I remember one episode of Numb3rs where a machine managed to pass the Turing test as it was designed to be the best natural conversation computer ever. It was useless for anything except for having a conversation with.
However, if they do have rights, or get them- they have responsibilities. Not sure if Pintsize would really want to be accountable for his behaiour.I had forgotten the strip about organizing for robot rights (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=668).
A murrain on thy cakes formed in pans!
He speaks of clever alien agents meant to infiltrate Earth, gather intelligence, and then transform the planet into the wild, wild world of uninhibited, witless Miley Cyrus clones. The last report: so far, so good!
But we'd have less problems if we used overly-dramatic Canadians who pause for no reason when they speak. Or, even better, dudes who used to be bad-ass associates of Spenser, but are now trying to act all 'touchy-feely.' Man's got to take that aggression out on someone.
Hey, I enjoyed Quantum Leap...
Wait, did I say that out loud?
Hooray! I'm not the only one who remembers Sisko in Spenser!Yes. I rejoiced when Avery Brooks went back to the shaved head and beard look. Then I realized why. Hawk in Space! (not to be confused with the character 'Hawk' in the second season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, who could have been cool, but, sadly, he was a character on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and so had no real chance to be so). He still didn't get to do many of the cool one-liners, though.
Because she had a horrible first day of filming.
(Some of the footage is included on the Season 1 DVD set. It actually is pretty horrible.)
What we really need is a boyishly faced Russian who is secretly a P12 teepHim? He couldn't keep us safe—he's too busy dealing with his constipation issues (or so it looked every time I saw Keonig on B5).
The worst part about Quantum Leap is that it is directly responsible for the current use of 'quantum' occasionally combined with 'leap' to mean "major" when the word quantum actually means tiny.Not to be an asshole (haha), but quantum leap doesn't mean it's tiny, it means there's no state inbetween. So if you work with natural numbers and go from 1 to 2, it's also a quantum leap.
What happens to AnthroPCs when they become obsolete? Do people toss their friends in the recycle bin, or give them away to luckless charities, or what?
I'm assuming it's not possible to be the 'old lady with cats,' only with dozens of anthropcs instead.
[...] it's obvious that they can be fairly easily weaponized. Something you can't do with a pet
why would it be important for a walking, talking little robot to possess a sex drive?A fast thinker with no distraction can do a lot. Like taking over the world.
Winslow never browsed outside the App Store.
BTW, is it software or firmware? :evil:I've never been clear exactly what the difference is—what 'firmware' describes, from the level of instructions to the method of storage, seems to vary from one type of device to another. I would suspect that the 'core' AI (basic personality) of each anpc is software, else it wouldn't be as easily transferable as Winslow made it appear. I'd also expect, though, that, just as in many new portable devices, everything that can be done with hardware is to save on power and, thus, heat generation. Getting wildly speculative, I wonder if that's why the 'Linux' anpc needs a 'neckbeard' heat sink—it uses less, perhaps the bare minimum of the standard hardware, and thus its processor(s) emits more heat grinding out functions through software that are built into the hardware of units such as Pintsize, Momo, and Winslow. Such a set-up would make the system less controlled and its abilities less restricted by 'the man' (the companies making the 'standard' anpc hardware components), but at a price.
BTW, is it software or firmware? :evil:Jesus Marimba, I just now got the joke. A belated "bah-doom-boom" to you, sir.
free-range AnthroPC
free-range AnthroPC
Raised on an an organic server farm?
Now I'm wondering if there really are 1.5-2m "fully functional" anthroPC's. And if so, why there's still a market for Realdolls (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=633).Remember Hanners' proto-boyfriend? "His bait and tackle are still in beta."
Time for a little necrothreadiphelia. I felt it was an appropriate callback given the upcoming arc. Besides, it's a good thread - the new people should read it!
Basically, I was wondering how the folks at UMass found Marten in the first place. It speaks to the fact that, at the very least, you need to somehow register your AnthroPC (can we agree on APC for short?).
After all, the local police need to track down the owner in the event of personal/property damage!
Basically, I was wondering how the folks at UMass found Marten in the first place. It speaks to the fact that, at the very least, you need to somehow register your AnthroPC (can we agree on APC for short?).
As much as Hannelore is around, when's the last time any reference has been made to the fact that she's an alien?
Or Steve's secret life as an agent?
JimBob who is actually a millionaire author of pulp fiction?
Pizza Girl?
Or Steve's secret life as an agent?
Plausible deniability. The gummint will never admit to it.
Or Steve's secret life as an agent?
Plausible deniability. The gummint will never admit to it.
Sorry, to contradict ya , buddy, but Steve's exploits were proven when the villaness showed up and bid Steve a perminant good-by in front of Marten. Gimme a few minutes to find the strip.
Edit @ 14:43EDT Steve's exploits #1350 (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1350).
That...seems like exactly the sort of horrible kludge that a modern western political system would come up with. Let's run with it for now.I totally agree that kind of half-assed, unreliable mess is classic American Politics. As is so common, it'll take 3 amendments and 20 court cases to make it work.
So the software either has to consent to be transferred along with its host hardware when that's sold, or it has to be evicted into other hardware first?
Like a sort of tenancy arrangement but with an 'obligation to re-home' or something.
Because simply deleting it would constitute murder I guess.
Clinton mentions that AIs have the same rights as humans. Including the right to vote?
brb manufacturing 150 million Demo-bot 2012s and depositing them in battleground states.
And once again a punctuation error leads to a hilarious tangent.
I may have to learn how to type.
Imagine what Pintsize would do with a full colon.You'd need a computer tech to administer an electronic enima?
And once again a punctuation error leads to a hilarious tangent.It wasn't the typo; it was the ironic placement* of it. For all I could tell, you did it on
I may have to learn how to type.
Imagine what Pintsize would do with a full colon.I think anyone who's spent enough time around stressed monkeys at a zoo knows the answer to that, only they (I'm guessing here) don't think of it as pron.
It'll be madness. Madness I tells ya!You called?
Thing 1 or Thing 2?Neither. Man-Thing (http://www.comicvine.com/man-thing/29-4988/all-images/108-211172/11_tbolts154_covcol/105-1577005/). And remember, he who knows over-posting burns at the touch of the Man-Arghhh!
I'm pretty sure Dr. Strangelove's hand isn't a robot. It's just a Nazi.
Good point: he did say SEMI-autonomous.Another thing to consider: Remote controlled devices are NOT autonimous so the human user is 100% responsible. Now we consider a self-aware computer that has [been trained | personality osmosis ] fuctioning on it's own or with minimal supervision.
What is "real" anyway?
You're all being a tad silly. Why would a robot hand want to squeeze Faye's breast? Unless he's gay (and possibly even then, given their impressiveness) you can bet Clinton does. The hand is merely responding to his subconscious desires (or possibly merely unexpressed desires), just as I've suggested Pintsize does to Marten's.
Of course, this actually makes that hand much scarier. Strangelove's hand might very well be acting on his own self-hatred. What if Clintonhand develops such issues?
Good point: he did say SEMI-autonomous.
There's been not a hint of overt social AI-phobia, though the Government Instrumentalities treat AIs with less than respect. The 2nd amendment doesn't apply, and I think the 14th is limited - an everyone accepts that as normal. Even wonderful people. The "othering", it's embedded so deeply, they're not even aware of it.
Momo's built-in taser, at full amperage, is in the lethal range.Deathbot 9000 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=642) appeared to be equipped with multiple, large-calibre (20mm?) weapons. It does not bear arms. It's arms are arms.
That would just mean when sent on a mission, instead of explosives he would drop graphic disgusting pictures of crazy pornography on the enemy.... I leave it up to you if that's worse or not, but I am pretty sure it's against the Geneva Convention.
I suddenly have a little head-canon of my own: Yelling Bird was Pintsize's "first" owner.
Now I'm wondering if there really are 1.5-2m "fully functional" anthroPC's. And if so, why there's still a market for Realdolls (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=633).
Because a "fully functional" anthroPC would basically be a RealDoll++ -- it would have to have hardware to do a whole lot of things that RealDolls can't, like walking and talking and moving their arms and manipulating things with their hands and having facial expressions, plus as much hardware and software as it needs to achieve sentience. In other words, it would be quite a bit more expensive than RealDolls, which run around $6,000-7,000 these days. (And some comparable Japanese sex dolls are up to $10,000.)
So RealDolls are still around in the QCverse because they're cheaper, thus appealing to a different market niche.
What if Pintsize wasn't kidding? (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1602)
That makes some disturbing sense.
If hands have a vibration mode, I'd speculate a lot more people would consider having them.A lot more ... than 7 billion?
A whole twenty minutes of paying attention to what nerves fire when you get cold, vs. general anaesthetic, weeks of recovery, months of physio, and probably a bunch of psychiatrist appointments because "it'd be so cool" is not considered a normal reason to want to chop your hand off…?
A whole twenty minutes of paying attention to what nerves fire when you get cold, vs. general anaesthetic, weeks of recovery, months of physio, and probably a bunch of psychiatrist appointments because "it'd be so cool" is not considered a normal reason to want to chop your hand off…?soon as they get touch and better individual digit control working on prosthetics, i'd seriously consider voluntary amputation. i have very little faith in my meatware. gimme some decent and upgradable hardware and i'll be very happy.
Which raises an interesting question: How could Clinton afford the hand? Was it covered by insurance? Or was it a "pay for it with prize money from IT competitions because you are some kind of child prodigy" sort of thing?
And who is making the new AIs anyway?
We know that Momo and others chose to be companions for whatever reason they had, but nobody as far as I know has talked much about their existence before hand. Were they AIs who wanted a corporeal existence? Did they have other jobs and other bodies before becoming companions? They can hold jobs presumably legally (Momo works in the library, unless it's under the table). So what other jobs can or do AnthroPCs hold? And who is making the new AIs anyway?
If AIs can procreate themselves, what happens to population control? Won't there be too many robots at some point?
The QC world seems to have a market economy, so eventually anyone who makes robot bodies when nobody's buying them will go out of business.
They wouldn't have an infinite amount of money to spend on new bodies, though.
It would be tough to represent in a comic, but wouldn't a sufficiently rich AnthroPC want to have as many bodies as humans have changes of clothes?
Companion AIs presumably get their first body from their human companion, and matchmaking interviews could be done from their natal server. Apple, Mitsubishi, and Sony at least make AnthroPC bodies. The references to "Sony AnthroPC" and "Apple AnthroPC" may refer to bundling arrangements where the hardware manufacturer provides a turnkey body/adoption solution.IDK about this. Didn't momo introduce herself as "I AM a Sony___ anthropc" ? And the same goes for Winslow, but saying apple. They seem to have a more solid identify of brand than just their starter chassis gifted to them from their human.
Companion AIs presumably get their first body from their human companion, and matchmaking interviews could be done from their natal server. Apple, Mitsubishi, and Sony at least make AnthroPC bodies. The references to "Sony AnthroPC" and "Apple AnthroPC" may refer to bundling arrangements where the hardware manufacturer provides a turnkey body/adoption solution.We know AnthroPC bodies can be bought from Best Buy (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=147), when their original hardware becomes unusable, so the linkage between hardware and software can't be tight. Who made PT410x (http://questionablecontent.wikia.com/wiki/PT410X)'s body, I wonder? He looks somehow... Russian? I know... It's the beard... And the angst. Ленинградская робота завода, товарищ!
We know AnthroPC bodies can be bought from Best Buy (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=147), when their original hardware becomes unusable, so the linkage between hardware and software can't be tight. Who made PT410x (http://questionablecontent.wikia.com/wiki/PT410X)'s body, I wonder? He looks somehow... Russian? I know... It's the beard... And the angst. Ленинградская робота завода, товарищ!It seems to be much like buying computers in our world. You can buy a prebuilt computer from Dell or HP or whoever, with software preinstalled, and then you can manually upgrade the RAM or the drives or the case or the software or whatever with 3rd-party pieces from Best Buy or PC Connection or Newegg or whoever.
Yet there was reference once to AnthroPCs having ethics programming.I feel that once AnthroPCs start thinking about ethics, they'll want ethics programming for themselves. Perhaps that's when they're deemed adult. Before then, limited rights, but limited responsibilities. We know many don't think growing up is worth it.
There is a theory (I am using the non-scientific term here) saying that there are a lot of psychopaths who are clever enough to not let on that they are psychopaths, and walk through society unrecognized.I know a psychopath who behaves as if they have a conscience. They were convinced by Kant that that's the best way to go. Emotionally, they lack empathy, but intellectually, they fake it so well that unless they told you, you wouldn't know.
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.... it just seemed to fit the Kantian psychopath. 8-)
I know a psychopath who behaves as if they have a conscience. They were convinced by Kant that that's the best way to go. Emotionally, they lack empathy, but intellectually, they fake it so well that unless they told you, you wouldn't know.Male or female? Not that it matters. A likable person? And any chance that telling you this doesn't necessarily mean it's true?
In many ways a very admirable person, proceeding through intellectual analysis what others require emotion to go through.
As they told me, fake it 24/7 for long enough and it becomes a habit that no longer requires conscious thought. It's just easier to treat other objects/people equally, even kindly, thereby maximising their own happiness. And avoiding the "angry peasant" rule....
Quote from: Kurt VonnegutWe are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.... it just seemed to fit the Kantian psychopath. 8-)
Jeph said somewhere that AnthroPCs own the hardware in which they live, which raises some questions about Station.
Is the station Station's body? Or does Station just interface with it, like AnthroPCs can with keyboards (and I seem to remember mention of a monitor as well).