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Momo at Hannelores (With optional hugging)

25 (17.7%)

Angry Hannelore

13 (9.2%)

Dale asks Marigold out (With optional Awkward Zone)

9 (6.4%)

Marigold asks Dale out (With optional Momoglare)

29 (20.6%)

HappyDora at CoD

2 (1.4%)

HappyTai at Library

3 (2.1%)

Claire and Marten (With optional Clinton)

9 (6.4%)

Marten and Claire (With optional Emily)

16 (11.3%)

Penelope and Emily

1 (0.7%)

Penelope ane Emily AND Wil.

4 (2.8%)

Angus and Faye at the Railway Station

3 (2.1%)

Faye and Angus at the apartment

4 (2.8%)

Steve eats Cereal

2 (1.4%)

Cereal eats Steve

8 (5.7%)

Pintsize eats Waffles

1 (0.7%)

Waffles eat Pintzize

8 (5.7%)

Other (Specify)

1 (0.7%)

Other (Purple Monkey Dishwasher)

3 (2.1%)

Total Members Voted: 68

[VeraLapsa]

O.O I thought he said he wasn't going to ever change the layout of the comic.

Squeee

New is fun, It's Jeph's comic and if he want's to play with new layouts I'm all for it.

[Somebody]

New comic, new format.   This should prove interesting!

Comics will be effectively smaller than the tradQC format, though! (less room for panels)

[J]

well, this is different. good for jeph, giving himself more freedom with the format. i do wonder how he's gonna square it all away when it comes time to format a book with both old & new strips though.




and it looks like marigold really just needed some time to cool down and process things on her own. we'll see what conclusion she leaps too later on, presumably.

[LeeC]

the "What if she never comes back" doesnt tell me if Marigold understands what she said is wrong or if she just knows what she said to Momo just pissed her off, but that herself (Marigold that is) is right (or so she believes).  Was that too confusing?

[shanna86]

Hello! Registered to say I like the layout change up for the most recent comic 
I started reading QC somewhere around strip #60 and today's comic just reminded me how far Jeph has come artistically. Keep on keepin' on man!

[RightInTheSquishyParts]

the "What if she never comes back" doesnt tell me if Marigold understands what she said is wrong or if she just knows what she said to Momo just pissed her off, but that herself (Marigold that is) is right (or so she believes).  Was that too confusing?

She knows something went wrong but doesn't know what or how, yes?

[LeeC]

I meant more like Marigold thinks she is in the right but because she is right it pissed Momo off and she left, when really it was the fact that Marigold was just insensitive and not willing to woman up and call Dale herself...or did I further confuse everyone...

[RightInTheSquishyParts]

I meant more like Marigold thinks she is in the right but because she is right it pissed Momo off and she left, when really it was the fact that Marigold was just insensitive and not willing to woman up and call Dale herself...or did I further confuse everyone...

No I think I get where you're going with your speculation.     

Too early to tell for sure what her though-process is.

[Is it cold in here?]

Or, to underanalyze, maybe she's only just now figuring out that there's something seriously wrong.

She's probably been taking Momo for granted.

[J]

I'm afraid to link to that comic since I get accused of the equivalent of rick rolling when I do.

Jeph said himself that AnthroPC libido is a mystery. Now that they have civil rights it may be illegal to take it away, but why was it there in the first place?

There was a strip where Hanners was asking her dad about a rumor she'd heard -- that true AIs hadn't been designed at all, but were the spontaneous product of a human having sex with a computer! And her father (whom we know to have created the first true AI, or at least to have been on the team that created it) awkwardly evades the question and changes the subject...

So... if it really did require sex to create the first AI, it seems likely that it will require sex to create any additional AIs. With any luck, once the first human-computer hybrids came into existence, they could reproduce by mating with each other instead of with humans.

And that's why robots have libidos!

that still doesn't explain all their other anthropic behavioral characteristics though.

for example: a human or other animal might enjoy the taste of chocolate cake mix, but only because it contains chemicals that are useful to their biological functions; it's an evolutionary adaptation to seek out glucose. pintsize however, though he has the capacity to taste the cake mix via his hardware, has no functional reason to derive pleasure from that taste, because it's chemical composition has no relevance to the functioning of his hardware.

likewise for a lot of the other behavior we see. what in animals is an artifact of bio-chemical processes in order to fulfill a specific or general need, in non-animals appears superfluous.


i suspect one of two explanations for the behaviors we see: either emotional responses are a pre-programed app, or the AI-OS is designed to imitate/emulate behavior observed from it's social environment. in either case, why would they be built that way?

the most likely reason i can think of would be for AIs that interact with humans on a regular basis; specifically in order to make it easier for the humans to relate to them. but then, why would it go so far as to have those simulated/emulated emotional responses override their objective/rational thinking and perception? after all, if momo loses loses her cool it's no big deal, but if station throws a shitfit...

and that still doesn't explain the cake mix.

[akronnick]

I think this pretty much takes care of Pintsize's obsession with cake batter.

Actually, that probably explains most of Pintsize's behavior. And if that doesn't work, there's always this

[RightInTheSquishyParts]

and that still doesn't explain the cake mix.

Perhaps at the point those gags were written (cake mix, tomato sauce) Jeph hadn't fleshed things out in regards to AnthroPC life and civilization.   We are trying to backfit and rationalize what may have very well been done for the laughs.

I see this all the time in Star Trek "canon" discussions.  "When they wrote this episode of this show were they not aware it would later conflict with what was going to be written later on."   It's easy to look back over 40 years of TV and assume that there has been some master-plot-meta-plan.... when in fact the writers and producers themselves said there is not.   They simply write a story and fit it into the show.... and if there is some resemblance of a 40 year meta-plot-line it's pure accident.    This, incidentally is why I hate the new Trek Novels, as they try to do exactly this.

Back to the comic.   I don't think Jeph had the year 2014 and nearly 3000 strips on his mind the day he sat down and wrote the cake mix jokes.   Or the one where Pintsize ate tomato-sauce.

[DrBear]

Just came in to see what the kerfuffle quotient was with the new design. Looks like everyone is taking it in stride, I'm happy to see.

(personally, I never really liked the pink, blocky title; the new one is subtler. As for the page size, it will take getting used to but I agree, Jeph's improvement in art skills deserves a larger area in which to shine. Wouldn't necessarily have liked this format during, say, the first 200 strips.)

[J]

and that still doesn't explain the cake mix.

Perhaps at the point those gags were written (cake mix, tomato sauce) Jeph hadn't fleshed things out in regards to AnthroPC life and civilization.   We are trying to backfit and rationalize what may have very well been done for the laughs.

I see this all the time in Star Trek "canon" discussions.  "When they wrote this episode of this show were they not aware it would later conflict with what was going to be written later on."   It's easy to look back over 40 years of TV and assume that there has been some master-plot-meta-plan.... when in fact the writers and producers themselves said there is not.   They simply write a story and fit it into the show.... and if there is some resemblance of a 40 year meta-plot-line it's pure accident.    This, incidentally is why I hate the new Trek Novels, as they try to do exactly this.

Back to the comic.   I don't think Jeph had the year 2014 and nearly 3000 strips on his mind the day he sat down and wrote the cake mix jokes.   Or the one where Pintsize ate tomato-sauce.

oh, that's undoubtedly the case, but since jeph chose to start exploring the larger philosophical issues of AI, i think it's fair game to look at how they gel or don't with earlier events within the same continuity. not necessarily for the purposing of picking the story apart, but rather to shine a different light on the issues as they stand. identifying things that don't quite make sense can help build a more coherent picture of what does.

[cesium133]

So am I the only one bothered a bit by the lack of a punchline in this comic?

[Soulsynger]

Today I opened up my browser, typed questionablecontent.net into the URL line, and nearly topppled (yes, that's three P for emphasis) over ... desk, chair and all.
Don't necessarily like the colors but I'll have to see how the new layout and format plays out for more dialogue heavy strips until I pass judgment.

@Comic:
Is this another one of Marigold's manga-induced drama conclusion jumps? I swear to Sagan sometimes I think she's treating her life and friends a bit like a visual novel game.

[Zog]

I think that the new format is much nicer. Less distraction, I don't think that you should really notice the background.

[ankhtahr]

Yeah, definitely going to wait how this format will prove with more dialogue heavy strips. Fitting as much text into this as in the old four panel layout might be difficult.

[snubnose]

Oh noes layout change thats the one thing I would prefer not to change.

[Loki]

I must say that I enjoyed the old layout (both site and comic) *because* it felt so... retro.

[pwhodges]

personally, I never really liked the pink, blocky title; the new one is subtler.

Nor me; that's why I never made a forum theme to match.  But I am tempted to for the new look (in the new year sometime).

[pwhodges]

So am I the only one bothered a bit by the lack of a punchline in this comic?

Why bothered?  It's not that uncommon a thing for him to do.

[westrim]

RUINED FOREVER

nah, it's fine Jeph

[J]

personally, I never really liked the pink, blocky title; the new one is subtler.

Nor me; that's why I never made a forum theme to match.  But I am tempted to for the new look (in the new year sometime).

personally, i really like the current dark grey theme. but then i'm partial white text on dark backgrounds in general; keeps me from scorching my eyeballs out if i decide to get online in the middle of the night

[J]

Yeah, definitely going to wait how this format will prove with more dialogue heavy strips. Fitting as much text into this as in the old four panel layout might be difficult.

jeph can add more panels as required, not every comic needs a big establishing image, any more than every strip needs 4 panels to play out. i expect we're gonna be seeing a lot of variability from now on.

[ankhtahr]

Yep, I usually prefer light on dark themes.

Actually my favourite color scheme is Solarized, by Ethan Schoonover. Here's a css with it, I put together for a German watchblog I'm reading: link.

[westrim]

XKCD level variability? Oh god, If Jeph does something similar to Time it would be so awesome to watch unfold.

[cesariojpn]

Also it's been months since the breakup...probably. It's impossible to know for sure.

Marigold is chubby

Yet not as chubby as she thinks she is.

It depends on people's context I guess.....

[Satan]

So am I the only one bothered a bit by the lack of a punchline in this comic?

Marigold's delicious misery is the punchline.

[Barmymoo]

I think the new comic layout is fine, but the website itself looks weird at the moment. I think Jeph is still working on it though, and when it's done it will probably be fine. Plus I'll adjust!

[Fhqwhgads]

Yep, I usually prefer light on dark themes.

Actually my favourite color scheme is Solarized, by Ethan Schoonover. Here's a css with it, I put together for a German watchblog I'm reading: link.

oooh I lurve Solarized, I use it for my default theme in Notepad++.

also I just logged in to say today was a good day to introduce the new format; it feels like Marigold's sleepless night suddenly has a lot more impact.

tl;dr: yay Solarized, yay new format

[Shjade]

The new page color scheme feels very...Apple.

Undecided as to whether that's a positive or negative.

[KOK]

also I just logged in to say today was a good day to introduce the new format; it feels like Marigold's sleepless night suddenly has a lot more impact.

But it will be an awkward start of a new book. Numberwise it would make more sense as the last page. Storywise it will be quite a cliffhanger, whether first or last.

[Skewbrow]

I quite like where the story seems to be heading.

My freshman calculus course ended last week (exams still to be graded), so let me draw a few parallel lines.

Last week there was talk about calling Marigirl on her s@¤t and making her accountable for how her actions affect her friends. My first reaction: doing that is roughly equivalent to me asking my students to take the final exam on day one. Not cool, because they haven't been exposed to much at all yet, so holding them accountable for something they may have had zero chance learning is a non-starter.

My second reaction was to rebut myself by observing that I do hold my students accountable for the things they should have learned in high school but in many cases didn't. Instead of forever banging my head against this brick wall, I do review the high school stuff, but this doesn't reach all of them. At least not at the level I would like to. Some of the crucial gaps in their understanding should have been cured in junior high - may be earlier. Which brings us back to where Marigold is. In terms of social skills junior high would be a bit taxing for her. I can relate to her plight in that I would have probably learned better social skills, if it were a subject to be studied from school textbooks as opposed to being left to each and every one of us to pick up from the cues around us - if we were at all inclined to see the need to take note of such cues. Early failures lead Marigold to completely lose interest in learning that skill set. Whatever she has learned since may be something like a patchwork of isolated observations - not unlike a collection of calculus tricks that won't help you much unless you see how they fit into the bigger picture (am I projecting myself here enough already?).

This week has a promising start. A sleepless night seems to make Marigold reflect on things. It looks like she will soon have a desire to learn some social skills in that not having them may lead to a concrete loss to her. If Hanners had stormed Marigold's place last night, and given her a lecture, it would have been just a lecture. Now that Marigold will have had time to reflect things, that lecture (I still think it would be better if the lecture came from Hannelore as opposed to Momo) may actually result in some learning.

Mind you, in my teacher evaluation reports those students who only hear me lecture often give critical evaluations, and praise the teacher in charge of their problem sessions. The students in my problem sessions rate me higher. The reason for this is obvious. Most of them won't have tried to learn the material themselves prior to being hit with a set of homework problems. So at the time of the problem session they will be better equipped to appreciate an explanation of the finer points, and are actually left with the feeling of having learned something.

[Mlle Germain]

I can see why Jeph changed the comic format; the new one is much more flexible and thus probably more interesting to draw. The way the panels are laid out can also drastically change how the story is told.
And that makes me sad. I like the classic QC broad panels with several characters in them or lots of background. You can immediately see the reaction of the entire group when one character says something or watch little fun story arcs in the background. I'm quite sure the new format means that each comic strip has a smaller size in total --> less QC per day. But more importantly, with this format, there will probably be way more close-ups of single characters in small panels instead of the usual wide QC panels. Otherwise, with the new shape of the strip, only two classic panels can fit instead of four, so I don't think this is how Jeph wants to tell the story anymore.
I'm sure I'll get used to it and like it after a while - as I said, it offers many new exciting possibilities for storytelling. But right now I'm still with Faye:
"This is why I don't like change. It changes things." (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=576#)

Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted. You should be eternally sorry for changing the topic back to the format when somebody has just started a discussion on comic content.

[Indicible]

The layout change is pretty good, IMHO. My only misgiving is that it will make it a bit more difficult to read on my PSP comics reader.

[techkid]

I like the new site design. The old one was kind of gaudy, but I kind of tuned that out, anyway...

To me the layout of the comic sort of brings out the seriousness of Marigold's thoughts.  She has her work cut out for her to fix what she has done, and I hope for her sake she does it.

[St.Clair]

Yes, Marigold, sometimes (bad) behavior has consequences.

[pwhodges]

But it will be an awkward start of a new book. Numberwise it would make more sense as the last page. Storywise it will be quite a cliffhanger, whether first or last.

The books are (so far) 300 strips each (give or take guest strips and such); so today's will not be at a book boundary, if I can use the phrase.

[jwhouk]

Checking the list twice.

Momo at Hannelores (With optional hugging)    25 (20.3%)
Angry Hannelore    12 (9.8%)
Dale asks Marigold out (With optional Awkward Zone)    8 (6.5%)
Marigold asks Dale out (With optional Momoglare)    25 (20.3%)
HappyDora at CoD    2 (1.6%)
HappyTai at Library    3 (2.4%)
Claire and Marten (With optional Clinton)    8 (6.5%)
Marten and Claire (With optional Emily)    12 (9.8%)
Penelope and Emily    1 (0.8%)
Penelope ane Emily AND Wil.    3 (2.4%)
Angus and Faye at the Railway Station    2 (1.6%)
Faye and Angus at the apartment    3 (2.4%)
Steve eats Cereal    2 (1.6%)
Cereal eats Steve    7 (5.7%)
Pintsize eats Waffles    0 (0%)
Waffles eat Pintzize    6 (4.9%)
Other (Specify)    1 (0.8%)
Other (Purple Monkey Dishwasher)    3 (2.4%)

Total Members Voted: 63

[jwhouk]

personally, I never really liked the pink, blocky title; the new one is subtler.

Nor me; that's why I never made a forum theme to match.  But I am tempted to for the new look (in the new year sometime).

Actually, the one I have now (QC-light) is pretty similar to the webpage's theme - it just needs a tweak or two.

[Loki]

QC-old theme for the win.

[marsman57]

well, this is different. good for jeph, giving himself more freedom with the format. i do wonder how he's gonna square it all away when it comes time to format a book with both old & new strips though.

I was going to note that the width changed with Comic #300 but then realized that QC Vol. 1 ends exactly on that comic. So we do get one comic of that width, but 300 is also extra long so it would require special laying out anyway.

I'm surprised he didn't wait until 2700 so that it would be at the break of a book.

Edit: Bleh, missed pwhodges analysis on this already.

[marsman57]

I'm quite sure the new format means that each comic strip has a smaller size in total --> less QC per day.

Worth noting, the old size was 600x1417 versus the new size of 800x1160.  If you do multiply this out, you are in fact getting 77,800 more pixels of QC each day.

[KOK]

But it will be an awkward start of a new book. Numberwise it would make more sense as the last page. Storywise it will be quite a cliffhanger, whether first or last.

The books are (so far) 300 strips each (give or take guest strips and such); so today's will not be at a book boundary, if I can use the phrase.

I took the answer below to mean that this would be the start of a new book. Seems that that is not so.

 Jacques Frost        ✔ @jephjacques

“@Bastinenz: will it work out if you want to put it into print together with comics of the old format?” Yep, this will fit the new books.

[pwhodges]

On present progress, it'll be many years before the books reach this point anyway.

[Is it cold in here?]

To me the layout of the comic sort of brings out the seriousness of Marigold's thoughts.

Bingo. This layout was the right tool for this job.

[pwhodges]

The new comic layout is almost an perfect fit to the aspect ratio of my iPhone 4S, when viewed in Comic Chameleon.  Of course, the aspect ratio changed in newer iPhones...

[lot_jockey]

When perusing the archives, there's way too much blank space on the right hand side. My eyes wander to the advertisements instead of focusing on the comic (which I guess is good for Jeph).

I think that having all of this space will lead to more interesting art, though. Maybe Jeph's artwork will get to be a bit more like Bill Watterson's (and that's a good thing!).

[Aziraphale]

While I liked the kinda old-school vibe of the old layout, I actually like the new one. It'll be interesting to see what possibilities it opens up, artistically speaking.

With that said, am I the only one who thinks that Marigold looks a bit like Roger the Shrubber in the last frame?