Peter Kernwein posted a photo:
The European Commission has exempted wearables from upcoming EU rules requiring portable-device batteries to be removable and user-replaceable. The broader Batteries Regulation still takes effect in February 2027 for many consumer products, but the exemption means companies like Apple, Google, Samsung, and Meta won't have to redesign their wearables for the EU. Thurrott reports: Yesterday, the Commission announced that new product categories would be exempted from complying with its Batteries Regulation, including wearable devices such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart glasses. This will likely be good news for companies like Apple, Google, Samsung, and Meta, which won't have to redesign their devices to include user-replaceable batteries for consumers in the EU market.
The EU's Batteries Regulation will come into effect in February 2027, which is when Nintendo plans to stop selling all models of the original Nintendo Switch in the EU. While Nintendo had no choice but to redesign its handheld console to keep selling it in the EU, it probably didn't make sense for the company to put in the same effort for the OG Switch, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in March 2027.
The EU's Batteries Regulation will come into effect in February 2027, which is when Nintendo plans to stop selling all models of the original Nintendo Switch in the EU. While Nintendo had no choice but to redesign its handheld console to keep selling it in the EU, it probably didn't make sense for the company to put in the same effort for the OG Switch, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in March 2027.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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.
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.
In tribute to Kendall, {Matt} Pinfield wrote, "Dave was one of the true believers. Long before alternative music found its way into the mainstream, he was there every week on 120 Minutes, introducing people to bands that would go on to define an era. He didn't just host a show. He gave a home to music that deserved to be heard. He loved the music, respected the artists, and connected with fans in a way that always felt authentic. That's a rare gift."
Kendall had relocated to Bangkok in the past decade; obit from the Bangkok Post here. "By far the most important thing about 120 Minutes was that it acted as a distribution channel for organic musical produce, if you will," Dave Kendall, the show's former host and producer who first pitched the show to MTV, wrote via email. "The only other outlet for non-mainstream music at the time was a few local college radio stations, because unlike in the UK, mainstream US radio stations were not open to new ideas." I found a list of 120 Minutes episodes here!
Kendall had relocated to Bangkok in the past decade; obit from the Bangkok Post here. "By far the most important thing about 120 Minutes was that it acted as a distribution channel for organic musical produce, if you will," Dave Kendall, the show's former host and producer who first pitched the show to MTV, wrote via email. "The only other outlet for non-mainstream music at the time was a few local college radio stations, because unlike in the UK, mainstream US radio stations were not open to new ideas." I found a list of 120 Minutes episodes here!
Today, we're excited to announce the open-source release of Microsoft Comic Chat, the chat client that automatically turned conversations within Internet Relay Chat (IRC) into comic panels featuring illustrated characters, speech bubbles, and expressions, and helped introduce the world to a little font called Comic Sans.
[David "DJ" Kurlander], Tim Skelly, and David Salesin published a paper on the technology in Comic Chat at SIGGRAPH '96
The visual world of Comic Chat was the work of Jim Woodring, a highly regarded independent comic artist whose characters gave the software its distinctive look.
[David "DJ" Kurlander], Tim Skelly, and David Salesin published a paper on the technology in Comic Chat at SIGGRAPH '96
The visual world of Comic Chat was the work of Jim Woodring, a highly regarded independent comic artist whose characters gave the software its distinctive look.
We zijn boos op de Duitsers. Dat zijn we best wel eens vaker geweest maar je kunt stellen dat ze het nu wel heel bont maken. Dat alles wat leuk is verboden of onmogelijk moet worden gemaakt zijn we in eigen land gewend, maar we konden altijd nog naar het oosten rijden om daar, enkele meters voorbij de grens, pallets peuken in te slaan voor weinig doekoe in zo'n gezellige, daar speciaal voor ons Nederlanderse paupers neergeplempte peukenplaza. Zo konden we tenminste betaalbaar alle crises van ons af roken, meespelen in de longkankerloterij zonder daar eerst een nier voor te moeten verkopen. Maar die hobby gaat dus: in rook op. Duitsland gaat de accijnzen stapsgewijs verhogen, in 4 jaar tijd worden de Duitse peuken bijna net zo duur als in Nederland. Althans, als de peukprijzen hier tegen die tijd niet rond de 80 euro per pakje liggen. Dit is misschien wel het ergste wat Duitsland ooit heeft gedaan. Wij zoeken wel een adresje op de zwarte (longen)markt.
Mooi was die tijd
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Voortdurend moeten mensen water oversteken om van A naar B te komen. Hoe doen ze dat en welke problemen doemen daarbij op? Deel 1 in een serie: de Papendrechtsebrug gaat deze vrijdag dicht wegens ‘vermoeidheidsverschijnselen’. „Maar waarom negen maanden?”
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