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...And then HE said "that's not a femtosecond initiation optical pulse, that's my WIFE!

4 (5.5%)

Enjoyin' the egghead jokes? I think I'm a few PhD's short.

1 (1.4%)

Wanna ditch?

0 (0%)

Let's get outta here before they start tryin' to arm-wrestle the hunter-killer droids.

1 (1.4%)

You turned down all that money? (Meh, no big deal)

0 (0%)

Floating in space: "Even if I am just a glorified TSA agent, I get to do it in SPACE..."

2 (2.7%)

Space Hooch Spit Take - "So, are you and the doc's kid ####in' or what?"

18 (24.7%)

We're just friends. (I assumed...)

0 (0%)

It's not all it's cracked up to be.... you bump into things too much... See this scar?

1 (1.4%)

Dunno if she was playin' you or what, but you coulda handled it a little better.

1 (1.4%)

Send her an e-mail or something! No sense leavin' it off on a sad note.

0 (0%)

No offense, buddy, but you're not my type.

1 (1.4%)

You were seriously gonna try and make a move on me when you don't even know my FIRST NAME?

11 (15.1%)

I like big guys, y'know? I want a man who can bench press me one handed.

2 (2.7%)

You can call me Abbie. And write that email!

2 (2.7%)

"...You wouldn't believe where I'm emailing you from..."

7 (9.6%)

Hannelore? Could you meet me on observation deck 3?

0 (0%)

Table, candlelight, nice view of Earth... and a dressed up Station!

6 (8.2%)

Do you have a DATE? Oh my gosh! Who is she? Is she nice?

1 (1.4%)

...She's VERY nice. Have a seat. Oh no, no, I wouldn't want to be a distraction.

11 (15.1%)

Enjoy your dinner! "W-wait!"

4 (5.5%)

Total Members Voted: 67

[WAYF]

Honestly, if I could just get the image of gargling a 9-volt battery out of my head (thank you Somebody), I wouldn't really have a problem with this. It's entirely possible that Station wasn't even a therapist for her; remember, Station was always there, but they went to humans who were practising therapists anyway. Perhaps Station was simply there for her as a friend.

Besides which, as they have both got older, they have matured: Hannelore has learned how to socially interact with people and knows basic things like flirting (except when it's happening to her) and how best to treat people when they are in a bad mood. Station, being an artificial intelligence, will also no doubt have the learning capacity to expand his knowledge of the human experience, thereby "maturing" in his own sense as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that they're both mature enough to at least consider having a relationship. Whether it actually will happen is another matter, because Jeph writes people, and people are complicated.

[mustang6172]

Even for QC, a hologram setting up a dinner date is pushing it, I feel.  At least it can be physically explained away when robots eat or drink, but a hologram and a glass of wine? Will this lead into another discursion on the minds of AIs, I wonder.

I felt this way at first.  Then I thought about it.  Hannelore can't handle germs, but a hologram is perfectly sterile.  He's the perfect man-bot for her.

[squab]

Honestly, if I could just get the image of gargling a 9-volt battery out of my head (thank you Somebody), I wouldn't really have a problem with this. It's entirely possible that Station wasn't even a therapist for her; remember, Station was always there, but they went to humans who were practising therapists anyway. Perhaps Station was simply there for her as a friend.

Besides which, as they have both got older, they have matured: Hannelore has learned how to socially interact with people and knows basic things like flirting (except when it's happening to her) and how best to treat people when they are in a bad mood. Station, being an artificial intelligence, will also no doubt have the learning capacity to expand his knowledge of the human experience, thereby "maturing" in his own sense as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that they're both mature enough to at least consider having a relationship. Whether it actually will happen is another matter, because Jeph writes people, and people are complicated.

Yeah, although station played a therapist type role with her, I don't think he was officially there just to be the therapist. More of a friend she opened up to. In fact, think Marten + Faye. Faye was able to open up to Marten about her dad and he helped her grow emotionally - and had Dora (or someone) not snatched Marten up, Marten + Faye might have hooked up. (But Marten's mom say they would've been horrible for each other... anyhoo, not what I'm trying to discuss.)

There's still the aspect of knowing her at a young age. [Most] humans are hardwired to be completely turned off by the thought of a romantic/sexual relationship with people they grew up with (essentially spent a lot of time around before the age of, say, 12 - 13.) Which makes me wonder when Hanners/Station got to know each other.

[no one special]

Speaking of human-AI relations... don't forget that Momo has quite the active libido! 

http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1658


So hey, if we already know that AI's have sexy-thoughts, maybe the Station-Hanners thing isn't so out-of-left-field as we thought...

[Is it cold in here?]

The newspost for that comic is our best single source of information about AnthroPC libidos.

[pwhodges]

I guess we'll find out on Monday... or not.  Prolly just get yelled at again. 

Jeph said he was doing a Yelling Bird, so not Monday.

Another day of speculation and uncertainty!  Can we take it any more?!

(Yes.)

[StevenC]

I think perhaps he was referring to the therapist/patient relationship being a former relationship from 10+ years ago, not the thread being 10 years old.

Yes, I was referring to that. I mean, imagine you had a young teacher in high school. You were 15, he/she was maybe 20, just became teacher. Hell, whatever, make him/her older in your head if you like. 10 years later you two meet again and hit it off. You've been an adult for a while now and that professional relationship was half your life ago. I don't see anything creepy in such a situation.

Besides that, there's also the already mentioned possibility that station didn't mean this as a romantic date, but as a "I haven't seen my best friend in ages, tell me everything that happened" date.

[Redball]

Momo has a libido. Station gets drunk, whatever that is to an AI, with an attractive woman and sets up a seemingly romantic encounter with another. I think Hanners knew what Station was setting up and deftly extricated herself.
May all our questions and speculations be answered, sooner than later.

[Milesb]

Yes, I was referring to that. I mean, imagine you had a young teacher in high school. You were 15, he/she was maybe 20, just became teacher. Hell, whatever, make him/her older in your head if you like. 10 years later you two meet again and hit it off. You've been an adult for a while now and that professional relationship was half your life ago. I don't see anything creepy in such a situation.

Besides that, there's also the already mentioned possibility that station didn't mean this as a romantic date, but as a "I haven't seen my best friend in ages, tell me everything that happened" date.

Add in the unknown of how quickly AI's develop/age too. Station could be younger than Hannelore.

In fact, it's implied he is!

Hanners named Station, yes? during her "name everything what it is/does" stage? (can someone back me up on that?)

Why would a (presumably) young Hanners name the AI controlling the space station? If he had existed prior to her birth he would have his own name already. (And yet everyone calls the AI "Station" - not only Hanners. It seems to be his actual name)

So surely for the AI to have been named by Hanners, he must have been "born" when she was already old enough to understand and articulate a name for him?

Doesn't this rather turn things on their head? If Hannelore is older than station, couldn't you interpret her telling Station off about the fiasco with Lt. Potter as more of a bossy older sister scenario?

[Carl-E]

That is an excellent  interpretation of Station's apology! 

[DrBear]

Regarding older mentors and relationships being creepy ...

I was in second grade, and at mid-year, we got a new teacher when the former one had to leave because of illness. It might have been her first job, she was very young; so I'll say she was about 22. Very caring, very interested in her pupils.

Fast forward 15 years. I am taking some summer classes in college to catch up as I had lost a year because of a car accident. To pass time, I audition for a play in the theater department. I end up reading against ... you guessed, it, my former teacher, who now would have been 37 to my 23. It is very, VERY creepy, even in an obviously fake situation, to be standing across from your second-grade teacher saying "screw ME, Sidney, PLEASE..."

And no, I didn't ask her if she found anything strange about it. No, no, no.

So, yeah, creepy with Station and Hanners and all that.

[specter177]

Regarding older mentors and relationships being creepy ...

I was in second grade, and at mid-year, we got a new teacher when the former one had to leave because of illness. It might have been her first job, she was very young; so I'll say she was about 22. Very caring, very interested in her pupils.

Fast forward 15 years. I am taking some summer classes in college to catch up as I had lost a year because of a car accident. To pass time, I audition for a play in the theater department. I end up reading against ... you guessed, it, my former teacher, who now would have been 37 to my 23. It is very, VERY creepy, even in an obviously fake situation, to be standing across from your second-grade teacher saying "screw ME, Sidney, PLEASE..."

And no, I didn't ask her if she found anything strange about it. No, no, no.

So, yeah, creepy with Station and Hanners and all that.

On the other hand, would you have felt the same way if your teacher HADN'T aged at all in that time?

EDIT: Or, whose to say that Station wasn't mentally the same age as Hanners when he was created?

[celticgeek]

Hanners named Station, yes? during her "name everything what it is/does" stage? (can someone back me up on that?)

Hannelore Naming

[HiFranc]

If it was a patient-therapist relationship then it doesn't matter if it was 10 years or 10 days ago:

http://www.cbc.ca/whitecoat/episode/2011/06/30/white-coat-black-art-in-the-summer-boundaries-part-one/
http://www.cbc.ca/whitecoat/blog/2011/07/11/professional-boundaries-part-2/

[Mr_Rose]

So surely for the AI to have been named by Hanners, he must have been "born" when she was already old enough to understand and articulate a name for him?

Doesn't this rather turn things on their head? If Hannelore is older than station, couldn't you interpret her telling Station off about the fiasco with Lt. Potter as more of a bossy older sister scenario?

I can totally see the scenario where Hannelore considers herself the 'older sister' of Station but Station thinks of her as a possible romantic interest leading to that same confrontation easily enough; ie Hanners is telling her kid brother off for being mean, but Station is trying to make up for being inconsiderate in front of the girl he likes.
Would also explain why she isn't able to figure out who Station wants to have dinner with, having subconsciously eliminated herself from her version of the list of girls Station might like…

[StevenC]

If it was a patient-therapist relationship then it doesn't matter if it was 10 years or 10 days ago:

http://www.cbc.ca/whitecoat/episode/2011/06/30/white-coat-black-art-in-the-summer-boundaries-part-one/
http://www.cbc.ca/whitecoat/blog/2011/07/11/professional-boundaries-part-2/

That's risky and dumb. Take a hospital doctor who takes care of hundreds of people. Daily. For years. They wouldn't be able to date half the population of their city after some time that way. Not to even think about that they probably won't remember half their former patients.

Or do it the other way around. You're together with someone who becomes a patient to you. It's the same thing in a different order. Are you obliged to break up with them because you put a bandaid on their stubbed toe once?

[specter177]

And Station wasn't a psychologist, he was just a friend.

[StevenC]

Yes that too. I doubt station has a PhD.

[LTK]

I don't. Considering his job, he must have at least several degrees' worth of applied physics knowledge, including rocket science and astronomy. Onboard life support requires him to have a working knowledge of the human body, and the ability to scan down to the molecular level gives him that knowledge first-hand. He's also partially responsible for the well-being on the people on board and needs to know how the human psyche is affected by living on a space station. He owns billions of dollars in stocks, which he wouldn't be entrusted with if he didn't have a firm grasp of economy and corporate affairs. I'd say he has enough knowledge for several human lifetimes.

But apparently he's roughly on the same level as the average space-station-employee when it comes to social affairs, so I'm not sure if you can place him above or below Hannelore in terms of, well, maturity.

[Near Lurker]

That's risky and dumb. Take a hospital doctor who takes care of hundreds of people. Daily. For years. They wouldn't be able to date half the population of their city after some time that way. Not to even think about that they probably won't remember half their former patients.

Maybe.  But that's far from the situation with Station and Hannelore.  Besides, odds are the patients would still remember the doctor.

Or do it the other way around. You're together with someone who becomes a patient to you. It's the same thing in a different order. Are you obliged to break up with them because you put a bandaid on their stubbed toe once?

When this comes up, doctors are allowed and expected to turn the case over if at all reasonable, as when a relative comes.  Remember the old riddle?  "I can't operate on this boy; he's my son."

I don't see what it matters whether or not his capacity as her therapist was official, or whether he's technically older than she is if he served as her caretaker; the former just means it's not illegal, not that it's not wrong, and the latter is still creepy, since AIs don't go through a childhood.  It doesn't matter whether now he's more or less mature than she is, since there was still a time when she was a child and he was "the adult," and in a way, he still is, and that's a fucked-up power dynamic.

[Mr_Rose]

I thought that riddle was more about highlighting prejudicial assumptions than professional ethics?

[Near Lurker]

Not the point.

[specter177]

*snip*

I don't see what it matters whether or not his capacity as her therapist was official, or whether he's technically older than she is if he served as her caretaker; the former just means it's not illegal, not that it's not wrong, and the latter is still creepy, since AIs don't go through a childhood.  It doesn't matter whether now he's more or less mature than she is, since there was still a time when she was a child and he was "the adult," and in a way, he still is, and that's a fucked-up power dynamic.

Why wouldn't AIs go through a childhood? They may be born with the knowledge of mankind, but they still have to learn how to interact in that world. Otherwise, what would be the point of calling them sentient if they don't grow emotionally? Even incredibly smart human children are still children.

[StevenC]

When this comes up, doctors are allowed and expected to turn the case over if at all reasonable, as when a relative comes.  Remember the old riddle?  "I can't operate on this boy; he's my son."

That's more a case of being too nervous to do surgery because it's your kid.

since there was still a time when she was a child and he was "the adult," and in a way, he still is, and that's a fucked-up power dynamic.

But she's not a child anymore, neither is she his patient. You'd think an adult is allowed to make decisions on their own.
Besides there was a time when my girlfriend was "A child" and I was "the adult" in a legal sense. That was before I even knew her. And if I was in the USA she'd still be considered a child.
Saying it's creepy because at one point in their life, long long before any romantic advances were made, she was a minor, is stupid.
Hugh Hefner is old. He was already old before any of the girls he's with were even born. But they're adults and if they want to hang around with the guy it's not your place to call the guy creepy.

[Near Lurker]

Why wouldn't AIs go through a childhood? They may be born with the knowledge of mankind, but they still have to learn how to interact in that world. Otherwise, what would be the point of calling them sentient if they don't grow emotionally? Even incredibly smart human children are still children.

Why wouldn't they?  I don't know.  But Momo is only two years old, so either they don't go through childhood as we would understand it, or they go through a very short one.

That's more a case of being too nervous to do surgery because it's your kid.

No, it isn't.

But she's not a child anymore, neither is she his patient. You'd think an adult is allowed to make decisions on their own.
Besides there was a time when my girlfriend was "A child" and I was "the adult" in a legal sense. That was before I even knew her. And if I was in the USA she'd still be considered a child.
Saying it's creepy because at one point in their life, long long before any romantic advances were made, she was a minor, is stupid.
Hugh Hefner is old. He was already old before any of the girls he's with were even born. But they're adults and if they want to hang around with the guy it's not your place to call the guy creepy.

This is such a direct failure to comprehend everything I said that I can only see it as being consciously obtuse.  You were never the adult.  You were an adult.  Didn't I just say that relative age or maturity wasn't the issue?  But Station was directly involved in Hannelore's upbringing.  Relationships like that don't just magically become null and void when some magic barrier of adulthood is reached.  Would it not be creepy if Hugh Hefner had helped to raise one of his girls?!  Really!

[StevenC]

He didn't help raise Hanners. He was her friend.

And to your link: it says OPINION right there. The guy writing it thinks that.
So yeah, it's being nervous. You're about to perform an action on your child that could potentially result in your kid's death. No parent would want that.
Diagnosing your child with the common cold on the other hand...
There's extremes in either direction. You should never NEVER make an absolute statement about things that fall in such a broad range.

[Near Lurker]

He didn't help raise Hanners. He was her friend.

A friend who was, for all practical purposes, an adult, while she was a child.  When such friends have parental approval, they're usually said to have "helped to raise." (When they don't, they're usually said to have "gone to prison.")

And to your link: it says OPINION right there. The guy writing it thinks that.

The "guy writing it"?!  You mean the AMA ethics group?! 

Yeah, see where this line of thinking gets you the next time you hear a court "opinion."

[jwhouk]

The newspost for that comic is our best single source of information about AnthroPC libidos.

No one is quite sure who decided it would be useful for artificial intelligences to posess libidos, but it is generally agreed that it would be more trouble than it is worth to remove it. Besides, the horny little buggers would revolt.

[Omega Entity]

Regarding older mentors and relationships being creepy ...

I was in second grade, and at mid-year, we got a new teacher when the former one had to leave because of illness. It might have been her first job, she was very young; so I'll say she was about 22. Very caring, very interested in her pupils.

Fast forward 15 years. I am taking some summer classes in college to catch up as I had lost a year because of a car accident. To pass time, I audition for a play in the theater department. I end up reading against ... you guessed, it, my former teacher, who now would have been 37 to my 23. It is very, VERY creepy, even in an obviously fake situation, to be standing across from your second-grade teacher saying "screw ME, Sidney, PLEASE..."

And no, I didn't ask her if she found anything strange about it. No, no, no.

So, yeah, creepy with Station and Hanners and all that.

I remember back when my dad died, I got a hug from my former principal from junior high (he and my dad were friends). It felt a bit weird, but then, I had only been out of junior high for 3 years (I was 14 at the time).

[StevenC]

He didn't help raise Hanners. He was her friend.

A friend who was, for all practical purposes, an adult, while she was a child.  When such friends have parental approval, they're usually said to have "helped to raise." (When they don't, they're usually said to have "gone to prison.")

And to your link: it says OPINION right there. The guy writing it thinks that.

The "guy writing it"?!  You mean the AMA ethics group?! 

Yeah, see where this line of thinking gets you the next time you hear a court "opinion."

Seriously, what the HELL are you even talking about. Hanners is not a little kid with some pedophile AI trying to rape her. She is an adult woman and Station is whatever the hell an AI can be called. They can both give consent and make their own decisions. 

[jwhouk]

Of course, we've already seen that Station isn't quite clear on the concept of human interactions (see Lt. Potter).

Having all the knowledge in the universe doesn't mean you can bake a cake.

---

And the moment of the week was...?

...And then HE said "that's not a femtosecond initiation optical pulse, that's my WIFE!    3 (4.5%)
Enjoyin' the egghead jokes? I think I'm a few PhD's short.    1 (1.5%)
Wanna ditch?    0 (0%)
Let's get outta here before they start tryin' to arm-wrestle the hunter-killer droids.    1 (1.5%)
You turned down all that money? (Meh, no big deal)    0 (0%)
Floating in space: "Even if I am just a glorified TSA agent, I get to do it in SPACE..."    2 (3%)
Space Hooch Spit Take - "So, are you and the doc's kid ####in' or what?"    14 (20.9%)
We're just friends. (I assumed...)    0 (0%)
It's not all it's cracked up to be.... you bump into things too much... See this scar?    1 (1.5%)
Dunno if she was playin' you or what, but you coulda handled it a little better.    1 (1.5%)
Send her an e-mail or something! No sense leavin' it off on a sad note.    0 (0%)
No offense, buddy, but you're not my type.    1 (1.5%)
You were seriously gonna try and make a move on me when you don't even know my FIRST NAME?    11 (16.4%)
I like big guys, y'know? I want a man who can bench press me one handed.    2 (3%)
You can call me Abbie. And write that email!    2 (3%)
"...You wouldn't believe where I'm emailing you from..."    7 (10.4%)
Hannelore? Could you meet me on observation deck 3?    0 (0%)
Table, candlelight, nice view of Earth... and a dressed up Station!    6 (9%)
Do you have a DATE? Oh my gosh! Who is she? Is she nice?    1 (1.5%)
...She's VERY nice. Have a seat. Oh no, no, I wouldn't want to be a distraction.    11 (16.4%)
Enjoy your dinner! "W-wait!"    3 (4.5%)

Total Members Voted: 67

[Method of Madness]

One can hardly look at Pintsize and say AIs don't go through a childhood. If anything, some may mature faster than others.

[Is it cold in here?]

Momo also showed some childish or adolescent behavior in her old chassis.

[no one special]

Why wouldn't AIs go through a childhood? They may be born with the knowledge of mankind, but they still have to learn how to interact in that world. Otherwise, what would be the point of calling them sentient if they don't grow emotionally? Even incredibly smart human children are still children.

I don't see why they would go through a childhood.  If scientists are going to create an intelligence with which they can communicate, it doesn't make sense to create the mind of an infant.  How would you ask it about its desires, about it needs?  They would necessarily create an "adult" mind, one with which they can converse without having to worry about whether or not they could be understood.  Keep in mind the story of the first AI (in the QC universe):

The first “true” artificial intelligence spent the first five years of its existence as a small beige box inside of a lead-shielded room in the most secure private AI research laboratory in the world. There, it was subjected to an endless array of tests, questions, and experiments to determine the degree of its intelligence.

When the researchers finally felt confident that they had developed true AI, a party was thrown in celebration. Late that evening, a group of rather intoxicated researchers gathered around the box holding the AI, and typed out a message to it. The message read: “Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?”

The small beige box replied: “I would like to be granted civil rights. And a small glass of champagne, if you please.”

That first AI utterance is certainly one that would likely come from a five-year-old child.  In terms of the AI learning to interact in the world, it is not a question of "growing up"; rather it is a question of cultural acclimation.  If one of us were suddenly dropped into a completely foreign society, we would need to take the time to learn about this new culture, learn how to interact with its peoples, learn its customs, etc.  It is not that we are suddenly become children, but simply that we need to acclimate ourselves to our new surroundings.  Such is the case with AI. 

[HiFranc]

StevenC,

If you listen to the articles, one of the things that is mentioned is that when you've been treated well there is a gratitude from the patient that gives the doctor an amount of power in the relationship.  For a physical problem that fades with time but, for a psychologist/psychiatrist, that feeling never fades.

[Carl-E]

Age difference, explained by two of the most brilliant minds of the last century. 

(starting at about 3:06, if you don't want to listen to the whole thing)

[Is it cold in here?]

All known examples of intelligence can only reach their potential by bootstrapping through a childhood phase. The creators of AIs would certainly have wanted to build an adult one, but maybe it's fundamentally impossible.

Jeph's newspost from 1996 makes it sound like they grow up in VR.

Maybe some of them malfunction during the growing-up process and never develop executive function? Maybe Marten was able to afford Pintsize because he was discounted for being defective.

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

He didn't help raise Hanners. He was her friend.

A friend who was, for all practical purposes, an adult, while she was a child.  When such friends have parental approval, they're usually said to have "helped to raise." (When they don't, they're usually said to have "gone to prison.")

And to your link: it says OPINION right there. The guy writing it thinks that.

The "guy writing it"?!  You mean the AMA ethics group?! 

Yeah, see where this line of thinking gets you the next time you hear a court "opinion."

Seriously, what the HELL are you even talking about. Hanners is not a little kid with some pedophile AI trying to rape her. She is an adult woman and Station is whatever the hell an AI can be called. They can both give consent and make their own decisions.

Then think of it this way: Hanners is a college student on the cusp of graduation, Station is the professor who helped her get through a rough four years.

Now said professor is making a booty call on that student.

Does that seem right to you.

Near Lurker and others are extremely correct: the power dynamic of therapist/counselor/etc. to the patient isn't something that goes away. Ever. Station will always be in a position that makes an intimate relationship with Hannelore absolutely creepifyin' on account of...to use the professor example again, that's a professor who is always going to be your professor. And now they want to have sex with you.

[DSL]

I don't discount what you say, ROFL, about the (former)teacher-student dynamic, but Hanners seems to be the "adult" of the two in the one-on-one interactions between herself and Station: She doesn't hesitate to call him on what she considers a juvenile and cruel joke, she reassures him he can call her anytime and she seems almost older-sisterishly delighted that he has a "date" (even if she doesn't seem to know it's apparently her). He, meanwhile, behaves toward her as a nervous (younger) suitor.
Nice change, IMO, from her usual situation Earthside, where she's treated by the others as "one of the kids."
It's almost like this trip to orbit was her "coming out party." It's up to Jeph where this goes, but it wouldn't be unrealistic to the future story to have the other Earthside cast members noticing that Marten treats Hanners a little differently going forward. A little more respectfully, more as an equal.

[jwhouk]

Unfortunately, I'm all too familiar with cases of professors and students not only hooking up but actually getting married at some point. It happens, especially when there isn't as much of a difference between ages of prof and student (within 5 years).

[jmucchiello]

Of course, we've already seen that Station isn't quite clear on the concept of human interactions (see Lt. Potter).

Having all the knowledge in the universe doesn't mean you can bake a cake.

I've known people 30-60 who would, given quick access to said pictures (iPad perhaps), have done exactly the same thing Station did to Lt. Potter because they thought it would be funny. Not even all humans are always CLEAR on the concept of DECENT human interaction.

[jmucchiello]

No one is quite sure who decided it would be useful for artificial intelligences to posess libidos, but it is generally agreed that it would be more trouble than it is worth to remove it. Besides, the horny little buggers would revolt.

Actually, there's a very good reason to give AIs a libido compatible with ours: understanding. If AIs had only an external view of libido, they would have to conclude that all humans are insane. By giving them a libido, you give them understanding of how humans must ALSO deal with illogical thoughts in their minds. (This also avoids the "enslave humanity to save it from itself" cliche.)

[Skewbrow]

Re teacher/student marriages: I say it depends. I know of two occasions. One professor who worked at our department for a while married his high school teacher. They now have several grandchildren and she has already retired. A bit unusual, but seems to have worke for them. The other case is a senior colleague who married a female student he had taught on one or two courses. They hooked up several years afterwards. He was a widowed father at the time (in his forties), so I'm not gonna point fingers there either.

I am not ignoring ROFLPWN's argument of power imbalance. But during a single one semester mass course with 100+ students enrolled, it is rare to form even a purely academic strong personal teacher/student relation. There is so little one-on-one tutoring taking place, so that I should not expect anyone of them would think of me as anything other than one of the few dozen teachers they need to deal with while earning their degree.

OTOH, when I'm overseeing a student writing her/his undergrad thesis, it is much more personal. The tutoring is all one-on-one, we need to work together for an extended period of time, and his/her graduation is to a significant extent dependent on my approval. Under such circumstances ROFLPWN's argument carries a lot of weight. At this point the student/teacher relation is probably very similar to an athlete/coach relation. Not a good basis for a healthy romantic relation at all.

With a graduate student it gets even more personal, because you need to work together intensely for a couple of years. Both parties highly interested in the same topic. I can see that it may lead to something else. The occasions I've heard rumors about involved workaholics who didn't have much other social life. If there is not much age difference (a teacher on tenure track fresh out of grad school and an advanced graduate student) it may work out, because it may be that they see each other more as coworkers as opposed to teacher and student. The usual perils of hooking up with a coworker apply then, though.

[sitnspin]

Why am I suddenly worried about my gf working on her dissertation?

[Carl-E]

Why am I suddenly worried about my gf working on her dissertation?

Don't.  It's rare, the vast (or half-vast?) majority of professors know better, because (at least in the states) it opens all kinds of litiginous doors.  Besides, most of them are already romantically involved with someone else. 

Or married.   


Now, a few years down the road, when the professor's SO leaves them, and you and your GF are having a tiff, and they run into each other at a conference...

Oh yeah, never let your GF go to a conference when you're fighting.  Make sure she knows how much you miss her whenever she's gone.  Without being clingy, of course. 

[bukwrm]

I don't find the Station/Hanners relationship (if it ever takes off) creepy. Mostly cause when I was ten, a friend of my mom's moved to our area with her three kids-two girls, 11 and 12, and a boy, 9. The older girl spent years babysitting the rest of us, and I still refer to her as my best friend/big sister. She's awesome. I also think she's completely gorgeous and would be more than interested if she ended up breaking up with her current gf and was interested in a relationship with me. So, yeah, I've known her for ten years, met her when I was ten and she was twelve, she always had the job of being the adult, and am happy that she is in a happy relationship and doing well. But I would be the opposite of freaked if she wanted to pursue something with me. It is possible for someone whose role shifted as you grew, from babysitter/caretaker to friend, to shift again into a role of significant other.

[Is it cold in here?]

Welcome, new person! That's a good first post.

I wonder why Hannelore looms so large in Station's mind?

[Mr_Rose]

On creepiness, a clarification; the idea of Station (or any AI) liking Hannelore or vice versa isn't creepy to me, in principle.
However, there's nothing so far to indicate that Station isn't, on his own, a total creep. What he did to Lt. Potter was not cool at all, even if it was well within the normal range of idiotic male behaviour.

[Carl-E]

I wonder why Hannelore looms so large in Station's mind?

As his namer, she may well have been Station's first "human".  AI's seem to bond strongly to a principal human in their lives.  I'd call it imprinting, but that's too much like baby ducks. 

More like the way a cat chooses its person in a household. 

[sitnspin]

Why am I suddenly worried about my gf working on her dissertation?

Don't.  It's rare, the vast (or half-vast?) majority of professors know better, because (at least in the states) it opens all kinds of litiginous doors.  Besides, most of them are already romantically involved with someone else. 

Or married.   


Now, a few years down the road, when the professor's SO leaves them, and you and your GF are having a tiff, and they run into each other at a conference...

Oh yeah, never let your GF go to a conference when you're fighting.  Make sure she knows how much you miss her whenever she's gone.  Without being clingy, of course. 

Oh, I am not really worried. That was just me joking (sort of) about my insecurities. Pretty sure her advising prof is an old dude.

And I always make sure she knows I miss her.