Devin Coldewey
Writer & Photographer
The Latest from Devin Coldewey
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx just snatched a rock sample from asteroid Bennu
Update: The spacecraft has touched down and sample collection was successful! OSIRIS-REx is now moving away from the asteroid with the goods and will begin its homeward journey as soon as it’s c
Who regulates social media?
Social media platforms have repeatedly found themselves in the United States government’s crosshairs over the last few years, as it has been progressively revealed just how much power they reall
Lockheed picks Relativity’s 3D-printed rocket for experimental NASA mission
Relativity Space has bagged its first public government contract, and with a major defense contractor at that. The launch startup’s 3D-printed rockets are a great match for a particularly comple
Analogue takes on the TurboGrafx-16 with its Duo retro console
Analogue’s beautiful, functional retro gaming consoles provide a sort of “archival quality” alternative to the cheap mini-consoles proliferating these days. The latest system to be r
FAA streamlines commercial launch rules to keep the rockets flying
The FAA has published its updated rules for commercial space launches and reentries, streamlining and modernizing the large and complicated set of regulations. With rockets launching in greater number
With ‘absurd’ timing, FCC announces intention to revisit Section 230
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has announced his intention to pursue a reform of Section 230 of the Communications Act, which among other things limits the liability of internet platforms for content they host
Suspect provenance of Hunter Biden data cache prompts skepticism and social media bans
A cache of emails and other selected data purportedly from a laptop owned by Hunter Biden were published today by the New York Post. Ordinarily a major leak related to a figure involved in a controver
NASA loads 14 companies with $370M for ‘tipping point’ technologies
NASA has announced more than a third of a billion dollars worth of “Tipping Point” contracts awarded to over a dozen companies pursuing potentially transformative space technologies. The p
Two Screens for Teachers will outfit all educators in Seattle Public Schools with a second monitor
Two Screens for Teachers, which as you may guess is about getting teachers a second screen to use at home, has put together enough funds to get every educator in the Seattle Public School system a new
Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro camera upgrades sharpen focus on serious photographers
Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro heaps improvements on the already formidable power of its camera system, adding features that will be prized by “serious” photographers — that is to say, the
IPhones won’t come with headphones or power adapters in the box from now on
That drawer full of bad headphones and extra power adapters for your phone won’t get any more cluttered if you decide to pick up a new iPhone 12. Apple will no longer include those items in the
Alphabet’s latest moonshot is a field-roving, plant-inspecting robo-buggy
Alphabet (you know… Google) has taken the wraps off the latest “moonshot” from its X labs: A robotic buggy that cruises over crops, inspecting each plant individually and, perhaps, g
Microsoft and partners aim to shrink the ‘data desert’ limiting accessible AI
AI-based tools like computer vision and voice interfaces have the potential to be life-changing for people with disabilities, but the truth is those AI models are usually built with very little data s
These tiny sensors can hitch a ride on mothback
Everyone is familiar with carrier pigeons, but what about carrier moths? This research project uses the nocturnal insects as a delivery service for tiny electronic packages that weigh less than a hund
Waymo and TuSimple autonomous trucking leaders on the difficulty of building a highway-safe AI
TuSimple and Waymo are in the lead in the emerging sector of autonomous trucking; TuSimple founder Xiaodi Hou and Waymo trucking head Boris Sofman had an in-depth discussion of their industry and the
Tech’s role in the COVID-19 response: Assist, don’t reinvent
The pandemic has affected just about every business in the world, but tech has also geared up to fight back in its own way, as we found out from speakers at Disrupt 2020. But technology has opted to t
Density’s Open Area radar tracks people in a space, precisely but anonymously
Everyone in the world is rethinking shared spaces right about now, and part of that rethink is understanding how they’re used, minute by minute and day by day. Density’s tiny ceiling-mount
Quarantine drives interest in autonomous delivery, but it’s still miles from mainstream
The prospect of truly zero contact delivery seems closer — and more important — than ever with the pandemic changing how we think of last mile logistics. Autonomous delivery executives from FedEx,
Google’s new logos are bad
Google really whiffed with the new logos for its “reimagination” of G Suite as Google Workspace, replacing icons that are familiar, recognizable, and in Gmail’s case iconic if you wi
Google Assistant comes to gaze-powered accessible devices
People who rely on gaze-tracking to interact with their devices on an everyday basis now have a powerful new tool in their arsenal: Google Assistant. Substituting gaze for its original voice-based int