Devin Coldewey
Writer & Photographer
The Latest from Devin Coldewey
Deepfake tech takes on satellite maps
While the concept of “deepfakes,” or AI-generated synthetic imagery, has been decried primarily in connection with involuntary depictions of people, the technology is dangerous (and intere
Satellite Vu’s $5M seed round will fuel the launch of its thermal imaging satellites
Earth imaging is an increasingly crowded space, but Satellite Vu is taking a different approach by focusing on infrared and heat emissions, which are crucial for industry and climate change monitoring
Lina Khan’s timely tech skepticism makes for a refreshingly friendly FTC confirmation hearing
One never knows how a confirmation hearing will go these days, especially one for a young outsider nominated to an important position despite challenging the status quo and big business. Lina Khan, ju
This is your brain on Zoom
We all know these constant video calls are doing something to our brains. How else could we get tired and frazzled from sitting around in our own home all day? Well, now Microsoft has done a little br
Deep Science: Introspective, detail-oriented and disaster-chasing AIs
Research papers come out far too frequently for anyone to read them all. That's especially true in the field of machine learning, which now affects practically every industry and company.
Sen. Wyden proposes limits on exportation of American’s personal data
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has proposed a draft bill that would limit the types of information that could be bought and sold by tech companies abroad, and the countries it could be legally sold in. The
Twitter bans James O’Keefe of Project Veritas over fake account policy
Twitter has banned right-wing provocateur James O’Keefe, creator of political gotcha video producer Project Veritas, for violating its “platform manipulation and spam policy,” sugges
Amira Learning raises $11M to put its AI-powered literacy tutor in post-COVID classrooms
School closures due to the pandemic have interrupted the learning processes of millions of kids, and without individual attention from teachers, reading skills in particular are taking a hit. Amira Le
Another milestone for in-space servicing as Northrop Grumman gives aging satellite new life
Northrop Grumman hit a new milestone in extending the life of active spacecraft as a purpose-built spacecraft, MEV-2, docked with Intelsat’s IS-10-02 satellite to give it another five years of l
Docugami’s new model for understanding documents cuts its teeth on NASA archives
You hear so much about data these days that you might forget that a huge amount of the world runs on documents: a veritable menagerie of heterogeneous files and formats holding enormous value yet inco
Wonder Dynamics raises $2.5M seed to equip indie filmmakers with AI-powered VFX
Practically every film production these days needs some kind of visual effects work, but independent creators often lack the cash or expertise to get that top-shelf CG. Wonder Dynamics, founded by VFX
Ocean Solutions Accelerator doubles down on blue economy with new track for later-stage companies
The planet-loving folks at the Sustainable Ocean Alliance started an accelerator a couple years back focusing on very early-stage companies, but this year they’re expanding the program to accept
Epic cries monopoly as Apple details secret ‘Project Liberty’ effort to provoke ‘Fortnite’ ban
The Epic v. Apple lawsuit alleging monopolistic practices by the latter will begin next month, and today the main arguments of each company were published, having been trimmed down somewhat at the cou
Biden proposes gun control reforms to go after ‘ghost guns’ and close loopholes
President Biden has announced a new set of initiatives by which he hopes to curb the gun violence he described as “an epidemic” and “an international embarrassment.” Among othe
Signal tests payments in the UK using MobileCoin
Encrypted chat app Signal is adding payments to the services it provides, a long-expected move and one the company is taking its time on. A U.K.-only beta program will allow users to trade the cryptoc
Clarence Thomas plays a poor devil’s advocate in floating First Amendment limits for tech companies
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas flaunted a dangerous ignorance regarding matters digital in an opinion published today. In attempting to explain the legal difficulties of social media platforms,
NASA’s small business picks take on automation in space
NASA’s SBIR program regularly doles out cash to promising small businesses and research programs, and the lists of awardees is always interesting to sift through. Here are a dozen companies and
ILM shows off the new Stagecraft LED wall used for season 2 of ‘The Mandalorian’
The first season of “The Mandalorian” last year wasn’t just a great show, it was the result of an entirely new paradigm in film and TV production. Stagecraft, the enormous LED-wall v
Report finds going remote made workplaces more hostile for already marginalized groups
The last year wasn’t an easy one for just about anybody, but a new report from Project Include shows that the shift to remote work affected some groups more negatively than others. Unsurprisingl
Amazon partners with Seraphim on AWS accelerator for space startups
Amazon will soon be a big part of the space economy in the form of its Kuiper satellite internet constellation, but here on Earth its ambitions are more commonplace: get an accelerator going. TheyR