Topic: WCDT: 2343-2347 (17-21 December 2012) Weekly Comic Discussion Thread (Read 69852 times)

DSL · « **Reply #100 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 08:58 »

Quote from: Carl-E on 18 Dec 2012, 06:52

The "all seeing eye" is more in the mind of the beholder than it is in the ... purveyor.

Then again, there are some people who, out of respect, you just can't lie to. I like to think Faye is one of those for Sam.

Agreed. It's more a function of respect for the person who is being not-lied to.

TinPenguin · « **Reply #101 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 09:04 »

Quote from: dreed on 18 Dec 2012, 01:29

What kind of cellphone is she using? How cheap is her dad?

The kind that makes calls, and sends messages, and tells the time, which is all a 13-year-old needs.

...or anyone, really.

pwhodges · « **Reply #102 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 09:59 »

That's what I used to think. But then I got an iPhone.

Mine has also guided me through fog on Dartmoor, checked my speed when exercising, given me access to my servers to fix my boss's email while I was at Heathrow airport, told me the tides when planning a beach walk with the dogs, shown me the weather radar (updated within 15 minutes), done currency conversion when shopping, kept me amused waiting for a train (Angry Birds!), enabled me to check the forum while on the move, provided a choice of dictionaries, oh, and also makes calls and does text much more easily than my earlier phones. All in the one slim package that fits in my pocket.

Not to mention the sound level meter, the guitar tuner, the anime and manga stored on there for me to watch or read any time I have a moment, the camera when I'm not carrying my real one, Skype to bypass the carriers charges speaking to my son in Germany, a star map, an anniversary reminder,...

FunkyTuba · « **Reply #103 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 10:06 »

Dora = Potential mom substitute
Faye = Surrogate sister

Thrudd · « **Reply #104 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 10:51 »

Quote from: Carl-E on 18 Dec 2012, 06:52

Then again, there are some people who, out of respect, you just can't lie to. I like to think Faye is one of those for Sam.

I think it is more of a skill that some people come to naturally and some have to learn and others have no chance at all at acquiring.
I used to be a Scout and eventually ended up as a Group Scouter

One thing I have learned is that all kids will fib at some point to some degree without a twitch or stammer.
The art is not to call them out but just give them "the look" and 19/20 they will crack due to internal hormone driven drama and angst plus that remaining bit of fear of parental displeasure.

I believe Fay has been around enough BS to sense when it is being served.

Now, as for Dora ..... well, a tween showing up during school hours would set off the hooky alarm, especially in someone who may have done the same but can't keep track of calenders.

TinPenguin · « **Reply #105 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 11:38 »

@pwhodges: What you say is true, but although I won't deny those are useful capacities, they still do not come into "need" as I see it. And to reiterate the key point, certainly not for a child.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #106 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 11:40 »

Quote from: Schmorgluck on 18 Dec 2012, 03:36

Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 18 Dec 2012, 01:37
Quote from: Akima on 18 Dec 2012, 01:20
Faye has the all-seeing eye. Her hypothetical kids are doomed.

Indeed. I think it's been established canonically that she would eat her young.
Actually, it was Dora

I remembered that one, but thought it was both.

Akima · « **Reply #107 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 13:53 »

Quote from: Method of Madness on 18 Dec 2012, 02:51

And Akima, I'm curious, growing up, did you not have a winter break? Because our winter break in the States is centered around Christmas and New Year's, but those are already part of your summer break.

We have a school year made up of four, about ten-week, terms. We have one big, roughly five-week, summer holiday, starting about a week before Christmas (21st December was last day of term this year), and ending around Australia Day (26th January). The other three holidays are roughly two weeks each, though the one associated with Easter is often "stretched" by the holidays associated with that festival. Our "winter break" is usually the first couple of weeks in July. My main complaint was that I was usually back at school by the time Chinese New Year came around...

In Australia, the summer holiday season merges Christmas with the annual summer vacation. Traditionally, families celebrate Christmas at home, and set off for their summer vacation on Boxing Day. Boxing Day is a good day to stay off the roads.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #108 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 13:56 »

I have a flip phone and it's perfectly adequate - more than adequate in fact. I have never needed the games and the camera is totally useless. I am also quite in accord with those who point out that Sam is 12 years old (or 13? Either way she is a child) and does not need a smartphone. I did have a phone at that age - in fact from when I was seven - because I used to go places alone, but all I needed was call functionality.

riccostar · « **Reply #109 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 14:26 »

I honestly don't think giving Sam anything worth more than fifty dollars would be a good idea.

Also, seeing as he owns an apparently successful coffee shop he may have learned to go as inexpensive as possible without giving up functionality.

Bev · « **Reply #110 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 14:30 »

Quote from: techkid on 18 Dec 2012, 03:19

And Bev, I don't know which part of the country (or which country, but anyway) you're in, but these past couple of weeks, it's been fuckin' Melbourne weather here!

Funnily enough, I'm in Melbourne, but you're right it has taken a turn here, it's windy as fuck now. We've had some stinkers though, around the 38 degree mark, which is hot for me being from Tassie.

Tova · « **Reply #111 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 14:33 »

Quote from: TinPenguin on 18 Dec 2012, 11:38

@pwhodges: What you say is true, but although I won't deny those are useful capacities, they still do not come into "need" as I see it. And to reiterate the key point, certainly not for a child.

If you're going to go into "need", do remember that lots of us grew up without a phone at all.

But I don't see how that's relevant.

Redball · « **Reply #112 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 14:40 »

Well (he said, his tenorish voice dropping an octave), if you're talking about deprivation, I didn't live in a house with a TV until I was 15! So there!

Sidhekin · « **Reply #113 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 14:59 »

Well (he wrote), if you're talking about need, I knew I didn't need the TV long before I got rid of it! Just so!

Barmymoo · « **Reply #114 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 15:03 »

I didn't have a TV util I was 16 and then only for two years!

Barmymoo · « **Reply #115 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 15:04 »

It is amazing how much Disney Channel one can watch in two years.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #116 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 15:41 »

Saying nobody needs a smartphone is like saying nobody needs a computer. Sure, it's true, but phones these days are basically computers you bring with you.

DSL · « **Reply #117 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 15:50 »

Don't the stages of technology go something like:
1) Wouldn't it be neat someday if ...
2) We're never gonna need anything like ...
3) Well, yeah, you can have one if you're rich.
4) I gotta get me one of these ...
5) How'd we ever get along without ...
6) (sometimes simultaneous to 5) this $%*%&$ thing ...
7) You have one of those? Get with the times, grampa!

MillionDollar Belt Sander · « **Reply #118 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 15:53 »

Quote from: Method of Madness on 18 Dec 2012, 15:41

Saying nobody needs a smartphone is like saying nobody needs a computer. Sure, it's true, but phones these days are basically computers you bring with you.

So are laptops.

When I can do complex 3D modeling and post-processing for extrusion-printing on a smart phone I will buy one.

Until then TracFone all the way.

henri bemis · « **Reply #119 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 18:10 »

Quote from: Method of Madness on 18 Dec 2012, 02:51

Dang, Dora, how horrible that a 12-year-old wanders down to the coffee shop without express written permission from her father

I think I understand where Dora is coming from. I was around Sam's age when my dad introduced me to his new girlfriend (now my stepmom). I thought she was pretty cool and would ask her to do things that, for a kid who wasn't her boyfriend's daughter, would have been totally fine with her. But she also didn't want to step on my dad's parenting-toes until she knew me and my dad better. That's how I interpreted her reaction, at least.

If Sam's dad was somehow really pissed off about it, I wouldn't see their relationship lasting. But I understand the desire to err on the side of caution with a new partner's kids.

Bluesummers · « **Reply #120 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 18:29 »

Quote from: henri bemis on 18 Dec 2012, 18:10

If Sam's dad was somehow really pissed off about it, I wouldn't see their relationship lasting. But I understand the desire to err on the side of caution with a new partner's kids.

Wait...I thought Tai and Dora were together...or is that just casual for now? I'm a little confused...

Method of Madness · « **Reply #121 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 18:30 »

What relationship? They went on one date and decided to be friends. And yeah, Dora's dating Tai.

henri bemis · « **Reply #122 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 18:33 »

Oh god, you're right! Scratch that, then. I was getting my timelines all mixed up. I sped through the whole comic up until the lake party, so some earlier stuff is kind of a jumble now, and that was just my first reaction to it.

DSL · « **Reply #123 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 19:09 »

Quote from: MillionDollar Belt Sander on 18 Dec 2012, 15:53

Quote from: Method of Madness on 18 Dec 2012, 15:41
Saying nobody needs a smartphone is like saying nobody needs a computer. Sure, it's true, but phones these days are basically computers you bring with you.

So are laptops.

When I can do complex 3D modeling and post-processing for extrusion-printing on a smart phone I will buy one.

Until then TracFone all the way.

I do find my smart-ass phone useful for e-mail and quick googling (or bing-ing if you prefer). I store e-books on it which is handy for killing time when I don't want to bring my bookshelves with me, and I even have a sketching app on it, which is more fun than it is anything else. But it's a little flaky and the trick it has of freezing up until I remove and reinsert the battery can be a source of ... I dunno, amusement?

~~mustang6172~~ · « **Reply #124 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 19:10 »

Quote from: Throg on 18 Dec 2012, 05:06

Quote from: Akima on 18 Dec 2012, 01:20
Faye has the all-seeing eye. Her hypothetical kids are doomed.

And it *is* summer right now, what is everyone talking about?

Sure.

In the QCVerse, Northampton is in Australia. The United States are in the Southern Hemisphere. Pie floaters are a New York thing.

I thought it was August in the QCVerse. I was excited for 18 months from now when Jeph finally gets to the next fall comics.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #125 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 19:18 »

Why give a kid more phone than they want? We don't know what Sam wants but her priorities seem to lie elsewhere than gadgets.

Bluesummers · « **Reply #126 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 19:24 »

Quote from: henri bemis on 18 Dec 2012, 18:33

Oh god, you're right! Scratch that, then. I was getting my timelines all mixed up. I sped through the whole comic up until the lake party, so some earlier stuff is kind of a jumble now, and that was just my first reaction to it.

READ IT AGAIN!!!

henri bemis · « **Reply #127 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 19:44 »

I will!

I just had a sort of automatic "aww, Sam, I been there. You should get better at lying, girl!" moment.

Kugai · « **Reply #128 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 20:53 »

Quote from: Carl-E on 18 Dec 2012, 06:52

The "all seeing eye" is more in the mind of the beholder than it is in the ... purveyor.

That depends on The Eye

Faye - the Mom to fear.

musicalsoul · « **Reply #129 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 21:37 »

Quote from: DSL on 18 Dec 2012, 15:50

Don't the stages of technology go something like:
1) Wouldn't it be neat someday if ...
2) We're never gonna need anything like ...
3) Well, yeah, you can have one if you're rich.
4) I gotta get me one of these ...
5) How'd we ever get along without ...
6) (sometimes simultaneous to 5) this $%*%&$ thing ...
7) You have one of those? Get with the times, grampa!

I'm not sure I've ever read anything more accurate. I got my first cell phone when I was sixteen and the only reason I got it then was because payphones had begun disappearing and I needed a way to call my parents when I needed a ride. Now, at 25 I can't help but wonder how people ever got along without them. I mean, there's been so many times I've used mine because my car broke down, or I had an accident, or got stuck in a ditch (I have really bad luck with cars), and having a cell phone made things just, well not quite as terrible. I didn't hop on the smart phone band wagon until about two years ago when my flip-phone of over six years broke in half. And I could live without my droid, but it's so convenient.

Carl-E · « **Reply #130 on:** 18 Dec 2012, 22:24 »

I'm using a severely out-of-date Palm Treo. Got it used about 7 years ago. I love it, but it's no longer a smart-enough phone - the web browser (Blazer?) is so out of date it can't display most pages, so I wound up cancelling my data plan. So it' really just for phone, text and low-res pics.

I think I need a new phone, but part of me says I shouldn't ditch this one until it dies. Which should be any day now. At least, that's what I've been saying for the last three years or so...

Carl-E · « **Reply #131 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 01:15 »

Coomic's UUUUUUP!

So's the sword....

But did she hit the orange? Is it neatly sliced in two halves on the floor?

Skewbrow · « **Reply #132 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 01:22 »

My phone is a Nokia N96 from 2008. It has GPS and Navteq map/streetfinder software, which has helped when my work has taken me to cities I'm not familiar with (Dublin, Ireland and Bergen, Norway quickly come to mind). Even when I was drunk I was able to get back to the hotel/B&B in Dublin. I have read QC (even the forum) with its browser, but would not consider using it for reading e-mail or heavy duty browsing (Symbian is not a nice OS for some things). 99% of my use is texting, calling and GPS-tracking or taking pics (the camera is ok and easy to use). It has DVB-H capability so I checked out the available TV-broadcasts. Can't say that I enjoyed watching TV on a 3½ inch screen (or thereabouts). Many others must have felt the same way as the operator has discontinued that service.

In these parts we had a saying (at least before Nokia started downsizing) that if you drop an iPhone on the floor, the iPhone is broken, but if you drop a Nokia phone on the floor, the floor is broken. Scratch that. Three months ago I rode my bike from work and it started pouring just before I made it home. I asked my kid where Mom is, he replied that she's gone to a nearby farm to pick some rasberries. I realized that it is my conjugal duty to save the little woman from the rain, so I quickly dumped my backpack, reached for the car keys, and decided to take a leak before I go. In the bathroom I heard a splash. Drat. My belt pouch was open, and the phone had dropped into the toilet bowl. Thankfully I realized what had happened before I started ... streaming. I let out a few words unsuitable for polite company, picked up the phone, took out the battery, rinsed the leather case & dried it the best I could. At that time the phone had been acting up and draining its battery at a disturbing rate. But after drying out overnight it worked fine, and the battery problem disappered! Why did I tell you to "scratch that"? The toilet bowl was not broken!

---

Looks like the force is not with Sam. At least not yet.

St.Clair · « **Reply #133 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 02:01 »

Very, very poor technique. Not only does she not keep her eyes on the target, she doesn't even keep her grip on the handle.

Somebody · « **Reply #134 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 03:08 »

Faye's very, very lucky.

Also, with that swing arc from that position, how'd the sword end up at THAT angle?

Vurogj · « **Reply #135 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 03:13 »

It's all a plot. Panel 4 Sam and Faye have hatched a cunning plan (TM Baldrick) to jimmy the panel 3 till and make off with the takings!

Asterus · « **Reply #136 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 03:27 »

... How? She was swinging down! The sword appears to have lodged into the ceiling from Faye's position! Also: Sam must have super strength to actually get something of that mass stuck in the ceiling. Or maybe we finally know where Raven's Parallel entanglement processing core went. (On a side not, I hate archive diving for little one-shots)

Method of Madness · « **Reply #137 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 03:46 »

Could've been a second swing where she let go. As for phones, my phone's SIM port decided to go caput the other day. It's still under warranty, but AT&T's draconian policy to treat all rooted phones the same as phones that have been dropped in water or slammed into the ground means it was effectively dead. (I can still use it on wi-fi but I needed to order a new phone). So now I'm going from a rooted Galaxy Note to a non-rooted Galaxy S III (that I managed to convince them to sell me at contract renewal price, even though I'm not due for an upgrade for nearly a year, so that was nice, I guess). I ordered it yesterday, I should get it tomorrow and holy shit, I'm without a phone for two days. It's not THAT bad but it's weird, and since I rely on it to get jobs (I'm a substitute teacher), I may not be able to work tomorrow, but...meh, worse things have happened.

percivaltercy · « **Reply #138 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 03:49 »

Quote from: Asterus on 19 Dec 2012, 03:27

... How? She was swinging down!

I beg to differ...
The curved "wind" lines are behind the sword, it's going up, Sam is just a tenth of a second before losing the grip, the weight of the blade is balanced enough so that the sword will fly upwards and get stuck in the seemingly soft ceiling.
Improbable, but possible.
Faye doesn't show any indication that she has seen her life pass in front of her eyes...

LordVaughn · « **Reply #139 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 04:08 »

Quote from: percivaltercy on 19 Dec 2012, 03:49

Quote from: Asterus on 19 Dec 2012, 03:27
... How? She was swinging down!

I beg to differ...
The curved "wind" lines are behind the sword, it's going up, Sam is just a tenth of a second before losing the grip, the weight of the blade is balanced enough so that the sword will fly upwards and get stuck in the seemingly soft ceiling.
Improbable, but possible.
Faye doesn't show any indication that she has seen her life pass in front of her eyes...

But for it to end up at an angle like depicted, she would have not only had to have deliberately thrown the sword, but actually thrown it in a similar fashion to a throwing knife from her position. Either that or it had flipped at least once in a counter-clockwise direction, and actually cut a slash into the ceiling rather than a stabbed hole, possibly getting stuck in an air vent.

Redball · « **Reply #140 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 04:14 »

In an extraordinarily rapid movement, she brought the sword down, then up, leaving the orange in three pieces, the sword in the ceiling and Faye unscathed. Remarkable!

Mr_Rose · « **Reply #141 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 04:31 »

Quote from: Asterus on 19 Dec 2012, 03:27

Sam must have super strength to actually get something of that mass stuck in the ceiling.

Why? 3-5lbs is not a lot and its designed to be pointy…

Border Reiver · « **Reply #142 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 04:50 »

It's the "Sword in the Ceiling"

She who draws the Sword from the ceiling shall be Queen of CoD!

Akima · « **Reply #143 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 05:22 »

Quote from: Asterus on 19 Dec 2012, 03:27

Also: Sam must have super strength to actually get something of that mass stuck in the ceiling.

The sword was propelled by the power of funny! Presumably she let go of the grip at the top of her swing? That's what you get when you start doing silly cutting stunts without working on your technique first first...

DSL · « **Reply #144 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 06:17 »

... so what happened to Sam's "I'm calling him right now" in the previous comic? Dora's making another call to Jim? Was Jim not picking up? Was Sam actually calling Oranges R Us for a delivery?

Dora's taking this remarkably well, considering.

ALSO: Sam loses grip just before the top of her swing, sword doesn't have enough vertical distance to travel to complete a tumble, point gets stuck in ceiling tile (or bottom of cash register in previous panel), mass of hilt carries it forward, resulting in angle depicted in 3 and 4. I've seen it happen with pencils (seventh-grade study hall was boring as hell).

Binary · « **Reply #145 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 06:26 »

On the topic of whether anyone really needs a mobile phone - apparently Dora decided to do without hers in panel 2.

I caught the end of the livestream, and I think Jeph had gone back to panel 1 and was re-drawing the phone and Dora's arm. I guess he forgot to fix panel 2 to suit.

I've given him a heads-up via e-mail and Twitter but if the message gets lost in the noise perhaps one of the mods could mention it to him if it isn't fixed in a day or two.

Bluesummers · « **Reply #146 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 06:36 »

Or, she actually holds it closer to her ear in the second panel intentionally...I dunno, I tend to take anything the artist does as canon, even if it might not be intended.

pwhodges · « **Reply #147 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 06:59 »

Quote from: Binary on 19 Dec 2012, 06:26

perhaps one of the mods could mention it to him if it isn't fixed in a day or two.

We have no special access to Jeph; I just email him like you do (never had an answer). A year ago he once replied to me in the hidden moderators' forum, on a rare visit.

sitnspin · « **Reply #148 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 07:20 »

Quote from: DSL on 18 Dec 2012, 15:50

Don't the stages of technology go something like:
1) Wouldn't it be neat someday if ...
2) We're never gonna need anything like ...
3) Well, yeah, you can have one if you're rich.
4) I gotta get me one of these ...
5) How'd we ever get along without ...
6) (sometimes simultaneous to 5) this $%*%&$ thing ...
7) You have one of those? Get with the times, grampa!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpUNA2nutbk

FunkyTuba · « **Reply #149 on:** 19 Dec 2012, 07:50 »

I love that they've agreed to a playdate and now they're just negotiating venue.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Poll

And the final MOMENT OF THE WEEK for 2012 would be?

Author Topic: WCDT: 2343-2347 (17-21 December 2012) Weekly Comic Discussion Thread (Read 69852 times)