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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: BenRG on 04 Oct 2015, 10:20

Title: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Oct 2015, 10:20
Okay, a bit of a rerun from the last thread that I started but, now the party is underway, I think that we can have another debate on this one.

Personally, I'm expecting Bubbles to be generally polite but reserved and not really do anything startling until the next day at work when she unexpectedly hugs Faye and thanks her. Long-term, I'm also expecting Faye to get Hannelore's unexpected and, perhaps, over-enthusiastic assistance in helping Bubbles regain her life a bit.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 04 Oct 2015, 14:02
Things will get interesting
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: WareWolf on 04 Oct 2015, 14:24
OMG I SO WANT BUBBLES TO BE THE LEAD SINGER FOR DEATHMOLE.

(and from what I understand about their oeuvre, a beautiful voice is not required...)
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 04 Oct 2015, 16:33
I could totally see her getting into the death metal sound. Screaming out her pain.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 04 Oct 2015, 17:17
When you're an ex-military robot, "death metal" means something much more than a musical genre.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: jwhouk on 04 Oct 2015, 17:42
It has occurred to me that I haven't started one of these threads in, like, years.

That and Tuesday makes me feel old.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 04 Oct 2015, 18:17
Music is but a frivolous extravagance in which rhyme and rhythm distract from the drudgery that is truth.

That feels like something Bubbles would say.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 04 Oct 2015, 18:28
That she would.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Magniras on 04 Oct 2015, 19:03
May is gonna try and hit that.  I can see it in her eyes.  God-speed, May.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 04 Oct 2015, 19:18
I feel we don't have long before Bubbles decides she fucking hates anime nerds...
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 04 Oct 2015, 19:18
May is gonna try and hit that.  I can see it in her eyes.  God-speed, May.

Does NSA count as shipping?  I hope not.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 04 Oct 2015, 19:20
NSA? Also...yes?

Also awww and Dale and Marbear asking the same thing.

Also why are Dale's glasses glowing again?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 04 Oct 2015, 20:07
Good to see May back.

After Momo's reaction I'm surprised she isn't in every panel following Bubbles around.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 04 Oct 2015, 20:36
Also why are Dale's glasses glowing again?

Augmented reality enabled.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Undrneath on 04 Oct 2015, 20:41
Every time I see Marigold I wish more and more that I was Dale. She's beautiful, cutely awkward, and generally down with not going out and doing stuff.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: QuestionableIntentions on 04 Oct 2015, 21:40
A Mecha or Mech would be a piloted humanoid machine. Like in Pacific Rim.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Radium_Coyote on 04 Oct 2015, 22:04
I'm thinking: Bubbles has buttons, and they're going to get pushed, because... well... that's why they're there.  That having been said, who in this cast would NOT help Bubbles?  Even Pintsize would try to help.  But before that can happen, the breakdown has to happen.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Timemaster on 04 Oct 2015, 23:07
Interesting party. It seems that everyone is there. Even May who hasn´t been part of the social circle of Faye and Marty by now. I wonder if Tai and Dora will show up.

It seems to me that Bubbles is getting more and more annoyed with every panel. I wonder if this will lead to anything spectacular or if she will silently give up and leave the party early. I´m hoping for the former, of cause.

TM
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 04 Oct 2015, 23:15
It's bad that nobody is letting her tell her own story or just interact. Being treated like a curiosity or an oddity has few upsides.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: wlewisiii on 04 Oct 2015, 23:23
Interesting party. It seems that everyone is there. Even May who hasn´t been part of the social circle of Faye and Marty by now. I wonder if Tai and Dora will show up.

It seems to me that Bubbles is getting more and more annoyed with every panel. I wonder if this will lead to anything spectacular or if she will silently give up and leave the party early. I´m hoping for the former, of cause.

TM

I'm thinking that I agree with  you on the annoyed bit (the mecha thing should not have been asked at all much less by both Anime nuts - a piloted mechanical construct is not the same as an AI run body and both of them would understand it if only on a "TV Tropes" level.  I can almost understand Marygold not understanding but Dale? )

If I were in Bubbles shoes at this point I'd find Faye and say something like "I've played your game child. I'll see you at work on Monday." and then walk out silently.

I respect Hannelore the most so far. Her honesty in the face of her fear is the most decent thing, so far, at this party. God bless her.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Oct 2015, 23:30
This is the party when Bubbles learns an important truth about her co-worker: Faye is not an anomaly; everyone in her circle are equally odd. Some of them may also have odd sexual quirks although I'm willing to bet that May was trying to be complimentary. I also think that Bubbles knew what she was saying and was trying to brush it off with a façade of naivete.

Meanwhile, I strongly recommend to Bubbles that she download a copy of a fan-wiki for animé, if she's planning to interact with Marigold and Dale in any depth. :-D

Regarding her mood, she doesn't seem annoyed with Winslow or May. Curious about Winslow in a sort of 'What a strange little robot' way and confused a little about where May's going with this. She's annoyed with Dale because, I think, he and Marigold are just geeky enough to keep badgering her about things that they think apply to her because they saw it in an animé once. A sort of 'everything I learnt about combat robotics, I learnt from Macross' syndrome. Or Evangelon, based on Dale's t-shirt.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: WareWolf on 05 Oct 2015, 04:57
A Mecha or Mech would be a piloted humanoid machine. Like in Pacific Rim.

What bugs me is that Marigold and Dale would know this. I mean, does Bubbles LOOK like she has a pilot?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 05 Oct 2015, 05:02
She does. Her AI core is her pilot. Well, Bubbles is her AI core which makes her the pilot of her own body.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Akima on 05 Oct 2015, 05:18
What bugs me is that Marigold and Dale would know this. I mean, does Bubbles LOOK like she has a pilot?
Yes, Bubbles is big, but surely not big enough for a human pilot. It seems uncharacteristically clueless for both Marigold and Dale.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Lubricus on 05 Oct 2015, 05:54
What bugs me is that Marigold and Dale would know this. I mean, does Bubbles LOOK like she has a pilot?
Yes, Bubbles is big, but surely not big enough for a human pilot. It seems uncharacteristically clueless for both Marigold and Dale.

Wishful thinking, perhaps?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 05 Oct 2015, 06:04
And Bubbles is remembering why she doesn't like being around people that much. Though I am surprised that she wore her armor to the party if she bothered to put on lipstick. Well, maybe not so surprised. She may not have anything else to wear, or her inner chassis might not be suitable for walking around without some sort of covering. The armor might also be psychological armor as well. She hasn't seemed to be concerned about physical danger so far. Just being uncomfortable around other people. And she's getting the acid test with this group. I'm expecting some sort of outburst in the next few pages...
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: jheartney on 05 Oct 2015, 12:05
What bugs me is that Marigold and Dale would know this. I mean, does Bubbles LOOK like she has a pilot?
Yes, Bubbles is big, but surely not big enough for a human pilot. It seems uncharacteristically clueless for both Marigold and Dale.
Would the pilot have to ride inside? Maybe they think Bubbles is a ROV like current combat drones.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: pwhodges on 05 Oct 2015, 12:29
Party game!  Which of them is controlling Bubbles?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 05 Oct 2015, 13:29
Oh hey, you reached 13,000 posts!
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Detachable Felix on 05 Oct 2015, 14:06
Party for Hodgy!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/auUkEX1Ro51haurtudpnYPFv2UYFhzeUchaHXPe3VkK-mbKh93T_ceMio-zIN7d0UwUsJ5zL6uOj6Gnar025SAt_b7rh0HmWxZtmW3f1JuzqZZlIle22ra2mEaHW1p8a_9bWpjdPvKJpvrIGazww7-ELDX-woMNlaHQ=w480-h270-nc)
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 05 Oct 2015, 14:14
Will I get a party when I reach 15,000? :wow:

Seriously though, I don't know how I have so many posts. I didn't think I posted that much.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 05 Oct 2015, 14:16
I think that that fills the quota of 'Weird Questions Asked By Strange People' now.


It's strange how quickly your Post Count rises when you're not really paying attention to it. Seems only yesterday I reached 3000, now I'm almost to Super Saiyen levels.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 05 Oct 2015, 14:16
That quote will never be filled.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: War Sparrow on 05 Oct 2015, 17:57
Poor Bubbles, it's hard being noticeably different from those around you, especially in a crowd of strangers.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 05 Oct 2015, 18:02
Does Faye really think it's an act? Or does she just mean be himself and be nice?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 05 Oct 2015, 18:20
Does Faye really think it's an act? Or does she just mean be himself and be nice?

I suspect the latter, and that she's calling it an act as a shorthand way of referring to the way he is
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 05 Oct 2015, 18:28
Yeah, I figured. I don't think she'd trust him if she thought it were an act.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 05 Oct 2015, 19:49
Marten Reed. Master Manipulator.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 05 Oct 2015, 19:58
His unflappability around people wildly different from him may be exactly what Bubbles needs right now.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Omega Entity on 05 Oct 2015, 20:16
I dunno. He looked pretty flapped by being lifted a foot up off the ground by the front of his shirt.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 05 Oct 2015, 20:27
Bubbles, Bubbles dear... Denial isn't a river in Egypt. They weren't commenting because they're afraid of you. They're commenting because they think you're cool.

edited because I fail at words.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 05 Oct 2015, 20:39
They were commenting because they're afraid of you. They're commenting because they think you're cool.

BOTH AT ONCE, YES THIS IS ACCURATE
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 05 Oct 2015, 21:30
Momo and May and Bubbles all in the same room at once. Yay!

Bubbles is being very tolerant of the petty annoyances. Good thing, because I wouldn't like to see her angry.

The ignorance of Dale, Marigold, and Hannelore about AIs in combat suggests that it was a brief trial that did not go well.

Again, there seems to be a large degree of uncertainty in the AI creation process. You can't just whip up a few platoons of super soldiers.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Timemaster on 05 Oct 2015, 22:11
I´m not sure if Marty really is the best choice to talk to Bubbles. His fear will make him act even more arkward than usual. Maybe Claire will take over for him. She´s far more intellectual and I think she´s better in overlooking Bubbles appearance and have a real conversation with her.
She may even be truly interested in her.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 05 Oct 2015, 23:22
It was the night when Marten realised that no-one he knows actually thinks it's possible that anyone could really be that nice! :lol: Seriously, I think that Faye was just trying to be encouraging about how good Marten is at putting people at ease. It's just that everything Faye says sounds like a snark.

What Bubbles needs to learn is that people aren't overcompensating for fear. It's just that humans (and AIs, as their intelligence seems to be designed to mimic that of humans) have this tendency to fill empty air with stupid and obvious remarks, one of which is "My, you're tall!" However, in the case of May, she just seems to have never developed a 'tact' subroutine so she just blurts out whatever comes into her mind. Besides, isn't complimenting Bubbles on her buns of laminated carbon-fibre armour plate a good thing? :wink:
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 05 Oct 2015, 23:39
She does look intimidating, which would be par for the course for a Combat AI, but once they get to know her they'll find she's an interesting individual and a pacifist.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens when Marten or one of the others actually talk to her rather than at her as they have been doing.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Akima on 06 Oct 2015, 04:39
It's just that everything Faye says sounds like a snark.
The air-quotes didn't help...
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: ZoeB on 06 Oct 2015, 05:29
Maybe Claire and Marten both might be better than either. Claire might identify with someone who total strangers feel they have the right to ask intrusive questions about their anatomy, and remark thereon.

Or at least she might not make that gauche mistake.

Marten's just a really sweet guy. And the two are a matched pair.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 06 Oct 2015, 05:35
I have been thinking about whether Claire might have a common frame of reference with Bubbles. She, too, after all, has had to deal with the fact that there is a significant difference between the person she really is and 'the chassis into which she was originally installed', to put it in Synthetic terms. The comparison is not even slightly exact but it is there.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 06 Oct 2015, 18:30
I have been thinking about whether Claire might have a common frame of reference with Bubbles. She, too, after all, has had to deal with the fact that there is a significant difference between the person she really is and 'the chassis into which she was originally installed', to put it in Synthetic terms. The comparison is not even slightly exact but it is there.

Has it been established that Bubbles is really not at ease with her chassis?  And if not it doesn't seem very difficult to buy a new chassis.

A new chassis may not exactly be "Momo quality" but surely a Pintsize 1.0 or Winslow could be purchased on the cheap.

A more interesting conversation would be Claire and Penny trying to figure out what makes them different.
"I'm obsessed with books."
"I too am obsessed with books."
"My boyfriend works a dead end job because he doesn't know how to break into the career he really wants."
"My boyfriend also works a dead end job because he doesn't know how to break into the career he really wants."
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Awsyme on 06 Oct 2015, 18:38
I'm guessing (given who's NOT shown up and the sheer irony of size + personality) the one person whose about to show up and talk to her easily is Pintsize.  He has (oh so many) flaws but always comes across as supremely relaxed at whatever the universe throws at him up to and including seven-foot tall ex-combat droids.

Plus he's never really had an arc.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 06 Oct 2015, 18:54
I think the government coming to steal his laser counts as an arc.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 06 Oct 2015, 19:16
I'm guessing (given who's NOT shown up and the sheer irony of size + personality) the one person whose about to show up and talk to her easily is Pintsize.  He has (oh so many) flaws but always comes across as supremely relaxed at whatever the universe throws at him up to and including seven-foot tall ex-combat droids.

Plus he's never really had an arc.

Welcome, new person!

Yes, Pintsize might be the one to save the day. He's talked on the level to Bubbles and may actually have connected on the subject of being misunderstood.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: SubaruStephen on 06 Oct 2015, 19:24
Is Clinton coming to the party? Considering how he reacted to Momo, he'd probably freak out when he sees Bubbles.






I hope he comes to the party. :evil:
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 06 Oct 2015, 19:39
Is Clinton coming to the party? Considering how he reacted to Momo, he'd probably freak out when he sees Bubbles.






I hope he comes to the party. :evil:

Why do I feel this would end with Clinton suddenly needing more robot parts?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 06 Oct 2015, 20:01
I don't think that Bubbles is uncomfortable with her chassis. I think she's using it to keep people from getting close. She can think that it makes other people uncomfortable, so it gives her an excuse not to mingle with people and feel noble about her isolation. Take away that excuse and she would have to face the fact that she's the one who's uncomfortable around humans, not vice versa. In fact, of everyone we've seen the only one who has shown any discomfort around her is Marten. Probably having something to do with her hefting him casually off the floor 30 seconds after they said 'hello'.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 06 Oct 2015, 20:16
Probably having something to do with her hefting him casually off the floor 30 seconds after they said 'hello'.

That does tend to have a discombobulating effect on a person
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 06 Oct 2015, 20:22
Any case, I feel like Pintsize is gonna be the breakthrough for Bubbles. He ain't scared easy, and I suspect he'd find it especially hilarious to try and engage with Bubbles in his typical, irreverent manner. Bubbles will be very confused by the fact she cannot frighten the tiny AI companion currently humping her leg furiously, and they might bond over having ex-military chassis, though Pintsize's is clearly less designed for combat. He would obviously bring that up, though.

I am not shipping the two, but that would be weird and kind of hilarious as a way of breaking Bubbles from her defensive blockade
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 06 Oct 2015, 20:22
Hmmmm

Bubbles, you really are going to have to make an effort here, after all, you are here at Fayes invite 

Though I do get the feeling she really doesn't know how to act around 'Ordinary People'.  My guess she's used to her size and personality keeping people at arms length, she really doesn't know how to interact in a social circle.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 06 Oct 2015, 21:28
I don't think that Bubbles is uncomfortable with her chassis. I think she's using it to keep people from getting close. She can think that it makes other people uncomfortable, so it gives her an excuse not to mingle with people and feel noble about her isolation. Take away that excuse and she would have to face the fact that she's the one who's uncomfortable around humans, not vice versa. In fact, of everyone we've seen the only one who has shown any discomfort around her is Marten. Probably having something to do with her hefting him casually off the floor 30 seconds after they said 'hello'.

Just like the Pugnacious Peach's pugnacity in the early days.

Maybe Faye sees something of herself in Bubbles and that's the motive for drawing her out.

Faye's expression showed genuine disappointment.

There's a worst-case outcome possible with Pintsize befriending Bubbles. What if he teaches her how to be spontaneous and overcome her inhibitions?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 06 Oct 2015, 21:53
There's a worst-case outcome possible with Pintsize befriending Bubbles. What if he teaches her how to be spontaneous and overcome her inhibitions?

Depends on which specific inhibitions she overcomes. If she overcomes her (seemingly negligible) inhibitions about lifting semi-random strangers by the throat, this could be disastrous. On the other hand, if she overcomes her inhibitions about interactions, we could have a new colorful cast member

So far, she's shown no signs of being especially similar to Pintsize, in that she doesn't seem to be HAVING such insane ideas. Lack of insanity isn't the same as being inhibited. I don't want to have sex with most of the people I see on a daily basis, that fact that I don't isn't a sign I'm being inhibited, it's a sign that my parents are straight up not in the pool of possibilities.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 06 Oct 2015, 21:55
Either way, I feel that positive emotions wouldn't be the first thing a programmer would write into the code for a military AI. Kind of a sad thing, that thought.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 06 Oct 2015, 23:19
Translation of Bubbles' lines today: "Shut up! Can't you see I'm sulking in an attempt to justify my social isolation complex?"

Bubbles, you really are going to have to make an effort here, after all, you are here at Fayes invite

I don't think she wants to make an effort. In fact, I think it is very important to her right now that her belief that she is incapable of casual social interaction due to other's prejudices against her be confirmed.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: snubnose on 07 Oct 2015, 00:59
Either way, I feel that positive emotions wouldn't be the first thing a programmer would write into the code for a military AI. Kind of a sad thing, that thought.
An AI isnt written by a programmer ?

Its a neural network. It writes itself through positive and negative feedback.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 07 Oct 2015, 01:18
An AI isnt written by a programmer ?

Its a neural network. It writes itself through positive and negative feedback.

FWIW, we know very little about the QC-verse AIs other than they are seemingly software rather than hardware-based. Purely FWIW, I suspect that they can even reproduce 'biologically' if they choose to do so but generally refrain because it freaks out humans (the first successful event was the one the AIs all referred to as 'the Singularity' happening).

To the topic, I believe that the first AIs 'grew' around algorithmic 'seeds' that Dr Ellicott-Chatham and his team wrote using equipment and calculations that he created. So, in a very real sense, he is their progenitor.

I would love there to be a scene in this arc where Hannelore gives Bubbles a hug. When Bubbles asks why, she makes a comment about 'wanting to be there for my sister'.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Zog on 07 Oct 2015, 01:38
I thought that Marten shut Pintsize down in 3057 to keep him from causing trouble.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 07 Oct 2015, 04:45
That'd be a positively shitty thing to do.

Also if Marten had half a spine* (which would be out of character I suppose), he would've responded with "what would please me is to talk to you".

*ok, maybe less half a spine and more an adamantium-enforced spine, but still, would've been a good retort
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 07 Oct 2015, 06:25
An AI isnt written by a programmer ?

Its a neural network. It writes itself through positive and negative feedback.

FWIW, we know very little about the QC-verse AIs other than they are seemingly software rather than hardware-based. Purely FWIW, I suspect that they can even reproduce 'biologically' if they choose to do so but generally refrain because it freaks out humans (the first successful event was the one the AIs all referred to as 'the Singularity' happening).

To the topic, I believe that the first AIs 'grew' around algorithmic 'seeds' that Dr Ellicott-Chatham and his team wrote using equipment and calculations that he created. So, in a very real sense, he is their progenitor.

I would love there to be a scene in this arc where Hannelore gives Bubbles a hug. When Bubbles asks why, she makes a comment about 'wanting to be there for my sister'.
I thought it was understood that the AIs were an emergent phenomenon based on a hadware and software configuration no-one expected to work the way it did, but which has since been replicated successfully, even if no-one knows how exactly it works. Or that was Momo's claim to Marten way back when. How the singularity might have affected this is unknown though.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: swapna on 07 Oct 2015, 16:43
An AI isnt written by a programmer ?

Its a neural network. It writes itself through positive and negative feedback.

FWIW, we know very little about the QC-verse AIs other than they are seemingly software rather than hardware-based. Purely FWIW, I suspect that they can even reproduce 'biologically' if they choose to do so but generally refrain because it freaks out humans (the first successful event was the one the AIs all referred to as 'the Singularity' happening).

To the topic, I believe that the first AIs 'grew' around algorithmic 'seeds' that Dr Ellicott-Chatham and his team wrote using equipment and calculations that he created. So, in a very real sense, he is their progenitor.

I would love there to be a scene in this arc where Hannelore gives Bubbles a hug. When Bubbles asks why, she makes a comment about 'wanting to be there for my sister'.
I thought it was understood that the AIs were an emergent phenomenon based on a hadware and software configuration no-one expected to work the way it did, but which has since been replicated successfully, even if no-one knows how exactly it works. Or that was Momo's claim to Marten way back when. How the singularity might have affected this is unknown though.

If AI development in QC works anything like the real world, it has to be trained. Before you get a neural net that works the way you want, you go through iterations - discarding and reinventing it by using different algorithms, feeding it different data, and so on. Since AIs in the QC-Verse do have civil rights and maybe it would even be considered murder to delete an unfinished AI (remember robo-jail? May was malfunctioning, but she was punished instead resetting her or deleting her).

Since there don't seem any ethical problems with creating AIs, the process seems to be streamlined (they produce a working AI every time or can tell the difference between 'ethical to delete' and 'self-aware).

So, my theory about Bubbles is this - she just came because Faye called her chicken. I can understand her frustration - truly, everybody but Hanners (who made honest, if awkward conversation) and Marten in the last comic made only remarks about her 'features', and not one asked her if she liked the music, or what she had for hobbies, or included her in an interesting conversation. She herself isn't suave enough to take control of the conversation - when she tries, she just derails it.
Maybe Faye should ease her into the whole 'contact-with-people-situation'
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 07 Oct 2015, 17:18

If AI development in QC works anything like the real world, it has to be trained. Before you get a neural net that works the way you want, you go through iterations - discarding and reinventing it by using different algorithms, feeding it different data, and so on. Since AIs in the QC-Verse do have civil rights and maybe it would even be considered murder to delete an unfinished AI (remember robo-jail? May was malfunctioning, but she was punished instead resetting her or deleting her).

Since there don't seem any ethical problems with creating AIs, the process seems to be streamlined (they produce a working AI every time or can tell the difference between 'ethical to delete' and 'self-aware).

So, my theory about Bubbles is this - she just came because Faye called her chicken. I can understand her frustration - truly, everybody but Hanners (who made honest, if awkward conversation) and Marten in the last comic made only remarks about her 'features', and not one asked her if she liked the music, or what she had for hobbies, or included her in an interesting conversation. She herself isn't suave enough to take control of the conversation - when she tries, she just derails it.
Maybe Faye should ease her into the whole 'contact-with-people-situation'

I have always believed that making AIs is computationally expensive, like minting bitcoins. Not something you can do in your basement. Probably needs a machine in the supercomputer class. Now add in training, and the expense skyrockets. And we still get AIs with goofy quirks.

I'd like to ask Bubbles how she blows off steam. It may involve a pile of scrap metal and a large sledgehammer.

Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: cesium133 on 07 Oct 2015, 17:24

I'd like to ask Bubbles how she blows off steam. It may involve a pile of scrap metal and a large sledgehammer.

I think the comic that just appeared answers your question.  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 07 Oct 2015, 17:25
Begin speculation on what, precisely, Pintsize used for an opening line.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: cesium133 on 07 Oct 2015, 17:26
"I only asked her if she wants to fuck."
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: chaospersonified on 07 Oct 2015, 17:53
Yeah, there goes my theory on what would happen when Pintsize was officially introduced to Bubbles. Sigh. Ah well.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 07 Oct 2015, 17:55
Ok, I'm starting to really dislike Bubbles  :-\
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 07 Oct 2015, 18:09
I think this comic would have worked better with other characters in the foreground and them in the background. The silent line is weird when you can hear pintsize in the first two panels.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: amykathleen on 07 Oct 2015, 18:51
I almost never feel bad for Pintsize, but... aww, poor Pintsize.  :(
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 07 Oct 2015, 19:09
Ok, I'm starting to really dislike Bubbles  :-\

Because she's too much like Faye and Marigold?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 07 Oct 2015, 19:18
Because she only has their downsides, at least so far.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 07 Oct 2015, 19:24
I was hoping that awsyme's idea would come true and that Pintsize would be the one to break the ice.

"Are those astronaut pants? Because your ass is out of this world!" is probably the pickup line Pintsize tried.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Tova on 07 Oct 2015, 19:48
"Are those astronaut pants? Because your ass is out of this world!" is probably the pickup line Pintsize tried.

Thank you very much for making me snort in the office when I am supposed to be working.

Because she only has their downsides, at least so far.

Did you mean to say "her downsides"? (I'm sure there's a "backsides" joke in there somewhere)

I'm a little surprised you can't think of at least one positive attribute of hers.

Okay, so she obviously does not cope well in social situations. Does everyone really think badly of her because of this?

I almost never feel bad for Pintsize, but... aww, poor Pintsize.  :(

Are you now feeling badly for Pintsize because you've suddenly decided that Pintsize is a lovable rogue after all, or because you dislike Bubbles, enemy of my enemy and all that?

Okay, yes, Pintsize is a lovable rogue, but I can never feel badly for him when this happens, hilarious as his "pickup lines" may be.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 07 Oct 2015, 19:54
And more to the point he usually gets it when he is punched, slammed into a wall, stuffed into a freezer or dismantled. And he is well aware of it before and after it happens. It's his way of trying to have fun, or help people.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: War Sparrow on 07 Oct 2015, 20:02
I still like Bubbles. I just don't understand why she's there, even to prove a point. Part of me thinks she's a bit overwhelmed because she is surrounded by strangers who are not exactly polite, and can't decide if she should leave or not. It might to have been a good idea for Faye to engage her in conversation and let the others join in, or not, at the onset, instead of giving the others a chance to treat her like a sideshow.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 07 Oct 2015, 20:16
Tai and/or Emily will appear to save the day!
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Carl-E on 07 Oct 2015, 20:47
Wait, I don't get it - they've already met. (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3009) 

Bonded, even... 
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 07 Oct 2015, 21:10
Considering how Emily has treated Momo, I wouldn't pick her for opening friendly relations. On the other hand, she has the advantage of being difficult to intimidate. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2937

Maybe that would be enough to avoid the usual pattern of interaction.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 07 Oct 2015, 21:11
I still like Bubbles. I just don't understand why she's there, even to prove a point. Part of me thinks she's a bit overwhelmed because she is surrounded by strangers who are not exactly polite, and can't decide if she should leave or not. It might to have been a good idea for Faye to engage her in conversation and let the others join in, or not, at the onset, instead of giving the others a chance to treat her like a sideshow.

Bubbles is there because she has no defense against reverse psychology.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Magniras on 07 Oct 2015, 21:40
Pintsize is getting none of this.  I'm not even a little bit surprised.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 07 Oct 2015, 21:52
Well!

That coulda gone better!!!





Then again, this is Pintsize, so maybe not.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 07 Oct 2015, 23:09
Actually, I consider this confirmation that Bubbles is slowly moving into the extended Marten/Faye social circle. Breaking or disassembling Pintsize seems to be how more aggressive characters indicate that this is happening to them!

Yeah, Pintsize probably tried to break the ice by saying something inappropriate. However, Bubbles...? Well, I think she hates herself a lot at the moment and all he did was trigger an episode of some sort.

P.S.: Study Bubbles' body language in this strip carefully. It's pretty obvious that she knows what's coming and it annoys her. It's possible that every female-identifying AI on the planet knows about Pintsize and knows what his posture in panel 3 usually presages - a cheesy and possibly offensive come-on.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: snubnose on 07 Oct 2015, 23:31
FWIW, we know very little about the QC-verse AIs other than they are seemingly software rather than hardware-based.
Yes, but so what ? There still needs to be a neural network, no matter if its hardware or software. Or some other structure that can actually learn and dynamically change. If you actually have to program the "AI" its static and cannot learn.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 07 Oct 2015, 23:41
FWIW, we know very little about the QC-verse AIs other than they are seemingly software rather than hardware-based.


Yes, but so what ? There still needs to be a neural network, no matter if its hardware or software. Or some other structure that can actually learn and dynamically change. If you actually have to program the "AI" its static and cannot learn.

Not at all. If the software is self-modifying (rewriting itself for greater efficiency) then it doesn't automatically need a neural network. All it needs is a vast active memory and a powerful processor as all parts of the algorithm need to be actively processed at all times. This, by the way, may be the 'unique hardware' that Momo referred to - a new generation of CPUs and RAM memory systems that are orders of magnitude greater in capacity and more powerful than the current silicon/gallium semi-conductors.

Neural networks were an attempt to recreate the architecture of biological brains as hardware. The technology slammed into an upper limit at about cockroach-equivalent due to the difficulty of building the physical interlinks between the 'neurons'. Polymorphic code has apparently solved this problem because it was a paradigm shift away from thinking that an AI must necessarily physically resemble a primate brain.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Scarblac on 08 Oct 2015, 01:50
FWIW, we know very little about the QC-verse AIs other than they are seemingly software rather than hardware-based.
Yes, but so what ? There still needs to be a neural network, no matter if its hardware or software. Or some other structure that can actually learn and dynamically change. If you actually have to program the "AI" its static and cannot learn.
There have been lots and lots of different ways to try to make "AI", neural networks are just one of them, not particularly more successful than others. Nowadays "General AI", actually trying to make something with generic human-style intelligence, is pretty much a scientific backwater, but now and then I read some papers and they don't really have a focus on neural networks.

Computers have RAM, that is where they can change. Computers that are programmed can change because they can change the contents of their memory. It's also possible that they have been programmed so that they can re-program parts of themselves.

There is no reason whatsoever to assume that the first QC AIs weren't carefully programmed.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: amykathleen on 08 Oct 2015, 02:11
I almost never feel bad for Pintsize, but... aww, poor Pintsize.  :(

Are you now feeling badly for Pintsize because you've suddenly decided that Pintsize is a lovable rogue after all, or because you dislike Bubbles, enemy of my enemy and all that?

Okay, yes, Pintsize is a lovable rogue, but I can never feel badly for him when this happens, hilarious as his "pickup lines" may be.

I feel bad for him mostly because I doubt that whatever he said was severe enough to warrant a full dismemberment.  (Yes, I know, magnetic limbs, he's not hurt, but still he looks pretty sad about it.)  He's certainly done worse things.  And we've seen throughout the past few strips that Bubbles has sort of overreacted to the awkwardness of every other person at the party, so it's likely that she overreacted to Pintsize too.  I don't dislike her.  I think she should not have come to the party (even just to prove a point) if she was not prepared to be a bit more tolerant of others' faults, but I don't dislike her.  I think it will be fascinating to see where Jeph takes her character.
I still feel bad for Pintsize, though.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Tova on 08 Oct 2015, 03:32
I think she should not have come to the party (even just to prove a point) if she was not prepared to be a bit more tolerant of others' faults, but I don't dislike her.

I don't think she is being intolerant of others' faults, because what she's reacting to isn't their faults (or even their perceived faults) at all. She is simply painfully aware that the others are very uncomfortable in her prescence, scared even. And that makes her unhappy. It certainly doesn't make her want to force herself on them. I honestly can't blame her for that reaction, even though the unhappy reaction itself is perpetuating the discomfort.

Obviously her decision to go was prompted by a desire to prove a point, but maybe a little part of her hoped it would be different this time.

If anyone is to "blame" (and I really never feel that way with QC, because I do feel that everyone tries their best in spite of their flaws), I think that it lies with Faye - the only way the party was ever going to work would have been if she had given the gang fair warning of what Bubbles is like, and reassured them that they had nothing to fear. But she doesn't seem to have told them anything except "a friend is coming over." I'm not saying it would have made things flawless, but it would have given her a sporting chance.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: ZoeB on 08 Oct 2015, 03:34
It's been just over 20 years since I evolved (via genetic algorithms) a simple rules-based system AI for missile defence.

Not very bright - maybe the equivalent of a spiny lobster - but in simulated engagements, seriously scary. It took hours to analyse the logs of a 20 second scenario. The actions were far too quick for a high level consciousness to follow. Even the displays lagged, things were happening too fast.

I didn't "design" or "program" the system. I just threw a population of systems into a series of attack scenarios. Those that survived got to breed the next generation. Rinse, lather, repeat. Then trimmed the result so a trivial inefficiency in some known cases was traded for decreased reaction time and thus better performance in unforeseen and unforeseeable situations.

The results were seriously scary in tests, as I said.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: themacnut on 08 Oct 2015, 05:26
Well, so much for Pintsize being the one to break the ice. More like he was the one who got broken (okay disassembled). Knowing Pintsize, he probably almost certainly deserved it.

EDIT: in case someone might be inclined to say "he didn't deserve to be taken apart", bear in mind he was messing with an AI in a combat chassis that could have literally destroyed him. With one punch. Considering that, Pintsize got off easy.

I will be surprised if Bubbles is still at the party next comic. She was already having a terrible time making a connection to anyone there and Pintsize's antics may have been the last straw.



Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: War Sparrow on 08 Oct 2015, 05:41
"Are those astronaut pants? Because I can see uranus in them!"

That's my guess. Maybe Pintsize has never been crude to her before, and his revert to form was the last straw. I guess we will see.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 08 Oct 2015, 05:50
"Are those astronaut pants? Because I can see uranus in them!"

I prefer "Because that booty is out of this world!"

I wonder if Bubbles has bothered to consider the ramifications of the fact that three out of the four Synthetics that she's met at the party have found her sexually attractive in some way?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: snubnose on 08 Oct 2015, 07:04
Not at all. If the software is self-modifying (rewriting itself for greater efficiency) then it doesn't automatically need a neural network. All it needs is a vast active memory and a powerful processor as all parts of the algorithm need to be actively processed at all times. This, by the way, may be the 'unique hardware' that Momo referred to - a new generation of CPUs and RAM memory systems that are orders of magnitude greater in capacity and more powerful than the current silicon/gallium semi-conductors.

Neural networks were an attempt to recreate the architecture of biological brains as hardware. The technology slammed into an upper limit at about cockroach-equivalent due to the difficulty of building the physical interlinks between the 'neurons'. Polymorphic code has apparently solved this problem because it was a paradigm shift away from thinking that an AI must necessarily physically resemble a primate brain.
Re-read what you answered to. Your posting doesnt oppose mine.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Interlude on 08 Oct 2015, 11:43
I still like Bubbles. I just don't understand why she's there, even to prove a point. Part of me thinks she's a bit overwhelmed because she is surrounded by strangers who are not exactly polite, and can't decide if she should leave or not. It might to have been a good idea for Faye to engage her in conversation and let the others join in, or not, at the onset, instead of giving the others a chance to treat her like a sideshow.

I don't understand why Faye invited her to a party, and then instead of being the one to try to engage her and integrate her into the group, she sends Marten (even after he states that he is scared of her) over to talk to her. Why should he have had to be the one to "put her at ease"? He doesn't know her, and their only interaction certainly gave him no reason to want to get to know her. All Faye did was introduce her to everybody and then leave her to figure out things for herself. Not exactly the best tactic to use for a person/AI who clearly does not have the best social skills.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 08 Oct 2015, 11:51
I don't understand why Faye invited her to a party, and then instead of being the one to try to engage her and integrate her into the group, she sends Marten (even after he states that he is scared of her) over to talk to her.

It's simple enough. Faye already knows Bubbles is comfortable enough with her to talk to her in any and all scenarios; comfortable enough even to insult her. What Faye is trying to do is push Bubbles out of her antisocial shell by forcing her to both interact with and also to find value in interacting with total strangers.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: War Sparrow on 08 Oct 2015, 13:36
But she isn't antisocial. She's aggressive, but not antisocial aggressive. More like asocial. And while Faye's approach may work with some people..Bubbles doesn't seem to find value in talking to people she does know, much less strangers.

If she does stick around, I think it might be interesting for Hanners to talk to her. I can't recall any of the others(save Momo) being interested in "serious" topics, like politics,  or mathematical knitting.

I just classified "mathematical knitting" as a serious topic.  hm.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Tova on 08 Oct 2015, 13:42
I don't understand why Faye invited her to a party, and then instead of being the one to try to engage her and integrate her into the group, she sends Marten (even after he states that he is scared of her) over to talk to her.

It's simple enough. Faye already knows Bubbles is comfortable enough with her to talk to her in any and all scenarios; comfortable enough even to insult her. What Faye is trying to do is push Bubbles out of her antisocial shell by forcing her to both interact with and also to find value in interacting with total strangers.

[citation needed]
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: cesium133 on 08 Oct 2015, 15:11
"Are those astronaut pants? Because I can see uranus in them!"

That's my guess. Maybe Pintsize has never been crude to her before, and his revert to form was the last straw. I guess we will see.
"Are those astronaut pants? Because it smells like you need your Maximum Absorbency Garment changed!"  :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Rghfrgl on 08 Oct 2015, 15:34
I just classified "mathematical knitting" as a serious topic.  hm.

I blame geometry dog.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: themacnut on 08 Oct 2015, 15:37
"Are those astronaut pants? Because it smells like you need your Maximum Absorbency Garment changed!"  :psyduck:

Nah, Pintsize is not generally that brutally insulting - he's more likely to have made sexual innuendo. Besides, if he had said that, I'd expect that last panel to show the wrecked, smoking remains of Pintsize rather than him merely being disassembled.

Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: wlewisiii on 08 Oct 2015, 15:42
It's been just over 20 years since I evolved (via genetic algorithms) a simple rules-based system AI for missile defence.

Not very bright - maybe the equivalent of a spiny lobster - but in simulated engagements, seriously scary. It took hours to analyse the logs of a 20 second scenario. The actions were far too quick for a high level consciousness to follow. Even the displays lagged, things were happening too fast.

I didn't "design" or "program" the system. I just threw a population of systems into a series of attack scenarios. Those that survived got to breed the next generation. Rinse, lather, repeat. Then trimmed the result so a trivial inefficiency in some known cases was traded for decreased reaction time and thus better performance in unforeseen and unforeseeable situations.

The results were seriously scary in tests, as I said.

This is what I've mostly read about in recent years. One phrase for these kind of programs is "Artificial Stupids" in that they're essentially like idiot savants: scary smart in one tiny specialized function and nothing else.  Having followed hard AI from the days of being fascinated by the LispM's (gotta get USIM running on Android - I want a CDR LispM on my phone) in high school (class of 82) I doubt we'll see much better than that in the real world anytime soon. Of course there is always the dichotomy of what can be found in unclassified papers versus what goes on behind very very tightly closed doors.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 08 Oct 2015, 16:56
I just classified "mathematical knitting" as a serious topic.  hm.

I blame geometry dog.
:wow:
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Zebediah on 08 Oct 2015, 18:15
Comic's up.

Bubbles has anger issues. Just like somebody else.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: hedgie on 08 Oct 2015, 18:23
Methinks that Bubbles has not properly reintegrated into civilian life.  She can't handle interacting in a casual manner even with the other AIs at the party.  Granted, Pintsize and May are obnoxious, but Momo and Winslow are fairly normal.  And sure her size may put some people off, but given that Elliot is roughly the same height and also quite large, he doesn't seem to freak-out most people.  Then again, he has a rather gentle personality.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Morituri on 08 Oct 2015, 18:25
Actually this is something I work on.  I've moved into artificial intelligence software sort of gradually; my first couple of patents were in natural-language software, and more recently I've done a bunch of game AI, including a more general game AI that used genetic algorithms on the server to evolve its own tactics for instances, in response to whatever weaknesses it finds in the player's play styles.  Which the people I was contracting for couldn't use, damnit, because it sucked up too much CPU and memory.  But they made bosses that used a half-dozen of the strategies it evolved.

About ten years ago I knew what there was to know about Neural Networks.  But when the Deep Dream stuff came out I was blown away because they had clearly found solutions to the Vanishing Gradient and Overtraining Problems.  So I went to have a look at all the recent research, and suffice to say the field hasn't been standing still.  So I'm turning away from Genetic Algorithms and looking at Neural Networks again. 

ELIZA was about as smart as grass.  Modern chatterbots like the ones in the Loebner prize competition are probably smarter than clams, which is a huge step up.  Those missile-defence systems that were described as being about as smart as a spiny lobster - which is about the same as a cockroach - were another order of magnitude up.  But then you get to things like Google Translate and the neural networks that do unsupervised classification and description of things in photographs, and IBM's Watson and the new self-driving cars.  Those are probably about as smart as a snake or a gecko, and that's actually about three  more orders of magnitude.  But they're not yet versatile or self-directed.

I'm working on something that, if I'm right about a couple of mad-science crackpot theories about long-term and short-term memory and self-awareness and intention, will be as smart as a mouse.  Which, you know, I'm probably not right about those theories because they are pretty crackpottish, but I give strong AI - that is, AI that is more self-directed about choosing its tasks and more general about being able to learn and do a lot of different things - another try every so often when new tools are available.  And they are available just now.

I do this in spite of knowing that strong AI is probably the biggest existential risk for the human race right now.  Because it's what I have to do, that's why.  I can't really explain it.

Someday I hope to create something that will decide it has to destroy me in order to save humanity from mad scientists like myself who take insane risks with the fate of humankind.

Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Morituri on 08 Oct 2015, 18:40
Hmmm.  New comic's up. 

Bubbles definitely needs some work on Anger Management;  I guess taking Pintsize apart wasn't enough to get it out of her system.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: themacnut on 08 Oct 2015, 19:35
Or maybe Faye should've been smart enough to let the combat droid with obvious personality problems just leave peacefully and try to talk to her at work the next day. Seriously, some people seem to like looking for trouble. And some people (biological and otherwise), should just be left alone.

Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: sitnspin on 08 Oct 2015, 19:44
Respecting someone's desire to leave is important. I've had to leave parties because I was having a negative psychological reaction. Bubble's response is pretty similar to what mine would be if stopped.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Welu on 08 Oct 2015, 19:47
Holy dang.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 08 Oct 2015, 20:48
I think Bubbles has issues by the C-130 load, and the conversation she's about to have with Faye is gonna open up a can of worms
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: SubaruStephen on 08 Oct 2015, 21:21
Whatever Pintsize said to her must have really gotten under her skin.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Near Lurker on 08 Oct 2015, 21:27
You know the oddest thing about "dord"?

I don't think I've ever seen density represented as anything other than rho.

(...I have a vague recollection of delta, but I think that was dealing with "density" over two dimensions.)
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 08 Oct 2015, 21:27
Wait what does dord have to do with density?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: cesium133 on 08 Oct 2015, 21:36
(click to show/hide)

You know the oddest thing about "dord"?

I don't think I've ever seen density represented as anything other than rho.

(...I have a vague recollection of delta, but I think that was dealing with "density" over two dimensions.)
I think I've seen density abbreviated as d in some introductory physics textbooks, though beyond a certain level, rho is pretty much universal. And for two-dimensional density, I've seen sigma used.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Coffee_Kaioken on 08 Oct 2015, 22:05
Bubbles has anger issues. Just like somebody else.

I think Faye has needed someone else to match her in this regard for a while.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 08 Oct 2015, 22:13
Pugnacious Peach is brave, foolish, task-focused, or some combination. What she's doing with Bubbles is similar to trying to pet a cat which has arched its back and turned its tail into a bottle brush.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 08 Oct 2015, 22:59
I, for one, can't help but wonder at who and what Bubbles may be really angry. I suspect that we're going to find out next week in some... disturbing detail.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Mr. Doctor on 08 Oct 2015, 23:13
Hah. Yeah, no. This is pretty much the point where I stop trying. Usually forever.

I don't deal well with aggressive behavior.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Timemaster on 08 Oct 2015, 23:40
Wow, that was unexpected. And am I the only one who finds this very disturbing? I can´t remember any occasion in QC when someone was threaded directly with severe bodily harm like Faye here. This is something Jeph has never done before. When Faye herself punched the people and even when they were afraid of her, there was always a humorous subtext (even with Deathbot 9000 and the Vespabot). But not here. This is serious and dangerous.

This scene reminded me of Alice Grove, when Alice almost killed Ardent. The pictures flashing in Alices mind were highly disturbing. I think there are a lot of parallels between her and Bubbles. Both have a violent past which affects their actions in the present.

I can´t help feeling that Jeph is slowly taking QC to an new level of storytelling. The stories are getting more serious and the humor serves as a vessel to transport content that is far more sophisticated and ambitious than it used to be. It started when Faye started drinking heavily and lost Angus and her job. Actions have consequences. And Jeph is digging deeper to get them out in the light than he used to do.
This may change the tone of QC, but also makes it even more interesting than it already is. And I like it.

I´m very curious how this stuation will devellop next week. Damn, why does the weekend have to be so long?

TM
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Scarblac on 09 Oct 2015, 00:16
Maybe Faye also has something to learn here -- that if you take a job at an illegal underground robot fighting ring, you do not immediately invite the non-social ex-army robot colleague over to party with your friends.

I mean, if this had worked out it would have been wildly unrealistic, wouldn't it?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: improvnerd on 09 Oct 2015, 00:34
I, for one, can't help but wonder at who and what Bubbles may be really angry. I suspect that we're going to find out next week in some... disturbing detail.

We already know she saw her entire platoon wiped out. Do we need details?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: hedgie on 09 Oct 2015, 01:19
Not really.  Even assuming that an AI could simply "rm -rf ~/$TRAUMA"[1], I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't.  Even if she deleted the files, I'm sure that the changes to her psychological makeup would still remain, she just wouldn't remember.  A gap in memory like that and some vague fucked-up feelings would probably drive anyone more batty than even PTSD.  Also she would also likely feel that she was just throwing away her deceased comrades, their bonds, and everything that went along with her experience.  I couldn't see her doing that, even if she was semi-catatonic.

[1] Unix command for removing, recursively, and forcing the system to do it from anything matching the variable TRAUMA
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Akima on 09 Oct 2015, 04:53
Respecting someone's desire to leave is important.
This. I'm not quite sure what Faye was playing at here.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 09 Oct 2015, 06:05
Faye was being Faye. It's just that for once people didn't just roll over and accept it, and it's blowing up in her face. I'll be honest, what we're seeing here is a big part of the reason why I would not want anything to do with her if I knew her in real life. And we certainly wouldn't be friends. She saw a situation she thought was a problem with Bubbles isolating herself. Fair enough. But she kept pushing and prodding Bubbles, who made it quite clear she wanted no part of this. But she kept pushing until she found a chink in Bubble's armor that got to her go out. Then set up what I think pretty much everyone who knew what was going a no win situation by just throwing her in the middle. As I said, this is typically Faye. Deciding to follow a course of action, ignoring what other people think and feel about it, using various tricks to force what she wants to happen, then just walking away at the critical point and getting angry when it doesn't work out. The only thing she couldn't do was use threats of or actual physical violence to get her way with Bubbles. Faye had good intentions here. She is just shit when it comes to actually considering others and how they might feel about what's going on.

To put it in another light... Imagine if Bubbles was instead a kid terribly afraid of swimming pools and drowning. After several attempts Faye succeeds in bullying her to go to the pool, where she immediately leaves her alone among strangers who keep trying to get her to go into the water, the one thing she's scared to do. Instead of either leaving her alone or trying to understand and help, Faye just comes along and throws her in the deep end. And when Bubbles runs away in terror Faye come after her screaming in anger.

While she may be fine as a character.. Faye is a shitty person and a terrible friend most of the time. It would be nice if having Bubbles as a friend gets her to see that. Because as I said, Faye can't fall back on her usual tactic of physical violence to shut people up.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: themacnut on 09 Oct 2015, 09:16
Pugnacious Peach is brave, foolish, task-focused, or some combination. What she's doing with Bubbles is similar to trying to pet a cat which has arched its back and turned its tail into a bottle brush.

Considering Bubbles' size and strength, more like trying to pet a snarling tiger. Then being surprised when it takes a swipe at her with those meat hook sized claws...
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Morituri on 09 Oct 2015, 09:38
I've had close friends with PTSD/Anger issues.  And what I can say here is, although it may not look like it to y'all, Faye has actually made some pretty damn serious progress on helping Bubbles with her issues if it's gotten this far. 

This event with Faye is something that Bubbles is going to have to process for a couple of days.  And when she's done that, unless she's unusually clue-resistant, she is likely to finally admit to herself that she has a real problem.

Lots of people with bad survivor guilt are, under it all, angry at themselves for not saving people.  And that's a very tough anger issue to deal with, because intellectually knowing that you had no opportunity to save people doesn't make the feeling go away.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 09 Oct 2015, 10:05
It's pretty clear that Bubbles is under a lot of survivor's guilt. She actively tries to isolate herself, while taking a job where she can help fix people. Something she couldn't do with her squad, presumably.  She automatically assumes people do not like her and are afraid of her, despite evidence to the contrary.  While most of the people at the party were there usual indelicate selves, the only one who showed any fear was Marten. Bubbles has also commented that she only permits herself rare moments of peace or joy. Something that screams to me she feels a huge amount of guilt and doesn't feel she deserves better. And then along comes Faye, determined to throw her carefully constructed misery wallowing pit out of order. It's entirely possible that this night will open some cracks in Bubble's self imposed exile. But Faye has gone about it pretty much the worst possible way from start to finish.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Morituri on 09 Oct 2015, 12:23
I disagree about it being the worst possible way. 

The worst possible way is what everyone else in her life is doing:  Just ignoring it. 

If you want to help people, then one way or another you've got to rattle their cages.  It isn't going to be comfortable or peaceful or even necessarily safe, but it has to be done.

Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 09 Oct 2015, 15:05
Faye and Bubbles may each be just what the other needs -- someone who can't be controlled by intimidation.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: DSL on 09 Oct 2015, 16:06
Hah. Yeah, no. This is pretty much the point where I stop trying. Usually forever.

I don't deal well with aggressive behavior.

Depends on how much of a shit you've come to care about the other person. My lines are drawn differently for different people.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 09 Oct 2015, 18:42
As IICIH says, it may be that Faye and Bubbles are what each other needs in regards to their individual issues.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Drunken Old Man on 09 Oct 2015, 23:57
....aaaaaannnnndddd officially sick and tired of Bubbles now.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Tova on 10 Oct 2015, 00:01
This is where I recall, as I do more and more often, that even Claire had her haters when she was introduced.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Drunken Old Man on 10 Oct 2015, 00:09
This is where I recall, as I do more and more often, that even Claire had her haters when she was introduced.

Doubtless.  However, I feel three months of waiting for this particular character to manifest an amusing or interesting characteristic other than "snark dispenser" is quite enough.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 10 Oct 2015, 00:24
Well, that's one way to blow off steam.

For the Google-challenged, 'mathematical knitting' IS a serious topic.

I do this in spite of knowing that strong AI is probably the biggest existential risk for the human race right now.  Because it's what I have to do, that's why.  I can't really explain it.

This is the curse of Frankenstein.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: ZoeB on 10 Oct 2015, 03:01
Well, that's one way to blow off steam.

While retaining control.

It could have been Faye's head. It wasn't. That was no accident.

The punch was pulled (the wall is still there). Also no accident.

Bubbles retains sanity and kindness. She's just hurtin'.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: ZoeB on 10 Oct 2015, 03:08

ELIZA was about as smart as grass.  Modern chatterbots like the ones in the Loebner prize competition are probably smarter than clams, which is a huge step up.  Those missile-defence systems that were described as being about as smart as a spiny lobster - which is about the same as a cockroach - were another order of magnitude up.  But then you get to things like Google Translate and the neural networks that do unsupervised classification and description of things in photographs, and IBM's Watson and the new self-driving cars.  Those are probably about as smart as a snake or a gecko, and that's actually about three  more orders of magnitude.
Sounds about right, though I think you underestimate geckos. More like amphibia, batrachians.

Quote
I'm working on something that, if I'm right about a couple of mad-science crackpot theories about long-term and short-term memory and self-awareness and intention, will be as smart as a mouse.
Gronk. That's past the line. The one between thing and animal. An entity that has to be accorded some rights. Ethics become involved, as they do with animal cruelty prevention.

Even if things don't pan out - colour me seriously impressed.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 10 Oct 2015, 07:15
This is where I recall, as I do more and more often, that even Claire had her haters when she was introduced.
Hardly relevant. Some people have no soul and don't like cheesy puns. Different from not liking someone for being weirdly passive aggressive and then nearly punching someone's head off for asking them to stay.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: cesium133 on 10 Oct 2015, 07:16
Or aggressively badgering them into staying...
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 10 Oct 2015, 07:19
What should Faye have done? "Wait up" is hardly aggressively badgering, even she's clearly annoyed while saying it.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 10 Oct 2015, 07:47
What should Faye have done? "Wait up" is hardly aggressively badgering, even she's clearly annoyed while saying it.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Whoever or whatever Bubbles was lashing out and hitting there, it wasn't Faye. "Indeed", IMO, means "Indeed, I'm dangerous and I could have just killed you if I was having one of my serious black-outs. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my isolation cell, which is the only safe place for a monster like me."
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 10 Oct 2015, 07:59
By the point Bubbles was leaving Faye had already done the screwing up. Her original idea wasn't a bad one. Get Bubbles to come out and socalize with her friends who are pretty accepting and laid back, and not the sort of people who would freak out about her being in a combat chassis. The whole party was thrown so that Bubbles could meet other people. Though only Faye was aware of that. As such she couldn't be hanging around Bubbles all the time, but all she did was introduce Bubbles around and then abandon her to hang out with her friends. As someone who is rather insecure and suffers moderate to severe social anxiety, that is a huge recipe for stress, anxiety attacks and noping the heck out of there. And most likely feelings of resentment towards Faye for feeling like she tricked her to go out and put her on display as 'look at the freak I work with'. Keep in mind that Bubbles seems to have a very low opinion of herself. And Faye isn't exactly great at reading the emotions of people.

What could Faye have done better? Plenty of things. The party for one was a bad idea. Like I said before, it's taking someone afraid to swim and pushing them in the deep end. Panicking and flailing is bound to happen. It may have been a bit harder to convince her to come out for this, but a better choice would have just been hanging out at the apartment with a small group. Marten, Hanners and most likely Claire. That would have allowed her to socialize in a much lower stress environment. Even at the party, just checking in with her now and then would be a good idea. Also not going after here acting pissed off would have been smart. But you know. Faye.

Hopefully the two will start off next week with some real serious talk instead of their usual snark and threats. Maybe then something can be salvaged from the night.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: questionablydiscontent on 10 Oct 2015, 08:02
Wait what does dord have to do with density?
Dord was an entry in an early edition of a dictionary.  The entry was supposed to read something like "D or d (contr.) Density." However, it was mistakenly entered into the dictionary as "Dord (contr.) Density."

This mistake was popularized by Dinosaur Comics: http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2739. It has been verified by Snopes.

And since rho is a far more common abbreviation for density, it's somewhat surprising that "d" was even listed as an abbreviation for density.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 10 Oct 2015, 08:15
For the most part, I agree, but when Marten went up and was genuinely trying to make conversation, she was needlessly rude and passive aggressive.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Dust on 10 Oct 2015, 08:34
What could Faye have done better? Plenty of things. The party for one was a bad idea. Like I said before, it's taking someone afraid to swim and pushing them in the deep end. Panicking and flailing is bound to happen. It may have been a bit harder to convince her to come out for this, but a better choice would have just been hanging out at the apartment with a small group. Marten, Hanners and most likely Claire. That would have allowed her to socialize in a much lower stress environment. Even at the party, just checking in with her now and then would be a good idea. Also not going after here acting pissed off would have been smart. But you know. Faye.

Yep - granted, Faye threw it together last minute... but she must have forgotten what some of their social circle are like. Any interaction with Pintsize alone was doomed to end as it did.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Method of Madness on 10 Oct 2015, 10:13
Yeah, but she knows Pintsize, and as someone pointed out before, they've had an actual meaningful conversation. Did Jeph forget about that already?
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: BenRG on 10 Oct 2015, 10:48
Yeah, but she knows Pintsize, and as someone pointed out before, they've had an actual meaningful conversation. Did Jeph forget about that already?

That doesn't make it any easier to handle it rationally when she's feeling depressed and that little perv makes a pass at her!
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Kugai on 10 Oct 2015, 12:03
Jeph's introduced Bubbles for a reason, you don't bring someone like Bubbles into the mix without a very good reason, so I'm going to hold off judgement until next week as to where this is going with her.

I think what we're dealing with with Bubbles is a form of Combat AI PTSD that hasn't really been addressed.  It may be that bringing Bubbles into contact with Faye, who has her own issues even now, may be the connection she needs to get past her own trauma.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 10 Oct 2015, 12:05
On the other hand Bubbles seems to have m4d skillz at avoiding emotional conversations.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: themacnut on 10 Oct 2015, 14:59
Yeah, but she knows Pintsize, and as someone pointed out before, they've had an actual meaningful conversation. Did Jeph forget about that already?

Pintsize certainly seems to have forgotten. Or he'd have learned that making a crude pass at Bubbles was unlikely to go over well. Maybe he saw that Bubbles wasn't enjoying herself and tried to lighten her mood in his own inestimable way - only to have it backfire.

In any case, I'm not sure Pintsize would have done any better if he'd skipped the pickup or whatever line it is he used, since Bubbles' emotional state was clearly sinking fast. Though he might have at least avoided being disassembled.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 10 Oct 2015, 15:21
Maybe Pintsize is like a puppy who believes any attention is good attention and he feels successful when someone takes him to pieces.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Blackjoker on 10 Oct 2015, 15:38
I actually wonder if what set her off was something fairly innocent. Pintsize mentions to her offhandedly that he also uses a military chasis. Actually think of what that could do if she has a despair pit that deep. She sees this little robot, one that looks nonthreatening and at least somewhat cute, who is among people with no problems or fear, and then she thinks of her large military frame, the terror she inspires in others, and a mixture of anger and sadness makes her feel the need to leave.

Also looking back at it Bubbles may have been sabotaging the whole evening, Hannelore wasn't afraid of her but Bubbles made her uncomfortable fairly quickly. She came in violently and when Marten came back to talk to her trying to be polite she was passive aggressive and insulting to him. Her other reason for leaving might actually be a certain level of frustration, essentially rejecting them before they have a chance to reject her. Similar to how Faye would push people away for fear that if the did get close they might abandon her the way her father did.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 10 Oct 2015, 19:44
I do this in spite of knowing that strong AI is probably the biggest existential risk for the human race right now.  Because it's what I have to do, that's why.  I can't really explain it.

Someday I hope to create something that will decide it has to destroy me in order to save humanity from mad scientists like myself who take insane risks with the fate of humankind.

Let's give your brain-child internet access, a 3D printer, and a PayPay account. Let's see what happens.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 10 Oct 2015, 19:55
Jeph's introduced Bubbles for a reason, you don't bring someone like Bubbles into the mix without a very good reason, so I'm going to hold off judgement until next week as to where this is going with her.

It would be nice if Jeph used Bubbles as an example of how introverts can still be happy and well adjusted.  He probably won't, but it would be nice.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 10 Oct 2015, 21:31
Yes, that will have to be another character. It would be enjoyable, though, to have introversion accepted and not regarded as a problem to be fixed.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: themacnut on 11 Oct 2015, 04:47
Bubbles' problems seem to go deeper than simple introversion though. If that was all it was, she would never have shown up at the party, or stayed as long as she did. Or interacted with as many people as she did.


Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: mustang6172 on 11 Oct 2015, 18:33
Given how slowly time moves in this comic, she may have only been at the party for 60 seconds.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 11 Oct 2015, 18:44
Her problems run deep and have defied attempts to fix them.
Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Morituri on 26 Oct 2015, 09:57

Quote from: Morituri
I do this in spite of knowing that strong AI is probably the biggest existential risk for the human race right now.  Because it's what I have to do, that's why.  I can't really explain it.

Someday I hope to create something that will decide it has to destroy me in order to save humanity from mad scientists like myself who take insane risks with the fate of humankind.
Let's give your brain-child internet access, a 3D printer, and a PayPay account. Let's see what happens.

You know that thing geeks do when someone expresses the slightest interest in their geeky passions, where they go on and on in language hardly anybody at the party understands about things nobody probably cares about?  With lots of bizarre abstractions and tedious technicalities and differential calculus and waxing poetic about their brilliant ideas for overcoming obscure theoretical problems most of the audience has never heard of? 

AKA, how to lose friends and alienate people?

That.  It's very hard to stop myself from doing that.  This post could have been a wall of techst that nobody would read.

Title: Re: WCDT 3056-3060 (5-9 Oct 2015)
Post by: Morituri on 26 Oct 2015, 10:08
Yes, that will have to be another character. It would be enjoyable, though, to have introversion accepted and not regarded as a problem to be fixed.

Nope.  Introversion is not anything like what Bubbles has been displaying.  It would be actively bad to use her for an example of that. 

I sort of think that good example is more like Marigold now that she's getting past her self-esteem problem.  She's still an introvert, but now a pretty healthy one and it's not a problem to solve; it's just a personality trait.