Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT Strips 3391-3395 (9th to 13th January 2017)
Case:
--- Quote from: zmeiat_joro on 10 Jan 2017, 01:09 ---
--- Quote from: Case on 09 Jan 2017, 21:06 ---Hmmmmh - This comic kinda reminded me of a group of (Space)ship-AI's in one novel of Ian Banks' Culture-cycle, the so-called 'Interesting Times Gang'. Sort of the good guys (of the 'Veteran Special Forces'-variety), but ... you wouldn't always know from the way they operated.
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There's also the fact that they used the word "brainfucker" which is parallel to "meatfucker" in the Culture novels.
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True - IIRC, messing with someone's brain/mind was the one true taboo in the otherwise cheerfully anarchist Culture. And in 'The Hydrogen Sonate', the 'Mistake not ...' refers to it's (martial) puissance ...
Method of Madness:
--- Quote from: Akima on 10 Jan 2017, 04:11 ---this is in danger of introducing a Deus Ex Machina just as much as having Hanners or Station break the encryption etc.
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Is a god from a machine (or in this case possibly a machine god) always a bad thing storywise, especially if the god themself is very entertaining?
Case:
--- Quote from: Akima on 10 Jan 2017, 04:11 ---But yes... this is in danger of introducing a Deus Ex Machina
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Storel:
Such an interesting twist, so many interesting ideas about it! Sorry this is so long...
--- Quote from: jwhouk on 09 Jan 2017, 12:38 ---In case no one picked it up, the eyes are distinctly like that of the lead character of another comic that Jeph draws... when she is upset and/or triggered.
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Alice's eyes are just plain blue in the strip you linked. Yes, she has shown red eyes occasionally, but I thought we already established that this new person's eyes are purple, not red.
--- Quote from: WareWolf on 09 Jan 2017, 19:05 ---One thing that I'm finding particularly ominous about Pale Agent is that they have no compunction about disabling a human, even temporarily, with some kind of stun-touch. That's a line I don't think I've seen an AI cross in this universe, except in self defense. PA does it nonchalantly and apparently steps over Faye's body to talk to Bubbles. That's a level of dismissiveness, even contempt, toward us meat-sacks that does not bode well.
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Yes, that disturbs me quite a bit too.
--- Quote from: WareWolf on 09 Jan 2017, 19:05 ---Also, they use the word "puissant." Never trust anyone who uses the word "puissant."
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8-)
--- Quote from: BenRG on 09 Jan 2017, 23:16 ---P.S.: No matter how bad these guys might be for Bubbles, I think that we can already see that they'll be much worse for Corpse Witch.
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That's a cheering thought!
--- Quote from: BenRG on 09 Jan 2017, 23:16 ---
--- Quote from: Rincewind on 09 Jan 2017, 21:27 ---Bubbles is VERY not-amused. I don't think I (or any other mortal entity) would want to be on the receiving end of that glare.
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The fact that Alucard doesn't care gives us a disturbing insight into just how powerful her sponsor is.
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And that is not.
BTW, I googled Alucard to find out why you keep using that name. Verrrrry interesting comparison!
--- Quote from: BenRG on 10 Jan 2017, 02:11 ---Friday
Alucard and Hannelore are facing off. Alucard insists that this does not involve her and calls her 'Daughter of the Creator'. Hannelore tells Alucard that she 'isn't welcome here' and orders her to leave. When Alucard sneers that she doesn't obey orders from 'the likes of her', Hannelore responds thus:
"Unit Bravo-Three-Dash-Six-Six, One-Delta-Slash-Six-Niner-Five! Master Override; reset to factory settings, authorisation One, Lima, India, Six, Two..."
"NO!" Alucard looks terrified. "Very well; this location is off-limits."
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Nice, but if Hanners has some sort of "Master Override" for all AIs, why wouldn't she have offered to use it on Corpse Witch?
--- Quote from: ZoeB on 10 Jan 2017, 03:46 ---Taking them at their word ( and trust but verify here...)
They're young and powerful - station and colleagues are "less puissant elders".
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I took that to mean this person represents the more puissant elders...
--- Quote from: JimC on 10 Jan 2017, 03:10 ---It also occurs to me that a rational response from Bubbles (other than scepticism as to whether than can really do what they say) would be:
"Thankyou very much. I don't wish those memories back now, but I do need to know they are potentially accessible if I do need them. Now you have freed me so I can act ethically, thank you again".
She can then return to the warehouse, let CW know that her lever no longer has power, and continue as before, without destroying the place for those disadvantaged robots who depend on it.
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Interesting, but I don't think CW would be capable of letting things continue as before if she knew her leverage was gone -- she'd be desperate to find some new leverage she could use over Bubbles. Threatening to hurt Faye is one possible leverage that comes to mind...
--- Quote from: WareWolf on 10 Jan 2017, 05:25 ---
--- Quote from: pwhodges on 10 Jan 2017, 05:21 ---Station's a mainframe and the new ones are a cloud-connected cluster. Station doubts he can break the encryption, the new ones simply state that they will.
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Yeah, we've become accustomed to thinking of Station as the Last Word in AI, because Hanners says he is. The New AI Gods may consider him a doddering old coot who they humor.
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Station may be the Last Word in known AI... but Gary, mentioned earlier, would be an example of unknown AI. Are there other AIs like Gary, that have evolved themselves outside the knowledge of humans? Only the Shadow Jeph knows!
--- Quote from: Neko_Ali on 10 Jan 2017, 05:37 ---It's possible that it's an old school vs new school hacker kind of divide here. Just because Station and his contemporaries don't know of any of their ways to break this encryption safely doesn't mean the New Kids don't.
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It's also possible that these New Kids are less concerned with the possible danger to Bubbles than Station is. Given the way Agent Violet treated Faye, their ethics already seem pretty questionable...
Stibbons:
I also created an account for this...
Our new "friend" is very interesting. A non-binary AI? Pun? Perhaps this is one of a group that likes to live outside the box as it were, keeping a low profile, out of sight, out of mind, free of the human rules of the rest of society hence not adverse to a bit of interference. S/he speaks of getting info from some of their less powerful elders, perhaps they monitor chatter (but messing with some of the big Intelligences, the ones even Momo considers weird, is beyond even them). They clearly have resources however that outclass even Station.
I think we just met the AI equivalent of Anonymous...
And WTF did s/he do to Faye?! Some kind of neural pulse? Something that interferes directly with the target's central nervous system anyway and clearly highly targetable with a simple touch. Be afraid, be very afraid.
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