You may have heard that several authors from the Authors Guild of America has decided to sue ChatGPT a few days ago over copyright claims. The writers include George R.R. Martin and John Grisham, and this has even led Amazon to start making restrictions on selling self-published books on their site.

In their filing, the Guild alleged that OpenAI may have downloaded authors’ books from pirated ebook sites and used them to train its ChatGPT models. The authors say that OpenAI should have paid a reasonable licensing fee or opted to train their models using works that are already in the public domain.

AI models have made it a lot easier for written works to be produced lickety-split, which makes certain people's jobs a lot easier, but also others, such as professors in academia, might have a harder time checking students' work for any sign of AI assistance. What could be the best way to harness the potential of AI models such as ChatGPT while mitigating the possible negative effects? That is something we can only wait and see.

(Image credit: Mohajid Mottakin/Unsplash)

Even after watching all 236 episodes of Friends, I fail to recall this quite dark revelation about one of its funniest characters, Joey. And quite frankly, he's not the only character with quite a distressing backstory from a show that brings unadulterated laughter and joy to its viewers.

But then again, the best comedians are those with some very deep past experiences which they use as a source for their material. What makes them great is how they are able to find a silver lining despite the circumstances they faced. And at the end of the day, when the worst has passed, those painful experiences become merely a part of our history, and slowly, we are able to make light of even the most serious of our circumstances.

JM McNab from Cracked gives us this list of sitcom characters who have surprisingly dark backstories.

Eric Fife from Suvie shared a comment his mother made about cling wraps saying that she remembered cling wrap sticking much better than it does today. And so, he went to investigate a little on the topic and found the reason why:

The Dow Chemical Company began selling Saran Wrap in 1949, which at that time was made out of PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride). PVDC is a stretchy material that is mostly impervious to air and moisture, which makes it perfect for long-term food preservation. Unfortunately, however, recent research has shown that PVDC is harmful to the environment and, quite possibly, to your health.

Learn more about the effects of PVDC to your health and why cling wrap brands have switched to LDPE on Suvie. - via Cracked

(Image credit: Kakura/CC BY SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

Sometimes, reality isn't too far off from films, especially with Guillermo del Toro's harrowing experience of having his father kidnapped. Now, in this instance, one might probably go to the police for help, but luckily for del Toro, a good friend and fellow director James Cameron came to his aid instead.

In the midst of production for "Mimic," del Toro's father, Federico del Toro, was kidnapped in his hometown of Guadalajara. The kidnappers wanted $1 million in ransom money. There was only one issue — Del Toro did not have the funds.

After learning that del Toro's father had been kidnapped, his old friend James Cameron stepped in, and he took del Toro to a bank and gave him the $1 million he needed.

Read more on Grunge. - via Cracked

(Image credit: Boungawa/CC BY SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons & Gage Skidmore/CC BY SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

In 1927, Thomas Parnell, University of Queensland physics professor wanted to demonstrate the fluidity and high viscosity of pitch, and so created an experiment by putting a pitch sample in a glass funnel and waited for it to drip out. The first drop took eight years to fall. The ninth drop fell in 2014, and right now, the School of Mathematics and Physics of UQ has set up a live video stream, called The Tenth Watch, to await the momentous tenth drop.

Currently, the experiment has had three custodians, Professor Parnell being the first, his colleague Professor John Mainstone, was the second, and now, the third is Professor Andrew White. Read more on the Pitch Drop experiment from UQ. -via Cracked

(Image credit: University of Queensland)

Khutulun was the great-great-granddaughter of Genghis Khan. She earned her title of wrestler princess when she declared that she will only marry her suitor if they bested her in wrestling. In the event that she won, they must give her a horse. And so it is said, that she, in the course of her lifetime, owned 10,000 horses.

Born around 1260 and raised with her 14 brothers, Khutulun excelled at horse riding, archery and wrestling, with the latter arguably the source of her reputation.

Khutulun was a feared fighter, who battled alongside her father against Kublai Khan, protecting the nomadic Mongol lifestyle of his Chagatai Khanate against the Chinese ways adopted by Kublai’s court.

Netflix's Marco Polo also featured Khutulun as her life warranted enough interest for the Italian explorer to mention her in his records. Learn more about Khutulun from SCMP and Rejected Princesses.

(Image credit: Quite Interesting/Twitter)

The search for life in other planets or an inhabitable place outside Earth has been one of the missions of astronomers studying the vast expanse of our solar system and beyond. Exoplanet K2-18b has been on their radar since 2015, but it wasn't until recently when NASA's James Webb Space Telescope finally observed and measured the atmosphere of the exoplanet.

The new study found a lot of carbon dioxide and methane. This is interesting as this is like what is found on Earth, Mars, and Venus in our solar system—rather than Neptune.

However, it also found a small amount of dimethyl sulfide. Dimethyl sulfide is an interesting molecule, made up of carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur.

On Earth, it’s generally a bit smelly. But it’s also closely linked to life.

The only process we know that creates dimethyl sulfide on our planet is life. In particular, marine life and plankton emit it in the form of flatulence.

Is this potentially one such place which can be inhabited by future humans? It's tough to say, but scientists are hopeful that the presence of dimethyl sulfide could be a sign. -via Singularity Hub

(Image credit: ESA/Hubble, CC by 4.0/Wikimedia Commons)

Nature TTL is a collective of photographers with a passion for nature photography and their annual Photographer of the Year contest has seen thousands of entries that showcase the marvel of nature taken by photographers from all over the world. The contest started in 2020, and this year's crop of winners is truly outstanding.

Chosen from more than 8,000 submissions, the winners of this year’s Nature TTL Photographer of the Year competition capture both the immense beauty of our planet and the threats we face with a changing climate. Thomas Vijayan took home the top prize for his heartbreaking panoramic of the Austofonna Ice Cap cracking and emitting gushing waterfalls into the sea.

You may check out the complete winners gallery from POTY 2023 on Nature TTL's website. -via The Colossal

(Image credit: Thomas Vijayan/Nature TTL)

Recently, Kraft Heinz recalled 83,000 of its Kraft Singles as it potentially posed the risk of gagging or choking due to an issue with one of its wrapping machines. Read more about it on The Cut.

(Image credit: Martylunsford/CC by SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons)

What you see is what you get, or so the adage says. But, according to a study, that statement can be truer than just a passing observation, especially when we are making decisions:

A recent study demonstrated that our eyes can reveal decisions we’re making, even if we aren’t consciously aware of it. This eye-brain connection, especially the subtle eye movements known as saccades, gives away clues about our cognitive processes.

Eye movements aren't just telling of our cognitive processes. They also play a significant role in our purchasing choices, especially when it comes to understanding consumer behavior.

I can tell from experience that there is some credence to this observation. Generally, the more we look at something, the higher the chance that we grow to like it and justify our need for it. However, at the end of the day, whether or not we buy it will depend on our budgets. But it's clear that the visual stimuli have already factored into our decision. And it will only be a matter of time before we check out that stuff from our online carts.

Read more about this interesting study on Psychology Today.

(Image credit: Ion Fet/Unsplash)

A private Facebook group called "The Vintage Photo Booth" hosts a community of people who share historical photos that are dated "no later than 1990." Many photos nowadays, after being taken, are either immediately posted online or shared through messenger apps with friends or loved ones.

But there was a time when people did not have the luxury of having their photos taken anytime, anwhere and that's what makes this collection of photos quite special as they capture moments and memories in history of the mundane, ordinary lives of people, whether they be candid or posed. Take a look at these 80 historical snapshots on Bored Panda.

(Image credit: The Vintage Photo Booth/Facebook)

We've talked about kopi luwak a lot here on Neatorama, and we know that it comes from the poop of the civet. But did you know that this comes at a cost to the said animal?

Researchers from Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and the London-based nonprofit World Animal Protection assessed the living conditions of nearly 50 wild civets held in cages at 16 plantations on Bali. The results, published Thursday in the journal Animal Welfare, paint a grim picture.

Some of the civets were very thin, from being fed a restricted diet of only coffee cherries—the fruit that surrounds the coffee bean. Some were obese, from never being able to move around freely. And some were jacked up on caffeine, D’Cruze said.

And that's not all. Check this article on National Geographic to learn more about the most disturbing secret behind the world's most expensive coffee. - via Metafilter

(Image credit: Victor Loh/Unsplash)

Dogs can be quite mischievous as any dog owner can attest, and that's not limited to just within the confines of their own homes. In these four stories shared by an emergency veterinarian, you'll get to read some antics that might make you chuckle or smile. 

Dr. Laura de Armas, the medical director at Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG), shared some of her funniest ER memories with The Dodo, and although the ER is usually a serious place, these stories definitely show that there’s always room for a bit of laughter!

Read more at The Dodo.

(Image credit: Veterinary Emergency Group/Instagram)

It has been five years since Stephen Hawking, world-renowned physicist whose work on black holes and singularities opened our horizons to what could be out there in space, passed away into stardust. Two years after that, poet Marie Howe was inspired to write an ode about singularities and our place in the cosmos. - from The Marginalian

(Video credit: Maria Popova/Vimeo)

Sometimes it's quite difficult to figure out what cats think, isn't it? I don't own any cats, but I've seen enough to know that it might take some time before cats get used to you and become more affectionate.

For any cat lovers or cat parents out there, has it ever occurred to you whether your cats find your home perfectly suited to their preferences? Perhaps, they might not look it, and they might not show their true feelings. But what if there was a house that was designed exclusively for cats? Tan Yamanouchi, an architect of AWGL, shows us what he calls "A Cat Tree House":

Inside this unique abode, you’ll discover concealed hideaways, bedrooms, a studio, a kitchen, and more—all strategically positioned to cater to the cats’ comfort and entertainment. As for the exterior, it comprises wooden decks, and carefully selected flora that enhance the view for both our feline friends and passersby.

Spoon and Tamago tells us more about the design specs and intricacies of Yamanouchi's Cat Tree House.

(Image credit: Tan Yamanouchi/Instagram)