I found brass caps cleaning out an elderly person's home and ChatGPT can't solve what they are... can you?
The baffled person shared their unknown find to Reddit 's hit 'What is This Thing' forum where users post a series of peculiar discoveries asking for answers from others.
The user shared several images of their findings, including a picture of the caps neatly placed on a bright yellow mat with cut outs for each one.
There were also open spaces on the foam board that appeared to at one point hold another object.
What perplexed the user even more were the 'colored plastic rings' on the inside of the mystery caps.
'I found a case of these small little brass caps that seem to screw onto something that had been taken out of the case,' they wrote.
'Each of the little caps has a colored plastic ring retaining some sort of transparent window at the tip of the brass cap.
'They also are not recognized by either Google lens nor ChatGPT or Copilot.
'There are no marks anywhere on the brass caps or the case. Do any of you know what these could be / could be attached too?'
Other users quickly cracked the code and revealed what the caps are for - laser pointers.
'Laser pointer caps, shoots different shapes,' one replied to the post.
Another wrote: 'Laser Pointer set, missing the pointer.'
'Laser point caps, each one shoots a different shaped laser pattern, dollar sign, hearts, etc,' said someone else.
'Laser pointer images indeed,' a user commented.
While many simply solved the mystery, others got nostalgic from the post after linking the discovery to their childhoods.
'Every 90s kid rushing to leave a comment,' one said.
'Ugh bringing me back to childhood, where's the smiley face,' wrote another.
Someone else wrote: 'I feel old now… we had those lasers in jr high.'
To this day, the debate remains on who created the very first laser pointer, with many crediting Albert Einstein for the original concept.
Laser pointers were first released to the public in the 1980s starting with just a simple, red-colored illumination.
They really took off in the 90s, often used for overhead projector presentations in school settings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Reuters
OpenAI's long-awaited GPT-5 model nears release
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 6 (Reuters) - OpenAI's GPT-5, the latest installment of the AI technology that powered the ChatGPT juggernaut in 2022, is set for an imminent release, and users will scrutinize if the step up from GPT-4 is on par with the research lab's previous improvements. Two early testers of the new model told Reuters they have been impressed with its ability to code and solve science and math problems, but they believe the leap from GPT-4 to GPT-5 is not as large as the one from GPT-3 to GPT-4. The testers, who have signed non-disclosure agreements, declined to be named for this story. OpenAI declined to comment for this story. GPT-4's leap was based on more compute power and data, and the company was hoping that 'scaling up' in a similar way would consistently lead to improved AI models. But OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab and is currently valued at $300 billion, ran into issues scaling up. One problem was the data wall the company ran into, and OpenAI's former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever said last year that while processing power was growing, the amount of data was not. He was referring to the fact that large language models are trained on massive datasets that scrape the entire internet, and AI labs have no other options for large troves of human-generated textual data. Apart from the lack of data, another problem was that 'training runs' for large models are more likely to have hardware-induced failures given how complicated the system is, and researchers may not know the eventual performance of the models until the end of the run, which can take months. OpenAI has not said when GPT-5 will be released, but the industry expects it to be any day now, according to media reports. Boris Power, head of Applied Research at OpenAI, said in an X post on Monday: "Excited to see how the public receives GPT-5." 'OpenAI made such a great leap from GPT-3 to GPT-4, that ever since then, there has been an enormous amount of anticipation over GPT-5,' said Navin Chaddha, managing partner at venture capital fund Mayfield, who invests in AI companies but is not an OpenAI investor. 'The hope is that GPT-5 will unlock AI applications that move beyond chat into fully autonomous task execution." Nearly three years ago, ChatGPT introduced the world to generative AI, dazzling users with its ability to write humanlike prose and poetry, quickly becoming one of the fastest growing apps ever. In March 2023, OpenAI followed up ChatGPT with the release of GPT-4, a large language model that made huge leaps forward in intelligence. While GPT-3.5, an earlier version of the model, received a bar exam score in the bottom 10%, GPT-4 passed, opens new tab the simulated bar exam in the top 10%. GPT-4 then became the model to beat and the world came to terms with the fact that AI models could outperform humans in many tasks. Soon, other companies were catching on. The same year, Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and Anthropic - which is backed by Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab and Google - released competitive models to GPT-4. Within a year, open-source models on par with GPT-4 such as Meta Platforms' (META.O), opens new tab Llama 3 models were released. Along with training large models, OpenAI has now invested in another route, called 'test-time compute,' which channels more processing power to solve challenging tasks such as math or complex operations that demand human-like reasoning and decision-making. The company's CEO Sam Altman said earlier this year that GPT-5 would combine both test-time compute and its large models. He also said that OpenAI's model and product offerings had become "complicated."
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
ChatGPT to stop advising users if they should break up with their boyfriend
ChatGPT is to stop telling people they should break up with their boyfriend or girlfriend. OpenAI, the Silicon Valley company that owns the tool, said the artifical intelligence (AI) chatbot would stop giving clear-cut answers when users type in questions for 'personal challenges'. The company said ChatGPT had given wayward advice when asked questions such as 'should I break up with my boyfriend?'. 'ChatGPT shouldn't give you an answer. It should help you think it through – asking questions, weighing pros and cons,' OpenAI said. The company also admitted that its technology 'fell short' when it came to recognising signs of 'delusion or emotional dependency'. ChatGPT has been battling claims that its technology makes symptoms of mental health illnesses such as psychosis worse. Chatbots have been hailed as offering an alternative to therapy and counselling, but experts have questioned the quality of the advice provided by AI psychotherapists. Research from NHS doctors and academics last month warned that the tool may be 'fuelling' delusions in vulnerable people, known as 'ChatGPT psychosis'. The experts said AI chatbots had a tendency to 'mirror, validate or amplify delusional or grandiose content' – which could lead mentally ill people to lose touch with reality. OpenAI has already been forced to tweak its technology after the chatbot became overly sycophantic – heaping praise and encouragement on users. The company added it would begin prompting users who had been spending excessive amounts of time talking to ChatGPT to take a break amid concerns that heavy AI use could be linked to higher levels of loneliness. In March, a study published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab and researchers from OpenAI found that obsessive users of ChatGPT – who relied on it for emotional conversations – reported higher levels of loneliness. 'Higher daily usage – across all modalities and conversation types – correlated with higher loneliness, dependence and problematic use, and lower socialisation,' the researchers said. 'Those with stronger emotional attachment tendencies and higher trust in the AI chatbot tended to experience greater loneliness and emotional dependence.'
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Period drama hailed the 'best movie of the last 20 years' arrives on Prime Video
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A stirring World War II period drama has officially landed on Prime Video – and viewers are already flocking to revisit its emotional depth and historical impact. The Imitation Game (2014), starring Benedict Cumberbatch in one of his most acclaimed performances, is now streaming for subscribers. Based on the extraordinary true story of Alan Turing – the mathematician and cryptanalyst who helped crack Nazi Germany's Enigma code – the film blends historical gravitas with emotional intensity, making it a must-watch for fans of prestige cinema. Directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore (who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay), the film also stars Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear and Mark Strong. Upon release, The Imitation Game was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cumberbatch, and took home the Oscar for its script. Cumberbatch delivers a quietly devastating performance as Turing, a brilliant, socially awkward man whose groundbreaking contributions to modern computing were overshadowed by the tragic consequences of being prosecuted for homosexuality in 1950s Britain. The film balances the high-stakes drama of wartime codebreaking with intimate portrayals of isolation, injustice, and genius misunderstood. Viewers on social media continue to hail the film as a masterpiece, with one recent Letterboxd reviewer writing: 'WOW. Not sure why it's taken me 11 years to watch this film but an incredible story about an incredible man.' Another wrote: 'This movie is honestly one of my favorites. The soundtrack is beautiful, the cast is great, and the story is a devastating yet necessary one to tell.' Many viewers have noted the emotional impact of the film, with one posting: 'There are few movies I have sobbed this violently at…god it wrecked me.' One Reddit user said: 'Phenomenal. I don't hear it mentioned enough. I think it's the best movie of the last 20 years.' More Trending With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 90%, it isn't only beloved by viewers but also by critics. The film's arrival on Prime Video has reignited interest in both the real-life legacy of Turing – who received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 – and the film's gripping portrayal of unsung heroism. Alongside its dramatic tension, The Imitation Game offers a thoughtful meditation on identity, secrecy and sacrifice, earning it a special place among the most powerful biopics of the last decade. Whether you're watching for the first time or returning for a rewatch, it's a poignant reminder of how one man's intellect and perseverance helped shorten the war – and changed the course of history. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: All Neighbours spoilers for next week as fan-favourite leaves amid affair drama MORE: Every episode of 'masterpiece' TV series now streaming on Amazon Prime MORE: Jeremy Clarkson reveals extent of 'enormous disruption' caused at farm by TB outbreak
