Devin Coldewey
Writer & Photographer
The Latest from Devin Coldewey
At last, a camera app that automatically removes all people from your photos
As a misanthrope living in a vibrant city, I'm never short of things to complain about. And in particular the problem of people crowding into my photos, whatever I happen to shoot, is a persistent one
This robot crawls along wind turbine blades looking for invisible flaws
Wind turbines are a great source of clean power, but their apparent simplicity — just a big thing that spins — belie complex systems that wear down like any other, and can fail with disastrous con
Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative gives $68M to fund Human Cell Atlas projects
An ongoing global project to map the human body cell by cell has receive a $68 million shot in the arm from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative. It will support dozens of individual projects contributing t
Crowdfunded spacecraft LightSail 2 prepares to go sailing on sunlight
Among the many spacecraft and satellites ascending to space on Monday's Falcon Heavy launch, the Planetary Society's LightSail 2 may be the most interesting. If all goes well, a week from launch it wi
Hasselblad’s new medium format camera is a tiny, beautiful nod to history
While mirrorless cameras accelerate into the future, medium format models are hearkening unto the past — and Hasselblad chief among them. Its new digital back fits lenses going back to the '50s, and
Tripping grad students over and over for science (and better prosthetic limbs)
Prosthetic limbs are getting better, but not as quickly as you'd think. They're not as smart as our real limbs, which (directed by the brain) do things like automatically stretch out to catch ourselve
NASA’s X-59 supersonic jet will have a 4K TV instead of a forward window
NASA's X-59 QueSST experimental quiet supersonic aircraft will have a cockpit like no other — featuring a big 4K screen where you'd normally have a front window. Why? Because this is one weird-looki
Humanising Autonomy pulls in $5M to help self-driving cars keep an eye on pedestrians
Pretty much everything about making a self-driving car is difficult, but among the most difficult parts is making sure the vehicles know what pedestrians are doing — and what they’re about to
Google announces $1B, 10-year plan to add thousands of homes to Bay Area
The housing crisis in the Bay Area, particularly in San Francisco, is a complex and controversial topic with no one-size-fits-all solution — but a check for a billion dollars is about as close as yo
The Geesaa automates (but overcomplicates) pourover coffee
Making pourover coffee is a cherished ritual of mine on most mornings. But there are times I wish I could have a single cup of pourover without fussing about the kitchen — and the Geesaa, a new gadg
GoTenna is ramping up public sector mesh networking with a $24M C round
GoTenna is best known for its outdoors-oriented consumer products that let you text and share locations between smartphones off the grid. But the company has found that government work — military, f
Comcast adds gaze control to its accessible remote software
The latest feature for Comcast's remote software makes the clicker more accessible to people who can't click it the same as everyone else. People with physical disabilities will now be able to change
This neural network detects whether faces have been Photoshopped
Using Photoshop and other image manipulation software to tweak faces in photos has become common practice, but it's not always made clear when it's been done. Berkeley and Adobe researchers have made
Price tag to return to the Moon could be $30 billion
NASA's ambitious plan to return to the moon may cost as much as $30 billion over the next five years, the agency's administrator, Jim Bridenstine, indicated in an interview this week. This is only a b
Facebook is creating photorealistic homes for AIs to work and learn in
If AI-powered robots are ever going to help us out around the house, they're going to need a lot of experience navigating human environments. Simulators, virtual worlds that look and behave just like
DEEPFAKES Accountability Act would impose unenforceable rules — but it’s a start
The new DEEPFAKES Accountability Act in the House — and yes, that's an acronym — would take steps to criminalize the synthetic media referred to in its name, but its provisions seem too optimistic
Every secure messaging app needs a self-destruct button
The growing presence of encrypted communications apps makes a lot of communities safer and stronger. But the possibility of physical device seizure and government coercion is growing as well, which is
Krisp’s smart noise-cancelling gets official release and pricing
Background noise on calls could be a thing of the past if Krisp has anything to do with it. The app, now available on Windows and Macs after a long beta, uses machine learning to silence the bustle of
Sense Photonics flashes onto the lidar scene with a new approach and $26M
Lidar is a critical part of many autonomous cars and robotic systems, but the technology is also evolving quickly. A new company called Sense Photonics just emerged from stealth mode today with a $26M
Nintendo teases ‘Breath of the Wild’ sequel, raising Zelda hype to new levels
The capstone to an eventful Nintendo's E3 Direct was an unexpected joy: A sequel to the modern classic in the Zelda series, Breath of the Wild. Of course, all they said was that it's "in development,"