—  Sameer, Technical.ly editor in Baltimore and DC

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From when it was announced, the 3% tax on some technical services was destined to piss off Maryland-based tech company founders. Now, a day after it went into effect, it's left several entrepreneurs who spoke to Kaela worried about costs, companies leaving the state and what it takes to comply.

"I’ve spent plenty of time trying to figure out how to get out of it," one CEO said. "The only way I can get out of it is to commit tax fraud, which I’m not going to do.”

If you're confused about what to do, check out our guide with everything you need to know about the tax. Continue reading ... 

The constant encroachment of generative artificial intelligence in our work and life can raise thorny moral concerns about our new, LLM-enabled impacts on the environment, economy and ethics. 

Keeping the "humanness" in our use of this tech, as coaching firm founder Nancy Li writes, requires setting intent and boundaries on how you use it. For instance, Li loves the art of the AI-critical animation legend Hayao Miyazaki too much to input his work into an AI platform. 

"Knowing what you highly value and are willing to hold onto is part of your integrity and empathy as a human," Li writes. Continue reading ... 

• Members of various meetups and tech scene builders came together last weekend for the first Tech Unity Cookout. [Code Collective]

• Starting next week, Technical.ly will be getting another reporter in Maryland. Maria Eberhart is a Report for America corps member and Baltimore County native who will focus on digital equity issues throughout the state. [Technical.ly]

• Students in Johns Hopkins University's mechanical engineering program spent the last school year creating a machine that adds braille text into a mix of materials, from can labels to glossy mailers. Corresponding software links the machine with a braille word processor and Photoshop. [Johns Hopkins]

• Gov. Wes Moore announced that the state will search for another site to house a novel incubator for over 100 cannabis businesses. Maryland has already committed $7 million to the project and members of the community surrounding the previously identified Catonsville site worried about its local impact. [Governor's Office/Baltimore Banner]

• A satellite campus for the University of Maryland's business school will move from the UM BioPark (which is, transparently, a Technical.ly client) to a site in Baltimore Peninsula. Principals behind the development, formerly known as Port Covington, have made many overtures to local businesses. [Baltimore Biz Journal/Technical.ly]

• State Delegate Marlon Amprey confirmed that an outside investigator concluded its evaluation of workplace misconduct complaints against Chad Williams, the executive director of the West North Avenue Development Authority. Former colleagues accused Williams, who was previously convicted of domestic violence, of actions including stalking and sexual harassment. [Baltimore Beat]

• Finding the right cofounder takes communication, vision alignment and letting the other person channel their strengths. [Technical.ly]

• Maryland joined two more lawsuits halting federal actions, including one to prevent the Department of Health and Human Services from giving Homeland Security "unfettered access" to Medicaid beneficiaries' personal health data. [Maryland Matters]

• Baltimore Children and Youth Fund launched an online education platform last month where those interested in grassroots youth-focused work can learn relevant skills. [BCYF/WMAR]