GeekWire

Amazon made a surprise announcement Thursday morning: The tech giant is seeking a new city to build a second headquarters that will cost roughly $5 billion and employ 50,000 people. GeekWire editor John Cook joined KIRO's Seattle Morning News to discuss the announcement, what it means for Seattle and where the second headquarters could go. We'll do an in-depth analysis of the news on our Week In Geek podcast on Friday, and also read our coverage of the news at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ina Fried is a veteran tech journalist, having served stints at outlets including Re/code, CNET and All Things Digital. She's now the chief technology correspondent for a new news organization, Axios. On this episode of the GeekWire podcast, we sit down with Ina to discuss the future of tech, the divide between Seattle and Silicon Valley and how journalism is adapting to a new digital landscape. Follow all our coverage and analysis of the tech world at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we think of old-school science fiction, novels about aliens and ray guns are top of mind. But these days, what counts as SciFi is rapidly changing. From more diverse creators to mediums including video games, there's more SciFi around now than ever before. On this episode of our special SciFi and arts series, we hear from noted author and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Cat Rambo about the state of science fiction. Follow all our coverage and see more on geek culture at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington's Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Surprise! Uber's new CEO is none other than GeekWire regular Dara Khosrowshahi. He's well known in Seattle as the longtime CEO of Expedia, and on this episode we talk about how he'll fit in at the embattled ride-hailing company he now leads. Plus, major steps in the fight against cancer, an inspiring bike ride and the mess of Seattle's sloppy intersections. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon and Microsoft announced a surprise partnership this week: their smart assistants Alexa and Cortana are now buddies and can call on each other to do tasks. Plus, we test out Alexa’s latest trick: multi-room audio. We also hear the sordid tale of Kanoa earbuds and the unwitting role Andru played in the fallout of the company closing. Follow all our tech coverage at GeekWire.com and subscribe to our live behind-the-scenes videos on GearLive, youtube.com/gearlive  Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s official: Amazon closed its acquisition of Whole Foods Monday and immediately rolled out big price cuts at the traditionally pricy grocery retailer. We tell you what we saw in Whole Foods stores Monday and just how much the changes will impact your wallet on this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast. Follow all our coverage of Amazon and other tech at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode, we have some fun — and a fierce debate about burgers. Join the GeekWire crew for our watercooler segment, the Random Channel, a regular feature on our Week In Geek podcast. If you like it, let us know at podcast@geekwire.com and listen to the Week In Geek every Friday for more.  Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods will close Monday, and the tech giant has promised to immediately start slashing prices. Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Google and Walmart are teaming up to take on Amazon’s new grocery presence. So who will come out ahead in the great grocery race? Plus, a study on how we use apps and a report on Seattle’s latest bike sharing service, Ofo. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samsung unveiled its newest Galaxy Note phone in New York this week. Geared Up co-host Andru Edwards was at the event and phones in to give us his impression of the high-end device -- spoiler alert: it's packed with a TON of cool tech. Follow all our tech coverage at GeekWire.com and subscribe to our live behind-the-scenes videos on GearLive, youtube.com/gearlive Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington's Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the top films, TV shows and books today are what was once called “genre fiction,” like sci-fi and fantasy. So is it a golden age for the geeky arts? Or is this mainstream-ization of geek culture more ominous? We explore that question with renowned sci-fi author Gret Bear in the first episode of our special pop-culture podcast series, hosted by Frank Catalano. Follow all our coverage and see more on Geek Culture at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington's Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.