing, Bay told TechFlash at the time that he was confident in the company's ability to remain a going concern.

Bellevue-based HomeSavvi, an online repository of home remodeling tips and professionals, has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with The Seattle Times Company. As part of the deal, The Seattle Times has agreed to boost exposure for the startup through links and other marketing efforts on the Times' network of Web sites. HomeSavvi Chief Executive Villette Nolan called it a "significant" partnership, expanding the company's reach in Western Washington and possibly opening the doors to partnerships with other media companies.

Janice Roberts

The transformation at RealNetworks continues, with the Seattle company announcing today that a Silicon Valley venture capitalist has been appointed to the board of directors. Janice Roberts, a managing director at the Mayfield Fund, a 41-year-old firm with more than $2.8 billion under management, will become the ninth board member at the company.

Roberts previously worked at computer networking giant 3Com, heading up the firm's investment arm. It's a bit unusual to see a venture capitalist join the board of a publicly-traded company, since many VCs reserve those slots for emerging companies in their portfolios. But Roberts said that she's pleased to be joining Real at "this very important time in the company's transformation."

Rumors have circulated for months about a potential partnership between Clearwire and T-Mobile USA, two wireless giants which are located just a few miles apart just east of Seattle. Now, The Wall Street Journal has the inside track on what's going on behind the scenes. The report indicates that Sprint -- which owns 54 percent of Clearwire -- is a little woozy about letting a competitor partner or invest in Clearwire.

The report indicates that some Sprint directors are supportive of a Clearwire-T-Mobile match, while others are against it.

AOL and Google this morning announced that they have renewed and expanded their long-running Internet search partnership, which presumably means that Google outbid Microsoft for the rights. Which is very interesting, given Microsoft's past willingness to spend like crazy to broaden the reach of its Bing search engine on social networks, mobile phones, and PCs.

As we've documented here in the past, those deals have helped Microsoft lift its search share, but they've come at a huge expense to the bottom line in the company's Online Services Division.