RSnake Report 20250408

Hello, and thanks for reading! A lot in the news, and I have been a bit busy this week with a massive change to how I manage my access to LLMs to hopefully cut some costs. Paying $20 a month for OpenAI seems like overkill on top of the API usage, so I have switched to Open-WebUI + LiteLLM to access local models, OpenAI API, and Grok API. For my wife and I, that’s a savings of around $400 a year, so well worth the headache to set it up.

Kicking off with the latest from the ongoing conflict in the Russian/Ukrainian news, Ukrainian forces have ramped up drone attacks against Russian targets in Crimea, employing impressive real-time control to dodge Russian missiles while honing in on key assets like landing craft and anti-air systems. This could be done by AI soon, but for now, this looks like it is likely done by human operators who have extremely real-time telemetry. A video, courtesy of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence, shows the evasive maneuvers.

A back-and-forth exchange involving M30A2 rockets outfitted with tungsten balls has critically damaged four Russian helicopters near Belgorod. The details of this strike show these tiny pellets go right through light armor, ostensibly, and make a mess of internal equipment. There is some debate amongst the mil bloggers if this equipment is salvageable or not, and I suspect it’s likely a mix: possibly some parts are salvageable, but mostly, it would become scrap.

Adding to this, the recognized successes of Ukraine's anti-drone strategy against reconnaissance UAVs might significantly disrupt Russian operations during the summer offensive, according to a candid acknowledgment from a Russian milblogger. What this means is that Ukraine has gotten so good at putting up small RF detectors and has enough of them that there is almost no way to sneak a Russian reconnaissance drone through, which means that Russia is operating with alot less battlefield intelligence/ISR.

The battlefield is also transforming as Ukraine initiated an anti-drone corridor that is claimed to be far superior to its Russian counterpart. The only thing that looks better to me is that the netting seems stronger, with more area for larger and multiple vehicles to transit at once, including if one gets destroyed, blocking part of the corridor.

A fiber optic plant faced direct hits recently. It turns out this is the one and only fiber optic plant currently running in Russia. That means they are now entirely beholden to existing supplies and supplies from partner countries, like China - at least until they can rebuild the factory.

Notably, Ukraine has also purportedly developed a countermeasure against Russian fiber optic-guided drones, lighting up their fibers post-impact and following them to the source. Now, just to be clear, I have no idea if this would actually work, as fiber optic typically shields light from leaving. But perhaps if the light were bright enough and in a frequency easily detectable in whatever wavelength is most likely to escape the shielding… maybe. Cool concept if it works though, and would add a lot more cost to create better shielded fiber optic, or relay stations that could be attritable. Btw, the photo of the fiber optic wrapped around a hand below got me looking into it, and it does seem that some variants aren’t glass; they’re plastic, which is just a mess to clean up. At least glass/silica isn’t toxic. The mess that this war is creating will take decades to clean up. 😐️ 

On the psychological front, the conditions for Russian troops along the Dnipro River are reportedly dire. Many complain of inadequate supplies, resorting to foraging for food, and drinking water from holes blown out by explosions, all while they remain perpetually vulnerable to drone attacks.

In another bizarre twist, Russia has learned the hard way that reusing downed Ukrainian drones is fraught with risks. These drones were found to carry malware, infecting Russian flight control systems and leading to a cyber contagion within its fleet. Pretty insidious, and smart. It could really make them think twice about reusing anything with a circuit board.

One last low-tech solution that caught my eye was these DIY rolling grenades. They are small bits of explosives in what looks to be possibly a 3d printed shell with a small hole, that presumably has a fuze inside. Although stupidly low-tech, they actually have a pretty valuable use case, which is that they roll for great distances and follow gravity. So if there is a trench or there are adversaries in a creek, this can quite effectively follow the path of gravity to the lowest point and take out a fairly large position. They are missing the fragmentation aspect, so their range would be limited, they look very difficult to light, and I’m not liking your odds if you are fighting uphill. But interesting nonetheless.

The Russians are claiming that Biden never attempted to understand their position, and that their situation after working with Trump is changing to the point of de-escalation. This is an interesting point. While Russia is likely breaking some of those deal terms when it suits them, I have noticed there is a lot less news about oil and gas getting hit, or large energy grids going down, which was a multiple times per week occurrence over the last few months. Go back and look at some of the previous RSnake Reports - they were full of such news. So, from an outsider’s perspective, at least the average Russian and Ukrainian have power, and that’s a good thing given we are in the early spring now and things are still freezing cold there.

In Oceana news, Australia's BAE Systems has unveiled an impressive new glide/guidance kit, the RAZER, designed to convert standard artillery rounds into precision-guided munitions deployed from the air. This innovative upgrade for 155mm and 5-inch naval shells have glide ratio exceeding 1:7.5. I am liking this idea more and more. Take conventional “dumb” ordinance, that might be very cheap to mass produce, and put kits on them to turn them into more formidable weapons if the need should arise for that sort of ordinance. We did it with the dumb bombs - a small laser kit with steerable fins, that gave us our first laser-guided bombs.

In South East Asia news, the People's Liberation Army has launched extensive maneuvers involving its Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Rocket Forces, effectively encircling the island and establishing what can only be described as a show of overwhelming force. The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense reported the movement of around 19 Chinese naval vessels, including the formidable Shandong Carrier Strike Group, into Taiwan's response zone. Their explanation about why they are doing it is no longer even vaguely thinly veiled. They want to thwart Taiwan's independence. Oh, I thought it was training. Silly me! 😆 

Moreover, following these assertive military displays, China has decided to impose hefty tariffs of 34% on all U.S. imports, effective April 10. This retaliatory action directly responds to the latest U.S. tariff measures, further complicating the economic landscape amid these rising tensions. The US was never really able to sell into China anyway, so those tariffs don’t mean much for the average US company/consumer. Still, then Trump says he plans to raise tariffs by an additional 50% if they don’t unwind their tariffs. That, on the other hand, would sting, and is absolutely the definition of a trade war. We shall see who blinks first, or if we just intend to halt international trade with China full stop, which would be the effect if these tariffs keep ratcheting upwards.

I know this is the section on South East Asia, but I think this is a good time to switch to North American news, seeing as how they are deeply linked on this issue, so please bare with.

There is a lot to say about the latest and greatest with tariffs, and I know people will think that by my describing this, I am somehow thinking it is a good idea. I do not. I also don’t think it’s a bad idea. I do, however, think it is a crazy gamble that likely will pay off big or cost the US its shirt. Here is what is described, and here is what I can gather. First, what is being described is a list of tariffs enacted, that is, when you boil it all down, a measure of trade imbalance. It is described as reciprocal tariffs, which is incorrect. It is evening out the trade imbalance to some degree. I’m not sure if any of that is intentionally being miscommunicated or if the team doesn’t understand the difference, but either way, that is what is being communicated.

Now, to what I can glean as to what the plan is:

1. The US issues huge tariffs.

2. Unwind whatever tariffs lead to good concessions from the opposing government. That brings things back to “neutral” or even better for the US markets depending on how the negotiation ended.

3. Do the hokey pokey as much as you want, which causes the market to fluctuate like crazy due to concerns about corporate stability. It also makes countries less able to fight back because they don’t know how the US will react. This is “the art of the deal”.

4. That causes a flight from stocks, causing the market to crash, and a deflation of the currency to reduce the amount of inflation we’ve seen. Your portfolio will take a big hit; if you sell, you are helping the plan. Don’t sell, though, hold. You don’t lose until you realize the loss.

5. The flight from stocks will, to some extent, go into low-risk treasuries.

6. The fed will be forced to reduce interest rates. Due to lower interest rates he average person in the US will be able to refinance debt, borrow easier, etc.

7. Since more manufacturing is moving to the US, it creates more low-wage jobs in the process, and brings back tech know-how, making tariffs less meaningful to the average US worker once the plan is well underway.

8. Unwind any national security ties with China in particular, but the world writ large, so that any other country needs nothing.

9. Draw down the military since we no longer have to worry about what happens in other countries since we no longer need their goods and services or raw ore or anything else—at that point, China is welcome to Taiwan, for instance, and who cares about piracy or peacekeeping, etc.? In the meantime, keep it high… I guess?

10. Push new revenue from corporate taxes for new businesses driven by new investment in the United States, increase tariff funds, decrease spending a la DOGE and military drawdown, decrease taxes on US wage earners to stimulate spending, and decrease debt obligations. The surplus pays down the national debt.

11. … then… Bretton Woods part deux?

You know what that reminds me of? In some martial arts, there are some forms where there are twenty steps involved in an attack, and the adversary has to move perfectly so that you can execute your next attack. Those martial arts suck. It doesn’t take into account any variables of what the adversary might do instead of what you expect them to. There is a lot that can go wrong with this plan.

Anyway, don’t take my word for it, and don’t take my skepticism to mean it can’t work. It’s just that a lot of things have to go very right, and the world has a way of throwing curveballs. The whole thing is to fix the massive imbalance we have seen by encouraging offshoring and due to policies in other governments that have not been dealt with/punished. The best way I have heard it said, as to what I think the US cabinet is thinking, was from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said to Tucker Carlson that he is confident the plan will work and that it needs to be tried because nothing else will work. That means to me, we are in for a rocky economic road, and that is in the best case scenario.

SECDEF just reiterated the importance of establishing equality in military occupational specialty (MOS) standards across the board. Differential standards based on gender have been a topic of contention, but now there's a clear mandate that this practice is set to change immediately.

Anduril is doing more cool stuff with undersea “Seabed Sentry” sensors that are likely designed to make it prohibitively expensive to operate submarines without being detected. With a growing submarine fleet in China and the USSR building another, it does seem worthwhile to track them since submarines are notoriously dangerous from a first-strike capability perspective, not to mention all the sabotage we have been seeing of undersea cables.

In Las Vegas, there has been a huge decline in visitors… around a 12% decline in strip gambling. That is likely due to a mix of people who are worried about traveling to the US and economic conditions. Either way, it does make travel there more affordable and easier. A buddy of mine told me that F1 tickets there were insane the first year and dirt cheap the second. That jives with what the economics data is saying.

In Europe, Turkey is taking steps to establish a stronger foothold in Syria. The nation is preparing to deploy air defense systems to secure control over the strategic Tiyas (T4) air base near Palmyra. This operation transforms the base into a key air defense hub, complete with a layered network that may incorporate systems like the Hisar-O and Siper, all designed to bolster Turkey’s military capabilities in the region and bolster the former ISIS group that now runs Syria, though Ironically, they are also simultaneously worried about ISIS groups. 🤔Moreover, Ankara is contemplating temporarily deploying S-400 systems, which would mark a significant development, likely representing the first overseas use of this controversial technology. The objectives are clear: deter Israeli airstrikes, counter residual ISIS presence, and expand Turkey’s military footprint.

Meanwhile, in a nod toward innovation, Turkey unveiled Europe’s first unmanned fighter jet, the KIZILELMA. This is a pretty huge step—one that even the US hasn’t gotten to. Now, the question is if this is a glorified FPV drone or if it is AI-driven. I haven’t seen evidence one way or another on that.

In Middle East news, the Pentagon is reportedly shifting resources by relocating at least two U.S. Army MIM-104 "Patriot" missile batteries and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system from Asia to the Middle East. This strategic repositioning aligns with rising tensions involving Iran, indicating that a significant conflict may be brewing. Notably, these missile batteries have been spotted on numerous military cargo flights recently landing at critical bases in the region, suggesting a ramp-up in U.S. military readiness as the situation grows more precarious.

The deployment of additional resources, including 6 B-2 "Spirit" bombers, further underscores the seriousness with which the U.S. is treating threats in this volatile area. This is a lot of firepower, but also a lot of danger in having all those assets so close together. I also am not a fan of using these unless we absolutely have to, because it makes it easier for adversaries to train their radar systems to figure out how to detect them. I can only hope that this is such old tech that it no longer matters if we use it in regular combat roles.

Compounding these military maneuvers are reports of limited U.S. success against Houthi forces in Yemen, despite a scale of strikes that surpasses the previous administration's efforts. The Department of Defense has acknowledged this to be a financially costly operation that could soar beyond a billion dollars, raising questions about the effectiveness and sustainability of current strategies in the region, details here.

In a staggering show of defiance, the Houthis have claimed two attempted attacks on the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman within a 24-hour span, promising that victory over American forces is imminent. While sinking a carrier would be a setback, it would hardly be a victory over American forces. That said, if that were to happen, it would evolve from precision strikes to something quite different, I think.

Turning to tech news, there is a new type of attack against MCP servers, that allows attackers to run arbitrary commands through tools like Cursor, by embedding malicious prompts into the MCP. Obviously letting LLMs drive commands on your computer is wildly dangerous and whoever came up with the idea is a lunatic, and yet, it is a trend that will continue to grow.

Lastly, researchers have discovered a pre-installed backdoor in the Unitree Go1 robot dogs, which allows remote access to these units. With the potential for hijacking vision feeds and controlling the robots across the vast network created by this vulnerability, I just have to say… don’t buy anything with a chip in it from China if you can help it. Full stop. Not even once. 🇨🇳 🛑 

Okay, onto the articles!

A new 10 percent tariff has been implemented by the US on a variety of imports, impacting countries such as Australia, Britain, and China, among others. This move has resulted in significant declines in global stock markets, increased fears of a global trade war, and potential retaliatory measures from affected countries, including China.

• The US has enacted a wide-ranging 10 percent tariff on imports, which is expected to escalate trade tensions.

• China plans to retaliate against the tariffs by imposing duties on US products and seeking action from the World Trade Organization. RSnake:

[RSnake: Let the trade wars begin! Here lies an alternative universe to the book “The End of the World is Just the Beginning,” where instead of there being maritime blockades, there are tariffs. The net result is the same if tariffs continue to ratchet up. It becomes impossible to buy and sell to certain countries. The most vulnerable country in this regard is China. If Trump and his administration believe China is going to invade Taiwan this spring or fall, this might be a last-minute Hail Mary to prevent the invasion by bankrupting them.]

Sourcse: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/5/trumps-10-percent-tariff-takes-effect-raising-fears-of-global-trade-war?traffic_source=rss

• The protests were held in all 50 states and over 600 locations worldwide, including U.S. territories.

• Demonstrators marched to oppose government cutbacks, financial turmoil, and perceived attacks on democracy.

[RSnake: And by the looks of it, while not necessarily paid for, though that is certainly possible, it is a host of grievances, and not a specific policy issue that is driving them. This reminds me a little of the 99% Occupy movement, where a host of grievances drove the protests, without any concrete policies put forth.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/us/politics/anti-trump-protests-hands-off.html

• The U.S. military has deployed long-range bombers near Iran amid rising tensions.

• Former CENTCOM chief David Petraeus warns that any U.S. attack would extend beyond nuclear sites.

• Iran's nuclear program is nearing a point where it could produce weapons-grade uranium.

[RSnake: Given how things are going with the Houthis, this would require a lot more than what we have currently been sending down range. Granted, the Israelis haven’t started any meaningful campaigns either. If I were a betting man, we’re dropping bombs on Iran by next month. The wisdom of that choice remains to be seen, especially if Taiwan gets a visitor from the north during that time period.]

Source: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202504059237

• FEMA acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton was given a lie detector test after meeting with Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, alongside Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to President Donald Trump.

• The Department of Homeland Security is agnostic about its employees' standing, tenure, or political appointment, and will prosecute leakers to the fullest extent of the law.

[RSnake: I guess I was ignorant of how this worked, but I thought regular polygraphs were required to keep clearance. If not, it should be. No one should be surprised or upset by needing to know who is leaking information, removing their clearance, and prosecuting them. Comes with the territory. Otherwise, maybe TMZ is hiring.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000585549

• Poland activated its air defense systems due to a large-scale Russian missile attack on Ukraine.

• Polish and allied aircraft have begun operating in Polish airspace as tensions escalate.

[RSnake: Poland really is on the front lines of whatever happens next. Let’s hope for their sake they’re worried for nothing. That said, it would trigger NATO, so maybe for everyone’s sake, let’s hope they’re worried for nothing.]

Source: https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/04/6/7506246/

• Tugboats helped a Greek-registered tanker attacked by Houthi militants transit the Suez Canal.

• Russian oil is being routed longer distances to Asia due to geopolitical factors and trade dynamics.

• China has increased tariffs on U.S. goods, exacerbating global trade tensions.

[RSnake: Right, and this is why Iran and their proxies are making no friends in the Middle East with their peers.]

Source: https://gcaptain.com/?p=225450

• Canada aims to double the capacity of its LNG Canada project.

• The country's government is exploring pipeline upgrades to enhance energy exports.

• Political tensions with the US have motivated Canada to diversify its trade partnerships.

[RSnake: Probably a good thing for Canada. They should focus on working with other countries to solidify themselves as a real market.]

Source: https://gcaptain.com/?p=225432

• Qassem condemned Israel's existence and criticized U.S. support for it.

• Hezbollah maintains a readiness to act against Israeli operations while promoting internal Lebanese unity for state-building.

[RSnake: Maybe he wants some Palestinian refugees if he is such a humanitarian? 🤔]

Source: https://www.longwarjournal.org/?p=124083

• The US Navy's Carrier Strike Group is continuing its operations in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on regional stability and freedom of navigation.

• China has increased its military activities in the South China Sea, raising tensions between the US and China amid ongoing military communications.

[RSnake: Keep in mind, we are moving away from the negotiation table regarding finance issues, so military miscommunication is more likely.]

Source: https://sofrep.com/?post_type=navy&p=214142

• The VENOM-AFT program marks a significant advancement in military aviation technology by enabling autonomy in fighter jets.

• The program supports the Air Force's goal to improve operational capabilities through rapid testing and deployment of autonomous systems.

[RSnake: Interesting. By the looks of it, for the time being, the cockpit is intact, and pilots will be aboard to monitor the efficacy of the AI pilot program. These are beefy bomb trucks, and if retrofitting them isn’t cost-prohibitive, it would give us a lot of capabilities. We have over 800 of these things in our arsenal and over 4,000 worldwide spread out amongst our allies.]

Source: https://militaryleak.com/?p=229721

• Israeli authorities detained two British MPs over allegations of anti-Israel activities.

• The UK government expressed strong disapproval of the MPs' treatment, leading to a diplomatic dispute with Israel.

• The incident occurs in the context of ongoing military operations in Gaza, raising further international scrutiny.

[RSnake: Mmm… rhetoric? I hope the Israelis don’t start going down the path of restricting speech. First of all it doesn’t end well, but secondly, it actually makes it harder to track who are the bad actors.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-detains-two-uk-labour-mps-over-alleged-plan-to-spread-anti-israel-hatred/articleshow/120029071.cms

• Chevron must pay for environmental damage to the Louisiana wetlands.

• The ruling may influence other pending lawsuits against oil companies.

• Louisiana's coastal areas have lost significant land due to oil company operations.

[RSnake: For a point of reference here, Chevron’s 2023 numbers were $196.91 billion. If they took that hit in 2023, they’d still be making more than $196 billion. These fines do not matter. It’s a cost of doing business.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/chevron-ordered-to-pay-more-than-740-million-to-restore-louisiana-coast-in-landmark-trial/articleshow/120028660.cms

President Trump has dismissed the head of the National Security Agency amidst a backdrop of weakening U.S. cyber defenses, coinciding with an uptick in cyber threats, particularly emanating from foreign nations. The dismissal and subsequent erosion of cybersecurity structures have raised alarms among experts and officials regarding the nation’s preparedness against sophisticated cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure and elections.

• President Trump fired General Timothy D. Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency, amid ongoing threats to U.S. cyber defenses.

• The removal of Haugh and other cybersecurity measures comes as the U.S. faces unprecedented cyber threats, including a recent cyberattack from Chinese intelligence.

[RSnake: Heads continue to roll. The second reckoning email went out, and from what I am hearing from the Pentagon, a lot more personnel are seriously considering it. They are concerned they’ll get fired anyway and won’t get the benefits.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/us/politics/trump-loomer-haugh-cyberattacks-elections.html

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is organizing a hackathon at the IRS to create a centralized API for accessing taxpayer data, proposing to consolidate various IRS systems into a single platform. This initiative follows significant budget cuts to modernization projects at the IRS, raising the potential for expedited access to sensitive taxpayer information and altering existing security protocols.

• DOGE plans to launch a hackathon focused on creating a 'mega API' for the IRS.

• The project could centralize sensitive taxpayer data, raising security and privacy implications.

[RSnake: Cool! Let’s hope it works. Next, it would be nice if they could tell me what I owe, instead of me having to guess, and then they could fine me or jail me if I guess I'm wrong.]

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/doge-hackathon-irs-data-palantir/

Ivanti has released a patch for a zero-day vulnerability in its Connect Secure product that has been actively exploited since mid-March. Additionally, the Port of Seattle has reported a ransomware breach affecting 90,000 individuals, raising broader concerns regarding ransomware threats in various sectors.

• A zero-day vulnerability in Ivanti's Connect Secure product has been exploited since mid-March.

• The Port of Seattle experienced a ransomware breach impacting 90,000 people.

[RSnake: They are the second greatest offender according to Vulncheck. Basically, if you have them, you are at a great risk of being compromised. At some point, your insurance rates will reflect whether you use them, is my bet. They aren’t the only ones.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/coinbase-to-fix-2fa-account-activity-entry-freaking-out-users/

Two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have been charged with accepting bribes to permit undocumented individuals to enter the country at the San Ysidro border crossing. Investigations revealed communication with human smugglers and large unexplained cash deposits in the officers' accounts, raising issues of national security and corruption within the agency.

• Two officers accepted bribes to allow undocumented entry into the U.S.

• Investigations uncovered communication with smugglers and large cash deposits.

[RSnake: Only two? No, but seriously, I would bet this has been going on in pockets along the border for a very long time.]

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/us/cbp-officers-charged-allegedly-bribes-wave-illegal-immigrants

Meta has released Llama 4, a new crop of flagship AI models that perform on par or better than its previous flagship Llama models. The company has also updated its AI-powered assistant to use Llama 4 in 40 countries and has introduced multimodal features with limitations to the U.S. for now. The release comes as some experts and politicians have accused AI chatbots of being biased towards certain views.

• Llama 4 Scout can run on a single Nvidia H100 GPU, while Maverick requires an Nvidia H100 DGX system or equivalent, according to Meta's calculations.

• Behemoth has nearly two trillion total parameters and is outperforming GPT-4.5, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and Gemini 2.0 Pro on several evaluations measuring STEM skills like math problem solving.

[RSnake: I haven’t had a chance to use it - it’s not yet baked into Ollama as of the time of this writing, but I am really curious if it can be run on commodity Apple Silicon - sadly, I’m betting not.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=2989980

Apple's Darwin operating system, which serves as the foundation for macOS, iOS, and Apple Silicon, has continuously evolved since its inception, integrating innovations from Mach and BSD components. The XNU kernel architecture, notable for its hybrid design, has adapted to significant technological transitions such as the shift to ARM-based Apple Silicon and advancements in security, scalability, and multi-core processing. This evolution maintains compatibility across various Apple devices while responding to modern computing demands.

• Darwin OS powers all modern Apple platforms, showcasing its flexibility and adaptability.

• The XNU kernel's hybrid design merges microkernel and BSD Unix components for enhanced performance and security.

[RSnake: BSD really does underpin tons of the Internet, and what it doesn’t, Linux does.]

Source: https://tansanrao.com/blog/2025/04/xnu-kernel-and-darwin-evolution-and-architecture/

A brain implant has enabled a woman to speak full sentences for the first time since suffering a stroke nearly 20 years ago. This neural device converts her thoughts into speech in real time, providing a significant advancement in technology for individuals with speech impairments. Research highlights further potential improvements and applications for providing natural communication for those affected by similar conditions.

• A neural implant allows real-time translation of thoughts into speech.

• This technology aims to improve communication for individuals with speech impairments.

[RSnake: Very cool stuff! Amazing. I suspect she will have a book to write on the topic. Locked in your own head after a stroke…? Crazy and nightmarish.]

Source: https://www.404media.co/this-device-translates-thoughts-into-real-time-speech/

NASA's Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, has reached the end of its 48-year mission exploring interstellar space. As the probes lose power and function, tough decisions are being made to turn off instruments to prolong their operation, with hopes of reaching the 50th anniversary in 2027.

• Voyager probes were the first to enter interstellar space, providing unique data about this region.

• The mission is struggling due to aging technology and diminishing power, leading to the gradual shutdown of scientific instruments.

[RSnake: Fear not, we have a few more years of life left in them, but sensors are being disabled a few at a time, as it loses 4 watts of power each year as it gets further and further away.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000580634

A former football player from MIT, Kodiak Brush, is revolutionizing helmet design by creating the Apache helmet, which is lighter and safer than traditional models. This new helmet has achieved the highest safety score recorded by Virginia Tech, challenging long-held beliefs about what constitutes safety in football equipment. The design emphasizes real-world performance using advanced materials and technology.

• Kodiak Brush created the Apache helmet, the lightest and safest football helmet on the market.

• The helmet uses advanced materials and a player-first design philosophy to enhance safety and performance.

[RSnake: The lightweight nature of it is cool. Reminds me a little of my firearms course, which was heavily decided on the weight of your rifle. Over 8 lbs or so, and your pass rate falls off a cliff. Six to seven pounds is ideal.]

Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/91311143/he-played-football-at-mit-now-hes-designing-a-lighter-safer-helmet

There is a focus on developing browser agents that can reliably perform web interactions, an area where current solutions face significant challenges. Foundry is creating a platform for simulating and evaluating these browser agents to facilitate their improvement and deployment in various industries, with a significant market opportunity estimated at over $20 billion. This represents a shift in how web automation is approached, leveraging machine learning and reinforcement learning to enhance agent performance.

• Foundry is building a platform for simulating and evaluating browser agents to overcome current performance limitations.

• The project positions itself in a growing market with a potential for reliable web automation, estimated at over $20 billion.

[RSnake: This will be absolutely enormous once this tech really kicks off. Your computer will be able to be so much more useful and do so many more things on your behalf.]

Source: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/foundry/jobs/WvDDlqc-founding-fullstack-engineer-building-the-future-of-browser-agents

Recent research in physics has identified the concept of undecidability, suggesting that certain physical systems cannot be predicted even with complete knowledge of their current state. This builds on earlier discoveries in quantum mechanics and chaotic systems, showing that some fundamental questions in nature are inherently unanswerable. Scientists are exploring the implications of these limitations across various physical and mathematical systems.

• Undecidability indicates that certain physical systems cannot be fully predicted, no matter how much information is available.

• This research connects findings from quantum mechanics and chaos theory, revealing deeper limits on knowledge in physics.

[RSnake: With a macroscopic version of the universe, sure. That is probably true. But if you replay the universe with all the same variables each time, to say they’d be different still baffles me. I think it comes down to the hidden-measurement problem (different from the hidden variable), and no physicist I have spoken to has gotten even close to making me believe otherwise. To believe in true determinism (super determinism - a la Laplace’s Demon) doesn’t mean I don’t believe we control things in the macroscopic universe, and that I don’t believe free will can exist, because things can be controlled outside of a 4D space, and it would be causally correct. Hard to explain in this format, but much of what we know about the universe is derived from within 4D space with little concern for how 5th and 6th-dimensional attributes contribute and may indeed be both causal and super-determinant, and also seem random to 4th-dimensional beings. And yet, what if we aren’t actually 4D beings…? Why is time a totally different vector than the first three dimensions? What if only our bodies are 4D, but our “soul” or the thing that drives free will lives more akin to a 5th-dimensional being? More akin to changing the rules of a video game of billiards - it plays out the same way each time you hit the balls in the identical spot, but what if the rules change at the beginning of the game? For a 5th-dimensional creature, it is akin to re-winding a tape and taping over something, or flipping to another page in a book and whiting out a passage… not mysterious at all. Sure, call me crazy if you like.]

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/next-level-chaos-traces-the-true-limit-of-predictability/

Senate Republicans have approved a budget resolution that supports President Trump's tax cut agenda and raises the US debt ceiling. This resolution allows for $1.5 trillion in new tax cuts and a $5 trillion increase in the federal borrowing limit, aimed at stabilizing financial markets amidst ongoing tariff policies.

• The Senate passed a budget resolution with a 51-48 vote supporting tax cuts and an increase in the debt ceiling.

• The proposed tax cuts amount to $1.5 trillion over ten years, with the intent to provide market stability.

[RSnake: Woof, that is a big increase in borrowing. Hopefully, this is a very short-term resolution, because if so, this is just kicking the can down the road. Btw, if we do go to war with China, they hold around 2% of our debt, which we theoretically no longer have to pay back. It only saves us a little less than a trillion USD, but that might be part of the calculus.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/tax-cut-plan-gains-momentum/articleshow/120028391.cms

Political instability in Nepal is hampering consistent business operations, prompting significant labor migration and reliance on remittances. Entrepreneurs are calling for stable governance to foster long-term economic planning and strengthen trade relationships, particularly with India, while current travel and trade arrangements remain underutilized and inefficient.

• Political stability is essential for consistent business policies and long-term planning in Nepal.

• The exodus of workers seeking economic opportunities abroad impacts the domestic economy significantly.

• Nepal's trade relationship with India is crucial but under-leveraged due to restrictive border and aviation policies.

[RSnake: That’s not good, especially considering their neighbors.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/for-nepal-businesses-most-valuable-currencys-stability/articleshow/120028092.cms

Jaguar Land Rover has announced it will pause shipments of its luxury vehicles to the United States starting in April due to new 25 percent import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The company, which exports all of its cars to the U.S., sold approximately 95,000 vehicles there in the last financial year, making the U.S. a critical market for its business.

• Jaguar Land Rover is halting shipments to the U.S. in response to increased import tariffs.

• The U.S. is a key market for British car exports, significantly impacting Jaguar Land Rover's revenue.

[RSnake: Interesting, this is the blocking of international trade I was talking about above. It makes us have to be a lot more self-reliant as a country. ]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/business/jaguar-land-rover-tariffs-shipments.html

The Swiss luxury watch industry is facing a 31 percent import tax in the U.S., which is its largest market, amidst ongoing economic downturns. Major brands unveiled new innovative watch models at the Watches & Wonders trade show in Geneva, signaling a blend of luxury and technological advancements despite market challenges.

• The American market accounted for one-sixth of the global Swiss watch market in 2024.

• Many luxury watch brands are innovating with new designs and technologies despite a significant downturn in sales.

[RSnake: The people who can afford luxury watches likely won’t care much. If anything, it makes their collection worth more.]

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/the-11-most-wired-watches-that-dropped-at-watches-and-wonders-2025/

Pharmaceutical and life sciences companies are increasingly adopting end-to-end digital supply chain networks to enhance resilience and efficiency while navigating complex global regulations and challenges. These networks aim to improve collaboration and visibility among supply chain partners, address manufacturing complexities, and manage demand volatility more effectively, ultimately facilitating timely and compliant delivery of products to patients.

• End-to-end digital supply chain networks are emerging as essential for pharmaceutical companies to boost efficiency amidst complex regulations.

• Increased visibility and collaboration through multi-enterprise networks allow for better handling of product sensitivity and demand forecasting.

• Advanced analytics and AI play a crucial role in transforming data into actionable insights for improved decision-making and supply chain management.

[RSnake: I asked one pharmacist about supply issues, and they do try to work around it by horse-trading with others nearby if they see shortages. But imagine someone was on bipolar meds or anti-biotics or something and could not get my meds for weeks?]

Source: https://www.supplychainbrain.com/blogs/1-think-tank/post/41400-the-state-of-end-to-end-digital-supply-chain-networks-in-pharma-and-life-sciences

Nissan is facing challenges after years of management issues and failing to compete effectively in the electric vehicle market, particularly in the US. Recent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration may further complicate Nissan's operations, as the company attempts to introduce new electric and hybrid models while navigating a chaotic automotive market.

• Nissan is launching new electric and hybrid vehicles to regain market share after experiencing a decline in production and sales.

• The company's future strategies may be hindered by recently imposed tariffs that could increase production costs and affect vehicle prices.

[RSnake: This is possibly one of the reasons Japan was so quick to get to the negotiation table to start discussing the tariffs and how they get them unwound. Japan, incidentally, owns the most US debt.]

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/how-nissan-intends-to-navigate-trumps-tariffs-and-make-its-evs-great-again/