Frank Gruber of SOMEWHAT FRANK & co-founder of TECH cocktail is introduced to some animated business cards created by Snapily. Frank talks to Snapily CEO, Duby Hodd about the various products from business cards to t-shirts. Distributed by Tubemogul. Frank Gruber of SOMEWHAT FRANK, must-read tech-talk, offers in the field video interviews with startup founders, authors and other social media and web technology related experts. Less

innovation, networking, Coffee Gregory T. Huang wrote: Want to know where your favorite VC gets his or her morning latte? How about where tech and life sciences entrepreneurs gather to network and discuss ideas? If you’re looking to rub shoulders with the technological elite—or if you’re just looking for a quiet cafe to have a meeting or get some work done—you’ve come to the right place. Here at Xconomy Seattle, we’ve been keeping track of the coffee hotspots around town favored by the tech-business leaders we talk to and write about every day. We thought it would be fun to share what we’ve found, both as a list and as an interactive map you can click around on (see below). In many cases, we’ve met the innovators or investors in their favorite haunts and sampled the local beverages. In other cases, we’ve gone by what they told us. But this is in no way a comprehensive list. We’d love to hear from you about where you like to go, where plans get hatched, and where tomorrow’s deals are being discussed. We’ll update the list as we go. It may be cliché to say the Seattle innovation scene runs on coffee, but it seems to be true. One of the amazing things about the region is the sheer number of great cafes and places to gather, talk, refuel, and recharge. There’s something for everyone, from the quiet elegance of Caffe Fiore on Queen Anne Hill to the casual charm of Louisa’s on Eastlake to the hustle and bustle of Espresso Vivace near downtown. Not to mention the old reliables, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Tully’s (especially on the Eastside—what’s with the lack of independent cafes over there?). View Larger Map And behind every great cafe is a great story. Take Trabant Coffee & Chai, known for its strong espresso, tasty drip coffee, and spicy teas. The Pioneer Square branch is a personal favorite of Dan Shapiro, the co-founder and CEO of Ontela—and there’s an interesting reason why. In early 2006, Shapiro says, he was one of several entrepreneurs pitching their companies at a Keiretsu Forum angel investor meeting downtown. “We were singing for our supper,” he says. The guy in front of him was pitching a $12,000 drip-coffee maker, and he had coffee samples for everyone (Shapiro was too wired to try any). The panel asked the coffee guy questions like, Aren’t you just going to compete with Starbucks? Why wouldn’t Starbucks just do this? He replied that Starbucks’ leaders were too set in their ways, and the only way they’d do it is if they saw it in action. The guy was Zander Nosler of the Ballard-based Coffee Equipment Company. His machine was called the Clover, and sure enough, he was right. His 11-person startup was bought last March by Starbucks, which now has Clover machines in several-dozen stores in the Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Boston metro areas. So what does this have to do with Trabant? The local coffee shop was a key early customer of the Clover, buying the machine in the spring of 2007. “Every time I go there, I feel like I’m supporting the local startup scene,” says Shapiro. There are many more stories, but we won’t get to them today. Instead, we present our first pass of the Greater Seattle Coffee Cluster: an alphabetical list of cafes, and some of the notable people you might run into there. If you’ve got a favorite spot, or a story to pass along, please do comment below or drop us a note at editors@xconomy.com. Then again, you might want to keep your local treasures to yourself… Belle Epicurean 1206 4th Ave, Seattle, WA Recommended by Megan Muir of DLA Piper for its pastries, good coffee, and confidentiality. Caffe Fiore 224 W. Galer St, Seattle, WA Martin Tobias of Kashless is known to arrive for meetings here on his Segway. Caffe Ladro 600 Queen Anne Ave North, Seattle, WA Favored by Paul Thelen of Big Fish Games. …Next Page » Comments (2) | Permalink | Share |  E-mail Less

innovation, networking, Coffee Gregory T. Huang wrote: Want to know where your favorite VC gets his or her morning latte? How about where tech and life sciences entrepreneurs gather to network and discuss ideas? If you’re looking to rub shoulders with the technological elite—or if you’re just looking for a quiet cafe to have a meeting or get some work done—you’ve come to the right place. Here at Xconomy Seattle, we’ve been keeping track of the coffee hotspots around town favored by the tech-business leaders we talk to and write about every day. We thought it would be fun to share what we’ve found, both as a list and as an interactive map you can click around on (see below). In many cases, we’ve met the innovators or investors in their favorite haunts and sampled the local beverages. In other cases, we’ve gone by what they told us. But this is in no way a comprehensive list. We’d love to hear from you about where you like to go, where plans get hatched, and where tomorrow’s deals are being discussed. We’ll update the list as we go. It may be cliché to say the Seattle innovation scene runs on coffee, but it seems to be true. One of the amazing things about the region is the sheer number of great cafes and places to gather, talk, refuel, and recharge. There’s something for everyone, from the quiet elegance of Caffe Fiore on Queen Anne Hill to the casual charm of Louisa’s on Eastlake to the hustle and bustle of Espresso Vivace near downtown. Not to mention the old reliables, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Tully’s (especially on the Eastside—what’s with the lack of independent cafes over there?). View Larger Map And behind every great cafe is a great story. Take Trabant Coffee & Chai, known for its strong espresso, tasty drip coffee, and spicy teas. The Pioneer Square branch is a personal favorite of Dan Shapiro, the co-founder and CEO of Ontela—and there’s an interesting reason why. In early 2006, Shapiro says, he was one of several entrepreneurs pitching their companies at a Keiretsu Forum angel investor meeting downtown. “We were singing for our supper,” he says. The guy in front of him was pitching a $12,000 drip-coffee maker, and he had coffee samples for everyone (Shapiro was too wired to try any). The panel asked the coffee guy questions like, Aren’t you just going to compete with Starbucks? Why wouldn’t Starbucks just do this? He replied that Starbucks’ leaders were too set in their ways, and the only way they’d do it is if they saw it in action. The guy was Zander Nosler of the Ballard-based Coffee Equipment Company. His machine was called the Clover, and sure enough, he was right. His 11-person startup was bought last March by Starbucks, which now has Clover machines in several-dozen stores in the Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Boston metro areas. So what does this have to do with Trabant? The local coffee shop was a key early customer of the Clover, buying the machine in the spring of 2007. “Every time I go there, I feel like I’m supporting the local startup scene,” says Shapiro. There are many more stories, but we won’t get to them today. Instead, we present our first pass of the Greater Seattle Coffee Cluster: an alphabetical list of cafes, and some of the notable people you might run into there. If you’ve got a favorite spot, or a story to pass along, please do comment below or drop us a note at editors@xconomy.com. Then again, you might want to keep your local treasures to yourself… Belle Epicurean 1206 4th Ave, Seattle, WA Recommended by Megan Muir of DLA Piper for its pastries, good coffee, and confidentiality. Caffe Fiore 224 W. Galer St, Seattle, WA Martin Tobias of Kashless is known to arrive for meetings here on his Segway. Also the favorite of Paul Thelen of Big Fish Games. Caffe Ladro 600 Queen Anne Ave North, Seattle, WA Paul Thelen of Big Fish Games also lists this institution as one of his likes. …Next Page » Comments (6) | Permalink | Share |  E-mail Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 154 is 36 minutes long and is a 33.1 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Thanks for the shoutout WebUser magazine! A mobile tech wedding took place last week. Matt bought a BlackBerry Bold on the *way* to the wedding. James and Matt get a first look at the Telenav Shotgun. First look at the Richard Solo 1800 battery for iPhones and iPods. And an odd case. CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 154 is 36 minutes long and is a 33.1 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Thanks for the shoutout WebUser magazine! A mobile tech wedding took place last week. Matt bought a BlackBerry Bold on the *way* to the wedding. James and Matt get a first look at the Telenav Shotgun. First look at the Richard Solo 1800 battery for iPhones and iPods. And an odd case. CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 154 is 36 minutes long and is a 33.1 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Thanks for the shoutout WebUser magazine! A mobile tech wedding took place last week. Matt bought a BlackBerry Bold on the *way* to the wedding. James and Matt get a first look at the Telenav Shotgun. First look at the Richard Solo 1800 battery for iPhones and iPods. And an odd case. CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

Daddy Troy explains the tech of baby monitors, why interference can be such a problem, and how you can minimize it. We've got your Megahertz and your Gigahertz, your digital and your DECT. All the info you need to avoid conflict with household devices and ensure your privacy. DadLabs Ep. 340 Distributed by Tubemogul. Less

No mission is impossible when makers put their minds to it. Make Volume 16 will help you get smart with a special section on spy tech. Learn how to build and use tiny surveillance devices, and how to know if a spy is using them on you. From tiny video cameras to sneaky recorders, this volume has enough cool stuff to make James Bond's inventor Q envious. http://makezine.com/16/ Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 153 is 34 minutes long and is a 31.3 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Windows 7 gets installed on a netbook during the show. James asks if MIDs are becoming irrelevant due to the maturity of smartphones and other factors. Samsung’s NC10 is the netbook battery life winner so far. HP Mini 1000 arrives with an Intel Atom. CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 153 is 34 minutes long and is a 31.3 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Windows 7 gets installed on a netbook during the show. James asks if MIDs are becoming irrelevant due to the maturity of smartphones and other factors. Samsung’s NC10 is the netbook battery life winner so far. HP Mini 1000 arrives with an Intel Atom. CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 153 is 34 minutes long and is a 31.3 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Windows 7 gets installed on a netbook during the show. James asks if MIDs are becoming irrelevant due to the maturity of smartphones and other factors. Samsung’s NC10 is the netbook battery life winner so far. HP Mini 1000 arrives with an Intel Atom. CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 153 is 34 minutes long and is a 31.3 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Windows 7 gets installed on a netbook during the show. James asks if MIDs are becoming irrelevant due to the maturity of smartphones and other factors. Samsung’s NC10 is the netbook battery life winner so far. HP Mini 1000 arrives with an Intel Atom. CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

Frank Gruber of SOMEWHAT FRANK & co-founder of TECH cocktail tests out an innovative shoe design by the Swiss made company MBT. They call them "Antishoes" and Frank experiences them first hand as he walks all around Washington, D.C. Distributed by Tubemogul. Frank Gruber of SOMEWHAT FRANK, must-read tech-talk, offers in the field video interviews with startup founders, authors and other social media and web technology related experts. Less

Video introducing Ma.gnolia 2 from this year’s Gnomedex conference: Ma.gnolia 2.0 Larry Halff and Tara Hunt […] discussing how Ma.gnolia has implemented many of the tools of the open web such as OpenID, OAuth and Microformats and […] unveiling Ma.gnolia 2, the next evolution of Ma.gnolia and a building block of the open web. The real Web 2.0 entrepreneurs like Larry will realise when they’ve got something great — and how they can get that something into the hands of the most people possible might be by giving it away, opening the data for unknown uses, letting you import (and export) as much as you want, giving you tools that don’t just raise their bottom line, but instead make you love the service so much that you need to invite everyone you know to use it. Less

Show Notes twitter.com/dyscultured full dysclosure Google Android Gmail Changes - Autoresponder The New iGoogle layout and the evolution of “portal” pages Bill Gates’ Think Tank Movies Holiday Movie Season - October/November Wheel of Pop The Episode Five “Wheel of Pop” segment was postponed due to the Carrier Moose not arriving in Victoria on time. Website of the Week Anth - www.posterous.com (the easiest free blogging platform on the web) Mike - www.freewebs.com (another almost-as-easy blogging platform with some extra perks and optional charges) Music Great Lake Swimmers - from 2007’s Ongiara - “Your Rocky Spine” In addition to the core band of Tony Dekker (voice, guitar), Erik Arnesen (banjo, electric guitar) and Colin Huebert (drums, percussion, glockenspiel, timpani), the Ongiara features special guest appearances by singer-songwriter Serena Ryder (backing vocals, autoharp), Bob Egan of Blue Rodeo (pedal steel and dobro), Sarah Harmer (backing vocals) and Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy and Arcade Fire (string arrangements). Mike Overton (upright bass), Darcy Yates (electric bass), Mike Olsen (cello), and Mike Bonnell (organ) also contributed their talents to this recording. Nettwerk just announced the anticipated release of the band’s fourth album, set for early Spring 2009. Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 152 is 36:20 minutes long and is a 33.4 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Special guest: Lenovo’s X301 notebook chimes in. Literally! Matt’s MSI Wind has a slightly different keyboard than expected. We’ve got a fix for key remapping on XP: SharpKeys James is glad he bought the black G1. What are your favorite Android applications? Will ALP make an impact in the market or is it too late at this point? CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 152 is 36:20 minutes long and is a 33.4 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Special guest: Lenovo’s X301 notebook chimes in. Literally! Matt’s MSI Wind has a slightly different keyboard than expected. We’ve got a fix for key remapping on XP: SharpKeys James is glad he bought the black G1. What are your favorite Android applications? Will ALP make an impact in the market or is it too late at this point? CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less

CLICK HERE to download the file and listen directly. MoTR 152 is 36:20 minutes long and is a 33.4 MB file in MP3 format. INTRO: Based on Time v2.1 by Meta Sektion, additional mixing by James Kendrick. HOSTS: James Kendrick (Houston), Matt Miller (Seattle) and Kevin C. Tofel (Philadelphia) TOPICS: Special guest: Lenovo’s X301 notebook chimes in. Literally! Matt’s MSI Wind has a slightly different keyboard than expected. We’ve got a fix for key remapping on XP: SharpKeys James is glad he bought the black G1. What are your favorite Android applications? Will ALP make an impact in the market or is it too late at this point? CONTACT US: E-mail us or leave us a voicemail on our SkypeLine! SUBSCRIBE: Use this RSS feed with your favorite podcatcher or click this link to add us to iTunes Less