Devin Coldewey
Writer & Photographer
The Latest from Devin Coldewey
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,"
Square Enix shows off Final Fantasy VII Remake, Avengers and more – watch the trailers here
The long series of press conferences that marks the beginning of E3 is nearly at an end, with Square Enix the last to present, if you don't count Nintendo tomorrow. The company leaned hard on nostalgi
To detect fake news, this AI first learned to write it
One of the biggest problems in media today is so-called "fake news," which is so highly pernicious in part because it superficially resembles the real thing. AI tools promise to help identify it, but
FCC passes measure urging carriers to block robocalls by default
The FCC voted today to adopt an anti-robocall measure, but it may or may not lead to any abatement of this maddening practice — and it might not be free, either. That said, it's a good start towards
Apple Store designer proposes restoring Notre-Dame as… basically an Apple Store
Eight Inc, the design firm best known for conceptualizing the Apple Store and the now-iconic giant glass cube on 5th Ave in New York, has proposed to restore Notre-Dame's sadly destroyed roof and spir
Destiny 2 goes free to play and gains cross-saving on all platforms
Bungie aims to fortify the popular but flagging Destiny 2 with an expanded free-to-play plan and universal cross-platform saving, the company announced today. It's an interesting and player-friendly e
Every Final Fantasy soundtrack is now on Spotify and Apple Music
Just in time for your road trip to LA for E3, Square Enix has suddenly made the soundtracks to every main Final Fantasy game available for free to listen to online. Just log into Spotify or Apple Musi