2025-03-08
airplane building, AI assisted idjits, age verification suck, space slant, "natural interest rate", EPA slush funds, TSA union, transgender mice, sanctioning Russia, contagious stank, butterfly bust
etc
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Will Boom Successfully Build a Supersonic Airliner?
There are lots of comparisons to Concorde, the British-French supersonic airliner that failed in part due to high ticket prices and limited numbers of routes. I see plenty of speculation about how big the supersonic airliner market is, and whether Boom can overcome Concorde’s failures. But in my mind the biggest questions are #1–3. Before Boom deals with the market risk of building a viable business, it needs to work through the technical risk of building the actual airliner.1 Building commercial aircraft and jet engines are some of the most difficult things that civilization accomplishes, and I expect trying to do both at the same time will be very difficult indeed. How well Boom executes its development program will have a huge impact on whether or not it has a viable business: the cheaper development is, and the more successful Boom is at achieving low manufacturing cost and high fuel efficiency, the easier it becomes to operate profitably.
The long and short of it is that bringing a new commercial aircraft to market is extremely difficult and expensive. New aircraft development cost billions or tens of billions of dollars, and final costs are often multiple times initial estimates.
Horseshit
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Woman stung by scorpion while getting luggage at Boston’s Logan Airport.
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How often are children genetically unrelated to their presumed fathers?
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40% of Britons haven't read a single book in the last 12 months
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The age of regret: Gen Z grew up glued to screens, missed the joy of being human
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Ancient version of soccer with rules like 'no murder' still being played today
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The Hottest Restaurant in France Is an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
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Giving Up Your Phone for Just 3 Days Can Reshape Your Brain Activity
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America's Push into F1 Continues with Entry of Cadillac Team
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Chatbots Convinced Idiots They Cracked the Code on a Sculpture in CIA's Backyard
n a conversation with Wired, Sanborn said that he’s seen a significant uptick in submissions, which is already annoying if you’re already a 79-year-old who has gotten so many submissions over the last three in a half decades that you had to start charging $50 fee for reviewing solutions because you’d had so many cranks message you over the years. But worse than just the frequency of submissions, according to Sanborn, is the attitude of the submitters. “The character of the emails is different—the people that did their code crack with AI are totally convinced that they cracked Kryptos during breakfast,” he told Wired. “So they all are very convinced that by the time they reach me, they’ve cracked it.”
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Luxury beliefs - by Scott Sumner - The Pursuit of Happiness
Joe Biden was a drug warrior during his entire 50-year career. That’s a luxury belief, as he could assume that his son would not be sent to prison if he were to use cocaine. Here’s another example: “I don’t like the smell of pot when I visit the downtown of a big city, therefore pot sellers should be sent to prison.” Indeed, the entire war on drugs is a sort of luxury belief, as the rich rarely suffer from the consequences of this counterproductive crusade.
celebrity gossip
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Trump's AG Claims She Will Release More Epstein Docs, but They May Be Redacted for National Security
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Gene Hackman died of heart disease, his wife died of hantavirus 1 week earlier
Authorities revealed Friday that actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease and showed severe signs of Alzheimer’s disease a full week after his wife died of hantavirus in their home. Authorities initially ruled out foul play after the bodies were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Arakawa, 65, was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom counter. Authorities linked her death to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Rank Propaganda / Thought Policing / World Disordering
Musk
Electric / Self Driving cars
Edumacationalizing / Acedemia Nuts
Info Rental / ShowBiz / Advertising
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Botnet that appeared overnight is delivering record-size DDoSes
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AI researcher: "What tech giants are doing to book publishing is akin to theft"
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Utah becomes first state to pass legislation requiring app stores to verify ages
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First Porn, Now Skin Cream? 'Age Verification' Bills Are Out of Control
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Advertisers could be using mobile games to build profiles about your kids
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Senior TV producers take shelf-stacking jobs as UK industry remains in crisis
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Wikipedia Roiled with Internal Strife over Page Edits About the Middle East
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YouTube scares me; I need RAID 1 for my video content | Jeff Geerling
YouTube said my video on self-hosting Jellyfin had "dangerous or harmful content." It was a bit scary thinking if that happens twice, my entire YouTube channel—in fact all my YouTube channels, could just disappear overnight. Luckily, after that Twitter post, I got someone inside Google to remove the strike. But if you watch the news, you'll see this isn't an isolated incident. And unlike my case, or Sinevibes more recently, not every creator has the reach to get in touch with Google. So we see some channels just fade off into nothingness—and that frightens me.
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Employee at Multinational Charged with Stealing, Selling Pre-Release DVDs
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It took a bit, but AMD passed my cultural test. I now believe they aren’t going to shoot themselves in the foot on software, and if that’s true, there’s absolutely no reason NVIDIA should be worth 16x more. CUDA isn’t really the moat people think it is, it is just an early ecosystem. tiny corp has a fully sovereign AMD stack, meaning we have rewritten the full stack from the hardware to PyTorch (with the exception of LLVM), and soon we’ll port it to the MI300X.
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WB offers replacements, but no refunds, for DVDs rotting prematurely
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License to Shill: Inside Amazon's 007 Takeover, Impact on Future of James Bond
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Music labels will regret coming for the Internet Archive, sound historian says
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Daily Wire Welcomes Perplexity to Advertise on the Ben Shapiro Show
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Just Before It Was a Cult Film, 'Rocky Horror Show' Was a Broadway Flop
TechSuck / Geek Bait
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For some (but not all) files, the
dir
command incmd
shows timestamps that are off by an hour compared to timestamps shown by Explorer or PowerShell. How is this possible? And is either of those timestamps even correct? A friend soon pointed me in the right direction: Daylight Saving Time, or DST. Now it’s early March, and for files last written in recent months, the timestamps matched betweencmd
and Explorer. For older files, they did not. The same pattern repeated for older files last written in previous years. Files written in winter had matching timestamps, files written in summer did not. The effect is observable on Windows 10 and 11, as well as older versions going back to Windows 7. Windows Vista and previous releases do not exhibit this behavior—Explorer andcmd
show consistent (but wrong!) times.
AI Will (Save | Destroy) The World
Space / Boomy Zoomers / UFO
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Flights halted at some Florida airports over SpaceX debris
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SpaceX Starship failure prompts diversions, Florida airports ground stops
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Breakup of SpaceX's Starship Rocket Disrupts Florida Airports
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SpaceX's Starship explodes in second failure for Musk's Mars program
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The Starship program hits another speed bump with second consecutive failure
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SpaceX's Starship explodes in space, again raining debris over Caribbean
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US FAA says 240 flights disrupted by explosion of Musk's SpaceX Starship
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Athena lander is on the moon's surface but its status is unclear
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Europe's Ariane 6 deploys spy satellite in first full mission
Crypto con games
Economicon / Business / Finance
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Nasdaq Joins Exchanges Seeking to Offer Round-the-Clock Trading
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U.S. payroll growth totals 151,000 in February, less than expected
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Microchip Technology to cut 2k jobs as automotive demand wilts
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Fed's Bowman Says Neutral Rate Has Risen Since Covid (Archive)
Bowman said several factors that prevailed immediately after the pandemic’s onset, such as low borrowing costs and supportive fiscal policy, had allowed the US economy to remain on mostly solid footing even after the Fed aggressively raised interest rates in 2021 and 2022. Those same factors, she said, likely led to a rise in the so-called neutral rate — the Fed policy level that neither promotes nor restricts economic activity. Economists refer to this level as R-star.
- See, they're not keeping rates high in order to engage in economic warfare against Trump and Trump voters; its "natural." Until the next CIA tool President is elected then ZIRP will be required again.
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Country club no more: Inside Microsoft's move to cull staff on performance
Gubmint / Poilitcks / Law Making
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Boosting GPS and 911 for the USA
We will lead off the meeting with an inquiry that explores alternatives to GPS. We rely on GPS for so many facets of modern life—from emergency response to military operations to simple driving directions. While GPS may be indispensable, it is not infallible. Continuing to rely so heavily on one system leaves us exposed. Disruptions to GPS have the potential to undermine the nation’s economic and national security. And the risks to our current system are only increasing. That is why leaders from President Trump to Chairman Cruz and Senator Markey have all advocated for the government to take action to ensure we have a resilient system in place. To do that, we need to develop redundant technologies. That is why we will vote on an inquiry to explore other Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems that can be complements or alternatives to GPS.
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Can VotingWorks' open source software help restore faith in voting machines?
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TSA has more people doing full-time union work than we have performing screening functions at 86% of our airports. Of the 432 federalized airports, 374 airports have fewer than 200 TSA Officers to preform screening functions. Nearly 200 TSA Officers are paid by the government but work full-time on union matters. These people do not retain certification to perform screening functions. Additionally, in a recent TSA employee survey, over 60% said poor performers are allowed to stay employed and, not surprisingly, continue to not perform.
The department, in a statement announcing the termination, criticized the union whose staffers are responsible for keeping weapons off airplanes and protecting air travel. The department said that poor performers were being allowed to stay on the job and that the agreement was hindering the ability of the organization “to safeguard our transportation systems and keep Americans safe” — an assessment that faced immediate pushback from a top Democrat in Congress and the union.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a statement today called the move to end collective bargaining for TSO’s “clear retaliation” against the union. Kelley also said the claims about union officials and time were “clearly fabricated.” “Our union has been out in front challenging this administration’s unlawful actions targeting federal workers, both in the legal courts and in the court of public opinion,” Kelley said. “Now our TSA officers are paying the price with this clearly retaliatory action.”
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EPA's $20B 'Slush Fund' Zeldin and DOGE Discovered Looking Really Dodgy – HotAir
As if $20B squirreled away in a Citibank account wasn't insult enough, when the dollar sleuths started digging into who the money was earmarked for - because surely someone had a bead on those bucks - one of the names that popped up for a two billion dollar payday was an organization associated with none other than the cranky claimant to the governorship of Georgia and President of Earth, Stacey Abrams. Her organization - Power Forward Communities - was only a few months old and had a whopping $100 in the bank at the time of the $2B with a "B" award.
Trump
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Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and US Digital Asset Stockpile
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The morning after Trump’s speech, the White House provided a list of $8.3 million in federal grants to health studies that involve mice receiving treatments that can be used in gender-affirming health care. The White House list made clear what Trump, in the speech, did not: The studies were meant to figure out how these treatments might affect the health of humans who take them, not for the purpose of making mice transgender.
An earlier version of this item incorrectly characterized as false Trump’s claim about federal money being spent for “making mice transgender.” The article has been updated with context about the spending, which was for research studies on the potential human health impacts of treatments used in gender-affirming care.
Left Angst
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Uncle Sam mulls policing social media of all would-be citizens
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US deploys AI to revoke visas of foreign nationals supporting Hamas: Report
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War heroes are among 26K images flagged for removal in Pentagon purge
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Donald Trump's economic delusions are already hurting America
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Starlink benefits as Trump admin rewrites rules for $42B grant program
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Broadband Program Killed by Trumplicans Saved Taxpayers More Money Than It Cost
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Make Biology Great Again, Mr. President · GitHub
The biomedical community, however, must recognize where this vengeful mood comes from. It is righteous anger directed at NIH and life scientists more generally. Although scientists should be thanked and honored for developing effective COVID therapeutics, it is quite possible that other scientists created COVID in the first place and then concealed their culpability from President Trump and the nation. The negligent release of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus killed millions of people, cost trillions of dollars, laid kindling for the political firestorms of 2020, and perhaps changed the result of its U.S. presidential election. If one denies the possibility that COVID arose from scientific irresponsibility, one then has to explain the behavior of health authorities of both China and America that seems to betray consciousness of guilt. Subsequent responses to COVID by American biomedical authorities were also objectionable: requiring masking despite its questionable efficacy, closing schools despite the harm done to children, and barring people from their churches and outdoor recreations while encouraging mass left-wing protests.
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CFPB stripped of its power to regulate digital payment offerings
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State Dept. Plans to Close Diplomatic Missions and Fire Employees Overseas
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NIH funding cuts hit red states, rural areas, underserved communities hardest
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Department of Education has a ratting-on-liberal-teachers form
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The Explosive Meeting Where Trump Officials Clashed with Elon Musk
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CDC to study vaccines and autism despite research showing no connection
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How Trump's '51st State' Canada Talk Came to Be Seen as Deadly Serious
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Trump administration cancels $400M in grants for Columbia University
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Doge Is Putting Major Government Efficiency Projects at Risk
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Kennedy and influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists
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We found a DOGE guy at NASA because his Google Calendar was public
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Military to Remove 'Enola Gay' Photos for Violating DEI Rules
Law Breaking / Police / Internal Security
External Security / Militaria / Diplomania
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U.S. will control key systems on F-35 fighter jets, putting Canada at risk
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How the Military Wants AI to Help Control America's Nuclear Arsenal
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US Army soldiers accused of selling military secrets to buyers in China
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Trump threatens Moscow with tariffs, sanctions for 'absolutely pounding' Ukraine
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Canada Eyeing NATO Ally's Nukes to Deter Trump 'Threat': Candidate
World
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German Factory Orders Slumped Most in a Year Before Merz Won (-7%)
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Unexploded WWII bomb halts Eurostar travel connecting Paris to London
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London air pollution down since Ulez extended to outer boroughs, study finds
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'Watershed moment': EU leaders agree plan for rise in defence spending
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'Civil War Is Now Official' - Syria Erupts Into Worst Bloodshed Since Assad's Fall | ZeroHedge
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Getting to the roots of gang violence in Colombia
Why are some regions of the world dominated by violence, yet elsewhere people live relatively peaceful lives? Nussio intends to spend the next five years working with three to four staff to find the answers to this question. The numerous documentaries and series on TV and streaming platforms imply, at least implicitly, that evil individuals are the root cause of the violence. For example, they show Pablo Escobar threatening his opponents with a face full of rage or sanctioning the murder of former close associates in cold blood. Yet Nussio is certain that there are structural causes behind the violence. For his research, the 44-year-old traveled to Colombia to interview dozens of people who have fought in the country's civil war. "If they're persuaded to lay down their weapons, then thousands of others are ready to take their place."
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Europe's Defenses Risk Faltering Within Weeks Without US Support
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Three people guilty of spying for Russia from Great Yarmouth seaside guesthouse
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Canadian leisure travel to U.S. down 40% in February, Flight Centre says
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Tech boss Jan Marsalek is Russian spymaster who has led cells across Europe
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Poland must look at acquiring nuclear weapons, says Donald Tus
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Traffickers in Colombia Are Using Facebook, Tinder and Airbnb to Exploit Minors
Russia Bad / Ukraine War
Health / Medicine
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Common Infection May in Fact Be World’s Most Prevalent STI.
In the past, scientists have argued that BV doesn't meet the requirements of an STI because the bacteria come from within. But that may not be true in all cases. While BV is considered both treatable and curable, some scientists have pointed out there is an "unacceptably high proportion" of women (around 50 percent) experiencing BV recurrence within 6 months of taking a week-long antibiotic, leaving them vulnerable to risks of infertility, premature births, and low birth weight for infants.
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Natural occurring molecule rivals Ozempic in weight loss, sidesteps side effects
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Concerns over Safety of Replacing NHS Doctors with Physician Associates
Pox / COVID / BioTerror AgitProp
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Did Scientists and the Media Get Covid All Wrong?
n their forthcoming book, “In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us,” they argue that many pandemic-era policies were not grounded in evidence and were undertaken without properly weighing their potential to cause harm. Educated elites, in particular, “exercised much power under Covid and made some serious mistakes,” including adopting a partisan mindset, write Macedo and Lee. Now they are asking their fellow academics, as well as journalists, to look back and reflect — “and strive to do better.”
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Paxlovid may not reduce hospitalization risk for vaccinated older adults