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Glen’s Lobsters buys adjacent Angie’s wharf on Mackerel Cove in Harpswell

Portland Press Herald Business - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 1:10pm
Shawn Baumgartner said he plans to do some repairs to the Angie’s dock and buildings and keep that wharf operating for the foreseeable future.

Four Young Mathematicians Awarded the 2026 Fields Medals

Slashdot - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 1:00pm
Scientific American reports that the 2026 Fields Medals went to four mathematicians for work ranging from the theory of knots to the motion of fluid: The Fields Medals went to Hong Wang of New York University and France's Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies (IHES), Yu Deng of the University of Chicago, John Pardon of Stony Brook University and Jacob Tsimerman of the University of Toronto. In the awards' 90-year history, Wang is only the third woman to win one, after mathematicians Maryam Mirzakhani and Maryna Viazovska in 2014 and 2022, respectively. Wang and Deng represent the prizes' only Chinese-born recipients besides mathematician Shing-Tung Yau, who won a Fields Medal in 1982. Hong Wang co-proved the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, establishing a fundamental limit on how little space is needed to rotate a line through every possible direction. Mathematician Nets Katz called it the field's "holy grail" problem and said the achievement made her "a central figure" in the area. Yu Deng and his collaborators reconciled the microscopic and macroscopic mathematics of fluid motion, proving that equations describing chaotic molecular interactions and large-scale fluid behavior are fundamentally connected. N.Y.U. mathematician Scott Armstrong called it "a truly spectacular, singular result." John Pardon made an early breakthrough in knot theory by proving that certain sequences of knots can have arbitrarily large "distortion," a measure of how difficult they are to traverse. Princeton mathematician David Gabai said the problem had "attracted much interest among mathematicians during the previous 25 years." Jacob Tsimerman and two collaborators proved the Andre-Oort conjecture, giving mathematicians a stronger way to understand special points on complex geometric objects known as Shimura varieties. Collaborator Jonathan Pila described him as "a brilliant mathematician" known for his "brilliance and resourcefulness." Tsimerman has also advanced Hodge theory and hopes pure mathematics can help researchers better understand AI.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

New sports bar-nightclub venue planned for Free Street

Portland Press Herald Business - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 12:27pm
Ubu's Sports Pub & Club is taking over the space once occupied by Binga's Stadium.

Startup Founders Urge Trump Not to Shut Off Chinese Open Weight AI

Slashdot - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 12:00pm
Nearly 200 Silicon Valley companies, including Proton and Y Combinator, are urging the Trump administration not to block U.S. access to Chinese open-weight AI models or risk crippling the next generation of U.S. startups. Politico reports: On Wednesday, the newly-formed Little Tech Association sent letters to President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others in the administration with its appeal, marking the first coordinated effort by Silicon Valley's wider influential startup community to weigh in on one of the Trump administration's most closely watched AI debates. At issue: whether Washington should restrict access to increasingly powerful open-weight -- meaning, AI models whose weights are publicly available -- AI models released by Chinese companies such as Moonshot AI and Alibaba. "American leadership requires two things: world-leading American open-weight models and continued access for U.S. builders to open models already available worldwide," the startup founders wrote in the letter (PDF) obtained by POLITICO, also sent to Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios. Instead of broad prohibitions, they argue the government should adopt targeted safeguards. And they warn that banning Americans from downloading Chinese open-weight models wouldn't stop their proliferation -- but would weaken U.S. startups. "There'll be hundreds of companies that instantly die," said Suhail Doshi, founder of AI infrastructure startup Particle and a member of the association, which POLITICO first wrote about exclusively, in an interview. "It's great for Anthropic. We're all going to have to spend money on Anthropic." Last week, the Beijing-based AI company "Moonshot" released a massive new model that reset the AI race overnight, immediately vaulting into the top tier of global AI, beating Anthropic's Fable 5 and OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol in front-end coding tests. China's Xi Jinping also used his first appearance at China's World AI Conference to promote a vision of low-cost, broadly accessible AI and call for international cooperation rather than technological rivalry.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Three 'AI schools' to open in Greater Boston this fall, with no teachers

Mass High Tech News - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 11:37am
Alpha School will charge around $60,000 per child at three new Massachusetts locations opening this fall. Students learn through AI-monitored apps while adults called guides provide emotional support.

Researchers Discover First Known Transmissible Cancer In Fish

Slashdot - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 11:00am
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC News: It's rare that cancerous tumors can spread from one individual to another. But a genetic study suggests that's what's happening with melanoma tumors among catfish in Quebec and the northeastern U.S. The discovery represents the first known transmissible cancer in fish and one of very few transmissible cancers ever found, reported the study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Julie Dragon, co-leader of the new study, noted that only three other transmissible cancers have ever been identified so far -- in Tasmanian devils, dogs and shellfish. "These conditions are incredibly rare in nature," she said. "So something has to be happening to allow this to happen." Anglers in Lake Memphremagog, which spans the border between Quebec and Vermont, first reported catching brown bullhead catfish with strange black spots and lumps in 2012. They turned out to be melanoma skin cancer tumors. (Humans can also get this kind of cancer.) Now, about a third of the brown bullheads living in the lake have them. It's not clear how sick the fish become. In some cases, the cancer spreads to other organs, such as the brain or liver. But many fish with lesions seem relatively healthy and some older fish even have them, suggesting they can live with the disease for a time. Because of the sudden appearance of the black lesions in Lake Memphremagog the year after a huge flood caused by post-tropical storm Irene, locals worried they were caused by carcinogens washed into the lake by floodwaters. Tests for carcinogens haven't been conclusive, although a study published in May found higher concentrations of seven metals, including zinc and the carcinogen arsenic, in the skin of fish with the tumors. Researchers suspect the tumors may spread among adult fish during spawning, when crowded fish rub against one another and may be punctured by their spines. "They... swim all over each other and we think it's possible that they poke each other and cells can get into other fish that way," Dragon said, though transmission has not yet been demonstrated.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Amazon gaming boss predicts future where players no longer need consoles

BBC Tech News - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 9:24am
Jeff Gattis said the rising cost of gaming tech is likely to mean more people will stream their games online.

22 Back-to-School College Dorm Room Essentials (2026)

Wired Top Stories - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 8:01am
Deck out your room and make class a cinch with these WIRED-tested favorites.

'Let's enjoy the ride' says Elon Musk, as AI fears mount

BBC Tech News - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 7:39am
Talking to The Economist, Musk said he doesn't care if people hate him and said he was not a racist.

The Best Vacuum for Pet Hair—We Tested Many to Find Which Ones Work Best (2026)

Wired Top Stories - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 7:33am
Cordless, handheld, robot, and traditional—we tested them all to find the vacuum that’s fantastic for fur.

The Best MagSafe Wallets for Your Everyday Carry (2026)

Wired Top Stories - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 7:01am
The slim and convenient magnetic wallets you’ll actually want stuck to the back of your phone.

Verisign Is Finally Bringing<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.web Domains To the Internet

Slashdot - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 7:00am
BrianFagioli writes: Verisign is finally bringing web domains to the internet after a decade of fighting. Verisign says the .web top-level domain has finally been delegated into the DNS root, clearing the way for public registrations later in 2026. Until now, consumers could not buy normal working .web domains, despite the extension attracting a record $135 million winning bid in 2016. The launch could make .web one of the more recognizable alternatives to .com, but Verisign already operates both .com and .net, raising questions about whether this creates real competition or simply gives the dominant registry operator another valuable extension. The decade-long fight began after a company called Nu Dot Co won the rights to operate .web in a 2016 ICANN auction with a record $135 million bid secretly funded by Verisign. Rival bidder Afilias, which was later acquired by Donuts, challenged the sale, arguing ICANN should have investigated the relationship before allowing the auction. This triggered years of complaints, reviews, and legal disputes that have ultimately now been resolved under undisclosed terms.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

America’s Hot Hybrid Summer

Wired Top Stories - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 6:45am
Gas prices are up, and US car dealerships are full of hybrids. Customers are going for it.

10 Best Meal Delivery Services, Tested by an Ex-Restaurant Critic

Wired Top Stories - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 6:31am
Here are the best delivery services and meal kits in 2026, including Martha Stewart’s meal service, a GLP-1–supportive plan, and a budget-friendly option.

Google Turns a Selfie Video Into Your Account’s Spare Key

Wired Top Stories - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 6:00am
The next time you’re locked out of your Google account, you can use your face as part of the account recovery process.

Largest IT Consulting Firms in Massachusetts

Mass High Tech News - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 6:00am
Data for this list was obtained from participating firm representatives. The list includes firms that are paid to independently diagnose and solve clients' IT-related problems, providing full project management and oversight.

My Week of Transparent Living With Apple’s ‘More Clear’ Liquid Glass Setting

Wired Top Stories - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 5:30am
I cranked Apple’s iOS 27 beta to maximum transparency on my iPhone and enjoyed every warped second.

Remember Jibo? Its Successor Is a Wearable That Turns Your Life Into AI Slop

Wired Top Stories - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 5:15am
With “blessings” from the original Jibo founders, iKairos is a wearable or desk-mounted “AI journal” that turns your family moments into AI images and video.

This guide will help you paddle your way through western Maine

Portland Press Herald Business - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 4:00am
From rentals on Wilson Lake to delivered boats in Rangeley and shuttle-supported river trips in Bethel, western Maine offers several ways to paddle without owning a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard.

Google burning through cash with spiralling AI costs

BBC Tech News - Thu, 07/23/2026 - 3:15am
The company said earlier this year it expected to spend as much as $190bn on AI investments.

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