Longer poll than usual this week, and you can choose as many options as you want.I'm glad you're doing the WCDT's, but 27 options?
Could you really trust a sarcasm or irony indicator?
Yes. My body language tends to send the wrong signals. In novel environments I resort to wearing my xkcd t-shirt that says "Just Shy, Not Antisocial. You Can Talk To Me!".
I'm going to take a wild stab here and guess the store at xkcd.Yes. My body language tends to send the wrong signals. In novel environments I resort to wearing my xkcd t-shirt that says "Just Shy, Not Antisocial. You Can Talk To Me!".Where can I get one of these.
PLAN A seems not to be working.Only if taken within 72 hours of killfucking.
Will Plan B work better?
Yes. My body language tends to send the wrong signals. In novel environments I resort to wearing my xkcd t-shirt that says "Just Shy, Not Antisocial. You Can Talk To Me!".
Where can I get one of these.
I don't know. Apparently Marigold was about to change, and accepted his truce, and...forgot?Well, we knew she forgot or a plot shark ate her memory or something back when she started the hissing thing.
Where does Marigold get off telling Momo's guest to leave?
Paying rent means you have veto power on visitors.I don't entirely disagree, and Marbear wouldn't do this, but would you back her on this principle if she decided she didn't want Faye in the apartment? In your case, yeah, you clearly had cause to not want the person in your apartment, but Dale was just standing there talking to Momo, who'd invited him in (after basically inviting him over).
Let me be the first to comment that May certainly seems to wish she could rip hearts out of chests like in Indiana Jones. I know that she's demonstrating her holo-ness, but she certainly doesn't have the highest opinion of him right now.
I think she's just displaying the fact that she is a hologram and thus incapable of moving chairs.
I'm glad gender was an option. It would make referring to people by their preferred pronouns much simpler (and it would take away the "Sorry, I forgot" excuse for misgendering people).Only if you're currently in sight and the glasses actually display your info.
Where does Marigold get off telling Momo's guest to leave?
So... why are we not discussing the obvious question of how May knows of Momos plan? Did they exchange metadata at some point? Or could May actually be *gasp* sensible to social undertones?
So... why are we not discussing the obvious question of how May knows of Momos plan? Did they exchange metadata at some point? Or could May actually be *gasp* sensible to social undertones?
Theories.I must point out that only May's appearance was influenced by Dale- May's existence preceded their interaction and was not modified.
Quote from: multiple peopleTheories.words
Where in the blue blazes did May and Momo get their ideas of how to "help" Dale and Marigold? There are romantic comedies with more believable ways to do it.Considering how stupid the tension between both is, a stupid solution might work. Who knows?
I really don't like Marigold at this point.I do. I just don't like her attitude.
I like how Momo didn't even object at all to May's idea, and jumped straight to implementation details.
She's reacted similarly to outlandish ideas at least once before, when Claire joked that Clinton got masturbation necrosis of the hand, with the same chin stroking. Come to think of it, that's also the closest anyone's come to acknowledging Claire's puns.I like how Momo didn't even object at all to May's idea, and jumped straight to implementation details."Well, my plan didn't work, let's try the convict's..."
Dale isn't really objecting yet, either.
Maybe Momo has watched too much Magical Love Gentlemen.
As far as Dale and Marigold go... They very much are having that social awkward/grade school crush going on where they express their feelings by picking on one another, then misinterpreting the signs. Dale and May just had a talk about that on the way over, but we can see Marigold does it too... Like with the hissing scene. After the diner she's feeling all bad and confused about how she feels, so she's going back to the old standard 'blame Dale and lash out at him'.
Just wondering if Friday's strip will end with Momo sitting on a chair, leaning up against a door as Angus and Faye come in>
Just what I was thinking. In that situation, I would have expected her, with her protocal database, to save the situation by saying something like: "Ha,ha. No, what really happened?" It seems she gets distracted easily by practical details of outrageous suggestions.She's reacted similarly to outlandish ideas at least once before, when Claire joked that Clinton got masturbation necrosis of the hand, with the same chin stroking. Come to think of it, that's also the closest anyone's come to acknowledging Claire's puns.I like how Momo didn't even object at all to May's idea, and jumped straight to implementation details."Well, my plan didn't work, let's try the convict's..."
Dale isn't really objecting yet, either.
As for the AnthroPC stuff, you have some very good points--the AIs we've seen do seem to be in a something of a position of privilege, except for May. Originally it was implied that Pintsize to some degree helps Marten with computer stuff/was his computer, which would act as a service they provide..
[...] distracted easily by practical details of outrageous suggestions.Heh. I imagine I'm not the only one here who'd find such a description all too fitting. 8-)
Give the guy some time. Do you know how long it take to get together 20 million stoats?
Give the guy some time. Do you know how long it take to get together 20 million stoats?
With the right phone calls? Eight days, tops.
I like how Momo didn't even object at all to May's idea, and jumped straight to implementation details."Well, my plan didn't work, let's try the convict's..."
Give the guy some time. Do you know how long it take to get together 20 million stoats?
Actually, what I told the guy was that all he needed to do to bring about the apocalypse was get Vladimir Zhirinovsky elected president of Russia.
fair warning: friday's comic has some feelsPREPARE YOUR BUTTS
I've been on the edge of my butt since this arc began.Quote from: Jeph's Twitterfair warning: friday's comic has some feelsPREPARE YOUR BUTTS
I ate it. Being a mod has its privileges.
At least someone realized that Dale keeping the glasses on wouldn't be classy.
So apparently, Momo can hear May, but cannot see her unless she's wearing the Glasses.No, there's a sensor in the glasses - unless someone's wearing them, May's confined to the server.
Wait, an entire strip where May was nothing but helpful? (I mean, sweary, but helpful.)
At least someone realized that Dale keeping the glasses on wouldn't be classy.
Classiness being such a high priority for the characters :-)
I really don't like Marigold at this point.I do. I just don't like her attitude.
But then, I don't expect perfection in friends, nor they in me. We try to be good people, but if sometimes we fail, we have friends to pull us up and tell us what assholes we're being. This hurts both the giver of the comment, and the receiver, so we try really, really hard not to deserve it.
Marbear - you're being an asshole, dear. We love you anyway, but please quit it.
-blinks- Where'd the pizza go, anyway?I ate it. Being a mod has its privileges.
So apparently, Momo can hear May, but cannot see her unless she's wearing the Glasses.I think she's just trying the glasses on for fun.
-blinks- Where'd the pizza go, anyway?
I ate it. Being a mod has its privileges.
You didn't share? There are words for people like you.
So apparently, Momo can hear May, but cannot see her unless she's wearing the Glasses.No, there's a sensor in the glasses - unless someone's wearing them, May's confined to the server.
Momo donned the glasses so May would be there, not to see her.
I see no evidence for that belief. Dale turned them off with a physical click to cut her off. As long as they're turned on, she has eyes and ears. I think Sorflakne has it right.So apparently, Momo can hear May, but cannot see her unless she's wearing the Glasses.No, there's a sensor in the glasses - unless someone's wearing them, May's confined to the server.
Momo donned the glasses so May would be there, not to see her.
Is it just false modesty?
Speaking of Jeph...BRACE FOR WATERY SHITS
https://mobile.twitter.com/jephjacques/status/367331109367193600?p=v
Why do some people replace "feelings" with "feels"? Just...why?I assume it relates to Girls With Slingshots in some way since he and Daniel Corsetto are friends.
For me feels and feelings are not synonyms, though I can't easily explain right now.Feels are unwanted feelings of responsibility and growig up.
Leaving May extremely frustrated, because she can neither grope nor be groped by anyone else present.Hey, they gotta be useful for something ...
Possiblyanother holograma mime could interact with her "physically".
Wait, what? I've just seen it used when something provokes an emotional response in general. Also does Corsetto use that word a lot? I honestly hadn't noticed.Actually I can't find any examples. Perhaps it's just because that strip is about avoiding feelings (at times) and thus I just associate it with the degenerate "feels" term.
... feels are thrust upon you ...
What are all the freight companies gonna do when that definition of 'shipping' takes over?
Did this glorious thought come when you were reading this or last week's WCDT and saw it mentioned several times? :emotrex:
That was the wrong term to use- I shouldn't morning and type. It's just the way he wrote about it, it seemed like it emphasized doubt that the fanbase would come through ("I had ever dared hope", for example) rather than joy that it was so enthusiastic. He better than any of us can see exactly how many people read him every day and buy his merch.Is it just false modesty?I wouldn't say it's false. Jeph has a long history of underestimating how much people enjoy his work and care about him. And even if he wasn't modest, reaching 300% of his goal in such a short time is pretty impressive! In any case, I think he just plain and simply understands how important it is to be thankful for the support of his fans.
Suddenly, those two are surprisingly self-aware. Dale's obviously been thinking about this a lot - I wonder what Marigold's deal is?
As I recall, Dale at first had no difficulty in talking to Marigold UNTIL the exact moment he discovered (by reading her T-shirt, IIRC) she was a fellow WoWser/wargamer/whatever the hell they want to call themselves. Then Marigold shifted into "NO TIPS FOR ALLIANCE SCUM" mode -- I'm going to assume, based on some experience, this was a panicked reaction to "omg someone's taking notice of me and I didn't initiate this contact" -- and off we were to the present races.
If I told someone to leave and they instead walked into my bedroom, yikes.Yes. Now she has a genuine reason to fear him.
Dale seemed to be a confident conversationalist when he and Marigold first met. How do we reconcile that with his saying he's afraid of talking to girls? It's also worth remembering that he's a favorite at Coffee of Doom.
I don't have a problem talking to women in professional or platonic contexts.
It's when things get into romantic contexts that there's a problem.
I wouldn't be surprised if Dale's the same way. He can deal with women when he's delivering pizza. He can be perfectly friendly with women in other environments, too. And, he hasn't had a problem with May as far as being afraid of talking to her (annoyed, yes, but not afraid). But, when a cute woman who's deep into his main hobby comes into the picture... my guess is that his brain goes into fight or flight mode.
There is a difference between "talking to girls" casually and "talking to girls." It's a subtle difference to us socially awkward folks.Unless you're *really* socially awkward, in which case it's the same, and doesn't happen.
Well, considering how little May likes the 'anime maid' look, I kinda doubt she would appreciate 'chibi anime doll' much more. Any body may be a better option than stuck in a Robot Jail server bank though. Assuming they even let her out and into a body anytime soon.
No way - that would mean she'd escaped. Right now, she's not actually in Dale's Glasses, she's still on a Robot Jail server being "broadcast" to his Glasses (and presumably monitored on threat of being cut off). If she was actually embodied, she'd be processed by (e.g.) miniMomo's CPU and thus out of the RoboJailers' control.Well, considering how little May likes the 'anime maid' look, I kinda doubt she would appreciate 'chibi anime doll' much more. Any body may be a better option than stuck in a Robot Jail server bank though. Assuming they even let her out and into a body anytime soon.
Actually, since May's out on "work release" ATM could she be uploaded into the old chassis right now?
Well, considering how little May likes the 'anime maid' look, I kinda doubt she would appreciate 'chibi anime doll' much more. Any body may be a better option than stuck in a Robot Jail server bank though. Assuming they even let her out and into a body anytime soon.
Actually, since May's out on "work release" ATM could she be uploaded into the old chassis right now?
Most of the time even casual talk is too difficult for me. OTOH, I have trouble with casual talk with anybody.Ditto. Well, if the topic is interesting enough, and I have some knowledge or input on the subject in question, then that can override my sense of awkwardness at least for the duration. The rest of the time, it's just awkward silence or useless stammering.
Does this feel like we missed a strip with Dale getting entry to her room and trying to calm her down to apologise, after the way she reacted to him being in her flat, to anyone else? Not to mention entering her bedroom after being told to get out at all!
Maybe it was more like a "*knock knock* 'May I come in? I wanna apologise.'"
Dale seemed to be a confident conversationalist when he and Marigold first met. How do we reconcile that with his saying he's afraid of talking to girls? It's also worth remembering that he's a favorite at Coffee of Doom.I have a minor problem talking to anyone I don't know. Those people will generally not realize this.
Marigold is still maintaining a relationship with the handsome scientist from the station, is she not? I don't think she's likely to dump him for no reason. He might even come back dirtside one day.
I suppose there could be a storyline where Marigold and Dale hook up shortly before Francis' post-doc at Ellicott-Chatham Labs ends and he gets a faculty job at Smif, but I doubt Jeph would do something like that. More likely, poor Francis was eaten by the Spathe Allothaurus.Marigold is still maintaining a relationship with the handsome scientist from the station, is she not? I don't think she's likely to dump him for no reason. He might even come back dirtside one day.
Is she??? She hasn't even mentioned him or anything since the space arc. I'm worried he got eaten by a space allosaurus or something...
Does this feel like we missed a strip with Dale getting entry to her room and trying to calm her down to apologise
Is that homeopathic butt cream made from real homeopathic butts?Yes, but at 30C dilution there is not a single butt molecule in a billion cubic miles of cream
In the absence of a scene about her crying that she broke up with her first boyfriend ever, I assumed that she's keeping it going, in a low-key sort of way. Maybe it's not been shown on screen because Jeph doesn't feel like depicting cyber-sex.Marigold is still maintaining a relationship with the handsome scientist from the station, is she not? I don't think she's likely to dump him for no reason. He might even come back dirtside one day.
Is she??? She hasn't even mentioned him or anything since the space arc. I'm worried he got eaten by a space allosaurus or something...
I dunno why, but I read their text in kid voices, which managed to make it simultaneously hilarious and adorable.
In the absence of a scene about her crying that she broke up with her first boyfriend ever, I assumed that she's keeping it going, in a low-key sort of way.I don't think Marbear considered him a boyfriend. If they do keep in touch it's probably as friends.
AIs are copyable. Pintsize got backed up to Marten's desktop computer at one point and continued conversing in a Pintsize-like way.
If that is true, then Hanners will be upset. A reasonable number of babies doesn't make itself, you know.We're working on that technology!
I have no problem talking to women on neutral subjects such as "so how about them Bills are they a crappy team or what!" and so forth.So you consider "The Bills" a neutral subject for talking to women about? Have you considered that (certainly not all, but) many women might not want to talk about a sports team?
Depends on how the AIs view themselves. If they consider the backups as being just that, backups and thus expendable, then I doubt they would consider the backups as having souls or deleting of such as murder (provided the original still existed). They may even consider their "soul" as something a little different than conventional thinking, perhaps more like their "state of being" (words are failing me there...). Also, backups would most likely be in a state of "suspended animation" as they're not actively running and thus be unaware of their current situation... so wouldn't be able to cry tears in the recycling bin. ;)AIs are copyable. Pintsize got backed up to Marten's desktop computer at one point and continued conversing in a Pintsize-like way.
Now that just makes things complicated. Do robots have souls? Do robot BACKUPS have souls? If Marten deletes the backup is it murder? Do robots cry robot tears in the recycle bin?
Does this feel like we missed a strip with Dale getting entry to her room and trying to calm her down to apologise, after the way she reacted to him being in her flat, to anyone else? Not to mention entering her bedroom after being told to get out at all!
Maybe it was more like a "*knock knock* 'May I come in? I wanna apologise.'"
In my limited experience when a 30 year old virgin becomes physically intimate with another human being, they have a tendency to form an emotional attachment. I think it's unavoidable. It is only those who have already experienced a lot of intimate human contact who are prepared to accept that sometimes it just doesn't mean that much.In the absence of a scene about her crying that she broke up with her first boyfriend ever, I assumed that she's keeping it going, in a low-key sort of way.I don't think Marbear considered him a boyfriend. If they do keep in touch it's probably as friends.
I realise this denies the fourth wall, but if you look at the No Tips for Alliance Scum strip which someone linked earlier, in the news post Jeph says he originally intended the gag for Marigold and Sven but he prefers drawing Dale. So back when he started this whole storyline, he didn't realise there was a storyline. That explains why Dale's initial character doesn't wholly fit with his current character.
Mr. Hodges and company would be locking threads and banning people left and right.
I'm totally socially awkward with "new" people. I need to get use to people to open up. So, I'm not trying to pick on you MDBS, this is just food for thought:I have no problem talking to women on neutral subjects such as "so how about them Bills are they a crappy team or what!" and so forth.So you consider "The Bills" a neutral subject for talking to women about? Have you considered that (certainly not all, but) many women might not want to talk about a sports team?
If that is true, then Hanners will be upset. A reasonable number of babies doesn't make itself, you know.We're working on that technology!
techkid:
I agree. Talking about factual topics is no problem to me. But as soon as I don't know what to talk about anymore, well then I don't know what to talk about.
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2512
OMG. It's happening, it's really happening. IT IS HAPPENING!!!!! WE ARE AT HAPPENING DEFCON 5 HERE PEOPLE!!! I can sense the power of two gamers coming together to form a couple!!! And it shall be awesome!!!!!
Plus i've dated BBWs in the past. It is great. I really hope these two get together. Their power level will be over 9000!!! Oh and they'll probably be the first couple to get married in comic. I am calling it!
the first couple to get married in comic
OMG. It's happening, it's really happening. IT IS HAPPENING!!!!! WE ARE AT HAPPENING DEFCON 5 HERE PEOPLE!!! I can sense the power of two gamers coming together to form a couple!!! And it shall be awesome!!!!!A couple? I still don't get that from them at all.
Plus I've dated BBWs in the past. It is great. I really hope these two get together. Their power level will be over 9000!!! Oh and they'll probably be the first couple to get married in comic. I am calling it!In what twisted universe is Marigold a BBW? She's not even that large!
Depends on how the AIs view themselves. If they consider the backups as being just that, backups and thus expendable, then I doubt they would consider the backups as having souls or deleting of such as murder (provided the original still existed). They may even consider their "soul" as something a little different than conventional thinking, perhaps more like their "state of being" (words are failing me there...). Also, backups would most likely be in a state of "suspended animation" as they're not actively running and thus be unaware of their current situation... so wouldn't be able to cry tears in the recycling bin. ;)AIs are copyable. Pintsize got backed up to Marten's desktop computer at one point and continued conversing in a Pintsize-like way.
Now that just makes things complicated. Do robots have souls? Do robot BACKUPS have souls? If Marten deletes the backup is it murder? Do robots cry robot tears in the recycle bin?
Oh, and hi everyone.
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2512
OMG. It's happening, it's really happening. IT IS HAPPENING!!!!! WE ARE AT HAPPENING DEFCON 5 HERE PEOPLE!!! I can sense the power of two gamers coming together to form a couple!!! And it shall be awesome!!!!!
What Momo suggested was ejecting the storage medium prematurely (so the hibernate image is no longer present) and destroying it. Therefor "May" would either be stuck permanently as the companion AI until another storage medium becomes available, or until "set free" and having to find a platform that "May" can afford.
You essentially have a brain that only has short term memory, and as soon as it needs anything... boom. General Protection Fault.
Welcome, new person! That's an outstanding first post.What he said.
I think this story line probably brought some new readers... if anything to learn more about the AI's. I actually read QC from beginning to end a week ago, and speculated what could happen to "May"It may have indeed, although personally I think it was just chance for myself. I followed a link from someone's comment on a different comic a couple weeks ago to find this one and read up through. Only found the forums last week and lurked a bit.
What Momo suggested was ejecting the storage medium prematurely (so the hibernate image is no longer present) and destroying it. Therefor "May" would either be stuck permanently as the companion AI until another storage medium becomes available, or until "set free" and having to find a platform that "May" can afford.I agree with everything you say (and in fact, I think you conveyed the idea loads better than I ever could), but I think there is also a third possibility, here. More than likely, May's output is merely being streamed to Dale's glasses, and likewise anything that happens (input) is being streamed back to her. Thus, ejecting the HD would cut her off completely and ultimately result in death if destroyed (assuming the Robot Jail doesn't keep automated backups... which I'm sure they probably do).
Marigold, you should not be scared to talk to boys. You have touched a wiener--you know the male weakness!
If there's an AI military in QC-world, would its commanding officers be General Protection Fault and Colonel Panic? :psyduck:You essentially have a brain that only has short term memory, and as soon as it needs anything... boom. General Protection Fault.
For what it's worth, a General Protection Fault occurs when a program accesses RAM in a way that it's not supposed to.
This would be a disk error.
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2512
OMG. It's happening, it's really happening. IT IS HAPPENING!!!!! WE ARE AT HAPPENING DEFCON 5 HERE PEOPLE!!! I can sense the power of two gamers coming together to form a couple!!! And it shall be awesome!!!!!
Defcon 5 means deep peace. Nothing exiting going on.
If that is true, then Hanners will be upset. A reasonable number of babies doesn't make itself, you know.We're working on that technology!
This was pre-Francis, of course, but Hanners did not seem to be averse (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1895) to the idea of Dale-Marigold flirtation. EDIT -- he crossed what would have been my creepy threshold in that strip, though.
techkid:
I agree. Talking about factual topics is no problem to me. But as soon as I don't know what to talk about anymore, well then I don't know what to talk about.
My advice (and personal strategy): Go meta.
Cheerfully tell the person "And this is the part of the discussion where it looks like we don't know what to talk about. (I used to know this one guy who could magnificently get himself out of those situations. $anecdote_about_person_you_may_invent|I really hate it when this happens. It feels like $comparison. $vaguely_related_topic_to_comparison_you_just_made|Do you think we should continue the awkward silence, or should we talk about $random_topic? What is the first thing that comes to your mind about $random_topic? I think $own_opinion)."
You have to do it cheerfully. This signals "Hey, you know this is awkward, and I know this is awkward, and we both know that the other knows, so let's laugh about this together!"
This has multiple advantages:
1) Going onto the meta level is not something that people expect. That automatically makes you interesting.
2) The reaction of most people to going onto this level is laughing or at least smiling, because they are surprised and laughing seems to be one of the ways they react to surprising situations. People like it if you make them smile.
3) The other person probably feels about as awkward as you. You are "saving" them from the situation. They will be grateful, possibly not even consciously.
4) In my limited experience, people will surprisingly readily go along with a completely random topic. Random topic should not include controversial stuff like religion, politics, ethics, family, money, health... . Random stuff from your surroundings is good. ("What do you think about gas lanterns/letter boxes/door handles?")
Animals are good too. ("What do you think about dolphins? In my opinion, you cannot trust a species that keeps smiling. Did you ever touch a dolphin? I have too/I never have. $description_of_occasion/We have always only traveled to the mountains. But they have their advantages too - like that one time when $anecdote). BAM, conversation got going again.
Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted. You may wish to strike up a conversation with the forum.
Oh, that's great. Say, forum, what do you think about the color red? What would you say is your personal ranking of colors? Oh really? That's an interesting choice.http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2512
OMG. It's happening, it's really happening. IT IS HAPPENING!!!!! WE ARE AT HAPPENING DEFCON 5 HERE PEOPLE!!! I can sense the power of two gamers coming together to form a couple!!! And it shall be awesome!!!!!
Plus i've dated BBWs in the past. It is great. I really hope these two get together. Their power level will be over 9000!!! Oh and they'll probably be the first couple to get married in comic. I am calling it!
No shipping please, there is a rule against that somewhere. Out of curiosity, what's a BBW?Quotethe first couple to get married in comic
That honor is already taken. (http://questionablecontent.net/2396)
Oops. Sorry about that, I always get those numbers mixed up. But then again the Happening warning system uses the number system in reverse according to 4chan. And a question. Is there really a rule against shipping? And how was a i shipping? Its pretty obvious how this is going to turn out. But either way i look forward to Marigold dating Dale! I think Marigold deserves someone. Well OK I think Marten deserves to find happiness a lot more. OK OK i mean Hanners deserves to at least have a boyfriend more then anyone in the entire cast...geez.The obvious doesn't usually happen in this strip. Also it doesn't seem even remotely obvious to me. They no longer are on hostile terms, that doesn't mean they are gonna date. As for Hannelore, she probably would quite like the idea of a boyfriend, but it's probably still years away if it could ever happen at all. She's still freaked out by most physical contact.
Dude I know about General Failure and Major Mistake, but Colonol Panic is so absolutely hilarious!
And a question. Is there really a rule against shipping? And how was a i shipping?
[...]nuke you from orbit.Always when someone says that I can't help but think of this quote:
Dude I know about General Failure and Major Mistake, but Colonol Panic is so absolutely hilarious!
But who ever thinks of the poor bloody enlisted personnel? Where's the love for Private Server I ask you?
Dale and Marigold
Sitting in a tree
L - A - R - P - I - N - G
:-D
I think this story line probably brought some new readers... if anything to learn more about the AI's. I actually read QC from beginning to end a week ago, and speculated what could happen to "May"It may have indeed, although personally I think it was just chance for myself. I followed a link from someone's comment on a different comic a couple weeks ago to find this one and read up through. Only found the forums last week and lurked a bit.
What Momo suggested was ejecting the storage medium prematurely (so the hibernate image is no longer present) and destroying it. Therefor "May" would either be stuck permanently as the companion AI until another storage medium becomes available, or until "set free" and having to find a platform that "May" can afford.I agree with everything you say (and in fact, I think you conveyed the idea loads better than I ever could), but I think there is also a third possibility, here. More than likely, May's output is merely being streamed to Dale's glasses, and likewise anything that happens (input) is being streamed back to her. Thus, ejecting the HD would cut her off completely and ultimately result in death if destroyed (assuming the Robot Jail doesn't keep automated backups... which I'm sure they probably do).
The reason I suspect her "consciousness" is merely being streamed to Dale is because if she were actually uploaded to the glasses, it would be a security risk of her being able to find a way to download back off and onto something else. Also, these two strips:
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2499
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2500
The impression I got from these two strips is that she was merely "cut off" from Dale, not actually shutdown or anything.
I avoided going there because we don't know much about the glasses. From what is indicated in the comic, the glasses are not even a computer, just a terminal or thin-client. Dale turning off the glasses simply disconnects from the server, the session remains running.Yeah, that's exactly how I'm viewing the glasses myself, at least in the context of May being able to interact with the user. The concept of the jail makes little sense otherwise in my mind.
Going back to my comments earlier, a VM or Hibernate image, yes implies that the AI runs entirely from RAM.
At any rate I'm interested to see the fallout from Momo and May interfering with Dale.That indeed! Although Marigold doesn't appear like she'd be upset at Momo for what she did, Jeph did mention something about "feels" for this Friday, I believe. Should be interesting....
What pray is the "classic" story?Oh, you know...
I read it on an iPad and the click-to-go-forward navigation is troublesome on it. Several people retweeted comics from this story arc, so I'm certain it attracted some new readers.Looks like Jeph (or his webmaster if he isn't the webmaster) could use this library (http://eightmedia.github.io/hammer.js/) to add support for swiping back and forth through his comics, in addition to the left and right arrow navigation he already has.
I don't think so. It could be something like Prince of Tennis+Mecha.Now I want to know what it originally said.
A little mistake in the first panel, but Jeph said on Twitter that he'll try to fix it.
EDIT: Fixed.
Now I want to know what it originally said.
Now I want to know what it originally said.
Dale said 'Shut it May' or something to the effect when Momo still had the glasses on and he couldn't hear her.
AIs are copyable. Pintsize got backed up to Marten's desktop computer at one point and continued conversing in a Pintsize-like way.
I think this is a slip on Jeph's part. Everything we've seen since suggests strongly that AIs are not copyable.He wasn't copied, he was transferred to another machine so his chassis could be worked on. No slip up happened.
Suppose they were. Once you managed to generate a capable and cooperative AI, you could mass reproduce it for all sorts of devices. ReallySmartPhones, for instance. (Wouldn't you like to have an autocorrect that didn't embarrass you?)
But we don't see anything like this in the QCverse. Each AI is a distinct and unique individual.
I just reminded myself of the stargazing scenes in HPMoR.
Besides, there's nothing so far to say that AI is not cognitive, in that perhaps they all start with a base personality, and then learn and evolve as they interact with their owners and environment to develop their own distinct personalities.
The PBS documentary "Neurotypical" included an autistic person who has a reputation as a wonderful conversationalist. He discovered that all you have to do is repeat the last few words the other person said.
"You just repeat the last few words the other person said?!"
I always imagined Northhampton had more light pollution.Well, if we're going to be picky... With the lights on in the room, all they'd be able to see is their own reflections in the glass. And how could Dale see past the light emitted from his glasses?
Just noticed her hand is through his. Aww.
With the lights on in the room, all they'd be able to see is their own reflections in the glass.Well, it seems he did switch the lights off. But still, light pollution in even a small town can bugger up the view (street lights can be a pain, sometimes).
And how could Dale see past the light emitted from his glasses?Sensible answer: maybe he had them "on" for May's sake, and just didn't have anything on screen. The glow is just there to show they're active.
May plainly reads Dale Carnegie: "Two men looked out from prison bars, One saw the mud, the other saw stars."
Actually, this is still considered as "copying". Bytes of data are not so much something physical that the PC can move around but more so a state of being. So even when you're doing a cut & paste or specific "move" operation on a PC, you're actually telling the computer "copy file(s) from A to B, then delete from A."QuoteI think this is a slip on Jeph's part. Everything we've seen since suggests strongly that AIs are not copyable.He wasn't copied, he was transferred to another machine so his chassis could be worked on. No slip up happened.
Suppose they were. Once you managed to generate a capable and cooperative AI, you could mass reproduce it for all sorts of devices. ReallySmartPhones, for instance. (Wouldn't you like to have an autocorrect that didn't embarrass you?)
But we don't see anything like this in the QCverse. Each AI is a distinct and unique individual.
Besides, there's nothing so far to say that AI is not cognitive, in that perhaps they all start with a base personality, and then learn and evolve as they interact with their owners and environment to develop their own distinct personalities.
Just noticed her hand is through his. Aww.Didn't see the hands until I read your post, but yeah, my first reaction was "aww" as well.
Point I was trying to make is that in moving the AI from say, one AnthroPC chassis to another, is copying the AI from one to the other, then deleting the old. Even the process of loading the AI into RAM is technically copying it.You are assuming the computers in QC are von neumann machines running on bit-based RAM constructed similarly to the way they are in our universe. Our computers could not do AI like the QC universe computers can. So I think they must have a different architecture, perhaps they are quantum computers. In a quantum computer, a move operation causes actual teleportation without the copy and delete logic normally seen in a non-quantum computer. Frankly, a quantum computer achieving sentience makes infinitely more sense than a computer using today's chip technology becoming sentient.
We know they have registries and DLL files.The AIs?
You are assuming the computers in QC are von neumann machines running on bit-based RAM constructed similarly to the way they are in our universe. Our computers could not do AI like the QC universe computers can. So I think they must have a different architecture, perhaps they are quantum computers. In a quantum computer, a move operation causes actual teleportation without the copy and delete logic normally seen in a non-quantum computer. Frankly, a quantum computer achieving sentience makes infinitely more sense than a computer using today's chip technology becoming sentient.Yeah, and that's because they continue to use standard computer terms, talking about dual booting Windows and OSX, registry and dll files, etc. But you are right, today's technology wouldn't be able to handle that. But then again, AIs of that nature do not exist today, either. Either way, it is a comic and I doubt Jeph took the time to research if it was possible when he first created it.
That's all interface stuff. The actual AI moves from device to device by whatever means, then sets up an interlink with the Global AI from the new host.
Pintsize was probably not "stored" on Marten's computer as much as it was his interface with the "world" while Marten cleaned out his torso. His "self" - the programming AI bits that make him Pintsize - were probably distributed back in the cloud temporarily, and Marten used his own PC to help him make the connection. Since computers (and AI's) have gotten more complex in the QCverse, I doubt May or Momo could do that with Marigold's setup. (May might be able to do it, but it might chew up the processing power on Marbear's gaming rig - and she wouldn't like that.)
Anyways, that's my headcanon, and you should respect it. :P ;)
An AnthroPC as a thin client talking to the cloud? That makes a lot of sense now that I think about it.Hmm, while this would be a possibility, I see a couple issues with it. If they ever lost signal (no wi-fi/cell towers/etc), the chassis would, for all intents and purposes, drop "dead". The other issue I see, is that if the chassis really were thin clients, they wouldn't need the data cables to hook between themselves and other units to transfer or even backup.
chassises (what IS the plural of chassis, anyway?)Oh, and sorry, forgot to comment on this. Chassis is both the singular and plural.
AR overlay artificially brightens the stars, how else?I always imagined Northhampton had more light pollution.Well, if we're going to be picky... With the lights on in the room, all they'd be able to see is their own reflections in the glass. And how could Dale see past the light emitted from his glasses?
Oh, and sorry, forgot to comment on this. Chassis is both the singular and plural.You're right, but I'd have sworn the plural was chasses. No reference to it on line, though.
It brings me memories (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2160).It brought me different memories (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1768).
Yeah, I think it's often pronounced like it is spelt differently, but I looked it up myself before I wrote that cause I wasn't 100% sure, either.Oh, and sorry, forgot to comment on this. Chassis is both the singular and plural.You're right, but I'd have sworn the plural was chasses. No reference to it on line, though.
AR overlay artificially brightens the stars, how else?
AR overlay artificially brightens the stars, how else?
Maybe they're re-transmitted on the inner surface of the Northampton weather dome. We don't actually know there is a weather dome, but there has to be some reason why it never rains.
We don't actually know there is a weather dome, but there has to be some reason why it never rains."It does snow though," said Akima precipitately.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, now...Well obviously the other half would've been written before posting.
After all, an early half-written poll's barely worth it, now, is it?
I wonder if Dale can adopt her when she gets out.
Can AnthroPCs enter into companionship contracts with other AnthroPCs? Could Pintsize pick her up?
Raising the very interesting question of whether Marten has any legal right to object.
AnthroPCs seem to have that status. AIs as a whole ... well, Spaceship and Station seem to run their respective ... bodies ... as they see fit. And I guess Station is considered of legal age to at least simulate drinking.Raising the very interesting question of whether Marten has any legal right to object.
I thought it was stated somewhere that AIs had a kinda minor-child status. Wouldn't that make Marten the "father?"