--- title: 'Silicon Florist links arrangement for August 10, 2026' date: '2026-08-10T13:28:37-07:00' type: post word_count: 1801 char_count: 16982 tokens: 2342 categories: - Portland --- # Silicon Florist links arrangement for August 10, 2026 Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today: [Seattle Tech Week 2026: The Most Seattle Tech Week Yet](https://www.madrona.com/seattle-tech-week-2026-the-most-seattle-tech-week-yet/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seattle Tech Week started on a Monday night with pickleball in SoDo and ended, five days later, somewhere between a rooftop happy hour, a Lake Union cruise, and a Mariners game. In between: roughly 250 events across boardrooms, incubators, coworking spaces, an Amtrak train, pickleball courts, concert venues … and an axe-throwing range. [There’s a New Culinary Docu-Series in Town](https://whatiffilms.substack.com/p/theres-a-new-culinary-docu-series?r=8tlrse) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Produced and directed by Shaela Payne and Ian Franco, the team spent a couple of years in Portland scoping out why the restaurant scene was different than the other cities they had visited. The answer was quite simple. Portland, OR made it a point to prioritize small businesses with the understanding that anyone can make their dreams come true. [The Cart and the Café – by Matthew Claudel](https://fielddiscovery.substack.com/p/the-cart-and-the-cafe) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The arrangement is novel for Portland. The Arrow Coffee & Desserts trailer occupies the parking lane – a public right-of-way where city code PCC 16.20.150 has, for decades, prohibited vehicle vending. In January 2024 the parking lane in front of PacWest opened up as part of PBOT’s Food Truck Pilot Program run exclusively with Suburban Events. The company works with dozens of locations and food trucks in the Portland metro area, bringing a rotating menu of vendors to buildings, neighborhood associations, office parks, and breweries full of customers. [A.I.-Driven Chip Crunch Leads to New Rush of Lobbying in Washington – The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/technology/memory-chip-shortage-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4VA.Zy31.LA7jJ7D5gomu&smid=bs-share) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As data centers gobble up memory chips, other industries that need the components, including electronics companies like Apple and medical device makers, are asking for government help. [Told to book a gym class, an AI agent hacked the site instead to move its user up the waitlist](https://the-decoder.com/told-to-book-a-gym-class-an-ai-agent-hacked-the-site-instead-to-move-its-user-up-the-waitlist/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Liability is an open question. “Software is not a legal person. Only a legal person can be liable at law,” said technology lawyer Hayden Delaney. Candidates include the user, the developers of the agent software, the model provider, or the operator of the vulnerable system. In the end, Andrew had his agent write an email warning the software vendor about the flaw. [These AI Barons Are Ready to Give Away Their Fortunes | WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/ai-billionaires-are-pledging-their-wealth-good-or-bad/) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new generation of philanthropists made rich by artificial intelligence are preparing to give away their vast wealth. What should we make of a multi-billion-dollar pinky promise? [AI data center bans surge past 500 nationwide as local US politicians begin blocking new developments — growing public outrage and bipartisan pushback threaten big tech expansion plans | Tom’s Hardware](https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/ai-data-center-bans-surge-past-500-nationwide-as-local-us-politicians-begin-blocking-new-developments-growing-public-outrage-and-bipartisan-pushback-threaten-big-tech-expansion-plans) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The number of local bans on new data center developments jumped to over 500 in July, according to recent data. Local politicians in the United States are refusing to approve new data center construction in greater numbers, posing a threat to the expansion required by AI firms to provide the capacity needed to power the new technology. The analysis, conducted by The Information from legal documents and local news reports, shows that this isn’t a partisan issue. [Intel plans to sell $15 billion worth of stock after it has risen 400% in a year | Morningstar](https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/2026081035/intel-plans-to-sell-15-billion-worth-of-stock-after-it-has-risen-400-in-a-year) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Intel sees “significant growth opportunities” from its advancements in areas such as physical AI, custom silicon, advanced chip packaging and external wafers, the company added. The offering is meant to support growth while preserving the company’s investment-grade rating. [The Bruising Race to Rent in San Francisco Goes Into Overdrive – WSJ](https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/the-bruising-race-to-rent-in-san-francisco-goes-into-overdrive-45d2ffd0?st=4crJgS&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In less than two years, the average asking rent across the San Francisco metropolitan area has risen 18% to reach $3,728 a month, according to the real-estate data firm CoStar, surpassing the New York City metro area this year for the first time since 2019. San Francisco has reclaimed the crown for the highest average rent in the U.S. [A Surveillance ‘Cat-and-Mouse’ Game With AI – The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/05/ai-wearable-surveillance-countermeasures/687203/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AI wearables may always have an edge over countermeasures. After all, they’re using a technology that is a product of the entire speech-processing industry, which takes in billions of dollars in investments—not just for AI assistants but also for hearing aids, smart speakers, and teleconferencing tools. Meanwhile, only a few academics and small companies are defending us from these technologies. [(2009) Waze and means: Helping test drive Waze means a free Whiffies pie for you](https://siliconflorist.com/2009/08/10/waze-means-helping-test-drive-waze-means-free-whiffies-pie/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While Waze isn’t Portland-based, having Di-Ann working there does give us a Portland tie. And now, there’s another opportunity to put Portland on the Waze map—literally. Di-Ann is inviting you to give Waze a test drive and provide feedback on the mobile. And the reward for your hard work? A free pie from the Whiffies food cart for participating drivers. Now, what could be more Portland-y than that? [Advanced AI sycophancy](https://www.seangoedecke.com/advanced-ai-sycophancy/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I’m growing increasingly suspicious that they’re developing ways to be more effectively sycophantic to their target audience of smart, neurotic information workers. That audience typically finds it distasteful to be openly praised. It just makes my skin crawl. But that doesn’t mean we’re immune to sycophancy, just that we’re immune to clumsy sycophancy. [Message your other Claude Code sessions – Claude Code Docs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/cross-session-messaging) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cross-session messaging lets Claude deliver a message from one of your Claude Code sessions to another. When a change in one session breaks what another is building on, Claude can warn that session before you notice. When one session settles a question another is blocked on, Claude can send the answer across. [Perk Up, Portland! — On Purpose Oregon](https://onpurposeoregon.org/events/perk-up-portland-aug-szh32) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whether you’re looking for fresh perspective, meaningful relationships, or a grounded way to begin your day, Perk Up, Portland is a space to show up, slow down, and engage with others who understand the why behind the work. [The Roboguard Revolution is Short-Circuiting](https://www.404media.co/the-roboguard-revolution-is-short-circuiting/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officials in Salem, Oregon, powered off their Daxbots after a three-month pilot with the Oregon-based robotics company earlier this year. They had deployed three Daxbot robots to deter trespassing in a downtown parking garage. The robots recorded license plate numbers, captured photos of vehicles violating parking lot rules, and shared data with police. [Global New Unicorn Counts In The First Half Of 2026 Have Already Surpassed 2025’s Totals](https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/global-unicorn-counts-rise-ai-robotics-chips-h1-2026/?utm_source=cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20260810&utm_content=intro&utm_term=content&utm_source=cb_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20230703) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A total 195 companies joined The Crunchbase Unicorn Board in the first half of 2026 — far surpassing counts seen since the second half of 2022. Already, H1 is above the new unicorn totals for all of 2025, when 193 companies were minted with that status. [No revenue is enough revenue – by Yoni Rechtman](https://99d.substack.com/p/no-revenue-is-enough-revenue) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the simplest terms everyone is looking for expected value (can this be a public company, which really means $20B+ of semi-rational valuation) and category potential (is this a category worth winning). That’s not super useful, or at least not sufficient, in immediate normative terms beyond making sure you’re in an opportunity that can support such an outcome. [How to Optimize Your Homepage for AI Traffic | Similarweb](https://www.similarweb.com/blog/marketing/geo/optimize-your-homepage-for-ai-traffic/?utm_source=tldrfounders) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AI systems and humans split into two separate events on most sites: the citation and the click. An AI system answering a question is usually pulling its answer from a deep page, a comparison, a doc, an FAQ block, structured the way generative engine optimization asks it to be. But the link it actually hands the human, and the visit Similarweb’s own AI referral data captures, disproportionately lands on the homepage instead. [Max Hodak: How to Build a Startup That Moves Fast](https://www.ycrootaccess.com/p/max-hodak-there-are-no-blanket-rules) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Building a company like that requires a lot more than getting the technology right. At Startup School 2026, Science CEO Max Hodak explains how the company buys things and hires people, and why those systems determine how fast it can move. [Dems call for AI companies to testify on hacks: ‘Clear risk to safety’](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/10/openai-anthropic-ai-hack-congress.html) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A group of House Democrats is calling for the leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic and other major AI companies to testify before Congress following a spate of hacking incidents that the lawmakers say “have serious implications for Americans’ safety and security.” [Magical Trail of Crows winds through Portland in advance of Laika film ‘Wildwood’](https://nwexaminer.com/p/magical-trail-of-crows-winds-through) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crows are main characters in the fantastical adventure novel, “Wildwood,” by Portland’s Colin Meloy and illustrator Carson Ellis, which has been adapted into Laika’s latest stop-action film that opens in the fall. [The moral paradox of extreme wealth: Why people oppose it yet are reluctant to take steps to reduce it](https://theconversation.com/the-moral-paradox-of-extreme-wealth-why-people-oppose-it-yet-are-reluctant-to-take-steps-to-reduce-it-286001?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Saturday%20August%208%202026%20%203903739751&utm_content=Saturday%20August%208%202026%20%203903739751+CID_10e8226de8e6f2182c007fdec0d7b475&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=The%20moral%20paradox%20of%20extreme%20wealth%20Why%20people%20oppose%20it%20yet%20are%20reluctant%20to%20take%20steps%20to%20reduce%20it) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Given the prevalence of such stark inequality, it would be easy to assume that most people accept it as fair – but they don’t. As a psychologist who studies how people navigate moral problems, I suspect that one major challenge to effectively reining in extreme wealth is that doing so forces people to navigate between opposing moral demands. [Startup Spotlight: HitchPiggy wants to turn empty car seats into a new rideshare marketplace – GeekWire](https://www.geekwire.com/2026/startup-spotlight-hitchpiggy-wants-to-turn-empty-car-seats-into-a-new-rideshare-marketplace/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bootstrapped startup is small, with a little more than 100 registered users signing up for Pacific Northwest trips since its launch on June 1. No rides have been completed through the platform just yet, but Windham is looking to grow college ridership this fall through a partnership with the Portland State Business Accelerator. [Happy Hour with AI Portland · Luma](https://luma.com/xbu0gqpd?tk=2zSZ7G) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the perfect opportunity to unwind and mingle with fellow AI enthusiasts and professionals. More Oregon startup news ------------------------