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Trump’s pledge to raise the global baseline tariff rate from 10% to 15% is reverberating across markets, with investors now weighing whether a recent rally in overseas equities can hold.
In a post on TruthSocial, Trump said he would immediately increase the worldwide tariff rate to 15% following a Supreme Court decision related to trade authority. He also signaled that additional, “legally permissible” tariffs could be introduced in the coming months, reinforcing a more aggressive trade…
SCOTUS rules unanimously that Cox could not be held liable for the piracy of thousands of songs online, after music labels sued the internet provider in 2018 (Ann E. Marimow/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/us/politics/supreme-court-cox…
Before you head out for the weekend, don't miss today's Metacurity for the crucial cybersecurity developments you should know, including
--A database with 149 million usernames and passwords was exposed on the internet,
--Venezuelan nationals who stole cash from ATMs using malware will be deported from US,
--FBI asked Microsoft to unlock encrypted laptops,
--Under Armour is investigating massive data breach,
--Tech investors want the US government to prob…
SCOTUS rules unanimously that Cox could not be held liable for the piracy of thousands of songs online, after music labels sued the internet provider in 2018 (Ann E. Marimow/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/us/politics/supreme-court-cox…
A minimal wake-vortex model explains formation flight of flapping birds
Olivia Pomerenk, Kenneth S. Breuer
https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.22043 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2602.22043 https://arxiv.org/html/2602.22043
arXiv:2602.22043v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Collective patterns of motion emerge across biological taxa: insects swarm, fish school, and birds flock. In particular, large migratory birds form strikingly ordered V-shaped formations, which experiments and direct numerical simulations have demonstrated provide substantial energetic benefits during long-distance flight. However, the precise aerodynamic and morphological mechanisms underlying these benefits remain unclear. In this work, we develop a reduced-order model of the wake-vortex interactions between two flapping birds flying in tandem. The model retains essential unsteady flapping dynamics while remaining computationally tractable. By optimizing over a six-dimensional state space, which comprises the follower's three-dimensional relative position and three independent flapping parameters, we identify the energetically optimal leader-follower configuration of northern bald ibises. The predicted optimum agrees quantitatively with live-bird measurements. Because of its simplicity, the model allows for direct interrogation of the physical mechanisms responsible for this optimum. In particular, it isolates precisely how the follower's wing kinematics interact with the leader's wake to enhance aerodynamic efficiency. The model predicts an 11% reduction in total mechanical power for a follower in formation flight -- consistent with experimental estimates -- and shows that this saving arises from reductions in both induced and profile power, dominated by decreased profile power enabled primarily through reduced flapping amplitude and, secondarily, reduced upstroke flexion. These results provide a mechanistic explanation for the structure of V-formations and offer new insight into the aerodynamic principles governing collective flight.
toXiv_bot_toot
Chromebooks train schoolkids to be loyal customers, internal Google document suggests https://www.theverge.com/news/867138/google-chromebook-education-expansion-court-filings
This article is interesting about thoughts of using flying networks to support military operations.
It is a complex system - and my sense is that they will screw it up with application specific protocols and APIs that evolve and change over time as as military events (the kind that go boom or are intentional forms of in-band attacks - think everything from hyper-phishing to spoofing to zero-day attacks).
But even if it were put together with the precision of a Swiss watch, my old…
Unlike his predecessors,
Trump does not even pretend that his imperialism serves any purpose nobler than American domination
For Trump, “America first” didn’t imply any legal or moral opposition to foreign invasions.
To the contrary, he criticized Bush for not seizing Iraq’s oil.
He denounced regime change and nation building because they allegedly expended American blood and treasure on behalf of non-Americans.
Instead, Trump promised short wars in which onl…
State Representative James Talarico, and his recent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:
CBS said it did not block the interview from airing, but provided legal guidance that broadcasting it could trigger the Federal Communications Commission’s equal-time rule.
Colbert’s show instead posted the interview on YouTube.
When CBS Austin asked about Talarico announcing he's raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours following the interview, Jasmine Crockett said,
“I …