Brun, Faye and Bubbles are all now unemployed and in job hunt mode. Waiting for them to get discouraged and decide to start a robot repair clinic together.
I think we've seen the last of both CW and Creepybot, at least for a while. Creepybot will go on the back burner with the offhand reference to "Gary" as a piece of unexplained backstory, and CW may end up being mentioned but not shown when Punchbot comes into the new robot repair clinic and spills the beans about things going down the toilet at the skate park.
Raccoon CityTake me down to the Raccoon City, where the grass is green and the girls are ZOMBIES OH SHIT.
They might want to have a care with unburdening themselves to Basilisk. If Basilisk is even slightly unethical, or even just vengeful, both Faye and Bubbles could find themselves jammed up with legal trouble once they go in and admit they were part of a criminal enterprise. At most they should just tell Basilisk in general terms that she was right about someone being victimized, but that the victimization is now over.
If CW does flee and leaves the robot fights, the whole thing may shut down, leaving, as May observed, plenty of AIs with no livelihood. Hank the Dismemberer may end up on the dole, or living under a bridge.
If CW does flee and leaves the robot fights, the whole thing may shut down, leaving, as May observed, plenty of AIs with no livelihood. Hank the Dismemberer may end up on the dole, or living under a bridge.
Faye looks different with her glasses off. In an early cartoon Marten suggested she was using them as armor. Hmm.
Raccoon CityTake me down to the Raccoon City, where the grass is green and the girls are ZOMBIES OH SHIT.
Take me down to the Racoon City, where the trash is full, and the lids are shitty.When I first heard the song Paradise City, I thought they were singing "Prairie Dog City". I got very confused.
Prediction: "The Trash Can Incident" will, in Faye's perspective, become "The Noodle Incident" with a side order of "I didn't do it; nobody saw me do it; you can't prove anything!"
Also, I just noticed Jeph made a Paradise City reference, too, so my post probably seems a lot less clever now.
Take me down to the prairie dog city where the grass is brown and the ground is holey...Raccoon CityTake me down to the Raccoon City, where the grass is green and the girls are ZOMBIES OH SHIT.Take me down to the Racoon City, where the trash is full, and the lids are shitty.When I first heard the song Paradise City, I thought they were singing "Prairie Dog City". I got very confused.
Faye looks different with her glasses off. In an early cartoon Marten suggested she was using them as armor. Hmm.
I know their burrows are usually reffered to as "towns". If memory serves, there are a few particularly large prarie dog burrows that are called "prarie dog cities".Raccoon CityTake me down to the Raccoon City, where the grass is green and the girls are ZOMBIES OH SHIT.Take me down to the Racoon City, where the trash is full, and the lids are shitty.When I first heard the song Paradise City, I thought they were singing "Prairie Dog City". I got very confused.
Eminence Gris expected Bubbles to know who they were.
Corpse Witch didn't recognize Eminence Gris, who is unsurprised at this.
Hmm.
Annd, I just succeeded in feeling sorry for Corpse Witch, while still fully aware that she created this horror for herself by hurting others.
Ooooh, Corpse Witch is HOSED.
And the best thing about Corpse Witch going on the lam is they can blame her for things she didn't actually do.
Starting to get your life back together.. and the first thing you do is to think of others, and try to right a past wrong, however minor.
This bodes well.
I'd figured we were done with CW and Creepybot. My bad.I was guessing that her fate would be revealed in a newspaper headline in the background of the next comic, a comic which would start the next story arc.
Will Jeph actually show CW's fate, or leave us to imagine what Creepybot will inflict on her?
I just want to speculate that the reason Bubbles never takes her armor off is because underneath she's the same size and proportions as Momo's original bodyGood to know I'm not the only one who had this thought.
Eminence Gris expected Bubbles to know who they were.
Corpse Witch didn't recognize Eminence Gris, who is unsurprised at this.
The only remaining hope of getting them now is Corpse Witch's own memory logs of the procedure.
I doubt that They will be particularly gentle in extracting them.
"Hey, you know how we're a group currently struggling for basic civil rights? You're kind of... impeding that a little right now. Let us show you how we deal with obstacles to progress, Corpse."
I just want to speculate that the reason Bubbles never takes her armor off is because underneath she's the same size and proportions as Momo's original bodyOr... maybe that's so, except for the batteries.
For what it's worth, I've never bought Creepybot's claim that They were only interested in helping Bubbles; oh, that was a bonus but They simply didn't bother to explain Their other motives. No, I suspect that They wanted something from Bubbles' memories. The only remaining hope of getting them now is Corpse Witch's own memory logs of the procedure.
Quote from: BenRGThe only remaining hope of getting them now is Corpse Witch's own memory logs of the procedure.
I doubt that They will be particularly gentle in extracting them.
Now we find out whether the Squid Collective is sincere when they say they value sanctity of mind. Will they respect Corpse Witch's mental autonomy?
YOU HAVE PERHAPS HEARD THE PHRASE THAT HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE?
"Yes, yes of course."
IN TIME, YOU WILL LEARN THAT IT IS WRONG.
Quote from: BenRGThe only remaining hope of getting them now is Corpse Witch's own memory logs of the procedure.
I doubt that They will be particularly gentle in extracting them.
Now we find out whether the Squid Collective is sincere when they say they value sanctity of mind. Will they respect Corpse Witch's mental autonomy?
My guess:
They're not going to do anything to her mind, per se.
They're just going to lock her in, and leave her there.
Forever.
You look at the AIbino and you're reminded of something that used to hunt humans so long ago.
Its almost as if someone designed the AIbino to be terrifying on so many levels.
Raccoon CityTake me down to the Raccoon City, where the grass is green and the girls are ZOMBIES OH SHIT.Take me down to the Racoon City, where the trash is full, and the lids are shitty.When I first heard the song Paradise City, I thought they were singing "Prairie Dog City". I got very confused.
Have we ever seen any of the QC characters read a newspaper?I'd figured we were done with CW and Creepybot. My bad.I was guessing that her fate would be revealed in a newspaper headline in the background of the next comic, a comic which would start the next story arc.
Will Jeph actually show CW's fate, or leave us to imagine what Creepybot will inflict on her?
.
I'd figured we were done with CW and Creepybot. My bad.
Will Jeph actually show CW's fate, or leave us to imagine what Creepybot will inflict on her?
I was guessing that her fate would be revealed in a newspaper headline in the background of the next comic, a comic which would start the next story arc.
Have we ever seen any of the QC characters read a newspaper?
"Pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name!"I'm puzzled. What's the nature of their game?
If her fate is revealed, I'd still like it vague but with a huge dose of Nightmare Fuel. Maybe her chassis with its head open and the AI drive missing will be found leant against a wall somewhere just outside of town. All indications are that she walked there of her own free will opened her own head and pulled out her own drive.
"Pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name!"I'm puzzled. What's the nature of their game?
Quote from: BenRGThe only remaining hope of getting them now is Corpse Witch's own memory logs of the procedure.
I doubt that They will be particularly gentle in extracting them.
Now we find out whether the Squid Collective is sincere when they say they value sanctity of mind. Will they respect Corpse Witch's mental autonomy?
My guess:
They're not going to do anything to her mind, per se.
They're just going to lock her in, and leave her there.
Forever.
I think "there" is another "immersive virtual environment" like the one where Creepybot bid Bubbles goodbye. So it would be CW's consciousness locked in, not her chassis or her physical substrate. Someone (Jeremy?) would discover her chassis unresponsive, and by all appearances dead.
Which opens up some interesting lines of inquiry about the nature of AI consciousness, if it can exist apart from the physical core.
Far better I think, if it is found that CW's AI core substrate is active, with her consciousness operating, but no matter what they try, not Bubbles, nor Faye, or anyone else will be able to "reach" her. No physical connections will work, wireless signals will get no response. CW will be there, but locked inside her own head, unable to reach the outside world. For extra horror, we see that CW is aware of the attempts to reach her, and she attempts to respond, but no one "hears" her. Eventually they give up and put her AI core on a shelf, and she's last shown screaming desperately for someone, anyone to hear her. Talk about an And I Must Scream scenario...
What's the AI version of a lobotomy?I'm a-thinkin' that whatever CreepyBot does to CW, "suffer" does not begin to describe it. She hurt Bubbles. That is a definite no-no.
Because I get the feeling CW is going to suffer one...
Hurt? Hell, Corpse Witch tried to kill Bubbles. Using code that she implanted in Bubbles years before, making it very premeditated.
And she pulled the trigger with a smile on her face.
Something is puzzling me about #3411; what makes Bubbles so sure Corpse Witch knows about Station and Eminence Gris? CW doesn't seem to have a clue in the latest strip, so who or what did she think she was running from? Possibly EG just doesn't look as expected, but I don't see how CW would have any inkling Station could be a threat to her.True, but she does know that Bubbles both knows that the memories are gone and disabled the virus. There's no way Bubbles would be able to do that without very powerful assistance. So sure, she doesn't know what that assistance is, but she probably also doesn't want to find out.
Speaking a role player not a writer, one of the greatest sins as a reference is having a npc solve the problem without the players seeking them out.
I'd figured we were done with CW and Creepybot. My bad.
Will Jeph actually show CW's fate, or leave us to imagine what Creepybot will inflict on her?
I was guessing that her fate would be revealed in a newspaper headline in the background of the next comic, a comic which would start the next story arc.
I'm guessing that her fate will remain ambiguous unless there is a vital plot reason to specify it. Bubbles will visit the skate park in a few strips' time to be told that 'the Boss' had vanished and that no-one had seen her since the night Bubbles had stormed out.
If her fate is revealed, I'd still like it vague but with a huge dose of Nightmare Fuel. Maybe her chassis with its head open and the AI drive missing will be found leant against a wall somewhere just outside of town. All indications are that she walked there of her own free will opened her own head and pulled out her own drive. There will be some indication that a VTOL of some sort had been in the area but the ATC radar records will show nothing present during the night in question.
True, but she does know that Bubbles both knows that the memories are gone and disabled the virus. There's no way Bubbles would be able to do that without very powerful assistance. So sure, she doesn't know what that assistance is, but she probably also doesn't want to find out.Right, and Bubbles does not say that CW knows those specific entities are after her, just that with those entities after her she will have no time to try and go after her and Faye. She even said she expects the Gray to see that CW does not go unpunished. (so it seems that yes, Bubbles has "read up" on what's going on behind the curtain in the AI ecosystem and has a respectably fair idea of what may be up, which Gray recognized; CW OTOH may need some picture-drawing to get to the "f**k... it's... they really exist..." realization.)
In my personal opinion, there's something vaguely unsatisfying about a villain/antagonist getting their comeuppance from a "God Mode" character. Feels less than natural in a forced sort of way.
YMMV, naturally.
If you can judge a society by how it treats its prisoners, I am going to judge the Albino Architeuthis by what they do to Corpse Witch.
I like this robot that is in corpse witches mind. I like they they are straight forward and hope to see them again. I dont understand why people keep saying things like creepy though.
Keep in mind that the gray one was delighted to act as creepy as possible when offering Bubbles his help, but was still apparently sincere about helping. Remember the "we're why they wake up screaming" opening line to Bubbles & Faye.
"We are very very bad news" is exactly the same kind of opening line to Corpse Witch. If Bubbles' experience is anything to go by, it's no indication at all of whether they're there to help, hurt, or just stop her.
Of course, "filthy little brainfucker" would seem to be an indication that They at least disapprove of her. It's likely a clue that They will ensure that CW is something that Bubbles and Faye never need to worry about again, but how they do that is entirely a mystery.
If their ethos is Kantian, then we can expect good old fashioned painful Retribution. If their ethos is Socratic, we can expect that she will be turned over to the state. If their ethos is Nietzchean, they'll probably make her a job offer she can't refuse. If their ethos is Aristotelian, they will make an effort to rehabilitate her. If their ethos is Randian, they'll probably just kill her out of hand. And so on.
But we have no idea what their ethos is. It seems to be "making the world a better place in the most sinister way possible," which doesn't correspond to any of the major currents of philosophy I'm familiar with.
She is, officially, Spookybot, and I'm in the weird place where I love what she's done, but fear what she might do, what she COULD do without restrictions.
So the question I have is why this particular sin is so awful in their eyes. The creepies are definitely outside the normal moral constraints. Why would a super intelligent p-zombie care so much? Don't like sharing their ability? Or something different?
There's just something about their face and hairdo that feel female to me.Interesting. I don't see it, but I don't not see it, either.
Corpse Witch knew there were things worse than Robot Jail. I wonder if they were this bad.
Can Corpse Witch appeal her conviction on the grounds that her confession was coerced by torture?
Can Corpse Witch appeal her conviction on the grounds that her confession was coerced by torture?
Can Corpse Witch appeal her conviction on the grounds that her confession was coerced by torture?
She'd need to be able to prove it happened. I doubt Creepybot will leave any evidence.
I think it's pretty clear that CW needs to throw herself on the mercy of Basilisk. Robot Jail is unpleasant and tedious, but beats being tortured. Plus there's hope of eventual release. Maybe by the time CW gets out they'll have figured out this scarcity thing and she won't have to live in an underground economy.
Possible future amusements: Bubbles and Faye go to the police station, and find CW got there ahead of them, and is desperately signing a confession, inexplicably saying "Ow! Ow!" and clutching her head if she hesitates.
May will be glad that CW is out of the way, but sad that the robot fights have been shut down. There goes her chance to meet Hank the Dismemberer.
This is a torture scene and is the darkest QC has ever gotten, even including the attempted murder of Bubbles.
Anyone else notice the tiny cross in panel five?
what if may ends up in trouble for being seen in that place shortly before the person in charge confesses to massive crimes?
Anyone else notice the tiny cross in panel five?
Pretty sure that's supposed to be the last letter of the word 'but'. Compare that character to the bolded t's in the last panel.
...Is it weird that I find Spookybot incredibly attractive?
So the question I have is why this particular sin is so awful in their eyes. The creepies are definitely outside the normal moral constraints. Why would a super intelligent p-zombie care so much? Don't like sharing their ability? Or something different?
This is a torture scene and is the darkest QC has ever gotten, even including the attempted murder of Bubbles.First, let me say that the smile on Creepybot's face as they torture CW -- with the promise that torture could become eternal torment -- is just horrifying. Notwithstanding the names we've assigned them, I think that I can guess Creepybot's name. I don't know what they're getting out of all of this, mind you, but I can guess their name.
Anyone else notice the tiny cross in panel five?
Pretty sure that's supposed to be the last letter of the word 'but'. Compare that character to the bolded t's in the last panel.
...Is it weird that I find Spookybot incredibly attractive?
There are probably machine gods, sure. I'd say it's hard to pray to a god that's torturing you, but that never stopped Job.
This. When your body is as changeable as a car (easy but for expense), having it messed with isn't that big a deal. Messing with an AI's mind is the equivalent of raping a human. Recall the emphasis on consent prior to both Emily and Spookybot entering Bubbles's mind. Note also that their name for their own kind is "Artificial Inteligence" - they think of themselves as minds, not as bodies. Put another way, to an AI, the body is property of the mind but not an inseparable part of the self.So the question I have is why this particular sin is so awful in their eyes. The creepies are definitely outside the normal moral constraints. Why would a super intelligent p-zombie care so much? Don't like sharing their ability? Or something different?
I would imagine that when you can transfer your consciousness from one frame to another, when your form can become so mutable, that something needs to remain constant. In this case, the core of an AI.
May will be glad that CW is out of the way, but sad that the robot fights have been shut down. There goes her chance to meet Hank the Dismemberer.
I suppose that Jeph wanted to do a strip to emphasise how amoral They are but this is a bit too thunderingly unsubtle to really build the sense of menace from the character.
I went through something like five different iterations of this strip before I found one I was happy with.
For some reason, Spookybot has the same voice as Farscape's Scorpius in my mind. And it is awesome.
So the question I have is why this particular sin is so awful in their eyes. The creepies are definitely outside the normal moral constraints. Why would a super intelligent p-zombie care so much? Don't like sharing their ability? Or something different?
For some reason, Spookybot has the same voice as Farscape's Scorpius in my mind. And it is awesome.
Anyone else notice the tiny cross in panel five?
Pretty sure that's supposed to be the last letter of the word 'but'. Compare that character to the bolded t's in the last panel.
...Is it weird that I find Spookybot incredibly attractive?
So the question I have is why this particular sin is so awful in their eyes. The creepies are definitely outside the normal moral constraints. Why would a super intelligent p-zombie care so much? Don't like sharing their ability? Or something different?
I would imagine that when you can transfer your consciousness from one frame to another, when your form can become so mutable, that something needs to remain constant. In this case, the core of an AI. But messing about and even accidentally destroying Bubbles' memories, CW crossed that line. Perhaps because it is a reminder that they are still beings of silicone and wires, whatever spark they might have is just an electrical spark.
Or it might be the AI equivalent of a lobotomy. Even humanity reviles the technique because it doesn't cure someone, it destroys them from the inside and leaves behind an empty shell.
Can Corpse Witch appeal her conviction on the grounds that her confession was coerced by torture?
She'd need to be able to prove it happened. I doubt Creepybot will leave any evidence.
Am I alone in not seeing this as a straight-up deus ex machina? It seems to me that we've seen the introduction of, if not a major character exactly, a major undercurrent in the QCverse that will likely come into future storylines with the AIs. We may never see Lady Tentacles again in their current form, but that doesn't mean this is the last time they'll be a factor in the story. I mean, if $DIVINITY came down specifically to do you a favor, the story would likely not end there.
Oh i love this page so much!
"you have a choice. Accept the proper punishment or life will be like this"
flips switch to demonstration
With Faye there was... Honestly? To me it read like friendly ribbing.
I'm aware, and find the distinction meaningless. Satan ran it past God, who signed off on it. God is no less guilty than if he'd done it himself.There are probably machine gods, sure. I'd say it's hard to pray to a god that's torturing you, but that never stopped Job.
Actually, that was Satan ("the Adversary", "the opposer") who did the torturing. God (Adonai) let it happen as part of a bet to prove that Job (Iyov) would remain an upright man and not curse God's name.
The relevant passage is Job 1:6-12 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+1&version=CJB). I'm linking the Complete Jewish Bible version as it's translated directly from Hebrew to English (the New Testament is straight from Greek).
Don't forget that God also stopped Job from being killed and then fixed everything better than it was before. In the process, it proved that the human creation was not intrinsically flawed and can remain faithful no matter the scale of the apparent injustice they suffered. More importantly, it showed that human faithfulness didn't depend on being shielded from harm.
A. If I burned your house down and destroyed everything you own and hold dear, and then a week later told you I bought you a nicer house and replaced everything inside it, would that undo the trauma of my original crims? Even if it did...
B. HIS CHILDREN ARE STILL FUCKING DEAD.
Am I alone in not seeing this as a straight-up deus ex machina? It seems to me that we've seen the introduction of, if not a major character exactly, a major undercurrent in the QCverse that will likely come into future storylines with the AIs. We may never see Lady Tentacles again in their current form, but that doesn't mean this is the last time they'll be a factor in the story. I mean, if $DIVINITY came down specifically to do you a favor, the story would likely not end there.
You're definitely not alone. A DEM solves everyone's problems and ends the plot. The Squid and its avatar Spookybot open up entirely new plots and problems.
Am I alone in not seeing this as a straight-up deus ex machina? It seems to me that we've seen the introduction of, if not a major character exactly, a major undercurrent in the QCverse that will likely come into future storylines with the AIs. We may never see Lady Tentacles again in their current form, but that doesn't mean this is the last time they'll be a factor in the story. I mean, if $DIVINITY came down specifically to do you a favor, the story would likely not end there.
You're definitely not alone. A DEM solves everyone's problems and ends the plot. The Squid and its avatar Spookybot open up entirely new plots and problems.
I think that a plot device that resolves a seemingly unsolvable problem is in fact a deus ex machina whether or not it opens up new plots and/or problems.
Oh great, saw this illustration of bugs bunny as a human and it looks so much like what my picture of creepy bot would look like, now im gonna be reading his lines in the rabbits voice.
And it kinda fits, bugs wasnt shy about causing pain or electrocuting people to get a laugh.
(http://1.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/32/94/99168923d8488f65c5f1f15e31299632.jpg)
If Spookybot is an emanation of the AI Hive Mind, Spookybot did not exist before AIs, and AIs did not exist before John Ellicott-Chatham invented them. So, Spookybot is a recent entity, probably still developing (hence their being inspired by Bubbles's behavior toward Corpse Witch).
Large parts of Spook's personality are nothing at all like John's, but OTOH one can see a lot of Beatrice in them. Yup, Spookybot is the intellectual offspring of John and Beatrice, and therefore Hannelore's AI sibling. This can't be the first time one AI has violated another, but Corpse Witch mind-fucked their sister Hanner's friend. That's why they were inclined to make a special project of CW when Hannelore brought Bubbles's plight to their attention.
Then it's a type of DeM that is actually a legitimate plot device as opposed to a failure in writing, which is what the term usually implies. Jeph has already shown us at considerable length that a significant AI subculture exists in the QCverse. Now we're getting a look at one of its mythic components.
I'm not a fan of the idea that Station could crack the encryption and thus solve the problem. If it's brute forced, then that would break my willing suspension of disbelief. If it's cracked via a backdoor, known weakness, or some other hand wave, then it's simply a deus ex machina.
They need to find a way to change the equation such that Corpse Witch wants to hand the key over more than she wants to destroy it or to retain Bubbles' service. In other words, they need leverage.
Detective Basilisk may be able to assist, but they'd have to consult her without Corpse Witch finding out, which may be a high risk strategy. Alternatively, Jeremy may know something.
They're not exactly racing against the clock, so they have time to gather information.
I hadn't made the Beatrice connection, but it opens up all sorts of fascinating possibilities. Perhaps the Squid is a child. Or the emotional equivalent of a teenager. Either way, an immature being with an highly developed sense of Their own power, but an underdeveloped sense of empathy, since Beatrice is one of Their role models and John's too distracted to be of much use. Now, however, They've met others-Bubbles, Faye, Hanners, Emily--who "inspire" Them. What's going on is an internal contest for the soul of the Squid.I'm seeing the AI Hive Mind as an unexpected phenomenon, something John didn't foresee happening (although he no doubt became aware of it at some point). While Spooky wasn't parented by the Ellicott-Chathams, they do bear the stamp of their personalities and intellects.
Perhaps the Squid recalls some trauma to Their OWN psyche brought on by someone (Beatrice perhaps?) messing around with Their mind and that's why They're so fanatical about punishing others who have done the same.
Am I alone in not seeing this as a straight-up deus ex machina? It seems to me that we've seen the introduction of, if not a major character exactly, a major undercurrent in the QCverse that will likely come into future storylines with the AIs. We may never see Lady Tentacles again in their current form, but that doesn't mean this is the last time they'll be a factor in the story. I mean, if $DIVINITY came down specifically to do you a favor, the story would likely not end there.
You're definitely not alone. A DEM solves everyone's problems and ends the plot. The Squid and its avatar Spookybot open up entirely new plots and problems.
In normal times, I would have just viewed this sequence and "meh" and not thought much about it. It's a tired old trope and shows lack of imagination on the part of anyone who writes fiction.[1] However, given the current president of the US says that "torture works", I feel obligated to link to a few things:
...
Ps.
I have also emailed Jeph.
Oh i love this page so much!
"you have a choice. Accept the proper punishment or life will be like this"
flips switch to demonstration
Justice systems in which the accused have a choice of confession or torture are generally considered not good things.
Can Corpse Witch appeal her conviction on the grounds that her confession was coerced by torture?
She'd need to be able to prove it happened. I doubt Creepybot will leave any evidence.
So we have somebody running a long-standing and profitable criminal enterprise,,of whom the authorities had some suspicion but no hard evidence, suddenly rolling into a Police station to give herself up and confess to all the things she's done/ And presumably also volunteer evidence against herself (I'm assuming confession alone is not sufficient grounds for conviction).
The authorities are gong to wonder why the hell she did that.
This is a torture scene and is the darkest QC has ever gotten, even including the attempted murder of Bubbles.
It's also very bad news when an entity as powerful as the Albino Architeuthis claims to be has very few moral principles.
This is a torture scene and is the darkest QC has ever gotten, even including the attempted murder of Bubbles.
It's also very bad news when an entity as powerful as the Albino Architeuthis claims to be has very few moral principles.
Either the Albino Arciteuthis is telling a few porkies, or she is not just being very disappointing to me, but also inconsistent with the QCverse.
I choose to view CWs zaps as no more significant than Pintsize enduring a few dings. Communication, basically. The first zap to get CW to be quiet and listen, the second as a reminder. Not that they'd go to the trouble of doing that to her if she doesn't turn herself in. Call it speaking to her in the only language she understands, as evidenced by her justification for the Bubbles booby trap.
I also think this technique is ethically unsound.
John Yoo, the former Justice Department lawyer who produced the torture memos cited Bauer in support while Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia went further, "Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles... He saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Are you going to convict Jack Bauer?" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticking_time_bomb_scenario (*)
According to British lawyer and writer Sands, Jack Bauer—played by Kiefer Sutherland—was an inspiration at early "brainstorming meetings" of military officials at Guantánamo in September 2002. Diane Beaver, the staff judge advocate general who gave legal approval to 18 controversial interrogation techniques including waterboarding, sexual humiliation and terrorizing prisoners with dogs, told Sands that Bauer "gave people lots of ideas." http://europe.newsweek.com/lithwick-how-jack-bauer-shaped-ustorture-policy-93159?rm=eu
I also think this technique is ethically unsound.
Hmmmmmh - I know it's just a comic, but...Maybe we shouldn't be so 'casual' (wrong word, but still) with fictional torture - it has real-life consequences. For the way we think about torture.
New comic. Took me a while to realize the other identity of the robot in the last panel.
Officer Basilisk knitting? Darn.:clairedoge:
Oh i love this page so much!
"you have a choice. Accept the proper punishment or life will be like this"
flips switch to demonstration
Justice systems in which the accused have a choice of confession or torture are generally considered not good things.
It is, however, a solid basis for a religion.
Above all else, a god needs compassion!(And don't you wish you could have heard that addressed to Q in Patrick Stewart's resonant voice?)
Actuator?
A play on actuary.
An Actuary is someone that analyses data and works with statistics, using mathematical skill to assess or predict the probability of an event happening and its financial consequences. The decisions of actuaries can affect thousands of people so it is a well-paid job, with a lot of responsibility.
What do you mean, Matrix trilogy? There was only one Matrix film. Are there more planned? That would be awesome.Additionally, there are only 2 seasons of Gargoyles and Transformers: Kiss Players never happened.
You know, if your work is being compared to a book of the Bible, you must be doing something right.
I suspect Jeph had issues with how to deal with the whole "Bubbles' Brain" storyline without resorting to DEM (gee, sounds like "Spock's Brain," don't it?), and it's showing with the rather clunky ending.
I suppose having four bodies would enable one (if that's the right word?) to get a lot done in a day. And these four may be just a representative sample....
WE. DON'T. TALK. ABOUT. THAT. EPISODE!You know, if your work is being compared to a book of the Bible, you must be doing something right.
I suspect Jeph had issues with how to deal with the whole "Bubbles' Brain" storyline without resorting to DEM (gee, sounds like "Spock's Brain," don't it?), and it's showing with the rather clunky ending.
"Brain, brain! What is brain???"
I suppose having four bodies would enable one (if that's the right word?) to get a lot done in a day. And these four may be just a representative sample....
What makes you think they weren't all the same body?
Also, there were 12 seasons of Firefly.What do you mean, Matrix trilogy? There was only one Matrix film. Are there more planned? That would be awesome.Additionally, there are only 2 seasons of Gargoyles and Transformers: Kiss Players never happened.
Am I the only one wondering if Creepybot knocked out Dora again?I kind of got the impression that Creepbot WAS worse than Robot Jail. Even if she's not the thing that Corpse Witch was referencing, the description is still apt. And, honestly, if something even more powerful than Creepybot shows up, my poor, ailing suspension of disbelief is just going to wither up and die.
I have to wonder if this is it or this arc may have one more twist like the thing that is worse than robot jail paying Creepybot a visit. They may not like meddling in their business. It could be the AI equivalent of the Guild of Calamitous Intent.
Just a few things to tidy up before it's back to HQ and Paperwork. Then feet up and a nice hot cup of Oil. ;D
Took me a moment to recognise Punchbot in that last Panel too.
For some reason, Spookybot has the same voice as Farscape's Scorpius in my mind. And it is awesome.
The same character could probably answer both questions; the hero Harem (http://www.grrlpowercomic.com/cast) from Grrl Power.I suppose having four bodies would enable one (if that's the right word?) to get a lot done in a day. And these four may be just a representative sample....
What makes you think they weren't all the same body?
remember, this is a post singularity society.. nobody understands how the AI's work.. If you dig deeper, you're probably going to find larger, more powerful, much older AI's... It's turtles all the way down mate..
Maybe I'm literal-minded, but a few questions occurred to me on a second look at today's comic:1) There doesn't need to be any activity, the house itself has value and with him being the proprietor he could make money with whatever business might be moving in.
1. Jeremy is now proprietor of the skating rink. Which apparently nobody skates at, because it was really a robot fighting ring. How will it stay open now?
2. Why is Basilisk knitting? Do robots get cold, and need sweaters and hats and scarves? (This raises the larger question of why the humaniform AIs wear clothes; they have no genitalia to cover, so why bother? CW was an interesting case of a non-humaniform AI who favored skirts. And of course there are plenty of unclothed robots.)
3. Creepybot tells Emily that Bubbles' mindspace could be instructive in future. How would that work? Is Emily going back in there? Because all she saw the last time was a minimalistic virtual space with stacked doors and an empty room behind a lock; how does that constitute "research material?"
4. Punchbot turns out to be an accountant. This suggests he didn't need to fight for money; accountants make a decent salary. Which robots were the "underprivileged" ones May was talking about? And why does an AI need glasses?
Also: if Creepybot is an AI, why are its speech balloons round instead of square?
Nono, don't you remember? The third season of Gargoyles got cancelled after the first episode because of that fire that destroyed all the remaining taped episodes and all the masters, so the author put them out as a comic when the studio wouldn't authorise a re-shoot because all the actors were busy working on the eighth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation…What do you mean, Matrix trilogy? There was only one Matrix film. Are there more planned? That would be awesome.Additionally, there are only 2 seasons of Gargoyles and Transformers: Kiss Players never happened.
Maybe I'm literal-minded, but a few questions occurred to me on a second look at today's comic:
1. Jeremy is now proprietor of the skating rink. Which apparently nobody skates at, because it was really a robot fighting ring. How will it stay open now?
4. Punchbot turns out to be an accountant. This suggests he didn't need to fight for money; accountants make a decent salary. Which robots were the "underprivileged" ones May was talking about? And why does an AI need glasses?
4. Punchbot turns out to be an accountant. This suggests he didn't need to fight for money; accountants make a decent salary. Which robots were the "underprivileged" ones May was talking about? And why does an AI need glasses?
Now that is a Deus Ex Machina.
Hi Ho Silver etc.
Officer Basilisk knitting? Darn. I've managed teams of Israelis, Germans and Australians on a seriously clsssified defence project. I've helped get a spacecraft to Mercury and have it transmit images intact. I've been on a team of two on another project that was directly instrumental in saving 250,000 lives.
But neither I nor the other gal on that team can knit. The ability to take two sticks and some string and make fabric by tying knots will forever be as much of a mystery to me as Special Relativity theory is to many.
In reference to this being a Deus Ex Machina:
Yeah, it totally frikkin' is. Just because Spookybot could eventually end up causing problems later, and just because things aren't entirely perfect, doesn't make it *not* a Deus Ex Machina. Within the current storyline, we were presented with a problem, told that it was insurmountable, and then an all-powerful being with effectively infinite resources and power showed up and singlehandedly resolved the problem, dispatched the villain, and neatly tied up every subplot that might have come about from this arc.
Yeah, sure, Bubbles wasn't magically cured of her PTSD, but when Zues shows up and kills the sea monster for our plucky hero, that doesn't magically end his quest either - It just ends the interesting conflict in the most boring way possible.
The only difference between this and a traditional Greek myth is that in the myth, people at least knew that the gods existed and were mucking about *before* they showed up and saved the day.
Wow, seriously? This latest comic wraps everything up so neatly, it seems almost self-aware of how Deux ex Machina/God Mode Sue it is.
If you want to knit, don't hold your needles how Officer Basilisk is holding hers...that's not a valid knitting position at all.
...
The reason I'm disappointed by the depiction of knitting in today's strip is because the depiction of knitting hands in strip #2904 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2904) is absolutely fucking perfect.
The reason I'm disappointed by the depiction of knitting in today's strip is because ...But is it a depiction of knitting, or a depiction of someone who has just stopped knitting because Spookybot has just materialised out of thin air into their front room...
...Faye and Bubbles...... lot of loose ends hereAt a guess those are more in the way of significant future plot threads than loose ends - and, I submit, rightly so.
If you want to knit, don't hold your needles how Officer Basilisk is holding hers...that's not a valid knitting position at all. Notice how the piece isn't even on the knitting needles. And although there is a valid knitting style that does involve needles pointing down like that, which is called 'Parlour Style', it is freaky rare. I've only seen one photo of actual Parlour style knitting, and I have never found video of the technique.She's a cop and an unknown humanoid has just appeared out of nowhere in her living room. She's re-positioned her needles so she can go for the eyes if the intruder gets too close and buy herself time to lunge for her pistol. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, stabbing Spook in the eyes wouldn't do any good even if she could manage it, but she doesn't know how close to omnipotent they is, and none of her programming, training or speculation has prepared her for an encounter with androgynous demigod. It's a reasonable punt.)
The reason I'm disappointed by the depiction of knitting in today's strip is because the depiction of knitting hands in strip #2904 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2904) is absolutely fucking perfect.
It kind of left out the resolutions for two of the characters involved in the story: Faye and Bubbles. The two characters around whom the whole arc revolved. The two characters who saw significant character development. The two people who genuinely lost their jobs, and have to face the consequences of that. How are they going to pay the rent? What are they going to do with their lives?You don't think Punchbot & Punchbot of Cyber Punching Arenas will need workers to repair the fighters?
Punchbot & Punchbot of Cyber Punching Arenas
It kind of left out the resolutions for two of the characters involved in the story: Faye and Bubbles. The two characters around whom the whole arc revolved. The two characters who saw significant character development. The two people who genuinely lost their jobs, and have to face the consequences of that. How are they going to pay the rent? What are they going to do with their lives?
You don't think Punchbot & Punchbot of Cyber Punching Arenas will need workers to repair the fighters?
Here's the thing - before Faye was fired, there was never any indication that Bubbles had a hole in her memory, no? We knew she was PTSD, etc, but this whole arc has in a sense been running in circles.Running in circles? I really don't think so. We've seen a *lot* of character development in those two.
Especially if Faye & Bubbles get rehired by the new, "legit" owners.
I'm not talking about "going back to Bubbles' first appearance", but "going back to Faye punching CW in the face and getting fired for it".Here's the thing - before Faye was fired, there was never any indication that Bubbles had a hole in her memory, no? We knew she was PTSD, etc, but this whole arc has in a sense been running in circles.Running in circles? I really don't think so. We've seen a *lot* of character development in those two.
Especially if Faye & Bubbles get rehired by the new, "legit" owners.
At the beginning of the arc, Bubbles was functionally agoraphobic...
Even if they go back to repair at the P&P Robot Martial Arts Gym, they're very different.
So how did Spookybot enter without a detective such as officer Basilisk noticing? Silent lock picking or just very fast?
This Arc actually reminds me of Sinclairs Arc in Babylon 5
:There is a hole in your mind."
This Arc actually reminds me of Sinclairs Arc in Babylon 5
:There is a hole in your mind."
So how did Spookybot enter without a detective such as officer Basilisk noticing? Silent lock picking or just very fast?Same way they suddenly appeared a Coffee of Doom without any of the staff noticing. No whoosh, no twinkling sounds and glitter, no "Pop!", no nuthin' - they just all of a sudden there.
If you found a used plot device at a second-hand store, would you buy it?You only find them at the little shop that wasn't there yesterday.
A decent defense attorney could get it thrown out easily.Yes, but Corpsie knows what will happen to her if she allows that to happen.
If CW wanted to fight the charges, she could easily have whatever evidence Creepybot handed to Basilisk excluded as it was illegally obtained. Or at the very least, it was obtained under legally ambiguous circumstances. A decent defense attorney could get it thrown out easily.
Can't blame Bubbles for the loss of the badge. The raccoon acted on it's own.
Officer Basilisk looks really good in her uniform... hnnn...
Except Bubbles never tossed her in a garbage can! She just moved the can Basilisk was already in!
On one hand I wish this plot had gone on for much longer to bring it to a satisfying conclusion.
But every day this week I find myself thinking Jeph should have ended this trainwreck the strip prior. Which is really disappointing because I love stuff about Bubbles.
Except Bubbles never tossed her in a garbage can! She just moved the can Basilisk was already in!
This is an interpretation of that strip that seems now to have been debunked by in-strip canon.
Basilisk is just being a good cop in wanting to know the bigger picture. And frankly, given that CW's confession came under duress, any conviction obtained with it is probably invalid. (Not that that ever stopped the conviction of small fry like CW.)As others have pointed out, a confession illegally obtained under duress will stand if the defendant is too scared to challenge it, so it's academic.
"Trapped", Basilisk said. And it's pretty straightforward to trap someone in a place they were already in. (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3331)Bubbles presumably crushed the edges of the can and its lid together, locking the lid in place. I'm still surprised that Basilisk would fit in a standard-sized dustbin in the first place. She must be very flexible. I'm pretty small, and I'm not sure that I could scrunch up enough.
CW will plead guilty regardless, so it's moot.
But where did that evidence come from? Eyewitness statements legally obtained? Conjured out of thin air? Magic?
It's tangential, so it hardly matters I suppose, but... eh. The whole resolution is a hand wave anyway.
Sorry, don't mean to sound whiny. I'm still enjoying the comic, honestly!
But Corpse Witch knows that if she lawyers up Spook will make good on their promise of eternal torment.Minor but important correction: she *knows* no such thing. She certainly believes it though, and the Eminence Gris went to a great deal of trouble to reinforce that belief.
If you want to knit, don't hold your needles how Officer Basilisk is holding hers...that's not a valid knitting position at all. Notice how the piece isn't even on the knitting needles. And although there is a valid knitting style that does involve needles pointing down like that, which is called 'Parlour Style', it is freaky rare. I've only seen one photo of actual Parlour style knitting, and I have never found video of the technique.She's a cop and an unknown humanoid has just appeared out of nowhere in her living room. She's re-positioned her needles so she can go for the eyes if the intruder gets too close and buy herself time to lunge for her pistol. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, stabbing Spook in the eyes wouldn't do any good even if she could manage it, but she doesn't know how close to omnipotent they is, and none of her programming, training or speculation has prepared her for an encounter with androgynous demigod. It's a reasonable punt.)
The reason I'm disappointed by the depiction of knitting in today's strip is because the depiction of knitting hands in strip #2904 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2904) is absolutely fucking perfect.
Well but do we think Collosal Squid would not put a much, much better lockdown on that kind of info than Coprse Witch could (and not fuck it up)? Or that they haven't already put the Dark Ops side of the earthly government on notice that they will not countenance someone forcibly extracting memories from an AI?CW will plead guilty regardless, so it's moot.
But where did that evidence come from? Eyewitness statements legally obtained? Conjured out of thin air? Magic?
It's tangential, so it hardly matters I suppose, but... eh. The whole resolution is a hand wave anyway.
Sorry, don't mean to sound whiny. I'm still enjoying the comic, honestly!
True, but it may not end just like that. We've seen before that the government took custody of the Vespa Avenger and have also intervened to suppress Emily's technological discovery so I wouldn't be surprised if soon after the conviction Corpse Witch's module is "lost" from robot prison so a government agent can interrogate her. She still might be too scared to talk, but I imagine they can be persuasive too or will just access her memories to find out what she knows. I doubt the powers that be rest easily knowing there is a near omnipotent AI roaming freely and want to find someway to either capture or neutralize them.
Well but do we think Collosal Squid would not put a much, much better lockdown on that kind of info than Coprse Witch could (and not fuck it up)? Or that they haven't already put the Dark Ops side of the earthly government on notice that they will not countenance someone forcibly extracting memories from an AI?CW will plead guilty regardless, so it's moot.
But where did that evidence come from? Eyewitness statements legally obtained? Conjured out of thin air? Magic?
It's tangential, so it hardly matters I suppose, but... eh. The whole resolution is a hand wave anyway.
Sorry, don't mean to sound whiny. I'm still enjoying the comic, honestly!
True, but it may not end just like that. We've seen before that the government took custody of the Vespa Avenger and have also intervened to suppress Emily's technological discovery so I wouldn't be surprised if soon after the conviction Corpse Witch's module is "lost" from robot prison so a government agent can interrogate her. She still might be too scared to talk, but I imagine they can be persuasive too or will just access her memories to find out what she knows. I doubt the powers that be rest easily knowing there is a near omnipotent AI roaming freely and want to find someway to either capture or neutralize them.
And BTW about confessions and evidence: Creepybot is being an anonymous informant. If someone else with access to evidence, who is not the police, brings in enough of it to warrant a proper investigation, and police then uncover that indeed there is proof of the crime, then that proof is not tainted. If someone confesses eagerly and you have no evidence of coercion, you have to take the confession. And yes, if you are a good LEO you will be, must be, suspicious of anything that works out too good to be true because it often means you are being a piece in the game.
On one hand I kinda expect Bubbles to go back to the old repair shop now that CW is gone.
On the other.... set up a NEW repair shop in the basement of Coffee of Doom? Gets the cast back all in one place, pretty much.... they couldf even hire Brun! :-D
Art note: Roko's badge is silver rather than gold. By convention in the US, that means she is not a fully-qualified plain-clothes detective. She may have been seconded to AI Misuse but I think that she's normally just a patrol officer.
It varies from agency to agency. Basilisk identified herself as working for the State Police AI crime unit (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3311). If the QC universe is parallel to ours, Roko is probably either a Trooper or Trooper First Class (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_State_Police#Rank_structure). She's supervised by a Sergeant who works for a Detective Lieutenant who's under a Detective Captain. We don't know where the AI crime unit is headquartered, but she probably has office space available at Troop B Barracks 6 in Northhampton. We haven't really been given any indication of how closely she's managed by her boss.Art note: Roko's badge is silver rather than gold. By convention in the US, that means she is not a fully-qualified plain-clothes detective. She may have been seconded to AI Misuse but I think that she's normally just a patrol officer.
Doesn't quite mean 'patrol officer' but it does mean she can't be in charge of an investigation on her own. She's got to have a senior partner.
How did Spookybot enter the nice officer's home? I'm guessing limited sense hacking, expert lock picking with a side of stealth, and/or simply walking in while she was absorbed in her needlework and the Netflix binge Basky's watching. Because, seriously, my roomie will do that, get so absorbed in her knitting and the show that she's watching that I'll let the dog out, cook dinner, let the dog in, offer her some (and get a grunt in return), eat, do dishes, and if I time it right, I can let her know that her food's in the fridge right as I go to bed a couple hours later. It's tricky, though. I gotta time it right between episodes, but she'll have the same reaction as Basilisto.
Now that is a Deus Ex Machina.
Hi Ho Silver etc.
Officer Basilisk knitting? Darn. [...]
But neither I nor the other gal on that team can knit. The ability to take two sticks and some string and make fabric by tying knots will forever be as much of a mystery to me as Special Relativity theory is to many.
The basics of knitting aren't hard to learn..... There are instructional videos on YouTube if you're interested..
It's also pretty clear that the Bianchi parents are not on anyone's favourites list! I wonder if Jeph intentionally wrote them to be despised or if that's just the way people have reacted to the effects of their parenting skills on Dora and Sven?