Posts by Blake Coleman
Six ways 9/11 changed engineering, medicine, and technology
TL;DR Did 9/11 change disaster robotics? Yes. The World Trade Center became the first reported lifesaving disaster deployment of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) robots. The Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR) sent small robots into spaces people and dogs could not safely reach, exposing problems with communications, mobility, visibility, and human-robot interaction that…
Read MoreWho actually owns the AI stack, and where does the consolidation end
TL;DR What’s actually happening in AI right now? A small group of companies, mostly the biggest AI labs and chipmakers, are buying and building their way into chip design, energy, and cooling businesses that used to belong to separate specialists. Why is this happening now? Training and running frontier AI depends on a handful of…
Read MoreA housing ranking got our attention. The other signals told a bigger growth story.
TL;DR Why are so many of the top U.S. new-construction metros in the Southeast? Local housing supply matters, but the broader data points to a larger mix of population growth, migration, affordability, job creation, industrial investment, and available land. Eight of Realtor.com’s top 10 metros for new construction in 2026 are in the South, including…
Read MoreYour weight loss journey is also a data pipeline for retailers
TL;DR Does filling out a GLP-1 telehealth intake form send my data to advertisers? Often yes. Tracking scripts embedded in intake and checkout pages capture form entries, IP addresses, and device data, then pass them to ad networks like Meta, Google, and TikTok. Is that legal under HIPAA? It depends on the page. Authenticated patient…
Read MoreWeek 0 rankings: which college football schools actually lead in deep tech research
TL;DR Which school ranks first in deep tech research among the Power Four and Notre Dame? Stanford takes the top spot with a perfect 100 out of 100, built on an unusual combination of AI, semiconductor, robotics, and biotech research tied directly into the Silicon Valley economy. Which conference has the strongest deep tech research…
Read MoreHow long until model routing is just… how AI works?
TL;DR Is model routing already happening today, or is it still coming? It is already happening. Platforms like OpenRouter, Snowflake, and Databricks route requests to different models right now, but plenty of companies still hardcode their apps to one fixed model. When will model routing become the default, not a choice? Most analysts expect static,…
Read MoreAI battle lines are being drawn: what’s next for deep tech
TL;DR What is Pax Silica? Pax Silica is a US State Department initiative launched in December 2025 to organize allied nations around secure supply chains for computer hardware, microchips, and critical minerals needed to build artificial intelligence. It now counts 24 signatory nations. Is the US forcing allies to pick a side between America and…
Read MoreAlways-On AI in a Box: When knowledge work becomes capital equipment
TL;DR What do we mean when we say an AI agent in a box? In this article, it means a small-form-factor computer (SFF) dedicated to running AI agents continuously. The company owns the hardware, while the agent can use local models, hosted models such as Claude, or a mix of both. Isn’t Claude Cowork already…
Read MoreIt’s not 2008, fellow Gen X, Xennials, and Millennials, but Myspace wants to have its own Cobra Kai moment
TL;DR What was Myspace? Myspace was the social network that launched in 2003, let users trash their own profile with homemade HTML and autoplaying music, and became the biggest site in America before Facebook showed up. When did Facebook pass Myspace? Facebook passed Myspace in worldwide visitors in April 2008, then in the US a…
Read MoreThe US surveillance state: what’s actually watching you (not another Flock Safety piece)
TL;DR Is the United States a surveillance state? Not in the sense of a single government agency watching everyone, but private cameras, connected cars, and data brokers now feed into networks that police and companies can both query. How many license plate cameras are there in the US? Flock Safety, Axon, Motorola Solutions, and Rekor…
Read More