theck1 IT/AI news

‘Spooky’ particles transit DC suburbs, a step toward a quantum network

August 5, 2026 In early 2025, special signals wended their way through a fiber-optic highway strung above the streets and sidewalks of the Maryland suburbs. The arrival of those signals at their destination marks a significant step toward a long-held dream of building a “quantum network.” Researchers believe that this emerging technology could someday link

Air-stable, ultrathin superconductors developed for more scalable quantum devices

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August 5, 2026 Super-thin superconducting materials, which are only one or a few atoms thick, have unique properties scientists can leverage to produce more compact, scalable, and efficient quantum devices. But these fragile materials degrade so rapidly in air that they are difficult to study or manufacture. Read the full article →

Miniaturized laser technology paves the way for fundamental physics experiments in space

6Augusttheck1Quantum Technology

August 5, 2026 An international team of researchers has succeeded in producing atomic quantum gas mixtures with an unprecedented particle flux. In the journal Nature Communications, the scientists report on experiments conducted with the MAIUS-B apparatus, in which Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) consisting of two different atomic species—rubidium and potassium—were generated and studied under microgravity conditions

The Download: NASA’s new telescope and Chinese tech import curbs

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Charlotte Jee • August 5, 2026 This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. NASA’s new dark energy space telescope can also detect killer asteroids At the end of August, NASA is set to launch the Nancy Grace

Puzzle Corner

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Michael S. Branicky, ScD ’95 • August 5, 2026 Ready for a fresh set of puzzles? Click here for the September/October 2026 Puzzle Corner, brought to you by Michael S. Branicky, ScD ’95, of the Puzzle Corner Puzzle Crew (aka PC2), which also includes Edward Faulkner ’03, MEng ’04, and Abe Kunin ’03. This column includes solutions

SpaceX spooks investors with debut earnings report

6Augusttheck1Artificial Intelligence

George Hammond, Financial Times • August 5, 2026 SpaceX shares dropped on Wednesday after Elon Musk’s plans for blockbuster spending to position his AI and rocket company as a data center developer spooked investors. SpaceX surpassed analysts’ expectations in Tuesday’s debut earnings report, posting quarterly revenues of $7.8 billion, well above analysts’ estimates of $6.82

Google plans to kill Assistant on your phone on September 4

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Ryan Whitwam • August 5, 2026 Google Assistant’s days have been numbered for a while, but the company has now settled on a date to retire its pre-AI assistant robot. In an email being sent out to users, Google confirms that Assistant on Android devices will be shut down starting on September 4, forcing everyone

D-Wave shows off its new entry in quantum computing race

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John Timmer • August 5, 2026 D-Wave is a bit of an oddity in the quantum computing space, having been founded back in the last century. And its initial offering wasn’t a quantum computer like those being developed by IBM or Google. Instead, the company built what’s now called a quantum annealer, a machine that

EVgo starts building Tesla Superchargers under license

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Jonathan M. Gitlin • August 5, 2026 For most of its existence, the Tesla Supercharger network was both the automaker’s crown jewel and a walled garden. Tightly integrated to work only with Tesla electric vehicles, the DC fast-charging experience for Tesla customers was painless in ways that EV drivers dependent on CCS1 chargers operated by

After jacking up prices, Disney+ and Netflix consider offering free alternatives

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Scharon Harding • August 5, 2026 Disney is “exploring a free product” for streaming customers, CEO Josh D’Amaro confirmed in a call with investors today. D’Amaro, who succeeded Bob Iger as Disney’s chief in March, said that a free Disney-owned streaming service would help Disney reach more “price-sensitive” customers, which is a “strategic priority” for