Duck Crossing Guard.
I wonder: is Jeph planning some sort of romantic arc for Winslow, now that he has a humanoid body? Not that the strip needs another romantic subplot right now, what with Faye and Bubbles on top of the whole Secret Bakery gang mess, but it seems like a possibility that should be considered. Who do you think would be the most likely candidate? (This isn't shipping, just prediction.)
No, I think it was just an excuse for at least one butt joke (but probably several more).
Oh, if that sounded like criticism, it wasn't.
I suspect that a delightful tail would be a pricey add-on (although I doubt that bit would worry Hanners).
confused with a dromedary
Jeph really loves butts (can you blame him?)
Regarding AI chassis being cuter and pet like in the beginning this could be attributed to author interpretation at the time, but maybe AIs just out of the cyber womb need a limited body until they absorb enough about the world to request a humanoid or more sophisticated chassis.
Is she? Or is she like Bubbles and her "intimate" parts are simply moulded in the different color of "skin"? And, you know, Ken doll-like in "correctness".
Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?Because it’s comfy and easy to wear.
Duck Crossing Guard.
I may have to draw some fan-art of this.
Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?
They have 'adopted' a lot of human social norms. It seems that, the more anthromimetic their chassis, the more they are likely to have internalised our near-universal cultural nudity taboo.
What is interesting here is that Winslow really does seem to care about what most people would consider 'sexual' characteristics - Whether certain parts of the body are or are not attractive.
We here in this forum may be constrained by the moderators to treat AIs as sexless,
We here in this forum may be constrained by the moderators to treat AIs as sexless, but in the strip robots are obsessed with butts and giant dongs and burning out USB cables.
Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?Well maybe the tech is still a little imperfect, and they get the odd lubricant stain from those high load high mobility thigh joints, so it makes sense to waer something underneath to stop anything getting on the outer clothes.
I suspect that a delightful tail would be a pricey add-on (although I doubt that bit would worry Hanners).
It is now my headcanon that the Extra-Special Super Deluxe Regular Boy Custom Unlimited* has the "blue skin" and "delightful tail" options, but the price is... astronomical. :wink:Astronomical or merely Pandoran?
__________
* Not present in the shop, but available by special order.
Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?
Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?
Well, I think that some chassis may pass as human more easily than others. In strip 2009 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2009), Padma mistakes Momo for human, as did Sam a couple of strips later. Also, IIRC, Jeph stated in a newspost that she would pass for human under casual inspection.
No, I think it was just an excuse for at least one butt joke (but probably several more).
Jeph really loves butts (can you blame him?)
'Cmon, folks: It's so obvious -- Winslow + Dr. Corinne. (Where's she been, anyway?)
I suspect Hanners is already regretting giving Winslow a body that can hug...
Disagree.
Marigold could (barely) afford it, and makes good money from home with pretty minimal cost-of-living and transportation. She doesn't even have a car expenditure.
I'd put it at $5,000 minimum with a body like that probably going for closer to the $20K area.
Think about it; It's basically all the size and moving parts of a motorbike, with all the core internals of a high-end computer running the AI.
Unfortunately for cephaloforms, their noodly little arm hugs only really work when they hug the head, and that triggers our primitive ancestral instincts to flee from mind flayers.If I had an cephaloform anthroPC like Reggie, I'd let him perch on top of my head and wear him like a hat, Maybe get some form of transcranial nerve-conduction MMI for him so we could communicate to one another silently. And try not to think about the origin of the word cephalopod as meaning stomach-foot, how those lifeforms ate their food.
Well, I think that some chassis may pass as human more easily than others. In strip 2009 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2009), Padma mistakes Momo for human, as did Sam a couple of strips later. Also, IIRC, Jeph stated in a newspost that she would pass for human under casual inspection.Momo's always been presented as different from other AI with rounded rather than angular speech balloons. I take this to mean her voice sounds like a human's, not a robot's. I don't recall Jeph every addressing the reason for this in the strip narrative. It could be a matter of hardware, software, or, since robots can experience and learn, it may be something she taught herself, like Faye deliberately dialing back her own Georgia accent.
Well, I think that some chassis may pass as human more easily than others. In strip 2009 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2009), Padma mistakes Momo for human, as did Sam a couple of strips later. Also, IIRC, Jeph stated in a newspost that she would pass for human under casual inspection.Momo's always been presented as different from other AI with rounded rather than angular speech balloons. I take this to mean her voice sounds like a human's, not a robot's. I don't recall Jeph every addressing the reason for this in the strip narrative. It could be a matter of hardware, software, or, since robots can experience and learn, it may be something she taught herself, like Faye deliberately dialing back her own Georgia accent.
On another topic, why is Winslow assumed to be qualified only for mostly apprentice-level or volunteer jobs? (Presumably robots can achieve journeyman level competency by upload rather that a year or so apprenticeship.) Does the Boy Job/Girl Job "glass ceiling" exist for short robots in the QCverse?
I suspect Hanners is already regretting giving Winslow a body that can hug...
That's true. Hannelore intellectually knows that Winslow's new body is factory-fresh and largely germ-free. However, that doesn't stop her from instinctively flinching at the contact. I'm kind of worried that she might be developing a broader phobia against interpersonal contact altogether; that could really screw up her life.
So basically, I think an AI still has to have experiential education, and process it like a human does. They might be better able to organize than a human student, but they'd still have to put in the time and dedication that a human would. So I don't think Winslow can just jump into any field he wants.
So basically, I think an AI still has to have experiential education, and process it like a human does. They might be better able to organize than a human student, but they'd still have to put in the time and dedication that a human would. So I don't think Winslow can just jump into any field he wants.
This overlaps with something I was wondering about...after downloading into the new body, Winslow can stand and walk and safely hug people without staggering about for a while first. Shouldn't he have a learning curve?
If it were possible for AIs to acquire skills simply by downloading them, those skill files would have to have been created somehow, in a format compatible with the AI receiving them, been debugged, etc. (For starters, we know that the PC/Mac/Linux divide extends to Anthro PCs.) So, here is my theory...
Someone has gone to the trouble of creating some instantly downloadable skills and applets of limited scope, such as the "drivers" Winslow would have needed to use his new body fresh out of the stockroom. But more generally, AIs have to learn things the hard way. I do wonder, though, if it is possible to "copy" what one AI has learned to another AI, or if everything they have experienced is tangled up with their personality and self in a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, thinky-winky... stuff. The fact that Corpse Witch was able to excise specific events from Bubbles' memory would imply that AI memory is a bit more organized than that, but the fact she screwed it up may imply that it isn't simple either. The fact that Spookybot thought that those memories might be recoverable, and had to confirm that they were gone implies that such editing is possible for someone more competent than Corpse Witch.
A future plot possibility: Union Robotics becomes popular, and an entrepeneur approaches Bubbles with an offer to open franchises where the mechanics would be using copies of Bubbles' experience and skills. Bubbles is so averse to having anyone poke around in her head again that she refuses...emphatically.
Do you think about how you place your limbs and flex each muscle as you walk?
I like to hearken mack to Macross/Robotech with what was referred to as Reflex technology [muscle memory for the organic types] - that is that each subsystem had built-in dedicated control systems to look after basic repeatable operations with a high level of skill.
I think you can protocol autonomic functions, given how for us humans, things like walking aren't really something we have to think too hard about. We just do it. True, as infants we have to get a handle on it, but our intelligence is way more basic as infants as well.
From what I can tell, Momo’s speech bubbles are as rectangular as anyone’s. I never interpreted this as how they sound, just a reminder to the reader who is human and who is an AI, like round/square pupils on Futurama.Browsing back, I see that Momo's speech balloons usually change depending on with whom she's conversing, 'droid-person or meat-person. I think she's the only one who does this.
Shouldn't he have a learning curve?I think you have to consider that each body component includes a great deal of local processing and interacts with the mind with a standard API, and possibly also contains auxiliary resource. Because otherwise when Winslow got in the new body, not only would he have to learn, but also a huge amount of CPU power would be needed to be diverted to handling all these new musxles and so on.
Shouldn't he have a learning curve?I think you have to consider that each body component includes a great deal of local processing and interacts with the mind with a standard API, and possibly also contains auxiliary resource. Because otherwise when Winslow got in the new body, not only would he have to learn, but also a huge amount of CPU power would be needed to be diverted to handling all these new musxles and so on.
Mind you it probably doesn't pay to think too deeply about this stuff...
On another topic, why is Winslow assumed to be qualified only for mostly apprentice-level or volunteer jobs? (Presumably robots can achieve journeyman level competency by upload rather that a year or so apprenticeship.) Does the Boy Job/Girl Job "glass ceiling" exist for short robots in the QCverse?
I would not go so far as saying that being able to walk about without issue is a higher level of learned skill set.Humans learn fine motor skills over the course of 3 to 5 years. Some humans take even longer to grasp finer motion control.
He already has the basics of locomotion and navigation from being in his ipod chassis.
Do you think about how you place your limbs and flex each muscle as you walk?
I like to hearken mack to Macross/Robotech with what was referred to as Reflex technology [muscle memory for the organic types] - that is that each subsystem had built-in dedicated control systems to look after basic repeatable operations with a high level of skill. A master control signal comes in saying "keep upright balance" and so you stand there as the individual subsystems interact, flexing and relaxing to compensate for environmental irregularities and personal shifts in weight due to upper body actions and yet maintain an upright stance. This also explains the old "ow - I just walked into a lamp post" scenario where the reflex system was doing its job just fine propelling you forward but the higher level functions did not do theirs, in this case collision avoidance.
Pintsize is going to want one now
The AI can and will learn to do other things that it wants to do (Momo gave dancing or playing music as good examples) but it doesn't need to do it all.
So basically, I think an AI still has to have experiential education, and process it like a human does. They might be better able to organize than a human student, but they'd still have to put in the time and dedication that a human would. So I don't think Winslow can just jump into any field he wants.
This overlaps with something I was wondering about...after downloading into the new body, Winslow can stand and walk and safely hug people without staggering about for a while first. Shouldn't he have a learning curve?
There are obvious differences in adult locomotion for humans compared to the great apes, but there are additional differences related to the development of locomotion. Many mammals are able to locomote shortly after birth, and it is likely that most mammals are born with an innate locomotion circuit, but the time to reach mature, adult-like locomotion varies significantly.
Human infants display coordinated leg movements that seem to mimic walking movements at a very young age, but they do not reach typical, adult walking behavior until 6-7 years of age. Newborn infants supported stepping patterns do not match the plantigrade locomotion of adults.
[...]
Chimpanzee infants begin locomoting primarily with their upper limbs, with torso-orthograde suspensory locomotion as the most common mode. At about 3 years of age, they begin to transition to more quadrupedal locomotion. By 5 years of age, they begin to locomote completely independently. During this stage, they decrease clinging and torso-orthograde suspensory locomotion and increase quadrupedal locomotion. Locomotion finally reached the adult form by adolescence (10-13 years), when the majority of movement became quadrupedal walking.
[...]
Gorillas begin crawling on mother locomotion by about 3-4 months of age.
[...]
By 4 years of age, gorillas are locomoting much like an adult, with knuckle-walking quadrupedalism as the most common form.
Winslow's new chassis looks rather like a male counterpart to Momo's, no?It's a set-up for "Is this your brother/sister?" and "Do robots have siblings?" gags. Instead of "Are they twins?" AI parents are asked, "Are their serial numbers sequential?"
And now that I've put that thought in your mind, remember..... NO SHIPPING!
heheheheheheheh
Be Amazing if pintsize turns out to already have a body and hes the dark AI that helped bubbles with her memory . oh poor Winslow then :evil:Welcome, doomsaying Stormcrow newcomer!
Be Amazing if pintsize turns out to already have a body and hes the dark AI that helped bubbles with her memory . oh poor Winslow then :evil:
Winslow's new chassis looks rather like a male counterpart to Momo's, no?I thought it looks sub-adult - about the same height/age as Sam say, which would make any shipping distinctly creepy.
And Sam assumed Momo was an age peer when they first met. Winslow 2.0 does appear unquestionably younger in the current artwork - on the shelf the unanimated chassis was kind of age-ambiguous.Winslow's new chassis looks rather like a male counterpart to Momo's, no?I thought it looks sub-adult - about the same height/age as Sam....
As wrong is it is to jump to a conclusion based on a sample size of exactly two, I might as well, since what else is the WDCT for? Winslow and Momo have both gone to "teen" chassis, as they move from a childlike form on their way to an "adult" one.
And this, kids, is what we in the dropout Psych major community call "learned phobias."
Is Mass. even warm enough for gators?
I really hope that being dragged into an alleyway and being broken up and sold for parts isn't a real risk.
Winslow is right to worry. The subterranean species can strike at any time. Several years ago one killed a practicing wiccan outside Boston and that's not far from Northampton. Fortunately, they are notoriously snobby gourmands and would probably reject Winslow as soon as they taste plastic.The Canadian trapdoor aligator is a wiley one. Be fareful, they're known to use mimicry to trick their prey.
WHAT IF DROP BEARS
A centipede was happy – quite!
Until a toad in fun
Said, "Pray, which leg comes after which?"
Which threw her mind in such a pitch,
She laid bewildered in the ditch
Considering how to run.
I imagine it would be quite difficult to go chop shop with an AI chassis. Presumably every part would have an identification number on it, or at least some means of tracking the parts. I mean the cost of cleaning all those parts vs profit margin might not make it feasible to target AI. Plus what would they do with an AI?1) People steal PCs, and the same is true of their compartments. Hands up anyone who has a complete list of all the serial numbers of their motherboard, PSU, disk, GPU etc. etc. I've met plenty of cyclists who haven't even bothered to write down their frame number.
Here's where 'what if alligators' is a viable concern state-side.You can never be sure... Meanwhile in south west England...
Today, we learn that the reason that Winslow was paired with Hannelore is because, in his own way, he's as neurotic as she is! Seriously, he's just suffering the same anxiety that any child would have going out on his own for the first time. It's just that Winslow has a more adult way of interpreting and expressing that anxiety. Naturally, Hannelore being Hannelore, now she's going to be worried about alligators too!
Seriously, though, 'What if...?' is a real poisonous direction to take your thinking. Especially if you aren't ready to counter it with "How likely is it...?' Remember, folks: All things are possible but comparatively few things are likely.
Meanwhile, I think that Dora is thinking something like: "Oh god, now there are two of them!"
I imagine it would be quite difficult to go chop shop with an AI chassis. Presumably every part would have an identification number on it, or at least some means of tracking the parts. I mean the cost of cleaning all those parts vs profit margin might not make it feasible to target AI. Plus what would they do with an AI?1) People steal PCs, and the same is true of their compartments. Hands up anyone who has a complete list of all the serial numbers of their motherboard, PSU, disk, GPU etc. etc. I've met plenty of cyclists who haven't even bothered to write down their frame number.
Momo still has a taser. She used it when Clinton got creepy and was ready to demonstrate it for Emily.
Seriously, though, 'What if...?' is a real poisonous direction to take your thinking. Especially if you aren't ready to counter it with "How likely is it...?' Remember, folks: All things are possible but comparatively few things are likely.
When Walter Ertsinian's 11-year-old daughter saw an alligator in the yard of their Hamilton home, she thought it was a pool toy.Full article at:
Then the creature moved, and she understandably "freaked out," he said.
The girl had just gotten out of the family's backyard pool when she spotted the 1.5-metre alligator at the side of the house on Tuesday.
Ertsinian was inside, getting ready for his 25th anniversary dinner when he heard his daughter shouting and ran outside.
When he saw the alligator, he was surprised. He did the only thing he could think to do — he called 911.
How the alligator ended up on Ertsinian's property on Webster Road, near Centennial Parkway, is anyone's guess, although Hamilton Animal Services says it is likely an escaped pet.
<snip>
I thought it was unlikely for an alligator to be in Boston...and then I saw this:QuoteWhen Walter Ertsinian's 11-year-old daughter saw an alligator in the yard of their Hamilton home, she thought it was a pool toy.Full article at:
Then the creature moved, and she understandably "freaked out," he said.
The girl had just gotten out of the family's backyard pool when she spotted the 1.5-metre alligator at the side of the house on Tuesday.
Ertsinian was inside, getting ready for his 25th anniversary dinner when he heard his daughter shouting and ran outside.
When he saw the alligator, he was surprised. He did the only thing he could think to do — he called 911.
How the alligator ended up on Ertsinian's property on Webster Road, near Centennial Parkway, is anyone's guess, although Hamilton Animal Services says it is likely an escaped pet.
<snip>
Hamilton girl mistakes alligator in yard for a pool toy (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/alligator-hamilton-yard-1.4242045)
Never mind the alligators, what about jawas?
When he saw the alligator, he was surprised.
I wonder if Barry is Jimbo's nephew?Quote
When he saw the alligator, he was surprised.
This is understandable.
Also I think Barry is my favorite character now because of course he'd have a live croc in the back of his pickup.
In this town, do statistics truly apply?
If your roll enough dice, a sufficient number of times, you'll roll "alligators escape from truck" (esp. in Shadowrun). On the other hand, it's Barry, so this could be a hallucination-alligator.Been there, GMd that.
Naturally, it would be Hannelore whose anxieties ignore probability. Still, she's sensible enough to know that, even if she is anxious, she cannot let herself and her friends be prisoners of statistically-unlikely outcomes.
Also naturally, it would be Barry who is the instrument of statistically-unlikely outcomes being slightly more likely.
Were you using those Judges Guild encounter tables again?If your roll enough dice, a sufficient number of times, you'll roll "alligators escape from truck" (esp. in Shadowrun). On the other hand, it's Barry, so this could be a hallucination-alligator.Been there, GMd that.
Well, not exactly. The trucks contained other critters that they had to capture. Another session had Ghost Gators, but those weren't from a truck.
I just realized I called it a crocodile instead of an alligator and am now sad.[/size]
Nah, just a freak dm that likes pulling out the obscure nasties. =P In my defense, Ghost Gators were used in several official adventures in the Ork Underground as possible filler-enemy, all I did was upgrade them to SR5 to make them actually dangerous. Same with the Behemoth I used in the truck-session (they still downed it in a single combat-turn thanks to Illusion spells...).Were you using those Judges Guild encounter tables again?If your roll enough dice, a sufficient number of times, you'll roll "alligators escape from truck" (esp. in Shadowrun). On the other hand, it's Barry, so this could be a hallucination-alligator.Been there, GMd that.
Well, not exactly. The trucks contained other critters that they had to capture. Another session had Ghost Gators, but those weren't from a truck.
On the other hand, it's Barry, so this could be a hallucination-alligator.Specifically a DT (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_tremens) alligator. We need to check with Brun.
Please don't ship alligators.Does hungry creature/snack count as a relationship?
I like that Hanners is more comfortable with touch. :)
With Winslow it's okay, because they have a special bond.
Please don't ship alligators.
Please don't ship alligators.They prefer to travel first class.
Please don't ship alligators.
Please don't ship alligators.
Don't we all?Please don't ship alligators.They prefer to travel first class.
All I care about is if the box has enough air holes for me to breathe.Don't we all?Please don't ship alligators.They prefer to travel first class.
Please don't ship alligators.
Pfft. It's clearly obvious that Jeph is starting a Winslow x alligator romance arc here.
Unfortunately, most gators in first class tend to be the luggage bags.Don't we all?Please don't ship alligators.They prefer to travel first class.
I wonder if Barry is Jimbo's nephew?
Both?
I wonder if Barry is Jimbo's nephew?
Jimbo's long lost son?
A predator-prey relationship, yes. But, not a romantic one.Please don't ship alligators.Does hungry creature/snack count as a relationship?
In this town, do statistics truly apply?
How do synthetics feel about damage to their bodies?Good simile. The Spookybot arc demonstrated that violation of the mind is far more serious to AIs than violation of the chassis.
They don't have pain to fear the way organic people do. The repairs are faster. Is it more like the way organics feel when their car is damaged?
How do synthetics feel about damage to their bodies?
They don't have pain to fear the way organic people do. The repairs are faster. Is it more like the way organics feel when their car is damaged?
New comic! I think Momo is the only character in QC history to turn down an opportunity for hangouts in favor of actually doing her job. She's coming off as a lot more responsible than the Coffee of Doom crew, or even Marten and Tai. Unless of course she just has some reason to want to ditch Winslow.
Winslow looks cute in his new chassis. Is that creepy to say? Probably.
*hides*
. I'm gonna give QC's world the benefit of the doubt that they don't sell chasis specifically designed to emulate children or teenagers under the age of 16-18, since that opens a whole can of worms I don't wanna address.On the other hand, for bodies large enough to use adult human technology, in our society a roughly 12-14 aged male chassis would be for the majority have perhaps the very least sexual implications, with the possible exception of >85 female. So it might be a sensible choice for an asexual Ai who nevertheless wants a strictly humaniform chassis. Of course cultures vary- in5th century BC Athens for instsnce...
Poor innocent Gyrre… I shan't say more for the sake of your sanity.I unfortunately already know abot that particular paraphilia. I don't understand how the hell someone develops it, but I know of it.