In The News Today...

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Ornithologist Henri Weimerskirch put satellite tags on a couple of dozen frigatebirds, as well as instruments that measured body functions such as heart rate. When the data started to come in, he could hardly believe how high the birds flew.

"First, we found, 'Whoa, 1,500 meters. Wow. Excellent, fantastique,' " says Weimerskirch, who is with the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris. "And after 2,000, after 3,000, after 4,000 meters — OK, at this altitude they are in freezing conditions, especially surprising for a tropical bird."

Four thousand meters is more than 12,000 feet, or as high as parts of the Rocky Mountains. "There is no other bird flying so high relative to the sea surface," he says.

"It's the only bird that is known to intentionally enter into a cloud," Weimerskirch says. And not just any cloud — a fluffy, white cumulus cloud. Over the ocean, these clouds tend to form in places where warm air rises from the sea surface. The birds hitch a ride on the updraft, all the way up to the top of the cloud.

Frigatebirds have to find ways to stay aloft because they can't land on the water. Since their feathers aren't waterproof, the birds would drown in short order. They feed by harassing other birds in flight until they regurgitate whatever fish they've eaten and the frigatebird takes it. Or they fly over a fish-feeding frenzy on the ocean surface and scoop up small fish that leap out of the water to escape larger fish.

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One of the tagged birds soared 40 miles without a wing-flap. Several covered more than 300 miles a day on average, and flew continuously for weeks. They are blessed with an unusual body. No bird has a higher ratio of wing surface area compared with body weight — something called "wing loading."

Quote: odiousgambit

a couple of cautionary notes on self driving cars. First fatality would seem to be car's fault.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/business/self-driving-tesla-fatal-crash-investigation.html?_r=0

http://gizmodo.com/your-self-driving-car-will-be-programmed-to-kill-you-de-1782499265

Quote: rxwine

I know that sometimes these are the cops fault and sometimes the people, but one thing I notice in common with most of these. People often start going into long dialogues, not paying attention to commands. Cops probably don't realize they are not paying attention, because people start talking, asking questions or even arguing about why they are being stopped.

I can't decide what should ultimately fix this, but I think if you want to increase your chances of not getting shot, just be quiet for the first few minutes. Then after they are sure you're not initially dangerous, you can start running your mouth and complain or whatever.