An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: South Korea's government has posted a tender seeking suppliers to build a universal basic AI chatbot, and an AI agent for government services. The "AI for everyone" plan calls for private entities to create and operate the AI systems under contracts that expire in the year 2031. Bid documents reveal that Seoul will provide up to 256 Nvidia B200 GPUs to successful bidders. Winners must match government funding. The aim of the policy is to ensure that every resident of South Korea can access a free-to-use quality AI chatbot, a tool Seoul has decided no local should be without.

The tender also calls for creation of an agentic system that allows citizens to interact with government services. South Korea's government wants to ensure that residents can always access a locally hosted and operated service, to reduce reliance on overseas providers and ensure that AI services reflect local culture. Successful bidders must therefore use locally developed AI models as the foundation for the services. Bidders have until August 11th to file their proposals. South Korean media reports suggest local tech giants Kakao, Naver, SK Telecom, and LG are all keen to participate.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

handwritten on slide, “Dana, Babe and Dutchess" date stamped on slide June 1972

ajpscs posted a photo:

the SQUARE
COZY CORNER
TOKYO DAY WALK
© ajpscs

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Samengevat: ZE moesten hem niet wegens z'n ongebruikelijke gezicht door zenuwschade tijdens z'n geboorte en slepende spraak en stem, maar boden wel $360.000 (gecorrigeerd voor inflatie zo'n $2,2 miljoen!) voor het script dat hij in 3,5 dag schreef. Sylvester leefde met een zwangere vrouw in abjecte armoede en zag zich op een gegeven moment zelfs gedwongen zijn hond voor $40 te verkopen. Maar hij weigerde, en hield vol dat hij de hoofdrol zou spelen. Uiteindelijk kreeg hij een (voor zo'n script miniem) budget van $1 miljoen. Resultaat? De film verdiende in 1976 wereldwijd $225 miljoen (nu $1,2 miljard), 3 Oscars en 10 Oscar-nominaties. Kortom, inderdaad een film waard, en we verwachten Oscarnominaties. Paar docu-achtige video's over de totstandkoming onderstaand.

Het gevecht Chuck Wepner vs Muhammed Ali dat Sylvester inspireerde tot het script

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NASA has given an update on the Artemis III mission and, while sticking with an optimistic 2028 landing target for Artemis IV, offered a glimpse into just how much development work remains to be done at Blue Origin and SpaceX. Artemis III has been compared to Apollo 9, which tested the Apollo Lunar Module in Earth orbit, yet neither SpaceX nor Blue Origin is flying anything as close to the lunar landers. Blue Origin's test lander will be based on the company's current Mark 2 crew lander architecture, incorporating the major avionics, flight software, life support, and crew cabin. Orion, launched atop NASA's SLS, will dock to the side of the Blue Origin spacecraft for crew transfer; two crew members in orange Orion survival suits can baord the test lander, with Orion's software controlling the stack. An instrumented lunar surface spacesuit mass simulator, similar to the "Moonikin" manikin that flew aboard Orion for Artemis I, will also ride along on the Blue Origin lander. SpaceX's test is considerably simpler - just a docking system mounted on the nose of a Starship. That requires Starship testing to have reached the orbital stage first, which is why NASA will be closely watching the upcoming Flight Test 13. Starship V3 is still flying suborbital until SpaceX proves it can reliably relight an engine for controlled re-entry. Under the current plan, Blue Origin launches its lander into orbit first, where it can loiter for up to 30 days. Once it's checked out, a crew launches aboard Orion to rendezvous and dock with it. After that's complete, SpaceX launches its Starship test article to rendezvous and dock Orion in turn, though the crew won't board Starship, just verify communications and interoperability. SpaceX's vehicle will control that docked stack. Notably, SpaceX's docking capability was qualified in 2023, while Blue Origin only tested its pressurized docking system earlier this year. Jeremy Parsons, Artemis program manager, stated, "Artemis III will be a highly choreographed dance with a demanding launch sequence across multiple launch pads and equally demanding mission operations for our ground and flight crews, making it one of the most complex and ambitious missions NASA has ever undertaken." He is not exaggerating. Apollo 9 needed a single Saturn V launch; Artemis III needs three – an SLS, whatever Blue Origin ultimately uses to launch its lander (the company is still rebuilding its launch pad after May's explosion), and a Starship. The SLS has flown twice, including one lunar flyby. Starship has yet to reach orbit despite Elon Musk once claiming that uncrewed versions would be landing on Mars around now. It'll be an impressive feat if NASA can pull it off, even if SpaceX's piece of the puzzle looks a lot simpler than Blue Origin's. ®

Both webcomics about small towns that are more than they seem. In Broodhollow by Kris Straub, everyone's excited to talk about the town's terrifying traditions. In Follow the Leader (navigation may not work on mobile) by Jonas Goonface, nobody wants to acknowledge the cult of cannibal children in the park. Neither reached their finale, but both are satisfying reads.

There's been at least three attempts to start chapter 3 of Broodhollow, but none of them stuck. Rumour has it you can find them on the internet archive. Kris Straub's other projects, including the lengthy sci-fi webcomic Starslip, could make for posts of their own, but browse his site if you're curious. Follow The leader was ended prematurely when Jonas became uncomfortable with the racism inherent in some of the imagery he was using (announced here and articulately defended in the comments). But he did give us a summary of the planned ending for closure. Jonas Goonface didn't stop making comics when he stopped Follow The Leader, he just started doing it for money. His impressive bibliography includes the critically acclaimed Godshaper (with Simon Spurrier). Most recently The Unsinkable Ship Of Fools (as nsfw as his itch page). Sadly his pre-FtL webcomics seem lost to linkrot.