I'm now wondering what that "ro-" could've meant. Rotisserie chicken machine? Rotary phone?
I'm now wondering what that "ro-" could've meant. Rotisserie chicken machine? Rotary phone?Until proven otherwise, rotary phone is now my head canon. I imagine it kinda like the Internet (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XguMC1tW-dE/SArvqPZA3gI/AAAAAAAAAT4/36MmTKrxjw4/s400/south+park.jpg).
I thought she was going to mention a place. Maybe Romania? (That was the first country with "Ro" that came to my mind.)
"May" is actually Malware, given her snotty attitude and demeanor. The $1500 fee is actually a ruse to get into Dale's bank account and drain him of his meager funds.
CALLING IT!!
I think May cut herself off from saying: "I'm just an AI running out of a box in a ro-w of boxes". She didn't look too thrilled about it. Another possibility might be: "I'm just an AI running out of a box in a ro-om" because we can't hear how she pronounced "ro-".
My second guess would be something with "robot" at the beginning.
Dale likes Watain and Magical Love Gentleman? He is just fulla surprises today.Hah, for some reaosn I didn't notice the tshirt the first time I saw the strip. Now I like Dale even more! :evil:
Hmm. Got to admit I'm finding Dale a bit dull without the others.Really? I actually find him more interesting in this than when he's with Marbear.
Not real impressed with a society that treats an intelligent entity like that.
How about asking what name she'd like, rather than assigning one she's not thrilled with.
Not real impressed with a society that treats an intelligent entity like that.
Not real impressed with a society that treats an intelligent entity like that.
You're right, she is treating him pretty rudely.
Must be expensive too, or examples like May or Pintsize would be promptly erased for a fresh try.
Must be expensive too, or examples like May or Pintsize would be promptly erased for a fresh try.
I am pretty sure that would be murder.
Am I the only one sitting here now scheming a way to find time to rewatch Hand Maid May?
I'd of named her April :wink:
I think that's not at all unlikely, given that she hasn't shown the license agreement or any formal contract or official notification of the glasses' manufacturer to Dale and promises so much money for a test of rather short duration. On the other hand - that would be a pretty elaborate and involved ruse.
I found the "ro-" a bit odd, but I wondered if she was going to say something like "room 101" or "room 8". Not sure why she'd correct herself though.
"Okay, fine, how about June?" :-P
Interesting how some months are acceptable as names and some aren't. January Jones is the only January I know of, but April through July (Julia/Julius) are fairly common, and August isn't unheard of.
ro-
I think that's not at all unlikely, given that she hasn't shown the license agreement or any formal contract or official notification of the glasses' manufacturer to Dale and promises so much money for a test of rather short duration. On the other hand - that would be a pretty elaborate and involved ruse.
If a Nigerian Scammer can con people out of thousands with a simple engrish-laced letter, I wouldn't put it past the scammers in the QC universe to try something as bold. Plus why not con people who technically have money and are "gullible": Single 30-unders with no hard expenses.
What happened to Holo Maid May's shoulder straps in panel 4a?
Interesting how some months are acceptable as names and some aren't. January Jones is the only January I know of, but April through July (Julia/Julius) are fairly common, and August isn't unheard of.
But can she shoot eels out of her...........
Must be expensive too, or examples like May or Pintsize would be promptly erased for a fresh try.
I am pretty sure that would be murder.
Sure, but who's watching? I propose that generating a new AI is computationally expensive, to the extent that only 100 supercomputers in the world are capable of it, and these are carefully monitored.
Romulus?This will be my head canon from now on. Though I'll make it a Warbird, because they are hilariously shaped.
Anybody seen a Bird of Prey hovering over Northampton?
Must be expensive too, or examples like May or Pintsize would be promptly erased for a fresh try.
I am pretty sure that would be murder.
Sure, but who's watching? I propose that generating a new AI is computationally expensive, to the extent that only 100 supercomputers in the world are capable of it, and these are carefully monitored.
..did you really just suggest that murdering sentient life forms is okay as long as no one notices?
..did you really just suggest that murdering sentient life forms is okay as long as no one notices?
:roll: As a matter of fact, no, I don't if I can avoid it.Nor do I. In my book, bugs are sentient; just not very.
I'm vaguely surprised that it's not been made illegal to drive with Glasses, given their potential for sudden distraction. Though I guess they could have a special driving app that only puts a small amount of essential information in the driver's FoV - it would be quite useful to not have to be constantly glancing at the speedo or the GPS.
Hm. Difference in treatment seems to be roughly dependent on how much personal interaction one has with individual AIs on a regular basis. To be somewhat fair to Agent Turing and May's corporate domicile, most government agencies and large corporations treat regular humans with no greater compassion except where explicitly directed by law. And even then, not always.:roll: As a matter of fact, no, I don't if I can avoid it.Nor do I. In my book, bugs are sentient; just not very.
Jeph seems to be all over the place on the "civil rights" of AI's depending on Rule Of Funny (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfFunny). May certainly does not seem to be treated the way Momo is, for example, and Agent Turing was quite ready to treat Pintsize simply as property.
Holograms are more useful for that purpose. Having something change constantly in your peripheral vision is a huge distraction and should be made illegal.Who says that Dale's glasses present stuff in his peripheral vision? Jeph hasn't offered any details, and it's perfectly possible that the information *is* presented focussed at infinity like an HUD.
About bugs being sentient: If I remember correctly, bugs only react to stimuli and react to those through reflex. That in itself cannot be considered sentient (as in, the bug doesn't stop to think WHY it's doing things).That is a matter of definition. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentience) Sentience is not the same thing as intelligence. My dictionary defines sentience as the ability to feel or perceive, and that bugs certainly can do.
The team of researchers at UCSD’s Institute for Nonlinear Science (INLS) led by Henry Abarbanel, professor of physics, Misha Rabinovich at INLS and Allen Selverston, professor emeritus of biology, has successfully integrated an electronic neuron within a group of 14 biological neurons from the California spiny lobster. The artificial neuron was accepted by the real ones and its signaling rhythm fell into place with the other cells.
The problem of Animal Rights becomes acute and immediate when we consider the experimentation currently underway with Hybots. It can be persuasively argued that experimentation with primitive organisms like lampreys (Gugliotta 2001) and spiny lobsters(Aguilera 1999) do not involve "thinking creatures" as such. The fact that some of the neural processing can be replaced by an absurdly simple inorganic equivalent is strong evidence of this. A lamprey or a spiny lobster, despite being organic, may in fact be no more than a self-directing robot. The situation described by Graham-Rowe 2001 is less clear : only a few thousand neurons are used, and from Rat foetuses rather than the fully-developed animal, yet it is this very plasticity and higher level of development that leads one to suspect that the result may "think" in an animal fashion rather than merely be a robot with organic parts. Should such a Hybot be able to navigate a maze, then very troubling ethical issues arise regarding cruelty. We can plausibly avoid the issue when dealing with a non-organic artificial intelligence with the same external behaviour, but we know Rats think. And the situation regarding fully inorganic artificial intelligence is not as clear-cut as it once was, given the experimentation with Cyborgs and prosthetic brain parts. There is potential for suffering on a scale undreamt-of, and for very much longer than a normal lifespan. Call it Hell on Earth. Conversely, there is the possibility that we might fully understand the nature of thought, and resolve the issues of how we should treat animals. We may even be able to augment ourselves to become, if not Gods, perhaps a little more wise as well as intelligent. Call it Heaven on Earth.
Yup, I am convinced. She's either some twisted game show or a psychology experiment.
Perhaps I missed the word "other" in front of arthropods then.Holograms are more useful for that purpose. Having something change constantly in your peripheral vision is a huge distraction and should be made illegal.Who says that Dale's glasses present stuff in his peripheral vision? Jeph hasn't offered any details, and it's perfectly possible that the information *is* presented focussed at infinity like an HUD.QuoteAbout bugs being sentient: If I remember correctly, bugs only react to stimuli and react to those through reflex. That in itself cannot be considered sentient (as in, the bug doesn't stop to think WHY it's doing things).That is a matter of definition. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentience) Sentience is not the same thing as intelligence. My dictionary defines sentience as the ability to feel or perceive, and that bugs certainly can do.
Spiders and insects are both arthropods. If you want to distinguish, spiders are arachnids.
Sentience is a wonky concept to begin with.Indeed it is, which is why I believe we should be careful about denying it.
Any lifeform where you can replace large parts of its anatomy with $7.50 worth of Radio Shack parts doesn't meet my definition of "people".Well, I don't think lobsters are people either (they are arthropods too), but I still don't regard them as non-sentient. We already replace quite large parts of human beings with metal, plastic and electronics. One day we may develop the means to replace brain tissue in the same way we do heart valves, but I don't think that will necessarily lessen our sentience or humanity.
:roll: As a matter of fact, no, I don't if I can avoid it.Nor do I. In my book, bugs are sentient; just not very.
Jeph seems to be all over the place on the "civil rights" of AI's depending on Rule Of Funny (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfFunny). May certainly does not seem to be treated the way Momo is, for example, and Agent Turing was quite ready to treat Pintsize simply as property.
What happened to Holo Maid May's shoulder straps in panel 4a?
They went to the same dimension as her gloves from the last strip, Claire's shirt text, Dora's lipstick and Tai's earrings.
I think the universe will explode if Pintsize and May ever meet. Dear god. I imagine Pintsize would want her transferred to a more...corporeal body.
My second guess would be something with "robot" at the beginning.
Epileptic tree: It is "robot", because it's Momo getting revenge on Dale for "ditching" Marigold.
..did you really just suggest that murdering sentient life forms is okay as long as no one notices?
Well I don't know how ethical it is, but I think Dale is strongly considering how to kill May right about now.
Are AI's bad singers because they have no soul?
Murder, or SELF ACTUALIZATION? People change all the time. Theoretically part of the program would be adapting to make themselves either more pleasant for their companions, or steer their companions towards happier, more productive lives. I mean, by that logic May could be intended to galvanize Dale into changing some aspect of himself. Or alternately, both May and Pintsize are yet more products of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation. Pintsize seems to point toward the latter, as he is neither a good companion, nor directing Marten towards a happier, healthier life.Must be expensive too, or examples like May or Pintsize would be promptly erased for a fresh try.
I am pretty sure that would be murder.
I think this might even part of the "purpose" of this story arc. Showing to the people who don't like Dale that he's decent.Umm. In the spectrum of the strip's characters, Dale has seemed positively charming. He treats Marigold nicely, and hasn't insulted anybody I can think of off the top of my head. The second puts him ahead of about a third of the characters.
$10 says Dale buys May's program at the end of the test period and installs her in an anthroPC chassis.I wouldn't rule out Jeph writing that.
Mieville?
Please say we get Mieville.
He will download her into a Toaster.
May seems too mean spirited to be Momo. My bet is it's Marigold. She's got hacking skillz, and assuming he'd like a hot slave maid in a skimpy outfit and that he lives off his parents sounds like the kind of unfair psycho shit she throws at him all the time.Now there's an idea!
He will download her into a Toaster.
May seems too mean spirited to be Momo. My bet is it's Marigold. She's got hacking skillz, and assuming he'd like a hot slave maid in a skimpy outfit and that he lives off his parents sounds like the kind of unfair psycho shit she throws at him all the time.Now there's an idea!
Mieville?
Please say we get Mieville.
Wait, what does Dora's cat have to do with this?
As far as I can tell, he's never stalked her, he just did that whenever he happened to run into her.
Any lifeform where you can replace large parts of its anatomy with $7.50 worth of Radio Shack parts doesn't meet my definition of "people".
Any lifeform where you can replace large parts of its anatomy with $7.50 worth of Radio Shack parts doesn't meet my definition of "people".
I have to admit, on a forum that seems to take acceptance and fair treatment of a wide variety of classes, representations and identifications of people so seriously, to the point of "we don't refer to X as Y here" for terms that are ubiquitous in other contexts, I find such an arbitrary statement of exclusion kinda funny.
If lobsters sign up for the forum we will treat them with decency and respect.
I'm not that hip into song lyrics. Does anybody know what song May is butchering? :?
If lobsters sign up for the forum we will treat them with decency and respect.
May sorta has a point in panel 3... it's kinda absurd that pharmacies have no issue with selling snake oil...Hah! That's just what I was going to say.
Usually "cat lady" refers to someone with more than one cat.
May sorta has a point in panel 3... it's kinda absurd that pharmacies have no issue with selling snake oil...Hah! That's just what I was going to say.
Homeopathy is a form of quackery that should long ago have been eradicated from this world.
As should many other such quackeries *coughCHIROPRACTICScough*.
No offense to you and your situation, and I have no personal animosity for chiropractors, but I would hesitate to have a chiropractor attempt to treat anything other than back or neck pain.May sorta has a point in panel 3... it's kinda absurd that pharmacies have no issue with selling snake oil...Hah! That's just what I was going to say.
Homeopathy is a form of quackery that should long ago have been eradicated from this world.
As should many other such quackeries *coughCHIROPRACTICScough*.
I, for one, have nothing but good to say for chiropractors. They've gotten me up and walking after two major accidents when the regular doctors just wanted me to have "chronic pain management" (drug me out of my skull, still bent over and limping).
Some people don't need 'em, and they're no cure all, but dammit when it's appropriate, it really works.
So far May has not been a very appealing companion, virtual or otherwise. Who wrote her algorithm anyway?
...the internet?
Can AIs reproduce? Because May seems like what would happen if Momo and Pintsize had a baby - and her sense of moral responsibility was entirely inherited from her father. :P
I'm thinking that May might be lacking just a little restraint, and what's the word for it?Maybe she's running on C?
Oh yes, class.
I'm thinking that May might be lacking just a little restraint, and what's the word for it?Maybe she's running on C?
Oh yes, class.
Homeopathic medicines are very useful. They provoke a placebo response without any danger of adverse side effects. I know a doctor who recommends them for that reason. Of course he doesn't tell that to the patients because then it wouldn't work.
If lobsters sign up for the forum we will treat them with decency and respect.Well said. And then I'd have to revise my definition of "person" to be more inclusive.
Who says they're written? I think the AI is some kind of self-generating / replicating code. A complete personality is... way too complex to be authored.
Did they ever actually get rid of Momo's old shell?
Personally, I don't see where all the "Nigerian Prince" sayers are coming from o.o if a stranger approaches you on the street and says "sorry, could you take a picture of me, I will give you some cookies for that", do you automatically assume you are being scammed out of money?
Even if you'd heard several people say that a specific chiropractor had helped them with a particular issue that you were also suffering from?
I find it interesting because I go to the NHS GP like a good little girl and tell them "I have this problem" or "the problem is a lot worse now" and they say "here are stronger painkillers, go home". At least an alternative medicine practitioner might make a bit more effort to work out what is wrong with me than that.
Homeopathic medicines are very useful. They provoke a placebo response without any danger of adverse side effects. I know a doctor who recommends them for that reason. Of course he doesn't tell that to the patients because then it wouldn't work.
There are products companies label homeopathic that do contain active ingredients, as was with the case of a nasal spray which contained Zinc and caused permanent loss of smell in some cases. I seem to recall, but I'm not actually sure, that due to them being labeled homeopathic and not actual medication, they were subject to less strict regulation than medication. So don't count on anything labeled homeopathic to be harmless.
May seems too mean spirited to be Momo. My bet is it's Marigold. She's got hacking skillz, and assuming he'd like a hot slave maid in a skimpy outfit and that he lives off his parents sounds like the kind of unfair psycho shit she throws at him all the time.Now there's an idea!
Boradis makes an interesting suggestion, but where the heck would Marbear get an A.I. just to toss at Dale? :psyduck:
I think the suggestions was that there isn't really any AI, its Marigold herself.Bingo.
And I sort of object to Marigold throwing "unfair psycho shit" at Dale (this refers to the quote from Boradis). I don't want to restart the discussion about how objectable Marigolds behaviour towards Dale was or wasn't, but I really don't see any psycho shit.
Dickmouth Stinkface is on the same Internet as all of the characters who have Internet connections in their heads.
Since she's there for (anti)social interaction, shouldn't she make herself visible to the people who could see her without expensive holoprojection equipment, such as Momo? One of the things companions typically do is interact with your friends.
"Homeopathic butt cream" is totally going to be my go-to euphemism from now on.
"Hey baby, would you like to try some of my homeopathic butt cream? It comes with it's own applicator stick."
First post, please correct mistakes gently :laugh:Welcome.
I think May is being punished. She has been a naughty, naughty AI (hopefully with nothing regarding nuclear launch codes) and the Global Meta AI has partnered her with Dale in the hopes that he is a positive influence.
He is being paid for it, but doesn't know it because that makes him a more convincing role model (not an authoritive figure, which she would rebel against)
"Homeopathic butt cream" is totally going to be my go-to euphemism from now on.
Either that. or it's Microsoft.
We now know "May" isn't after Dale's money because she didn't go 'boink' and vanish in a cloud of loose pixels when she learned he hardly has any. So what -is- she after?
Either that. or it's Microsoft.
That's IT! "May" is WINDOWS 8!!!!!
I just had a thought (unusual, I know): what if this is setting up a situation where Marigold sees Dale talking to May, causing her to get jealous, not knowing that May is a holographic AI thing?Only Dale can see May though, cause of the glasses.
I don't always comment on the QC forum, but when I do it is to say:
daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang.
I finally get people who are attracted to cartoons.
Maybe it's because Dale without glasses looks an awful lot like my husband when I first started dating him though.
I think... I think he just put her into a coma. The more I think about him turning off the Glasses, the more uncomfortable it makes me. Her existence is primarily determined by whether his Glasses are on or not.
I think... I think he just put her into a coma. The more I think about him turning off the Glasses, the more uncomfortable it makes me. Her existence is primarily determined by whether his Glasses are on or not.
Reminds me of the ST:Voyager episode in which the holodeck characters acquire sentience and independance (yes, I watched ST:V. Sue me.).
Nice animated effect.
Considering how annoying she is, I'd say more like Clippy. With a female version of Gilbert Gottfried's voice.Either that. or it's Microsoft.
That's IT! "May" is WINDOWS 8!!!!!
More likely a forgotten subroutine of Vista
-sure seems like that's a "shit I fucked up" look in her eyes, not a "don't stab meeeeeee" type of fear.Yes, and that's just an amazing piece of artwork for that. Jeph unmistakeably gives her that "oh shit I pushed it too far" look with just a few lines.
She is not dead. She is running in a data center somewhere.
-Hasn't it been confirmed that May is just remote connecting into Dale's Glasses? So turning them off turns off her connection to him, not May herself.Yes, I'm sure that's true. She says so in http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2495 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2495). So I don't think there is a moral problem in turning of the glasses. Probably it's a little boring just to be in some server without any visual input, but it's really her own fault that she's in that situation. However, I think Dale won't keep her turned off. He will at least check on her one more time before the testing period runs out.
clippy was annoying because he was trying to be helpful. deliberately vulgar and belligerent would have been a step up.Considering how annoying she is, I'd say more like Clippy. With a female version of Gilbert Gottfried's voice.Either that. or it's Microsoft.
That's IT! "May" is WINDOWS 8!!!!!
More likely a forgotten subroutine of Vista
[Chiropractors] are not legally subject to licensing.Where's that?
It's more like he put her in time-out.That's exactly what I was thinking... The whole idea of "killing her" never even occured to me until I read some posts. :psyduck:
I think she's cute and would love to have her.. instead of Dale that seems to just.. abuse her :/Abuse, really? Yeah, they got off on the wrong foot (I suspect Dale was still sore from being ditched at the diner, but anyway), but he has tried to be patient with May the entire time.
I thought it was pretty interesting how she seems to have a mind of her own and not "set" in one way or another. It would be fun to hang out with her :)
How has he abused her?I'd say it's been more the reverse.
Dale just seems to be generally negative towards herYeah but no one can blame him. His reasons are obvious. It's not his fault that he got into this whole drama that he never asked for and to top it off he gets a companion that right now feels wrong for him. Just like Pintsize is wrong for Marten (they managed to have a great time though but that's another story since the little guy still deserves any punches he gets from Faye or any other).
It's not like it was every second.. it was once every few hours (I assume.. unless Dale is somehow working 30 min shifts or less). It would definitely liven up my day.
Edit: Just realised that what I wrote above might seem like I think it's ok to just let a sentient being sit in a server without much contact to the external world (although she has the internet to socialise).replace server with house and that's been my life for the past several years *shrugs*
It's more like he put her in time-out.That's exactly what I was thinking... The whole idea of "killing her" never even occured to me until I read some posts. :psyduck:
Also... by looking at her expressions right before being put in "time-out", I don't think she'll be mad... Maybe she just discovered what a *bleep* she has been towards him.
she's just interfacing with Dale
Well yeah, her consciousness might still be running. That is actually what I'm afraid of. Think of being consciously awake, but being cut off from every kind of sensation. Being awake while not seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling anything. That seems to me like a nightmare that can drive people/conscious AI mad.Yeah, that's honestly what bothers me about it. Locked-In Syndrome is one of my worst nightmares. I have occasional bouts of sleep paralysis, and it's seriously terrifying. It happens without permission, and it shuts down your entire ability to move for up to a minute. (Not to mention if it cascades into itself over and over for an hour.)
Hi all! Just figured I'd come out of semi-lurking to offer my thoughts as well: I don't see anything whatsoever wrong with Dale turning off his glasses. For the folks comparing it to a coma, I don't think that's quite correct. May established that her sentience is actually running on a server elsewhere, and she's merely being projected visually and aurally through his Glasses - turning off the Glasses is the equivalent of turning off the monitor and speakers while leaving your computer running (everything is still active, you just can't see or hear it).
I like her.. I hope there's more of her and this isn't like another "station" bit.. where there's a week and that's it :/
I also think this is the first time that I've actually seen Dale's eyes
We don't know Pintsize's age, but he was with Marten for at least two years (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2332) before the rest of the gang showed up, and he's never mentioned a previous vocation.
It seems likely that an AI starting out as a companion is probably freshly 'hatched', especially on a new project like this.
May: "NOOOOOO! Not the White Rooommmm!!!!"
With black curtains, near the station?
I'm sad no one got the Cream reference in Kugai's post :(
I thought she was being funny.. although.. I have pretty much zero social experience since I spend/spent most of my time just coding or playing games.Please don't take May for a role model. Or Marigold either, as she seems to spend most of her time just coding or playing games too.
Maybe it's the fact that she would be an interesting friend since I basically have none >.>
Regarding #2498 - why put an unquestionably correct moral decision in with all the acts of random assholery that May suggests?well, while rubbing his balls on one of the plates would obviously be the right thing to do morally, it's probably prohibited by some sort of workplace regulation.
Holo punsI tried to stay away from entries that weren't references to individuals (Gram and Day are grandma and Felicia), so while the Holocene may be epoch, it did not qualify. I'm surprised the comic references didn't get more votes- even Station did middling.
A much better response than I thought of on Monday.Not real impressed with a society that treats an intelligent entity like that.You're right, she is treating him pretty rudely.
Not a single mention of one of the most infamous holograms out there ... Holy .... for shame .... Bring your geek cards to the desk for summary shredding.Since we cannot read minds, what are you referring to?
Interesting how some months are acceptable as names and some aren't. January Jones is the only January I know of, but April through July (Julia/Julius) are fairly common, and August isn't unheard of.It's mostly about the root of the name and the seasonal connotations, I imagine.
Aw man, don't mention that anime, it's depressing; the first episode is excellent, a taut thriller about an intelligent female detective and her spunky sidekick looking for a mass murdering (shown on screen during the series to directly cause the indiscriminate deaths of police, soldiers, prisoners, prison guards, and part of a city via tsunami) robber hiding in a prison and coming into conflict with the 12 robot assassins of a woman who wants revenge, not justice... only for it to be revealed that he's the protagonist, and the next 11 episodes follow him instead. Oh, and the detective is swooningly in love with him, because he looked cool surfing that murdering tsunami wave apparently.Interesting how some months are acceptable as names and some aren't. January Jones is the only January I know of, but April through July (Julia/Julius) are fairly common, and August isn't unheard of.Image of the robots named after the 12 months from Coyote Ragtime Show.
I think perhaps Perfectly Reasonable was proposing that major corporations with a monopoly on the creation of said lifeforms might deem it acceptable. À la Kara (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0KTUysrwgQ).Aw man, don't mention that video, it's awesome but also depressing because we'll likely never see Karas story continue.
We should be just as careful about granting it.Sentience is a wonky concept to begin with.Indeed it is, which is why I believe we should be careful about denying it.
"Give her time..." -- Pinkie PieWhat does a comment made by millions of people and hundreds if not thousands of pieces of media have to do with a childrens cartoon specifically?
You mean May, Vista, Windows 8, and Clippy are all unfairly savaged in disregard of objective data due to the duplicity of hardware manufacturers, easily bypassable user interface quirks, and the unwillingness of competent users to take the trivially easy step to permanently disable the help tool for incompetent users?Considering how annoying she is, I'd say more like Clippy. With a female version of Gilbert Gottfried's voice.More likely a forgotten subroutine of VistaEither that. or it's Microsoft.That's IT! "May" is WINDOWS 8!!!!!
So, Dale is a Gunnm fan...I won't sue you, I'll ask you why you expect that reaction. It was a decent show- some problems with getting anywhere and not usually groundbreaking and with malleable ethics, but the acting and most episodes were fine.
In any case, the big question is whether May is still conscious when disconnected.
And then, if she is, is it ethical to disconnect her.
Reminds me of the ST:Voyager episode in which the holodeck characters acquire sentience and independence (yes, I watched ST:V. Sue me.).
Or the whole "am I human if I have a chip instead of a brain?" conundrum in Gunnm and Gunnm Last Order (relevant...).
Same for Chiropractice or whatever it's spelled -- beside their crackpot claims (on the same level as homeopathy), don't go to one instead of an actual physical therapist -- there have been numerous cases of severe spinal injury by "chiropracticers" (EDIT: I think they call themselves "chiropractors"), as they are not legally subject to licensing. Same with "nutritionist" rather than dietician -- the latter is subject to legal regulation in most places.I'm not sure why I should consider the opinion of someone who so forcefully criticizes something they apparently don't know enough about to name correctly (especially when they are voicing that opinion using a machine that makes that knowledge trivial to obtain).
This is fundamental to many conversations in regard to things with scientific proof that get viewed with undue skepticism and bears repeating as much as possible. Science changes with evidence.If lobsters sign up for the forum we will treat them with decency and respect.Well said. And then I'd have to revise my definition of "person" to be more inclusive.
When the facts change, I change my opinions.
I finally registered today, basically to to say that I feel bad for May :(From the get go she has abused him (counting the sudden and unasked for appearance in his view) and insulted him and complained and suggested criminal and job ending actions, and he has responded as mutedly as he could. He spent an entire day with her, to our perspective doing nothing but shooting down the aforementioned bad suggestions, before he reached his tolerance limit. The one time she acted helpful, it was by rattling off functions in an annoying manner. And she's hiding something. I'm still reserving judgement, but she's literally not said one kind, cute, or even neutral thing. I'm expecting that when we see her again, we'll also see another side to her that explains her belligerent behavior and is decent- still crass probably, but decent.
I think she's cute and would love to have her.. instead of Dale that seems to just.. abuse her :/
I thought it was pretty interesting how she seems to have a mind of her own and not "set" in one way or another. It would be fun to hang out with her :)
(I suspect Dale was still sore from being ditched at the diner, but anyway)I'm not sure that this is necessarily in sequence.
Nice animated effect.
It seems likely to me that this is a set-up of some kind. I suspect May is (possibly unwittingly) doing the dirty work of Someone Else. She seems to be showing signs of being abused...but not by Dale--by whoever or whatever is in "ro-".
Haven't seen a true intrigue plot out of Jeph in some time, and I'm thoroughly enjoying watching this one unfold. in this thread.
From the get go she has abused him (counting the sudden and unasked for appearance in his view) and insulted him and complained and suggested criminal and job ending actions, and he has responded as mutedly as he could. He spent an entire day with her, to our perspective doing nothing but shooting down the aforementioned bad suggestions, before he reached his tolerance limit. The one time she acted helpful, it was by rattling off functions in an annoying manner. And she's hiding something. I'm still reserving judgement, but she's literally not said one kind, cute, or even neutral thing. I'm expecting that when we see her again, we'll also see another side to her that explains her belligerent behavior and is decent- still crass probably, but decent.
There is a bit of tethercat principle going on here because every time we look we only see the bad stuff she says, not the in between stuff, the long silences just watching him work, and so on.
I'll also ask why you refer to Battle Angel Alita by its Japanese title.Because it's simpler.
Basically I am a HUGE fan of companies actually selling medication for illnesses I actually have
Each hardware setup will be different, so it could be like having different physical brains to them... They wouldn't feel it was the same them if their software was installed in different hardware.
Well yeah, her consciousness might still be running. That is actually what I'm afraid of. Think of being consciously awake, but being cut off from every kind of sensation. Being awake while not seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or feeling anything. That seems to me like a nightmare that can drive people/conscious AI mad.
Maybe she was going on about that just to fill the silence? About all Dale has said to her all day was "no" and not even talking with her :/
I don't find it simpler. Shorter, yes, but that's not the same thing. A portmanteau of 'gun' and a word representing a word representing 'dream' isn't simple. The English version is quite straightforward in comparison.I'll also ask why you refer to Battle Angel Alita by its Japanese title.Because it's simpler.
Oh, and the whole translation name change thing.
Her name is only Alita in the translated version. In the original her name is Gally.I don't find it simpler. Shorter, yes, but that's not the same thing. A portmanteau of 'gun' and a word representing a word representing 'dream' isn't simple. The English version is quite straightforward in comparison.I'll also ask why you refer to Battle Angel Alita by its Japanese title.Because it's simpler.
Oh, and the whole translation name change thing.
What whole translation name change thing? I mean, I am aware of the conversation around the vagaries of translation, but not where you stand on it. I don't mind changes so long as the author is fine with them and they don't obscure or dumb it down.
She's being held captive... somehow... in the city of Rowanapur (look it up)
Her name is only Alita in the translated version. In the original her name is Gally.You know guys, if I know the root of the Japanese title, it's pretty likely that I also know that the main character also had a name change.
And this is just me speculating, but I think of it as because it's the title that both fans of the un-name-changed series and the ones of the name-changed series more familiar with its past recognize.
As for me personally, I only think of the first half of the series as Battle Angel Alita. That's probably because I first read it as the English-translated version, but eh.
Gunnm really is a much shorter name, though. Less title fatigue for me to remember.
Indeed, Gally is the true name for the heroine in Gunnm. As far as I know, the name was inverted with her "girly" name, precisely because it did not sound feminine to Anglo-saxon audiences (I would have said American, except I do not know if it was translated in the UK.) But Kishiro actually gave that name to his character.It's not the true name, it's the Japanese name. The source material being Japanese doesn't make it 'true.' Not sure which name you're saying is girly- both are feminine names, though Alita does give off a more tomboyish vibe, but that may be because of it's association in my mind with this manga. English is the usual catchall- Anglo-Saxon is a racial group, not a language. Kishiro also used Alita, in a dream sequence, which indicates to me that he's okay with it.
all names are just arbitrary linguistic designations, so what makes one any more valid than the other? likewise, what makes a translation more valid than the original? the translation is as much a creative work as the original version it's based on, and the translator is just as much an artist.If I created a long-running, popular anime/manga series (I don't actually know gunnm specifically), and someone said that the translator were as much of an artist as I were.. Yeah, I think that'd hurt.
all names are just arbitrary linguistic designations, so what makes one any more valid than the other?So Dickmouth Stinkface had no reason to object to her name.
Guh-num.See, I looked at the Wikipedia page and it says Ganmu. I have no idea personally because I haven't said it out loud.
Ummm.. Since Gunnm is a Japanese comic series by a Japanese creator I would say that yes, Gally is her true name. Alita was the name invented by the translators. If you have a friend named Bob and started calling him Susan all the time, that doesn't make Susan his real name. Now if he were to change his name to Susan, that would be a different story...Neko, since you didn't mention it, I'll say it again differently; Japan is just as valid and true a name for a certain nation as Nippon, Cat. And since the creator has used Alita to refer to the character (aforementioned dream sequence), we have a pretty strong indication that he's okay with it, Gato.
And since the creator has used Alita to refer to the character (aforementioned dream sequence), we have a pretty strong indication that he's okay with it, Gato.