We’re heading toward the back half of February—and according to your weird aunt on Facebook, this is an unusual, maybe magical month. Some say it is a “miraclein,” a lucky calendar configuration that only occurs once every 823 years. Others say February 2026 is a “perfect month.” Some say it is the beginning of an extremely unlucky year. Some say that a late-month planetary alignment will cause great upheaval.

The February 2026 “miraclein”

Though it is not a word used by astronomers (or even astrologers, to my knowledge), some are describing this month as a “miraclein,” a month in which every day of the week falls four times during the month. This only happens every 823 years, they say. A variation of the miraclein month has some people calling February “moneybags” and making the claim that it’s a good month for abundance. (The markets don’t agree: February has been volatile.)

Here’s a video explaining the theory:

A quick check of a calendar reveals that miracleins happen almost every year. Every day of the week falls exactly four times every February (except leap years), because four times seven is 28, and there are 28 days in the month. It’s not a miracle—it’s math. It’s not even new. People spread this every February. This is an example of a pervasive strain of myths and superstitions based on the calendar.

Is February 2026 a “perfect month”?

If you dig a little deeper into the lore of February 2026, you’ll find people describing it as a “perfect month,” in that it begins on a Sunday and ends on a Sunday. There’s logic to this, because the calendar is a perfect grid, with no days overhanging. This is nice and orderly, but it’s not that unusual. February 2015 was a “perfect” month and February 2037 will be perfect as well.

February’s planetary parade

The “miraclein” and perfect month only exist because that’s how we decided to write calendars, but there is a cosmic event happening this month that goes beyond humanity. On the 28th of February, six planets—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will appear to be “lined up” in the sky. Some describe it as a “once every 6,000 years planetary conjunction” that will create a “paradigm shift for the entire planet” or cause gravitational anomalies. Some warn: “Do not look at the sky during the planetary alignment;” other, funnier, people say “The planets are having some type of conference or gang meeting on February 28.” But whether you call it a “conjunction” or a “conference,” it’s not rare. Five or six planet line ups happen every few years, and last February, seven planets attended a gang meeting.

The planets aren’t actually lining up, anyway. They’ll just look lined up from our perspective on earth. Nothing will happen to your eyes if you look at it (you won’t even be able to see Uranus and Neptune without a telescope anyway) and it won’t affect gravity or cause a paradigm shift. It’s just planets doing their thing in space.

Is 2026 unusually unlucky?

In 2026, there will be three Friday the 13ths—one just passed in February, one is coming in March, and there’s a third in November—this leads some to believe that 2026 is a particularly unlucky or cursed year. Jury’s out on whether the year is cursed, but if so, it’s not because of Friday the 13ths. While three is the maximum number of Friday the 13ths that can happen in a calendar year, it’s not unusual. There were three Friday the 13ths in 2015, and there will be three in 2037 too.

Speaking of the 13th, the belief that it’s a bad, or unlucky day dates back to 19th-century France, but it’s not entirely clear why people think it’s unlucky. One guess is that Judas was the 13th apostle, but there’s also a Norse myth about Loki showing up to as the thirteenth guest at a dinner party and doing mischief. Other cultures have other unlucky days. The 4th is unlucky in China. In Italy, the 17th is unlucky because XVII can be rearranged to form “VIXI,” Latin for “my life is over,” a common inscription on tombstones. The through-line is that none of these superstitions have anything to do with the physical world. They’re examples of seeing connections where none exist.

All hail Apophenia, ruler of human thought

I don’t have research to back this up, but I imagine the Venn diagram of people who believed the Rapture was coming, that Leviathan was rising from the oceans, and aliens were landing has serious overlap with the people who think there’s something portentous about the planets aligning or that February is moneybags month. You’d think that when the aliens didn’t land and the rapture didn’t happen, folks would be more discerning about spreading future predictions, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. But it’s not just because people are gullible. It’s a byproduct of how our brains are wired.

Apophenia is the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things. Neurologist Klaus Conrad coined the term in a 1958 study of schizophrenics, describing “a specific feeling of abnormal meaningfulness,” but apophenia goes beyond schizophrenics. It’s in every gambler on a “lucky streak,” everyone who sees a “man in the moon,” and everyone who ever mistook correlation for causation. So: everyone. Our brains evolved to find patterns in data because it kept us alive and led to things like the scientific method, but the trade-off is that we think a rally cap is going to help our ball club win the series.

Pascal’s Wager

Apophenia isn’t the only thing at play here. Spreading a TikTok video promising abundance is a cranked-up version of Pascal’s Wager, the philosophical argument that it’s smarter to bet on a reward when the cost of entry is low—hitting “share” takes almost no effort, and what if it works? While none of these beliefs are new, in the Before Times, if you wanted to be a doomsayer, you’d have to stand on a street corner with a sign reading “the end is near.” That’s a lot of effort and you wouldn’t have an algorithm ensuring your message got to the people who would be most receptive to it.

Even misinformation that doesn’t promise a monetary reward offers something to the person who spreads it. Sometimes it’s the momentary high of feeling like you possess secret knowledge. Or it’s a way of signaling belonging to an in-group (“I’m the kind of person who thinks the position of the stars has mystical significance!”) or maybe it’s just to get some attention.

I don’t choose to post about “moneybags February” because my “cost of entry” would be my friends thinking I’m weird for sharing Facebook glurge, and a general sense that it’s harmful to spread lies, but really, your weird aunt on Facebook and I are doing the same thing. We’re both out here matching patterns and hitting “share”; we just have different ideas about which patterns to pay attention to. I’ll still take bets on any conspiracy theory, but February is a cold month, and if it warms your aunt’s heart to think it’s bringing money, who am I to call her wrong? It’s just that the same wiring that spreads “February is magic” also spreads beliefs and ideas that are legitimately dangerous, even deadly—at least according to the way I read the patterns.

In Qing dynasty China, artisans augmented decorative pieces by incorporating iridescent kingfisher feathers—a technique known as tian-tsui. Scientists at Northwestern University’s Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts have used high-energy x-ray imaging to achieve unprecedented nanoscale resolution of the unique structure of those feathers, presenting their findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

As previously reported, nature is the ultimate nanofabricator. The bright iridescent colors in butterfly wings, soap bubbles, opals, or beetle shells don’t come from any pigment molecules but from how they are structured—naturally occurring photonic crystals. In nature, scales of chitin (a polysaccharide common to insects), for example, are arranged like roof tiles. Essentially, they form a diffraction grating, except photonic crystals only produce specific colors, or wavelengths, of light, while a diffraction grating will produce the entire spectrum, much like a prism. In the case of kingfisher feathers, the color is due to the microscopic ridges that cover the parallel rows of keratin strands that grow along the central shaft.

Also known as photonic band-gap materials, photonic crystals are “tunable,” which means they are precisely ordered to block certain wavelengths of light while letting others through. Alter the structure by changing the size of the tiles, and the crystals become sensitive to a different wavelength. They are used in optical communications as waveguides and switches, as well as in filters, lasers, mirrors, and various anti-reflection stealth devices.

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Every day, people log into an online forum for current and former Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers to share their thoughts on the news of the day and complain about their colleagues in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“ERO is too busy dressing up as Black Ops Commandos with Tactical body armor, drop down thigh rigs, balaclavas, multiple M4 magazines, and Punisher patches, to do an Admin arrest of a non criminal, non-violent EWI that weighs 90 pounds and is 5 foot 2, inside a secure Federal building where everyone has been screened for weapons,” wrote one user in July 2025. (ERO stands for Enforcement and Removal Operations; along with HSI, it’s one of the two major divisions of ICE, and is responsible for detaining and deporting immigrants.)

The forum describes itself as a space for current and prospective HSI agents, “designed for the seasoned HSI Special Agent as well as applicants for entry level Special Agent positions.” HSI is the division within ICE whose agents are normally responsible for investigating crimes like drug smuggling, terrorism, and human trafficking.

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Samsung HW-QS700F dropped to $355.49 in open-box condition at Woot, which is a steep cut from its $799.99 list price. Amazon currently has it for $597.99, and the lowest it has dipped there was $397.99. So this is comfortably below its previous low, according to price trackers. “Open-box” here means it may have been repackaged due to damaged packaging but you still get the full setup: soundbar, wireless subwoofer, HDMI cable, wall mount kit, rubber feet, and a remote with batteries.

Samsung HW-QS700F Soundbar

$355.49
at Woot

$799.99
Save $444.50

$355.49
at Woot

$799.99
Save $444.50

This is a 3.1.2-channel system, which in plain terms means left, right, and center speakers; a dedicated subwoofer for bass; and two upward-firing speakers for height effects like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. What makes this model different is its adjustable (Convertible Fit) design, meaning it actually changes how the speakers behave depending on whether it’s sitting flat on a TV stand or mounted vertically on a wall. Built-in sensors detect the position and reassign the speaker roles so the sound still points where it should. In practice, that means you’re not sacrificing performance just because you prefer one setup over the other. The included subwoofer, too, does a good job of adding depth to movies without overwhelming dialogue. It also supports wifi and Bluetooth streaming, including Chromecast, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect, so it works easily with most phones and TVs.

That said, it does not include rear speakers, so you won’t get full wraparound surround sound unless you buy extras separately. The HDMI passthrough also skips 4K at 120Hz for high-end gaming consoles, so serious gamers will need to plug directly into the TV and use eARC. Also, dialogue can reportedly sound slightly restrained in certain placements, though you can tweak levels manually. Still, for most living rooms, this soundbar setup delivers strong volume, clear detail, and convincing Atmos height in either position. At this open-box price, it’s worth considering if you want flexible placement and big sound without paying flagship money.

An anonymous reader shares a report: An Indian university has been asked to vacate its stall at the country’s flagship AI summit after a staff member was caught presenting a commercially available robotic dog made in China as its own creation, two government sources said.

“You need to meet Orion. This has been developed by the Centre of Excellence at Galgotias University,” Neha Singh, a professor of communications, told state-run broadcaster DD News this week in remarks that have since gone viral.

But social media users quickly identified the robot as the Unitree Go2, sold by China’s Unitree Robotics for about $2,800 and widely used in research and education globally. The episode has drawn sharp criticism and has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on India’s artificial intelligence ambitions.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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The Eufy FamiLock S3 Max is a deadbolt, a 2K video doorbell, and a small indoor monitor in one device. Right now it’s $279.98 on Amazon, down from $399.99, which price trackers list as its lowest price to date.

Eufy FamiLock S3 Max

$279.98
at Amazon

$399.99
Save $120.01

$279.98
at Amazon

$399.99
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PCMag gave it an “excellent” rating and named it the best smart lock of 2025 (for more options, check out this roundup). While that context helps justify the cost, it’s still a premium buy—you’re paying for convenience and consolidation. Instead of installing a separate lock, doorbell camera, and indoor display, this wraps all three into one setup with local storage.

In practice, that means fewer gadgets around your door and fewer apps to juggle. The exterior panel of this IP65-rated smart lock houses a 2K HDR camera with a wide 180-degree view, so packages left at the edge of the frame are less likely to get cut off. At night, infrared kicks in automatically. The keypad stays dark until you tap it, then lights up clearly enough to use, and the palm vein scanner works quickly and consistently, which makes it more practical than fingerprint readers, which can struggle in bad weather. If you prefer traditional access, you can still fall back on a physical key, a passcode, the mobile app, or voice control through Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, or Google Assistant.

Also, there’s a four-inch 1080p screen on the interior unit that shows a live view of whoever is outside, essentially replacing a peephole. That’s helpful in homes that never had one, or for anyone who prefers not to pull out their phone every time the bell rings. Power comes from a 15,000mAh rechargeable battery rated for up to five months, with four AA batteries as backup. It fits standard doors and installs like a typical smart lock, though the hardware is larger than most. As for its integrations and storage, it supports Matter, the cross-platform smart home standard, so you are not locked into one ecosystem. That said, it does not support IFTTT, which limits more niche automations. Video is stored locally on 15.5GB of built-in memory, which avoids a monthly fee, and it can expand up to 16TB through Eufy’s HomeBase 3 (sold separately).

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Soaking in a warm bath can be relaxing, but nothing beats the soothing convenience of a hot shower. Like everything else in your house, your shower will start to show its age long before it stops being useful, leaving you to have a functional but uninspiring experience every day. If you can afford to remodel, that’s not a huge problem. But if you’re stuck with a shower that’s lost its shine and you can’t afford to tear it out and start over, there are a lot of affordable, easy ways to upgrade your shower with just a few purchases and minimal effort.

Spruce up tiles with this shower-safe paint

If your shower tiles are in good shape but make you sad every time you step in there, you don’t have to rip them out and find a contractor to replace them—just paint them. Using a specific shower-safe product like Rust-Oleum’s Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit, you can make your shower into a fresh, bright space in just a few hours. You’ll need to scrub the shower pretty thoroughly, protect any surfaces you don’t want to paint, and make sure the bathroom is well-ventilated before you get started, but otherwise it’s as easy as painting a wall, and the results can be shockingly good.

Add a towel warmer to make your daily shower feel more like a spa

If you’ve never experienced a towel warmer, then I am about to change your life for the better: Stepping out of a shower and wrapping yourself in a warm towel is one of those simple pleasures that can start your day off right. You don’t need to hang anything on the wall or wire-in some fancy towel rack. A freestanding towel warming box like this looks great and keeps those towels (as well as robes, blankets, or even pajamas) at the comfiest temperature possible. It’ll make your daily shower feel more like a spa trip.

SereneLife Luxury Rectangle Towel Warmer – Spa & Bathroom Heater with Custom Fragrance, Auto Shut-Off, Fits 2 large Towels, Blankets, Bathrobes, PJ’s – Perfect Gift for Him & Her (Natural Wood)

$109.99
at Amazon

$109.99
at Amazon

Install corner shelves to your shower stall to organize bottles

If your shower is storage-poor and you’ve got a collection of gross shampoo and soap bottles on the floor, investing in some corner shelves is an easy way to get organized. You have several options, from metal shelves that fit into the grout lines between tiles to adhesive shelves that simply stick to your walls. Whichever one you choose, you’ll instantly make your shower look neater and feel more coherent.

Increase storage with a hanging or free-standing shower caddy

If you need storage but adding shelves isn’t possible or practical, a shower caddy is a good solution. A lot of old-school shower caddies are kind of unsightly, especially once they start to rust, or become gunked up with soap scum and mold. An attractive teak caddy that hangs from the showerhead is a nicely upgraded option, though. If you prefer a freestanding option, this unit from Yamazaki is good-looking, simple, and affordable.

Upgrade your showerhead to something more luxurious

It seems obvious once you think about it: The most crucial aspect of your shower experience is the showerhead itself. Few things are worse than a weak water stream in your morning shower, so if your showerhead has seen better days, swapping it out for a fresh one is an instant (and easy) upgrade. And if you’re going to swap it out, why not go for a spa-like showerhead like this one from Moen that comes with a detachable handheld hose, or perhaps a rainfall showerhead for a luxurious upgrade.

Midanya Round Rainfall Shower Head High Pressure Stainless Steel Waterfall Large Rain Shower Head Ultra Thin Design,Oil Rubbed Bronze 12 Inch

$44.99
at Amazon

$44.99
at Amazon

Add a water-resistant shower bench

Seating in the shower is a subtle luxury, but once you have a bench in there, you’ll wonder how you lived without one. Not only does a water-resistant teak bench look great, it makes it easier and safer to scrub your legs and feet or shave your legs. It also makes it possible to just turn up the hot water and sit for a few minutes, basking in the heat.

Install a sound system into your shower

We often treat showers as chores we have to race through before we tackle our day, but a shower can be a retreat, a few minutes of peace that rejuvenate and motivate. One way to make that happen is to upgrade your shower with a waterproof speaker like this one so you can play some music while you shower. For a more streamlined look, you could consider a showerhead with a built-in speaker so you can enjoy your playlist without cluttering up your shower space.

Swap your regular shower curtain rod for a curved rod

If your shower has a curtain, one of the most impactful upgrades is also the cheapest: a curved curtain rod. This does require some basic DIY skills to install, but it’s well worth it: Curved rods hold the curtain out away from you while you shower, ensuring that a slimy curtain never wraps itself around you. It also makes the shower feel larger because you’re not hemmed in as much.

Add wall-mounted soap dispensers to your shower

Nothing makes a shower look less attractive than a collection of scuzzy plastic shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bottles crammed into a niche. An easy upgrade win is to get those bottles off the floor and out of the niche by hanging them on the wall in neat, efficient dispensers. The Squeezi is a cheap and easy solution: It slides over the shampoo or soap bottle, then affixes to the wall via good old-fashioned suction, so you don’t need to refill dispensers constantly. If you want a more elegant, hotel-like look, this no-drill dispenser is just the ticket.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Fortune: In 1987, economist and Nobel laureate Robert Solow made a stark observation about the stalling evolution of the Information Age: Following the advent of transistors, microprocessors, integrated circuits, and memory chips of the 1960s, economists and companies expected these new technologies to disrupt workplaces and result in a surge of productivity. Instead, productivity growth slowed, dropping from 2.9% from 1948 to 1973, to 1.1% after 1973. Newfangled computers were actually at times producing too much information, generating agonizingly detailed reports and printing them on reams of paper. What had promised to be a boom to workplace productivity was for several years a bust. This unexpected outcome became known as Solow’s productivity paradox, thanks to the economist’s observation of the phenomenon. “You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics,” Solow wrote in a New York Times Book Review article in 1987.

New data on how C-suite executives are — or aren’t — using AI shows history is repeating itself, complicating the similar promises economists and Big Tech founders made about the technology’s impact on the workplace and economy. Despite 374 companies in the S&P 500 mentioning AI in earnings calls — most of which said the technology’s implementation in the firm was entirely positive — according to a Financial Times analysis from September 2024 to 2025, those positive adoptions aren’t being reflected in broader productivity gains.

A study published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that among 6,000 CEOs, chief financial officers, and other executives from firms who responded to various business outlook surveys in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Australia, the vast majority see little impact from AI on their operations. While about two-thirds of executives reported using AI, that usage amounted to only about 1.5 hours per week, and 25% of respondents reported not using AI in the workplace at all. Nearly 90% of firms said AI has had no impact on employment or productivity over the last three years, the research noted. However, firms’ expectations of AI’s workplace and economic impact remained substantial: Executives also forecast AI will increase productivity by 1.4% and increase output by 0.8% over the next three years. While firms expected a 0.7% cut to employment over this time period, individual employees surveyed saw a 0.5% increase in employment.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The semiconductor industry has always been a theater of high-stakes speculation, but the current arms race in AI accelerators has reached a fever pitch. Recently, Dylan Patel of SemiAnalysis, a respected voice in the silicon strategy space, signaled a “red alert” regarding AMD’s upcoming Instinct MI455X. Patel’s thesis is simple: the complexity of the Blackwell-competitor is too great, the supply chain too constrained, and therefore, the MI455X will inevitably slip past its promised launch window.

However, if you look past the pessimistic modeling and toward the actual engineering leadership at AMD, a different story emerges. Anush Elangovan, Corporate Vice President of Software at AMD, has been vocal in defending the roadmap. While the “smart money” often bets on delays in the chip world, betting against AMD’s current execution streak is a historically losing proposition. The MI455X isn’t just a chip; it’s a statement of intent, and all signs point to it arriving exactly when AMD said it would: the second half of this year.

The Credibility Gap: Modeling vs. Manufacturing

Dylan Patel’s analysis often relies on “outside-in” modeling—predicting yields and packaging bottlenecks from the periphery. While intellectually rigorous, it often fails to account for the internal pivots and “war room” efficiencies that happen within a Tier-1 vendor like AMD. Patel suggests that the CoWoS (Chip on Wafer on Substrate) capacity is so choked by Nvidia that AMD will be forced to push back. 

This ignores the reality of AMD’s long-standing partnership with TSMC. AMD isn’t a secondary customer; they are a strategic anchor for the foundry. Anush Elangovan’s confidence isn’t born of corporate PR, but of the visibility he has into the silicon’s progress through the software stack. You don’t begin aggressive software optimization for a chip that you know is six months behind schedule.

Elangovan has been clear: the silicon is hitting its milestones. In a series of public interactions, he has doubled down on the H2 timeline. It is right to distrust what comes out of Sales or Marketing but when a VP of Software tells you the platform is on track, it means the hardware is stable enough for the compilers and libraries to be finalized. That is the final stage before commercial release.

Addressing the Skeptics

The core of the “delay” argument rests on the transition to the MI450/455 series being too rapid. Yet, AMD has proven with the MI300X that they can scale production faster than the market expects. Elangovan has addressed the skeptics head-on, suggesting that the integration of ROCm (Radeon Open Compute) with the new hardware is further along than external analysts realize.

As Elangovan noted in his recent communications, the momentum behind AMD’s open-source ecosystem is a primary driver for keeping the hardware on schedule. The hardware and software teams are no longer operating in silos; they are sprinting in parallel. He further emphasized that the feedback loops from Tier-1 CSPs (Cloud Service Providers) are already validating the MI455X architecture. These aren’t the words of a leader preparing the market for a “paper launch.” In addition, Lisa Su is famous for under-promising and over delivering, something that wasn’t common with AMD prior to her taking over as CEO so you can generally trust AMD’s projected milestones. 

The Blackwell Pressure Cooker

Critics argue that Nvidia’s Blackwell launch puts so much pressure on the supply chain that AMD must blink. On the contrary, this competition is exactly why AMD cannot afford to be late, and why they have secured the necessary capacity well in advance.

Elangovan has pointed out that the ecosystem’s hunger for an alternative to the “green” monopoly has created a “pull-in” effect rather than a delay. When customers like Microsoft, Meta, and Oracle are breathing down your neck for silicon, you don’t find excuses to be late—you find ways to ship. AMD’s supply chain management under Lisa Su has been nothing short of surgical, and the MI455X is the beneficiary of that matured logistics machine.

The Software “Secret Weapon”

The reason most chips are late isn’t usually the silicon—it’s the software. If the software isn’t ready, the chip is a paperweight. Patel’s “late” thesis misses the massive strides AMD has made with ROCm 6.x. By simplifying the porting process from CUDA to ROCm, AMD has reduced the “validation soak time” required before a chip can be deployed.

Anush Elangovan’s leadership in this department is the reason the H2 window is solid. If the software stack is prepared, the product can quickly reach the market.  The MI455X is designed to be a “drop-in” evolution, minimizing the architectural hurdles that typically cause delays in first-generation products.

Capstone: The Verdict on H2

To believe Dylan Patel is to believe that AMD has lost its grip on the very execution strategy that saved the company over the last decade. To believe Anush Elangovan is to recognize that AMD is now a “software-first” hardware company that understands the critical nature of the AI moment.

The MI455X isn’t just on time; it is the catalyst that will prove AMD can maintain a yearly cadence in the high-end AI accelerator market. While analysts move spreadsheets, engineers move mountains.

Wrapping Up

• Execution over Speculation: Despite Patel’s “late” forecast, AMD’s internal milestones for the MI455X remain green across the board.
• Software Readiness: Anush Elangovan’s confidence stems from the maturity of the ROCm ecosystem, which is ready to support the new silicon immediately.
• Strategic Priority: With Tier-1 cloud providers demanding alternatives to Nvidia, AMD has prioritized the MI455X supply chain above all other product lines.
• The Bottom Line: Expect the MI455X to debut in the second half of this year, silencing the skeptics and cementing AMD as a permanent fixture in the ultra-high-end AI space.

Cameo, the platform where celebrities sell short, personalized videos, has scored a preliminary win in a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI. A California judge has ruled that the AI company’s video generation tool Sora cannot use the term ‘cameo’ or any variation likely to cause confusion. A temporary restraining order in the case was originally granted in November of last year.

The suit was first brought in response to a feature available within the Sora app at launch called ‘Cameo’ that allowed users to add any likeness to videos they generated. Cameo claimed the use of the term in this setting was likely to cause confusion and could dilute their brand. OpenAI then carried on with the feature despite the suit.

U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee ruled on Saturday that Cameo’s lawsuit was likely to succeed and granted a preliminary injunction, blocking OpenAI from continuing to use the name. An OpenAI spokesperson responded to the ruling saying, “We disagree with the complaint’s assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word ‘cameo,’ and we look forward to continuing to make our case,” according to Reuters.

This is just the latest in a string of intellectual property cases against AI companies that have accelerated as video generation capabilities have improved across the board. Rights holders of all kinds from authors and music publishers to major movie studios have taken the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity and others to court, seeking to protect their IP.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/federal-court-rules-that-openai-must-stop-using-the-term-cameo-124559072.html?src=rss

Over the last few years, evidence has piled up that psychedelic drugs can provide relatively rapid relief from the symptoms of clinical depression. The drugs seemingly work by boosting the brain’s ability to remodel connections among neurons and incorporate new experiences. While we have a good picture of which proteins are responsible for the drug’s hallucinogenic effects, we’re still figuring out how those pathways plug into the brain’s ability to change itself.

Those lingering uncertainties aren’t standing in the way of people trying to develop potentially life-altering treatments. One of the big challenges is probably the hallucinations themselves, which can potentially incapacitate someone for hours after a treatment. But researchers have now described a study showing that the shortest-acting psychedelic, DMT, appears to be just as effective as the rest.

Fast-acting

DMT, or dimethyltryptamine, is probably best known as a key component of ayahuasca, a liquid made from a combination of two or more plants. The mixture is important because the body produces an enzyme that rapidly digests DMT, blocking its effects. The additional plants contain a chemical that inhibits this enzyme, providing a longer-lasting experience.

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