For everyone who loves to whack-a-mole at the local arcade to relieve frustration, now there's Hammer Heads(tm), a new web/PC action game from Seattle's PopCap Games. The difference: you're now challenged to smash gnomes. You'd think this might put Travelocity's "Roaming Gnome" in grave danger...but even though the press announcement says Hammer Heads is now available at the company's website, through Yahoo! and RealArcade, I couldn't find it anywhere. Note to self: make sure clients don't run announcements saying products are available until they actually are.

-posted by Rachel

I'm always intrigued by companies that jump on a news story, and I have to say that Intelius has successfully done just that. Earlier this week, we learned that 26.5 million veterans have had their personal identification information placed at risk due to a burglary at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs . In response to this, Intelius is offering veterans its proactive identity theft prevention service, IDWatch, for a steeply discounted rate for a one-year contract.

CEO Naveen Jain is always charismatic and clever (remember the Infospace debacle when Jain and other top execs took investors on a wild ride and then surprisingly resigned in tandem?), but this time I actually think he's providing meaningful assistance to men and women who don't get enough recognition for their service to our country.

-posted by Rachel

It might be a little like predicting the weather...but Redmond-based Inrix says it's got a way to accurately tell you the traffic speed and flow on every major metropolitan freeway, arterial and side street across the U.S. -- both in real-time and predictive modes. Before you voice your skepticism, the VC community just ponied up $10 million in Series B funding in an oversubscribed round to help Inrix expand its business. Formerly known as Device-Works, Inrix has an interesting pedigree through founders Bryan Mistele and Craig Chapman, who previously were associated with Microsoft's mobile and embedded devices division. A third partner, Seth Eisner, is a former Expedia.com honcho.

-posted by Rachel

I do love these interesting company names...Seattle-based Brain Murmurs announced its continued commitment to support the Apple platform and has released a Universal Binary version of its JIVA Grid System. JIVA allows businesses to run what the company refers to as "computationally exhaustive" work on unused desktop computers through its grid platform at optimized performance. If this doesn't make any sense to you, think in terms of an idle computer intuitively running parallel tasks; it's something that would be of great help to someone doing pharmaceutical research, for example.

All very interesting, but it still doesn't explain the company's name.

-posted by Rachel

Our friends at Envision have received additional accolades...this time it's two Members' Choice awards from ContactCenterWorld.com for Best Performance Management and Best Recording/Quality Monitoring solutions. The company has a great track record in winning awards for its Performance Suite product for the business itself, with at least five major awards in 2005.

-posted by Rachel

Congratulations to our client, Nextrials and its pharma customer, GlobeImmume for making the Top 100 in North America list from Red Herring. Competition was fierce this year, but we noted that two Pacific Northwest companies also made the list: Seattle's Lockdown Networks and Issaquah's BioPassword.

-posted by Rachel

MiraLink, a Portland-based expert in remote disaster recovery solutions, announced today free disaster recovery prevention tips as part of Hurricane Preparedness week. What are the tips? Well, you have to call a number or email support - go figure. Apparently hurricane tips are top secret these days and you need to be screened by expert personnel. At least that's what you're led to believe. Here's what I imagine happens when you call:

MiraLink: "Hello, thanks for calling the MiraLink Hurricane Hotline. Hit 1 to speak with a sales representative or 2 to get the hurricane tip of the day from a MiraLink sales representative."

ACME Corp. caller hits 2: "Hello, I need tips for helping my business during a hurricane."

MiraLink: "Well, there are lots of things you can do to prepare your business for a hurricane. However, we recommend you forgo the important things and purchase our MiraLink Disaster Recovery Solution. That's our tip of the day."

So I couldn't resist calling the hotline. Drum roll please. And guess what.....an automated system that's not really a hotline at all, but instead the company directory listing sales first, tech support second and so on!!!!!! I have run out of words to describe this......

-posted by Justin

According to a new endpoint security survey from Portland-based Centennial Software, 91 percent of businesses believe portable storage devices (iPods, USB memory sticks, etc.) continue to pose a large security risk to corporate and network integrity. However, only one third of companies polled have taken steps to address this problem: 66 percent of businesses have yet to implement a solution to prevent the unauthorized use of portable storage devices on the corporate network. Research also showed that 75 percent of those surveyed identified data theft as the primary risk associated with portable storage device usage at work, followed by virus propagation and productivity declines.

Next time you see an employee walk out the door with his/her iPod in tow, you shouldn't be thinking about the latest Pearl Jam album, but instead, your customer database.

-posted by Justin

Edmonds-based research analyst Mike Wolf, currently a principal with ABI Research, issued a report last week that describes a potential future battle between wireless carriers and companies with products such as Slingbox that offer what he calls "placeshifting" technologies. As he puts it, streaming pay-per-view TV from a set-top box over the Internet to other personal mobile devices can become disruptive to mobile operators, who will view it as rogue applications that tie up their cellular networks. Still, his report projects the placeshifting device market to grow to $740 million by 2011.

-posted by Rachel

There were so many headlines I could have written for this -- our friends at Entellium are now providing their hosted CRM system to gDiapers, a Portland-based company developing an eco-friendly and flushable diaper. Might sound like small potatoes, but gDiapers is now found at all of the major alternative markets nationwide, including Wild Oats, Whole Foods and New Seasons.

-posted by Rachel

Just stumbled across Michael Arrington's blog entry on a new Seattle startup called Wetpaint. Wetpaint opened its doors last March with the mission of making wikis, or websites where numerous people can pool their thoughts, easier to use and deploy through a hosted services-type platform. Even though Wetpaint is still in beta, the company launched six consumer-focused sites today powered by Wetpaint including "Secrets Behind the DaVinci Code" and "Brickiwiki" for folks who just can't get enough LEGO in their lives. Kudos to Wetpaint -- it's a clever business concept, and just visiting the website is fun.

-posted by Rachel

The "random sparkly things" that always catch my attention are unusual company names. We wrote about HyperBoy last month, the stealth-mode company that is establishing another type of social networking site...and now we're adding the news that, if you're interested in being a beta-tester for the product, you can sign up.

-posted by Rachel

Audion tackles podcast uploads

Charlie Brown isn't just kicking the football these days. The former Seattle radio personality's Bainbridge Island-based Audion Labs has added a new feature to the VoxPro product that makes using podcasts easier. VoxPro, its audio recording/editing software, now has a publication wizard that works as a production tool to help users generate RSS files, compress audio into an MP3 format and upload audio files directly to the web.

-posted by Rachel

Centennial Software, a developer of endpoint security and IT asset discovery solutions (and a client), announced the addition of six new customers in the banking market for its DeviceWall product. If you're not familiar with DeviceWall, the product enables businesses to secure and manage portable storage devices like iPods or PDAs in a network environment. The company has been having tremendous customer success in 2006 and this recent news is another reminder of that fact. The company also has a fantastic security blog on data theft, which was featured on MSNBC last month.

-posted by Justin

Not that I'm totally focused on food or anything, but I was interested to read in Seattle Times reporter Brier Dudley's blog about Google's corporate headquarters cafeteria. Apparently, it's redefining the type of meals employees are offered on the job site. Which started me wondering about the type of food fare offered in Seattle's corporate cafeterias. Corporate cafes and cafeterias can be found at Microsoft (natch!) and Starbucks (double natch!), and then there's Nintendo's Cafe Mario, to name a few. Apparently, RealNetworks even upgraded their cafeteria last year to the point that CEO Rob Glaser eats there upon occasion. While most of these fine dining establishments are employees-only, pharma firm Merck's Seattle office on Lake Union lets the general public enjoy its cafe run by well-known caterer On Safari Foods. Time for lunch.

-posted by Rachel

The next meeting of the West Sound Technology Professionals Association features Daniel Lee, director of information technology at the Kitsap Sun newspaper talking on "An Apple a Day Keeps the Trojans Away: Mac in the Business Environment." The program is scheduled for Thursday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Poulsbo branch of the Kitsap Regional Library, 700 NE Lincoln Street. It's just $5.00 for non-members.

-posted by Rachel

Last weekend over drinks at a Kentucky Derby party, I learned that F5 Networks would be ringing the opening bell at NASDAQ sometime soon...turns out CEO John McAdam is pressing the button Friday morning. I'll be watching on CNN, but if you're in New York, you can see the images replayed throughout the day on the outside monitor.

-posted by Rachel

For those of you who believe that your Volvo, Mustang, BMW, and yes, even your humble Toyota beater truck is more than just a four-wheeled machine, Carster has arrived. The new Seattle-based online car enthusiast community site launched earlier this week with an announcement of cash prizes and "Car of the Week" competitions. While I don't get it, I'm sure many of you do -- so drop us a comment.

-posted by Rachel

iovation, a device reputation authority for online authentication and fraud management, announced today that digital entertainment giant Bodog.com, the global leader in safe and secure online betting, has selected and deployed the ieSnare(TM) system, the world's first online fraud detection solution to use Device Reputation Authority(TM) (DRA) technology.

For those not familiar with this device reputation authority technology – which honestly, is most of us – it tracks the relationship of physical devices to the accounts created in an e-commerce environment. What does that mean? Basically, online retailers can now tie the identity of physical devices to any of the accounts that cyber-criminals create – or try to create. Then they can cross reference those accounts with a database to identify criminals. Slick stuff.

-posted by Justin

Kate Bagggot recently wrote an article in The Globe & Mail that really hit home for me. Kate discussed how the tech industry's support of mothers is contradictory, and I have to agree. I was shocked to learn that Ericsson recently offered 1,000 of its Swedish employees between the ages of 35 and 50 a voluntary buy out. They hope to replace those expensive, long term employees with 900 workers under the age of 30. The move flies in the face of study results that concluded that becoming a mother makes women more focused, effective, efficient and productive at work (see "Giving Birth to Supermom")

I have to say, the hardest thing I've ever done is to become a working mom. There is immeasurable guilt when you have a baby (who always takes priority in my book) that requires you to spend time out of the office. Fortunately, working in the tech industry, we're provided with tools that allow you to do your job anywhere - from home or on the road, at any time of day. I have a cell phone, a laptop, a high speed connection at home, wireless access in hotspots - you name it. I am accessible 24x7. However, perception for many is a very different thing. Many people hold the belief that if you aren't in the office, you aren't working or aren't available. This leads to tension, guilt and all around dissatisfaction. I believe this is what leads companies like Ericsson to make moves like this.

I also believe that this will change over time but I think it will take longer than we initially thought. I remember when I was in grad school we had the "great debate" about the efficiency of the mobile workforce. I was a huge advocate then and still am today. Life is short - and a healthy work/life balance is almost impossible. Fortunately, technology has evolved to the point that it enables all of us to do the best that we can.

-posted by Anne

I can be as star-struck as any teenager...but I didn't expect Microsoft to admit to this same secret. The company launched CelebFavorites today as an offshoot of its online local mapping and search service, Microsoft Windows Live Local, powered by Virtual Earth. If your favorite celebrity has signed up to be featured on CelebFavorites, you can easily discover where he or she likes to hang out and get directions to each spot. Current participants range from Eva Longoria to Alex Rodriguez. No word on how long you'll have to wait to actually get to say "cheese" in a photo op.

-posted by Rachel

We've heard rumors from folks looking for office space in or near Seattle that the sprawling needs of Amgen and Google are making their search extremely difficult. Although the company won't confirm it, Google is imminently expected to open its newest office in Fremont in the Evanston Building, as first reported by John Cook and Todd Bishop. It should be interesting to see how the very eclectic "Center of the Universe" adjusts to this influx of new business blood.

-posted by Rachel

Over 8 million viewers a day, or 90 viewers each second, are now using Bellevue-based Pacific Software Publishing's Clocklink service. Clocklink provides a gallery of working clock images to bloggers and website designers who want to display one on their websites. It's pretty simple to use -- just click on the clock of choice and the HTML tag will appear, which can then be embedded on any site. What I found most fascinating, however, was the webpage that ranks the most popular clock choices with Clocklink's users (the beagle clock is pretty funny). I would never have thought that web-based clocks could be the raison d'etre for any company, so kudos to PSP for providing what is obviously a popular service.

-posted by Rachel

GaleForce Solutions just announced that it has secured follow-on funding from three of Canada’s top-tier investor groups—Yaletown Venture Partners, BC Advantage Fund and Discovery Capital. Founded in 2003, GaleForce Solutions creates highly customized CRM solutions for Wealth Management, Capital Markets and Commercial and Retail Banking. The company is 100% focused on Financial Services, CRM, and Microsoft infrastructure.

-posted by Anne

Norweigan software company eZ Systems has announced it has selected Vancouver, BC as the headquarters for it's North American Operations. The company selected Vancouver over Silicon Valley and Boston, mainly due to Vancouver's vibrant software industry and Canada's corporate culture. eZ Systems is the creator of the eZ publish Open Source Enterprise Content Management System. The company delivers products and services to customers worldwide, with reference customers like MIT, the US NAVY and the State of Florida in North America. For more information on this, go to: http://www.leadingedgebc.ca/newsroom.php

-posted by Anne

It used to be the rare company that had an official evangelist by title -- and having one on board indicated that the company was trendy or cutting edge. Apple actually began the practice in the 1980s with Guy Kawasaki. Somehow, unlike other unique-to-tech industry inventions that disappeared with the burst of the bubble, the title "evangelist" has become more popular than ever and is now widely accepted in the Northwest. There's Microsoft's well-known technical evangelist Robert Scoble, chief evangelist Connie Smith at Envision, and even self-titled technology evangelist Robert Sanzalone -- plus, there are open requisitions for evangelists at Amazon. Perhaps VOXUS needs to keep up with this seriously hip title trend...can I get an "Amen?"

-posted by Rachel

Some interesting news out of Beaverton. It appears Digimarc Digital Watermarking will be used to protect satellite images on the internet. More specifically, Microsoft will use Digimarc to communicate copyright information of tens of millions of images served up by Microsoft Virtual Earth. This announcement came after Digimarc and Script Software battled it out in the final round of the Watermark Deathmatch Championships in Redmond (picture a StarWars lightsaber battle, but with turn of the century manual watermarkers). Digimarc - 13 stamps, Script - 5. IN YOUR FACE SCRIPT!!!!! Oh well, there's always Google Earth.

-posted by Justin

I've often wondered why you don't often see a company's website URL coupled with its phone number in directories. Seems like this would be a no-brainer, especially for online directories. Initially, I was delighted to learn that Portland-based TelID, a division of SnapNames has developed a platform that will allow you to enter a phone number and pull up a web address. Unfortunately, the first organization to roll out this service is Ad-Ventures Hawaii... so not only do Oahu residents get to enjoy sun, sand and balmy breezes, now they get easy surfing as well.

-posted by Rachel

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, but we've been out at Interop in Vegas -- and I'm happy to report that the networking industry's main tradeshow is definitely looking up compared to past years. Good traffic, lot of buzz. It's been a long time coming, and since our mere existence is proof of a new tech bubble (see previous entry), I have to say that things are definitely looking up for the industry (at least until the bubble pops, that is).

-posted by Paul

The P-I's John Cook blogs about a his new "bubble meter" feature; tracking the signs on an impending tech bubble. His "sixth sign" is: New public relations firms -- touting rosters of new technology clients -- emerge. Since the announcement we sent him about our new firm and its roster of technology clients went out on April 21 and he didn't post this until April 27, I'm sure that the two are completely unrelated. We are not the sixth sign of the apocalypse. We're not.

-posted by Paul

BC-based Apparent Networks delivers AppCritical; gives customers real-time end-to-end view of network performance and its impact on critical applications. The concept of looking at network performance from an enterprise application perspective instead of the typical device-centric view is interesting. We'll report more on this and related news after we get back (and sober up) from Interop in Vegas this week.

-posted by Paul

Vancouver, WA-based New Edge Networks was fully acquired earlier this month by Earthlink. The acquisition of the VPN service provider has been in the works since December of last year. The good news: Earthlink says it will keep its 300+ employees.

-posted by Rachel