The Daily Valet. - 2/22/22, Tuesday

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February 22, 2022

Tuesday, February 22nd Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Let’s hear it for long weekends.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge

One museum is using the latest research to look past old and outlandish theories

You don’t need to know any real details about Stonehenge to know it’s surrounded by mystery. Over the decades there’s been no shortage of theories about what Stonehenge was originally intended for, some of them mundane and some deeply far-fetched.

The first excavations at Stonehenge began in the 1600s, and researchers have tried to unlock its secrets ever since. As the archaeologist and writer Jacquetta Hawkes famously observed in 1967, “Every age has the Stonehenge it deserves—or desires.”

Hawkes’s words are reproduced on a wall text inside a new exhibition at the British Museum, “The World of Stonehenge,” which runs through July 17. The show strives to lessen the mystery around the monument by focusing on recent discoveries and putting them in the context of life in Britain, Ireland and Wales before, during and after the mammoth stone circle’s construction.

Although a distinctly English site, Stonehenge bears the marks of long-distance links to other countries like Germany. But one enduring question remains: Why was it built? No written records exist to shed light on the monument’s significance. However, the museum has amassed more than 400 items which span 8,000 years to help tell the story.

The New York Times spoke with the exhibition’s lead curator who described Stonehenge as a mix between a town hall and a cathedral, where people mingled for both religious and social reasons.

One of the best secrets from the show? A similar stone circle—built on the same spot some 500 years earlier—was first used as a cemetery. Five centuries later, Stonehenge as we know it was built using similar bluestones transported from Wales, 150 miles away. The process, according to the exhibit, took multiple generations, and many were killed or maimed in the raising of the stones. It’s a fascinating fact about one of the most mysterious and storied structures on Earth.

↦ FYI: “Graffiti” on several of the large stones include ancient carvings of a dagger and an axe.

Putin Sends Troops Into Ukraine

U.S. and Allies call out Russia’s ‘clear attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty’

Russian President Vladimir Putin sure put on a show Monday—first with a Security Council meeting that was likened to a Netflix drama, then with a long speech that was intended as a history lesson and justification for Russian aggression.

The big story centers on Putin ordering so-called “peacekeeping” troops to two pro-Moscow separatist regions of Eastern Ukraine. The U.S. and EU denounced the move—calling it a violation of international law. The State Department was evacuating American personnel from Ukraine yesterday, with many officials concerned that Putin's actions could be a pretext for a larger Russian invasion.

Underscoring the urgency, the U.N. Security Council held a rare nighttime emergency meeting on Monday night at the request of Ukraine, the U.S. and other countries. Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo opened the session with a warning that “the risk of major conflict is real and needs to be prevented at all costs.”

Meanwhile, President Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss a coordinated response on next steps. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told Axios that the U.S. will be announcing new sanctions on Russia today “in response to their breach of international law and attack on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

↦ Dig Deeper: The U.S. has credible information that Russia has compiled lists of Ukrainians “to be killed or sent to camps” following an invasion.

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The Vaccines Are Working

If you got a booster, you probably won’t need another for a long time

Did you get a booster? If you did, I've got some good news. If you haven't (yet), this might make you want to go get one.

Three doses of an mRNA vaccine—but even just two—are enough to protect most people from serious illness and death for a long time, several studies now suggest. And federal health officials have said they are not planning to recommend fourth doses anytime soon.

While the high level of protection may begin to wane months after receiving a final dose, experts now find the body's immune system remains able to neutralize the virus to prevent critical illness for a long time—perhaps for years. One recent study even showed that three doses of the vaccine produce a wide array of antibodies “which would be difficult for any variant of the virus to evade.”

That's particularly good news, considering that omicron won't be the last variant to muck things up. And if you do happen to catch a breakthrough case, vaxxed people seem to be protected from developing Long COVID symptoms.

↦ FYI: Queen Elizabeth II (who is 95 years old) tested positive for COVID-19 this weekend.

Artificial Artists?

Can an AI be properly considered an inventor?

Let's talk about art and artificial intelligence: two things that people often have opinions on, but don't always fully understand. The U.S. Copyright Office has just rejected a request to let an AI copyright a work of art.

Last week, a three-person board reviewed a 2019 ruling against Steven Thaler, who tried to copyright a picture on behalf of an algorithm he dubbed Creativity Machine. The board found that Thaler's AI-created image didn't include an element of “human authorship”—a necessary standard, it said, for protection.

According to Engadget, the ruling notes that courts at several levels, including the Supreme Court, have “uniformly limited copyright protection to creations of human authors” and that lower courts have “repeatedly rejected attempts to extend copyright protection to non-human creations,” such as for photos taken by monkeys.

But this doesn't necessarily mean any art with an AI component is ineligible. Thaler emphasized that humans weren't meaningfully involved because his goal was to prove that machine-created works could receive protection, not simply to stop people from infringing on the picture. The Verge says that if someone tried to copyright a similar work by arguing it was a product of their own creativity executed by a machine, the outcome might look different.

↦ Meanwhile: Over in the U.K., they are in the midst of an in-depth consultation of the whole issue.

In Other News

↦ Here Are the Moments That Resonated at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

↦ Trump’s New Social Media App Launches on iOS

↦ The Ringer Conducts a 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend Exit Survey

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

These classic shirts

This ’90s food

Driving the Lucid Air

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Perform in the Bedroom Like You Used to

The modern man's solution to a common problem

The bedroom is a place for rest, relaxation and hopefully ... good sex. It's not a place for stress. But that's not to say anxiety doesn't show up now and then. And the problem is the same for a lot of guys.

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The good news is that the solution is usually quite simple. Several prescription medications have been clinically proven to be effective treatments—but traditional doctor visits tend to bring more anxiety. After all, it's not easy opening up about our sex life.

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What We’re Eyeing

You've got to appreciate an affordable watch that looks expensive. This limited-edition Timex ($150) is exclusive to MR PORTER and features a monochromatic black dial with a date window and luminous markers around the outer flange. The solar-powered watches can last up to two months when fully charged—both sunlight and indoor fluorescent light do the trick. The matte brushed stainless steel case proves it's ready for adventure too.

↦ Want more? 5 stylish items to buy this week