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Clinton describes AI emergence over burgers.

0 (0%)

S'not that incredible.

0 (0%)

We've been dreaming of that stuff for over 100 years!

0 (0%)

Whoa, I better STOP and CONSIDER the deep PHILOSOPHICAL IMPLICATIONS!

1 (1%)

"Innovation Fatigue"

1 (1%)

But that leads to COMPLACENCY!

0 (0%)

You can look at the stars and say "they sure are pretty"...

0 (0%)

...not if you want to GET to them someday.

2 (2%)

Years of therapy to not have a panic attack.

0 (0%)

Applied Robotics centerfold!

5 (4.9%)

Okay, you know what, I'm just gonna play this friends-style.

0 (0%)

Way to use the ol' willpower, Marten!

1 (1%)

C'mere. (WELP)

16 (15.7%)

SweetTits Cameo!

6 (5.9%)

I said, "You're Trouble."

0 (0%)

I'm in trouble.

14 (13.7%)

My grandma's doing okay... stick around a few weeks longer?

7 (6.9%)

GOLD MEDALIST!

1 (1%)

GRAMMY WINNER!

1 (1%)

FIRST MAN TO MARS!

5 (4.9%)

TIME MAN OF TEH YEAR!

9 (8.8%)

"Yeah, that'd be pretty cool."

33 (32.4%)

Total Members Voted: 92

[Skaltura]

This is not going to end well ...

[sitnspin]

What a bunch of Debbie Downers you all are. Nothing ever ends well, whether she leaves and they never see each other again or if they stay together until one of them dies, endings are always sad.  It isn't the ending that matters, it what happens up until then. Enjoy the fuck out of life while you have it, it all turns to shit eventually so you might as well have a good time along the way.

[Mr_Rose]

Not all endings are sad though. Like, what about if Padma joins the band as lead singer and they go on a Worlds Tour of the solar system and, having been driven mad by space rays, create a doomsday weapon out of their ship and use it to ignite solar fusion in Jupiter before being incinerated by the ignition pulse? That ending is AWESOME, not sad. Plus it comes with a bonus bitchin' sweet ride on the way in.

[Carl-E]

This is why Jeph writes the comic. 

[AnAverageWriter]

No instrument, tool or machine has ever matched the capability of two eyes, two hands and a brain

Uh... machines, tools and instruments do that all the time.
Every single day.
And they've been matching those capabilities since the dawn of the industrial revolution. I don't know what you think is special about the pathetic senses we've got, but I can safely say that your scientist quote comes from someone that deserves to be slapped across the face, soundly and repeatedly until he can no longer influence an argument in any meaningful way.

I would see what happens if you put that scientist naked above Mars- see what he can do without the benefit of his technology. I would imagine he wouldn't last very long.

People who believe in human exceptionalism are the bane of technological progress. We aren't that damned special!

[DSL]

Maybe there's still some hope for the non-QCverse. SpaceX announcement.

[Schmorgluck]

Am I the only one who thought of Dream On when reading today's comic?

[sitnspin]

Not all endings are sad though. Like, what about if Padma joins the band as lead singer and they go on a Worlds Tour of the solar system and, having been driven mad by space rays, create a doomsday weapon out of their ship and use it to ignite solar fusion in Jupiter before being incinerated by the ignition pulse? That ending is AWESOME, not sad. Plus it comes with a bonus bitchin' sweet ride on the way in.

They are dead. I am sure there  are plenty of people who would find that sad. The ride in, would admittedly be quite awesome. It is the dead part is the ending.


However, my gf informs me Jupiter could never become a star because it is not massive enough.

[Method of Madness]

However, my gf informs me Jupiter could never become a star because it is not massive enough.

Am I the only one who found this sentence hilarious?

[iduguphergrave]

Nope. I lol'd and I'm not even that great at sciencing.

[Mr_Rose]

No instrument, tool or machine has ever matched the capability of two eyes, two hands and a brain

People who believe in human exceptionalism are the bane of technological progress. We aren't that damned special!

It's not exceptionalism to say that a pair of trained geologists in space suits could get the entire cumulative mission totals of data collected by Spirit and Opportunity together in somewhat under four hours once they landed. Then go back and take another look at the really interesting stuff.

Perhaps you might be able to get the same amount of work done with a robot that weighed as much as the geologists and all their life support gear and their 'home base' too, but I still haven't seen a robot capable of taking 2m cores in even the "wouldn't it be awesome if" proposals. If you want to design it, go ahead.

Actually, it occurs to me that you could get even more done with just rovers if you had a dude or two on the surface with them where communication, and more importantly piloting, weren't subject to significant lightspeed lag.

RE: Jupiter—>Lucifer conversion; yeah, outside of supertech or smashing all the outer planets together, it probably is a bit teeny to ignite without some sort of artificial sustainer. Still, Mad Science shall always find a way!

[Is it cold in here?]

I can safely say that your scientist quote comes from someone that deserves to be slapped across the face, soundly and repeatedly until he can no longer influence an argument in any meaningful way.

It's from the principal investigator for the Mars rovers. Actually, what he said was that a field geologist could do it in 45 seconds.

[AnAverageWriter]

It's from the principal investigator for the Mars rovers. Actually, what he said was that a field geologist could do it in 45 seconds.

Would explain why we're trying to study Mars with the equivalent of an Extendo-Glove on an RC car with a BAE Systems chip, while wasting billions on the side trying to figure out how to get shrimp to run on a space treadmill. I knew NASA was in trouble...

It's not exceptionalism to say that a pair of trained geologists in space suits could get the entire cumulative mission totals of data collected by Spirit and Opportunity together in somewhat under four hours once they landed.

It IS, however, exceptionalism to claim that "No instrument, tool or machine has ever matched the capability of two eyes, two hands and a brain". It's arrogance, the kind of stuff that makes idiots sing about John Henry and his "victory" over a digging machine.

I still haven't seen a robot capable of taking 2m cores in even the "wouldn't it be awesome if" proposals. If you want to design it, go ahead.

http://www.honeybeerobotics.com/product-examples/drill
"The 1-2m depth regime is at the heart of Honeybee Robotics' drilling research and development program. Experimentation in this regime both informs upon near-horizon surface drilling tools and lays the groundwork for the deeper flight drills of the future. Through the testing of several prototype drills in the 1-2m regime, Honeybee has amassed an unparalleled body of knowledge on the science and engineering of planetary drilling."

Ain't nothin special about us Ugly Bags Of Mostly Water, except for an overinflated sense of importance in the grand scheme of things.

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

And now for your test, please indicate how it is used in the following phrase:  "F*ck!  The f*cking f*ucker is f*ucking well F*cked!"

F* off,  F*er!    

<---US Naval Reserve.

That is the correct answer, BTW

[dj_soo]

i get the impression that marten might actually mess this up by playing *too* cool.

[Carl-E]

It IS, however, exceptionalism to claim that "No instrument, tool or machine has ever matched the capability of two eyes, two hands and a brain". It's arrogance, the kind of stuff that makes idiots sing about John Henry and his "victory" over a digging machine.

But it's a really good  song...


Besides, he dies in the end, a pyrrhic victory at best. 

[Soulsynger]

I can safely say that your scientist quote comes from someone that deserves to be slapped across the face, soundly and repeatedly until he can no longer influence an argument in any meaningful way.

It's from the principal investigator for the Mars rovers. Actually, what he said was that a field geologist could do it in 45 seconds.

A scientist said that? Boy, they don't teach not to make outrageous generalisations anymore, do they?
45 seconds for what exactly? Does it include moving/walking around from sample to sample? Picking it up AND storing it in the designated storage space or without? Including photo and analysis? What about setting the transmitters to the right frequency?

I'm all FOR slapping that "scientist" across something. May it be face, ass cheek or back of the head. oO


And can we all step back from being misanthropic toward Padmarten? You guys are making me sad.

[Is it cold in here?]

Look up how slowly the rovers do things. They are wonderful engineering but not designed to be fast.

[sha'mad conde]

I'm having a Hanners moment right now... I'm looking at the current story arc and being creeped out because one of the two of them is laying in the wet spot...

I always change the sheets. Maybe they did also.

[jwhouk]

Yes, it is here: What was the MOMENT OF THE WEEK?

Whoa, I better STOP and CONSIDER the deep PHILOSOPHICAL IMPLICATIONS!    - 1 (1.2%)
...not if you want to GET to them someday.    - 1 (1.2%)
Applied Robotics centerfold!    - 5 (6%)
Way to use the ol' willpower, Marten!    - 1 (1.2%)
C'mere. (WELP)    - 16 (19.3%)
SweetTits Cameo!    - 3 (3.6%)
I'm in trouble.    - 10 (12%)
My grandma's doing okay... stick around a few weeks longer?    - 5 (6%)
GOLD MEDALIST!    - 1 (1.2%)
GRAMMY WINNER!    - 1 (1.2%)
FIRST MAN TO MARS!    - 4 (4.8%)
TIME MAN OF TEH YEAR!    - 6 (7.2%)
"Yeah, that'd be pretty cool."    - 29 (34.9%)

Total Voters: 83

[Delator]

i get the impression that marten might actually mess this up by playing *too* cool.

Even I  think that's probably overthinking at this stage...and I've won three Olympic gold medals in overthinking.

[DSL]

Re: Martian rovers:
It's a tradeoff. I believe a human geologist, once gotten to Mars, could accomplish more, and more quickly, than could the robot rovers. Said geologist would also be better able to respond to unexpected circumstances than could the rover, which relies on preprogramming and a light-speed-delayed communications loop.
However, the equipment required to keep said geologist alive and functional on Mars, as well as out and (maybe) back, adds tons more mass that must be boosted and braked.
QCverse could send AI-equipped rovers, sure ... but QCverse AIs seem to have a predilection for "Fuck this, I'm on my own here."
Re: Marten and his rover:
Well, tradeoffs are involved there, too.

[VonKleist]

But it's a really good  song...


Besides, he dies in the end, a pyrrhic victory at best. 

Yar,
alltough he does have a point about the kind of heroism the song conveys.
Then again it´s supposed to be a Tragedy.

[Soulsynger]

QCverse could send AI-equipped rovers, sure ... but QCverse AIs seem to have a predilection for "Fuck this, I'm on my own here."

Mars Rover with AI

[ZBixby]

And now for your test, please indicate how it is used in the following phrase:  "F*ck!  The f*cking f*ucker is f*ucking well F*cked!"

F* off,  F*er!    

<---US Naval Reserve.

That is the correct answer, BTW

F* you, you f* f* from the planet of F*

Gotta use it as all the parts of the sentence

<--- Active Duty Navy

[sitnspin]

However, my gf informs me Jupiter could never become a star because it is not massive enough.

Am I the only one who found this sentence hilarious?

What can I say? She is is studying astrophysics, and I was an art major. Critical mass for solar ignition was not something I studied, so I defer to her on such matters.

[sitnspin]

QCverse could send AI-equipped rovers, sure ... but QCverse AIs seem to have a predilection for "Fuck this, I'm on my own here."

Mars Rover with AI

Wow... that's actually kinda sad...

[Skewbrow]

No kidding. I guess I wasn't the only one wishing that they could still figure out a way to make Spirit mobile. Surely the NASA crew felt for the 'brave little rover', even though it is silly to get sentimental about a piece of HW.

[sitnspin]

The way the AI bond with humans in the QC-verse, it seems they inherited our social nature. I think it would therefore be necessary to send more than one at a time. After all, a single human all alone on Mars would probably lose it after a while. Prolonged isolation has serious negative psychological ramification on most people. If the AIs have the same innate drive toward socialisation, they could suffer similarly. Also, numerous entities working together could accomplish than a singular robot. Just think how much quicker a  a coordinated survey of the planet's surface would go. The added weight of extra robots would be minimal compared to the weight taken up by supplies for a similarly sized human team.

[Carl-E]

There's something about a piece of hardware that far outlasts its design that makes people sentimental, though.  I'm reminded of my last car...

(click to show/hide)

'94 Chevy Beretta, purple with a hello kitty decal on the fender.  Bought it from a friend of a friend at 112 K, drove it to 270K (!!) until I hit a bear with it last year.  And the bear damage was all body damage - I drove it to the junkyard, and they paid me  for it...

I'm sure I'd still be driving it.  I know I still miss it 

I also know it doesn't really compare. 

[Method of Madness]

And now for your test, please indicate how it is used in the following phrase:  "F*ck!  The f*cking f*ucker is f*ucking well F*cked!"

F* off,  F*er!   

<---US Naval Reserve.

That is the correct answer, BTW

F* you, you f* f* from the planet of F*

Gotta use it as all the parts of the sentence

<--- Active Duty Navy

Am I missing something, or are people in the Navy/Navy Reserve not allowed to say "fuck"?

[Mr_Rose]

No, it's just part of the training to learn how to pronounce asterisks and other punctuation.
So you can properly send encrypted voice messages, see?

[Stoutfellow]

Aah, it's not that hard to pronounce punctuation.

But you'd be a jack* it in the wrong company.

[Carl-E]

It's jack@$$.  Who taught you how to spell punctuate? 

[Stoutfellow]

You're a couple of words short....

[Method of Madness]

Now I'm even more confused.

[Stoutfellow]

Read what I wrote, saying the name of "*" where I wrote "*".

[Carl-E]

I'm flabbergasted.  That was brilliant!

Pity  ididn't see it at first - I blame the pain meds...

[Stoutfellow]

I have to admit that it's not original with me. I read it about forty years ago, and have been waiting for an opportunity to use it.

[IrrationalPie]

I'm calling it now.  

Padma decides to leave, and Marten leaves with her.

The comic then does a mini-reboot leaving aside the usual cast save Marten and Padma (and Pintsize of course)!

[Carl-E]

And, now that you've said it, ...

[Loki]

Has Steve been introduced to Padma yet? If not, I hereby call dibs on the "Steve knows her from his work as secret agent" theory.

She is either secretly an agent for TheEnemy or there was UnresolvedSexualTension between her and Steve (most likely both). Now Steve will have to contemplate whether to tell Marten or not.

...I will show myself out.