Thousands gathered at Nepal's Pashupatinath Temple on Sunday to celebrate Shivaratri, a Hindu festival marked by worship, music, and a rare allowance of marijuana use. The annual event saw devotees from across the country and beyond converge in Kathmandu, where police permitted limited cannabis consumption, reflecting the plant's historical connection to the deity Shiva.
According to Euronews, crowds filled the temple and queued for hours. The festival, which honors Shiva, saw tens of thousands of people praying, singing, and dancing. Ash-covered holy men and young devotees openly smoked marijuana across the Bagmati river, Euronews reported.
Meanwhile, in Southern California, the city of Santa Monica is preparing to deploy an AI-powered system to detect bike lane violations. Beginning in April, the city will equip seven parking enforcement vehicles with Hayden AI's scanning technology, expanding on similar cameras already in use on city buses, Ars Technica reported. Charley Territo, chief growth officer at Hayden AI, told Ars Technica, "The more we can reduce the amount of illegal parking, the safer we can make it for bike riders."
Beyond Earth, astronomers continue to explore the mysteries of the Kuiper Belt, a region of frozen debris beyond Neptune's orbit. Over the past 30 years, astronomers have cataloged approximately 4,000 Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs), including dwarf worlds and icy comets, according to Ars Technica. The number of identified objects is expected to increase tenfold in the coming years with the help of more advanced telescopes.
In other news, quantum mechanics reveals that even when a box is seemingly empty, it is still filled with energy. This unavoidable residue, known as ground-state energy or zero-point energy, comes in two basic forms, according to Wired. One is associated with fields, such as the electromagnetic field.
Finally, for those seeking a different Valentine's Day experience, Ars Technica highlighted Ang Lee's 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," a wuxia tragic fairy tale with stunning cinematography and martial arts sequences.
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