Seattle Aquarium turns to tech for new deep sea showcase | EV rebate program sees strong demand

Inside Seattle’s Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion: GeekWire toured the waterfront facility ahead of Thursday’s grand opening, where immersive technology is used to showcase tropical habitats representing the so-called Coral Triangle on the other side of the Pacific. Highlights include a 500,000-gallon “Reef” with leopard sharks and eagle rays and the 360-degree interactive video experience “One Ocean Hall.” Read more.

The initial response to Washington state’s electric vehicle rebate program has been “overwhelmingly positive” as low-income residents quickly bought or leased more than 1,000 EVs. Read more.

Tech Moves: Microsoft leader joins Shopify as CTO; StraighterLine taps Seattle tech vet as CEO; and more personnel changes.

A Bainbridge Island, Wash.-based dietary supplement startup is betting big on buckwheat. Big Bold, which raised $3 million in July, claims its flagship product, derived from an ancient Himalayan crop, can “bring your immune system into rhythm with the raw strength of nature.” Read more.

“Show me my cat in the backyard”: A new AI feature from Wyze Labs lets users search via text for specific moments in their security-camera videos. Read more.

The City of Seattle is receiving $17.2 million from the Department of Energy for a program that aims to slash carbon emissions associated with buildings to zero by 2050. Read more.

Hot Links:

• Microsoft detailed new hacking tactics deployed by an Iranian state-sponsored threat actor targeting government and business sectors. (Wired; Microsoft Security Blog)

• University of Washington researchers found that customized large language models can detect social media bots, and also make bots better at evasion. (UW News)

• Take This, a Seattle-area mental health advocacy organization focused on the game industry and community, is in danger of closing after 10 years. (Take This)

• Venture capitalists supporting Kamala Harris share their preferred economic and business policies. (VCs for Kamala)