April 3, 2025

Rivals are rising to challenge the dominance of SpaceX

SpaceX is a space launch juggernaut. In just two decades, the company has managed to edge out former aerospace heavyweights Boeing, Lockheed, and Northrop Grumman to gain near-monopoly status over rocket launches in the US; it accounted for 87% of the country’s orbital launches in 2024, according to an analysis by SpaceNews. Since the mid-2010s,…

June 2023

Bitpanda’s crypto exchange separates from Bitpanda and secures $33 million

June 28, 2023

Fintech startup Bitpanda is splitting into two companies as Bitpanda Pro — the company’s cryptocurrency exchange — is going to become its own independent company called One Trading. As part of this move, One Trading is also raising $33 million (€30 million) in funding. Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures is leading the funding round with participation […]

Bitpanda’s crypto exchange separates from Bitpanda and secures $33 million by Romain Dillet originally published on TechCrunch

Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens to step down

June 28, 2023

Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens has announced that she’s stepping down, some five years after landing in the hotseat. Founded out of the Netherlands back in 2010, Fairphone has set out to differentiate from other smartphone makers by focusing on sustainability and lowering its environmental footprint — this includes making its devices modular and thus easier to […]

Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens to step down by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

Shein’s charm offensive is off to a rocky start

June 28, 2023
China Report is MIT Technology Review’s newsletter about technology developments in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday. Shein is launching a charm offensive. The once-obscure Chinese fast-fashion website has become increasingly mainstream. And to respond to accusations of terrible labor conditions, the company is now inviting US influencers to its operations in…

Gleamer, which provides AI software for radiologists, raises $29.5M

June 28, 2023

Gleamer, a five-year-old French startup that has developed AI software to help radiologists diagnose and detect bone trauma lesions in scans among other conditions, has raised €27 million ($29.5 million) in a Series B round of funding. Founded in 2017, Gleamer’s core flagship BoneView software, which it touts as an “AI companion for bone trauma […]

Gleamer, which provides AI software for radiologists, raises $29.5M by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

Proton launches its password manager Proton Pass

June 28, 2023

A couple of months after unveiling Proton Pass, Proton — the company behind end-to-end encrypted email service Proton Mail — is officially launching its password manager to everyone. As a reminder, Proton Pass is an end-to-end encrypted password manager for individuals and (soon) families. Everybody should use a password manager as it helps you use […]

Proton launches its password manager Proton Pass by Romain Dillet originally published on TechCrunch

Comics beyond sight

June 28, 2023
For an audio adaptation with descriptive text and for annotations, visit: https://spinweaveandcut.com/mitcomic/

Welcome to the big blimp boom

June 28, 2023
Floating is the new flying, at least according to a handful of companies focused on building futuristic blimps, airships, and hot-air balloons.  Lighter-than-air vehicles (or LTAs) depend on the same basic physics that creates bubbles in water. They’re filled with extremely light gas, like helium, which allows them to achieve lift and hover in the…

The forgotten history of highway photologs

June 28, 2023
On May 10, 1985, a tricked-out van drove south on US Route 1 in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, on a sunny spring day. Every .01 miles, a 35-​millimeter movie camera mounted on the dashboard captured an image out of the front of the van, along with a digital readout displaying the date, route, mileage, and bearing.  Highway…

The future is disabled

June 28, 2023
“Technology,” wrote the late historian of technology Melvin Kranzberg Jr., “is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral.” It’s an observation that often doesn’t stick with people as they think about technologies related to accessibility. So many of our dominant stories about technologies for disability, access, and mobility paint them as objects of empowerment…