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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: BenRG on 30 Dec 2018, 11:31

Title: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 30 Dec 2018, 11:31
Okay, I don't think that there's any doubt that Roko's chassis has likely been seriously damaged or even destroyed, so what happens next? I've given the option two vote for two possibilities because it is possible that we'll see Roko go through a temporary stage before getting a permanent fix.

My preferred idea is that she temporarily installed into an immobile sensor and communications pod that doesn't have any ability to manipulate its environment or even move on its own. So, she needs an assistance person to carry her around. Melon gets the job and Roko spends a few stressful weeks acting as Melon's objective reality  indicator until a permanent chassis is found.

Getting a high specification chassis would have been difficult if not for Spookybot's help. However, Faye and Bubbles are suspicious about just what the specification is of the chassis they're given because what is delivered by the guys in dark suits, dark glasses and radio earpieces is on a level of complexity neither of them have ever seen before.

What do you guys think?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Pennepasta on 30 Dec 2018, 14:27
We back to plot next week? Never entirely sure if filler/timeoff takes more than a week or so (and asking always feels a bit pushy, which isn't really my goal!). I'm of the "Temporary low-spec" opinion, potentially involving May and leading to more empathy between them etc.. Not sure how Roko would react to a body from Spookybot, other than that she'd be wary as heck, which would be interesting as well. Server only, without manipulation, feels like it breaks laws for non-felons, considering how Robot Jail is discussed. Seems too close to that for my tastes, but we'll see.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: shanejayell on 30 Dec 2018, 15:31
Sticking her in the original Momo body would be amusing as hell.

"WHY does this body have TASERS?"
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: brasca on 30 Dec 2018, 19:58
Sticking her in the original Momo body would be amusing as hell.

"WHY does this body have TASERS?"

That's definitely a possibility unless it was already donated to help AIs without chassis.  If not I'm sure Momo wouldn't mind since Roko should be able to do her charity work without much difficulty, but I'm not sure about baking.  It would be like having the Pillsbury Doughboy around.  Cute mascot, but I don't think she'd be able to do much else at the Secret Bakery. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Near Lurker on 31 Dec 2018, 00:37
2048?  And here I'd have guessed only 119.

(Wait, 2048?  Who releases a line of 3*683 androids?)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tyr on 31 Dec 2018, 01:15
That's definitely a possibility unless it was already donated to help AIs without chassis.  If not I'm sure Momo wouldn't mind since Roko should be able to do her charity work without much difficulty, but I'm not sure about baking.  It would be like having the Pillsbury Doughboy around.  Cute mascot, but I don't think she'd be able to do much else at the Secret Bakery.
She would still be able to learn from training, and original flavour Momo was capable of helping to make tacos.

(Wait, 2048?  Who releases a line of 3*683 androids?)
Presumably Two-Zero-Four-Nine was made Special in her own unique way, not as a controller, but as a console for the Melon Network.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: traroth on 31 Dec 2018, 01:22
If you have memory space to store 2049 of them, you have space to store 4096...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 31 Dec 2018, 01:27
I already like Lemon. She's sweet, kind and friendly whilst still having the bumbling social uncertainties that makes her instantly relatable to me.

It looks like Roko was hurt pretty badly, based on Lemon's description of her chassis. It's quite likely that she's running on an emergency system of some sort whilst her chassis is either repaired or replaced. Question: Is she in the AI equivalent of a medically-induced coma? :-o

Oddly enough, I think that this is the closest we're likely to get to seeing what May went through in Robot Jail - totally cut off from external input in a featureless mindspace that others can only access by jacking into the system on which the drive is running. I think that Robot Jail may have had a virtual environment but I think it's unlikely they'd have had the time to set one up for Roko yet; she's probably only just been rebooted.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 31 Dec 2018, 02:12
Question: Is she in the AI equivalent of a medically-induced coma? :-o

I'm assuming her body is destroyed (dead, I guess) and AIs have relatively physically robust memory cores (I vaguely remember the comic establishing something like that?) that house their personalities and memories. I wouldn't say it's the equivalent of a coma because human consciousness and yes, even brains are inseparably linked to our bodies. My understanding is that AI consciousness can work independently of a body, so Roko is probably hooked up to a network or something like that?

If I remember the technical aspects of AI in QC-verse wrong, I'll be happy to be corrected.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tyr on 31 Dec 2018, 02:49
Question: Is she in the AI equivalent of a medically-induced coma? :-o

I'm assuming her body is destroyed (dead, I guess) and AIs have relatively physically robust memory cores (I vaguely remember the comic establishing something like that?) that house their personalities and memories. I wouldn't say it's the equivalent of a coma because human consciousness and yes, even brains are inseparably linked to our bodies. My understanding is that AI consciousness can work independently of a body, so Roko is probably hooked up to a network or something like that?

If I remember the technical aspects of AI in QC-verse wrong, I'll be happy to be corrected.

The Robot Fight Club members have what are described as 'triple-reinforced AI drives (http://"https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3008")'. which may or may not be standard issue (if it was standard issue, wouldn't it just be 'AI drives are reinforced'?)

as for what Roko is experiencing, I imagine it's a variation on the 'invocation creche' Clinton mentioned here (http://"https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3778"). a pared back system to keep the intelligent mind from going insane without input while Roko is repaired. Alternatively, she's in the Medical Creche so she can give informed consent as to how professionals should care for her, e.g. should they just install her into a a new body or would she prefer they repair the old body, fix what can be fixed and she'll live with the results because damaged or not, it's HER body?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Skewbrow on 31 Dec 2018, 03:35
Given that may be about an hour ago (in comic time) it was observed that Roko has a high level of bodily integration (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3896) it would make sense that she wants the chassis repaired. If at all possible that is. Of course, Lemon may be just about to spill the piece of news that Roko's next chassis (whether a new or the repaired old one) may not be able to sense ... contact with bread ... the way it used to.

I'm uncertain where Jeph wants to take this. Crushbot ex machina is a wonderful excuse to give Roko a new look. OTOH, building up to it with the linked discussion suggests that Roko's mind may not react well to the change. Well, this much cruelty to a character may work nicely (for we the readers if not Roko).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: oeoek on 31 Dec 2018, 03:36
Well, it sems Roko's back upo system is up to date if she remembers a loud noise, so I would say that's a good starting point. I am sure Union Robotics can fix her. Rebuild her. Better... stronger... faster... Or at least with more arms. Perhaps a tad flatter.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 31 Dec 2018, 03:40
Judging by the look on her face, I'm betting Roko is thinking "Oh crepe!"
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Rincewind on 31 Dec 2018, 04:53
Sticking her in the original Momo body would be amusing as hell.

"WHY does this body have TASERS?"

Imagine the excitement when she accidently triggers the Eel-Launcher!   :mrgreen:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tai Fanboi on 31 Dec 2018, 05:20
I said it before, I'll say it again:

Quote
Hmm, so one crushed AI who's still technically un-employed (I mean, hasn't started her job day one yet.)  Costly repairs, no insurance...  Roko/May arc where Roko has further development into the insight of the lives of the "criminals" she was punishing?  Maybe even a "your one bad day away from being me" type of thing where she contemplates crime?  The glorious return of Hanners who will swoop in as a patron and activist for the plight of the Robotic class? 

Also..  i like that shade of yellow on Lemon

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Pennepasta on 31 Dec 2018, 06:15
The Robot Fight Club members have what are described as 'triple-reinforced AI drives (http://"https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3008")'. which may or may not be standard issue (if it was standard issue, wouldn't it just be 'AI drives are reinforced'?)

Bear in mind - Roko was a cop. A dangerous profession like that would probably be likely to get reinforced drives, I'd suggest.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: oeoek on 31 Dec 2018, 06:28
I said it before, I'll say it again:

Quote
Hmm, so one crushed AI who's still technically un-employed (I mean, hasn't started her job day one yet.)  Costly repairs, no insurance...  Roko/May arc where Roko has further development into the insight of the lives of the "criminals" she was punishing?  Maybe even a "your one bad day away from being me" type of thing where she contemplates crime?  The glorious return of Hanners who will swoop in as a patron and activist for the plight of the Robotic class? 

Also..  i like that shade of yellow on Lemon



Looking at the AI's, wondering about the 'Electrical banana'...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: shanejayell on 31 Dec 2018, 06:58
Well, at least she's not DEAD dead. Just splatted.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: brasca on 31 Dec 2018, 07:01
I noticed Lemon has mismatched socks, but it's a very eccentric model so I suppose she has to have some visible quirk. 

From what I gather with the news Lemon is trying to break to Roko either her body was flattened into a pancake or she's been downloaded into a computer oven.  I suppose the latter wouldn't be a terrible fate. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 31 Dec 2018, 07:45
Next week: Bubbles is taking a break from fixing Roko's body, having a relaxing spot of tea in her chair...

...And then Lemon's sister Durian walks in.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Kincaid on 31 Dec 2018, 08:42
Possibly a technical glitch, the new comic is showing both as https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3901 and https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3906 (with a different number in the image itself), was there an original 3901 that just got overwritten by accident?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Stoutfellow on 31 Dec 2018, 08:55
Possibly a technical glitch, the new comic is showing both as https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3901 and https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3906 (with a different number in the image itself), was there an original 3901 that just got overwritten by accident?

It seems so; the original 3901 was one of the filler pages from last week.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 31 Dec 2018, 11:26
This isn't a one-off environment created just for Roko's accident.  There are 'bots galore in this universe and some of them are bound to have been seriously damaged in the course of everyday life.  Roko's in the AI equivalent of Intensive Care with a clinician trained for such work.  The analogy doesn't run completely in parallel.  People like Bubbs and Faye fill the role of surgeons dealing with the mechanical layer while Lemon and her colleagues handle the emotion & mental parts.  Not being biological entities, AIs don't really have any need for physicians, although there are probably Assembly Language programmers who specialize in the hardware/software interface who might come close to that role.

I'm favoring the idea of our current Hero, Roko, harrowing Hell by spending some time in a substandard or at least not-quite-so-premium chassis. 

Finally, My Gawd, there are 2047 or so other Melons around with varying levels of functionality?  Until/unless Jeph gives them another name I'll call these groups "builds."  Since it's apparent that they form some kind of AI kinship group they need a name.  It looks like they're formed when a group of AIs are installed in a run of a given chassis.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 31 Dec 2018, 11:29
I noticed Lemon has mismatched socks, but it's a very eccentric model so I suppose she has to have some visible quirk. 

"Life is too short for boring socks."
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Pennepasta on 31 Dec 2018, 13:36
Next week: Bubbles is taking a break from fixing Roko's body, having a relaxing spot of tea in her chair...

...And then Lemon's sister Durian walks in.

You'd be able to smell her from miles away! As long as it's not Durian flavoured tea (my brother brought coffee that was durian flavour. Fortunately, I don't drink coffee, so... not getting brewed in this house!).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Carl-E on 31 Dec 2018, 17:45
Isn't 2048 = 211?  Maybe that has something to do with the skin/hair color palette available for that model chassis? 


Also, did anyone else get a bit choked up at this "apres vie"? 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 31 Dec 2018, 18:01
If they come in batches that are powers of two, Lemon should have 2047 sisters. Plus herself makes an even 2048.

I'm starting to wonder if Roko is having a sort of hallucination. Like everything is a bit off, somehow... yellow. mismatched socks. 2047.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: specter177 on 31 Dec 2018, 18:09
New comic!

Looks like everything will eventually turn out all right for Roko, but now I'm terrified of depressed nuclear reactors.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 31 Dec 2018, 18:11
Very much unlike their minds, the bodies of QC synthetics seem to be manufactured assembly-line quality-controlled items.

Roko could presumably get a near-identical replacement.

Would that be good enough?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: MattStriker on 31 Dec 2018, 18:25
This is why you don't give jobs like nuclear reactor control unit to self-aware AIs :P.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: jwhouk on 31 Dec 2018, 18:25
I don't think getting an exact replacement is in the cards, because she's no longer a police-bot.

I honestly don't like where this may be going for Roko...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: St.Clair on 31 Dec 2018, 19:22
This is why you don't give jobs like nuclear reactor control unit to self-aware AIs :P.

A line I remember from another comic:

"You really don't want something designed primarily or exclusively to kill humans to have the ability to get bored."
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 31 Dec 2018, 20:37
If they come in batches that are powers of two, Lemon should have 2047 sisters. Plus herself makes an even 2048.


Well, there was the batch with Lee Mann.

He does manual handling courses and spatial awareness seminars for AI in heavy industry.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: A small perverse otter on 31 Dec 2018, 21:25
Very much unlike their minds, the bodies of QC synthetics seem to be manufactured assembly-line quality-controlled items.

Roko could presumably get a near-identical replacement.

Would that be good enough?
That's the key question, isn't it? Is her sensory integration a part of the particular chassis, or of the class of chassis?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 31 Dec 2018, 22:01
I see this as both being a plot line of it's own, and the resolution of the Union Robotics solvency plot line. For a while now we've had the on going thread of whether or not Faye and Bubbles can be successful at their business. The silver lining of this accident is that it just dropped a nice big fat paycheck into their laps. The accident happening literally on their doorstep to a friend they would immediately rush to action. Crushbot and his insurance policy are clearly going to pick up the check with no contesting it. And knowing how integrated Roko is with her chassis, plus Roko being able to communicated despite her pancake body means they can push for the much more expensive restoration of Roko's original body, rather than the cheaper alternative of just going to the shop for a new one. And it will bring Roko into the fold of the cast fully now, being firmly entangled with multiple main and secondary characters. Not that there was any doubt in that.

All in all, it's a very Jeph resolution. Some tense moments drawn out, a bit of a comedy bit with Crushbot's pratfall, and everyone's immediate problem get neatly tied up. If only real life worked like that.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 31 Dec 2018, 22:12
Huh. So I'm kind of going to have to call Lemon out on this, from what i can remember when I had a therapist 10 years ago, turning the therapy around on yourself is pretty dang unprofessional. Maybe you've got self-esteem or success issues and legitimately should be seeing someone for that, but that someone isn't YOUR CLIENT.

Also, is there such a dearth of AI therapists that the coordinators have to shoehorn them into completely unrelated specializations like that? If Lemon isn't qualified or desiring to do the job, then she shouldn't be doing the job. I get that she's not a private therapist, but probably a state-retained generalist who's provided as part of Roko's retirement package, but still.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 31 Dec 2018, 22:24
I don't think getting an exact replacement is in the cards, because she's no longer a police-bot.

I honestly don't like where this may be going for Roko...

Want a police car but the dealer won't sell you one?  Order a taxi cab with the trailer towing package.  Costs less, too.  Or at least that was the case when I was in on municipal budgetary shenanigans.   I reckon there are similar things that can be accomplished with an AI chassis.   Maybe that's how Jeph will keep the arc going long enough to have some fun and/or build his universe with it.  Resolving it too quickly would make it nothing more than filler.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Mordhaus on 31 Dec 2018, 22:47
nice nod to HHGTG,

Many respectable physicists said that they weren't going to stand for this, partly because it was a debasement of science, but mostly because they didn't get invited to those sorts of parties.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 01 Jan 2019, 00:35
So, the big news of today's strip is that Roko actually had a brush with death. If her chassis and core hadn't been upgraded to law enforcement standards, she'd probably have ended up brain damaged or dead!

The second big news (and important news) is it looks like Crushbot's insurers are picking up the bill, given that liability is clear.

The third big news is that I now know why Emily Azuma exists: There are so many AIs who need to be networked together so that they can have parties and fun together in the virtual world! Maybe she can link the nuclear reactors up with the spy satellites!

FWIW, I'm expecting Roko's temporary new chassis to be a Dr Theophilus, from Buck Rogers. Basically an immobile processor, communications and sensor array that has to be carried around by someone else. I'm voting Melon gets the job as Roko's Twiki.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Pilchard123 on 01 Jan 2019, 02:36
That's definitely a possibility unless it was already donated to help AIs without chassis.

Roko has no chassis right now. It would require a big coincidence, but it could come back to Roko.

"You really don't want something designed primarily or exclusively to kill humans to have the ability to get bored."

Schlock Mercenary?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 01 Jan 2019, 03:45
Very much unlike their minds, the bodies of QC synthetics seem to be manufactured assembly-line quality-controlled items.

Roko could presumably get a near-identical replacement.

Would that be good enough?

It depends to what level she'd fine-tuned her sensor settings and parts to her preferences; she could be in for months of monkeying around with her preferences trying to get the darn thing working right.

There is also the psychological problems that sci-fi occasionally directs towards cloning. It looks like her body but she knows it isn't her body. That could lead to disabling dysphoric issues.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tova on 01 Jan 2019, 04:28
Huh. So I'm kind of going to have to call Lemon out on this, from what i can remember when I had a therapist 10 years ago, turning the therapy around on yourself is pretty dang unprofessional.

You're right! She's not doing a very good job.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: ZoeB on 01 Jan 2019, 04:46
New comic!

Looks like everything will eventually turn out all right for Roko, but now I'm terrified of depressed nuclear reactors.

Depressed is safe. Manic on the other hand...

If I were involved, I'd pick AI personalities that were a little on the anxious and cautious side for such work. Then make sure they got plenty of rest and relaxation, so they really valued the world and wanted to protect it and keep it safe.

Now as for Lemon - nice girl but woefully undertrained.

I am reminded of the old WWI British army dark joke about the diplomatic abilities of Sergeants major.

"Sarnt major, 681 Jones is in 12 platoon, isn't he? Just got word his parents were killed last night in a Zeppelin raid. Please break it to him gently, there's a good chap"
Later, on parade.
"COMPANY! ATTEN..wait for it you horrible little man..SHUN!
"12 Platoon! All those not orphaned take one step forwarNOT YOU JONES!"

Lemon means well, but her oblique speech about bodily damage rather fell flat. I suspect she's still learning on the job.


Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Stoutfellow on 01 Jan 2019, 05:32
You're right! She's not doing a very good job.

You're saying she may be ... a lemon?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Pennepasta on 01 Jan 2019, 07:18
Lemon means well, but her oblique speech about bodily damage rather fell flat. I suspect she's still learning on the job.

Well, it was accompanied by a pancake comment...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Annemoon on 01 Jan 2019, 08:35
Huh. So I'm kind of going to have to call Lemon out on this, from what i can remember when I had a therapist 10 years ago, turning the therapy around on yourself is pretty dang unprofessional.

You're right! She's not doing a very good job.

Professionally speaking, no not really. Although I think the distraction of it was useful at the moment, roko was going full panic spiral and the topic switch both breaks this spiral for a moment, as potentially provides a lever to be able to look at her own perspective more from a mental place instead of fully in the emotion. By identifying or sympathising with another first, it's often easier to more purposefully sympathise and work with your own emotions from a healthier standpoint. I mean, variants of this process are actually used professionally. It's just not *how* you're supposed to do it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Carl-E on 01 Jan 2019, 08:48
Very much unlike their minds, the bodies of QC synthetics seem to be manufactured assembly-line quality-controlled items.

Roko could presumably get a near-identical replacement.

Would that be good enough?

It depends to what level she'd fine-tuned her sensor settings and parts to her preferences; she could be in for months of monkeying around with her preferences trying to get the darn thing working right.

There is also the psychological problems that sci-fi occasionally directs towards cloning. It looks like her body but she knows it isn't her body. That could lead to disabling dysphoric issues.

Oh dear.  I'm sure the bread fetish is somehow tied into her sensory array. 

What happens to her when the smell of baking bread becomes... normal? 



Poor thing. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Cattus on 01 Jan 2019, 10:30
I'm very glad to see that Roku will likely come out of this relatively unscathed - at least physically.  The mental trauma may take some time.

Isn't anybody else surprised that after millions of years of evolution and survival of the fittest processes humans have become MORE susceptible to major damage from minor events?  Look at gorillas or rhinos.  You can wail on their bodies with a pipe wrench with relatively little effect.  Why are we so goddanged 'delicate'   I'm also thinking that we should all be fitted with reinforcement for our processors and memory cores.  Could someone please get on that STAT!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: themacnut on 01 Jan 2019, 11:40
Most of our evolutionary development went into our intellect, which in turn develops safety devices for our delicate parts like helmets for our heads and various kinds of armor for the rest. If you're not wearing any of that when something bad happens, well, that's the price you pay for random evolution. Now on the other hand, when we learn enough about the genetic code to be to engineer things like humans born with thicker skulls, then evolution will get more directed.

 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 01 Jan 2019, 11:48
Millions of years of evolution also produced mice and aphids and those are pretty dang squishy
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Storel on 01 Jan 2019, 12:22
Looks like everything will eventually turn out all right for Roko, but now I'm terrified of depressed nuclear reactors.

Depressed is safe. Manic on the other hand...

"Safe"? Um... what happens if a depressed nuclear reactor decides to commit suicide? Meltdown at best, nuclear explosion at worst? As Arthur Dent once said, this is obviously some strange usage of the word safe that I wasn’t previously aware of.

"Sarnt major, 681 Jones is in 12 platoon, isn't he? Just got word his parents were killed last night in a Zeppelin raid. Please break it to him gently, there's a good chap"
Later, on parade.
"COMPANY! ATTEN..wait for it you horrible little man..SHUN!
"12 Platoon! All those not orphaned take one step forwarNOT YOU JONES!"

 :-D Hah, love it! If that's his idea of breaking it gently...

Lemon means well, but her oblique speech about bodily damage rather fell flat.

I see what you did there...  :claireface:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Cheetaur on 01 Jan 2019, 13:21
Seems Roko's body is out to lunch for awhile, lets hope it can repaired. This insurance job might just get Faye and Bubbles business in the black.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: traroth on 01 Jan 2019, 14:50
Poor Roko. Just when things seemed to turn around for her, a huge pack of trouble falls from the skies. Literaly.

Speaking of which, what happened to CrushBot? Where did he fell from?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 01 Jan 2019, 15:16
He slipped on the crate of banana peels backwards onto Roko, not from a height.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 01 Jan 2019, 16:08
So with a nearly-identical body, Roko would still have a foot sensitivity and her bread fetish -- since those are part of her reinforced core.

Do reactor AIs have to be in intimate contact with actively fissioning material? I'm guessing they must be literally on top of things because of the need for faster than faster-than-lightning response time. Lag not acceptable!

I'm pleased that Crushbot is not as insensitive as his first appearance made him appear.  I presume he sent flowers. Or whatever AIs do in such circumstances?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 01 Jan 2019, 17:27
Crushbot sent a lovely bouquet of torque wrenches.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: brasca on 01 Jan 2019, 19:12
Strip is up!

Well Roko still slips into her Boston accent in stressful situations so she still has that.   

Even though she can get a chassis that may be superior to her previous one it would seem that she was attached to the previous one in more ways than one.  It's interesting because while I can understand how a human would react if their body was crushed beyond recovery AIs have the luxury of downloading into a new chassis making the effectively immortal.  Perhaps she's more sentimental than most AIs.   
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Texanhick20 on 01 Jan 2019, 20:20
Strip is up!

Well Roko still slips into her Boston accent in stressful situations so she still has that.   

Even though she can get a chassis that may be superior to her previous one it would seem that she was attached to the previous one in more ways than one.  It's interesting because while I can understand how a human would react if their body was crushed beyond recovery AIs have the luxury of downloading into a new chassis making the effectively immortal.  Perhaps she's more sentimental than most AIs.

You buy a house with your significant other, raise your kids there, have parties, invite families over, make it into a home. Then a hurricane/tornado comes ripping through your house destroying it to the foundation.  Nothing you've lost is unrecoverable, but that home that you had made with your life has been destroyed.  That door frame into the house isn't the same one, it doesn't have the knife marks you made when you were measuring how tall your kids were growing.  The recliner in the living room that you bought from a second hand store when you first moved in doesn't have its cushions molded to the shape of your body.. It's just not home yet.. It'll get there.. but right now it's not home..

I suspect Faye and Bubbles will get her working in one way or another, maybe they will be able to preform a miracle of some sort on Roko's body..
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Greymoon on 01 Jan 2019, 20:22
Strip is up!

Well Roko still slips into her Boston accent in stressful situations so she still has that.   

Even though she can get a chassis that may be superior to her previous one it would seem that she was attached to the previous one in more ways than one.  It's interesting because while I can understand how a human would react if their body was crushed beyond recovery AIs have the luxury of downloading into a new chassis making the effectively immortal.  Perhaps she's more sentimental than most AIs.

Well she's already explained awhile back that she's very attached to her body, and she's had it from day 1. It's why she has that psychosomatic response to damage to herself or others. I remember when she had Faye work on her cranky ankle that she had A Very Bad Time, so this is gonna be pretty devastating to her. I'm wondering if she's gonna get stuck in a temporary crap body like what May is stuck in. I mean, she was already getting ready to start volunteer work for AI rights and stuff, and she's expressed distaste at the way May had been treated, so this is just another step toward either really getting close to May or really becoming a hella fawkin' good AI advocate.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Killspree on 01 Jan 2019, 21:13
The message I get from this is, Bubbles can lift/move several tons. I personally prefer to believe she did it hastily by hand instead of using any other assistance such as a crane or jack from the the shop.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: A small perverse otter on 01 Jan 2019, 21:22
The message I get from this is, Bubbles can lift/move several tons. I personally prefer to believe she did it hastily by hand instead of using any other assistance such as a crane or jack from the the shop.
I'm sure she didn't go running in to grab a crane. The only question in my mind is whether or not she asked Crushbot's permission before she picked him up and threw him across the street to get at Roko's body.  Bubbles has shown herself to be...single-minded...when it comes to the well-being of her friends.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 01 Jan 2019, 22:03
Even if she did I doubt his feelings would be crushed. I'm sure he can handle it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: St.Clair on 01 Jan 2019, 23:19
Gotta admit, I love "citrus-ass" as a label.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 01 Jan 2019, 23:32
Poor Roko! Of course, this is no surprise to us from our third-person perspective but it must be a horrible blow for her with her close core/chassis integration!

I had to think about today's strip for a bit and realised that it was necessary to do a whole strip to confirm what any reader ought to have guessed pretty much at once. Why? Because Jeph had to show Roko learning what had happened to her so we see her reaction and emotional development in a clear and continuous fashion. Basically, it would have been bad writing to 'tell not show' something as significant as this.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: DaiJB on 01 Jan 2019, 23:56
"Roko in an immobile sensor & communications pod that ends up being carried around by a main character"
I SO want this to happen - and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let it be May   :evil: 

I also chose 'other':-

 - that the only readily available chassis parts are the Robot-fighting Club spare parts - so she temporarily ends up
looking mostly like Punchbot...  :-D

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: pendrake on 02 Jan 2019, 01:09
For comic #3908... (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3908)

1. Poor Roko, besides physical trauma, I am sure there is deep emotional trauma from a total body-chassis loss.

2. The real question is how much of a "very robust" insurance policy Crushbot has.

We know that even a "basic" humanoid chassis is significantly costly.  Whether Roko's body-chassis had something of higher-grade due to being Law Enforcement (besides her processor & memory core reinforcement-protection), which means something even more costly, we do not know.

And knowing insurance companies, I doubt Roko will not get much in the way of "satisfactory" coverage for a new body-chassis.  :(
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 02 Jan 2019, 02:01
Very much unlike their minds, the bodies of QC synthetics seem to be manufactured assembly-line quality-controlled items.

Roko could presumably get a near-identical replacement.

Would that be good enough?

It depends to what level she'd fine-tuned her sensor settings and parts to her preferences; she could be in for months of monkeying around with her preferences trying to get the darn thing working right.

There is also the psychological problems that sci-fi occasionally directs towards cloning. It looks like her body but she knows it isn't her body. That could lead to disabling dysphoric issues.
Here's hoping she doesn't get an M$ model.
As soon asshe gets the preferences where she wants them, there'd be un update that screwed everything up! :-P
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 02 Jan 2019, 02:24
This arc and its implications reminds me of a Kim Possible/The Bionic Woman crossover that I read a few years back. In it, the titular heroine is horrendously injured in a bomb explosion and the only way to avoid her being left a permanently institutionalised cripple, barely better than a vegetable, is radical prosthetic surgery, replacing all four limbs, most of her sensory organs and skin with synthetic replacements as well as heavily augmenting her brain to interface with this amount of electronic appliances.

From there, the story starts going into Ghost in the Shell territory. Being comfortably over 75% synthetic, Kim starts questioning if she's still really is Kim Possible anymore or a sophisticated android that's using some of the late Kim's biological parts to function. There is also the more physical issue that she now weights around 250lbs because of the amount of titanium, coltan and plutonium in her rebuilt body including its micro-fission power system. Not being able see, hear, smell or even feel in the same way as a human anymore doesn't help very much.

I mention this because I think it gives something of an insight into what Roko is likely to go through in the medium-term. No matter how alike her new chassis is to her original, Roko is still going to have this feeling of dislocation - A sense that she is, at the very least, heavily changed from who she was before and, at the worst, that she is not really 'Roko' anymore but a totally different being that just has a copy of a dead woman's memories.

Additionally, Lemon and Roko's interactions in the virtual environment remind me of the early phase of the story. During the reconstructive process, the scientists use the bionic interface circuitry to 'jack' into Kim's brain and interface directly with her consciousness to help her prepare for what was happening to her and to enable her to assist them in testing all the systems to ensure they were interfacing properly with the remainder of her biological central nervous system.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: lawoot on 02 Jan 2019, 04:39
We know Roko has a bread fetish. Put her in a toaster until her new body is  ready.  8-)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Pilchard123 on 02 Jan 2019, 05:19
She makes bread fun!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: netcat on 02 Jan 2019, 05:42
I'm also thinking that we should all be fitted with reinforcement for our processors and memory cores.  Could someone please get on that STAT!

I would settle for a highly reliable, well-tested backup and recovery procedure.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 02 Jan 2019, 07:02
She makes bread fun!

Given the nature of her condition and bread fetish, she'd probably end up being more like "Talky Toaster" from Red Dwarf.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tyr on 02 Jan 2019, 07:18
I'm sure she didn't go running in to grab a crane. The only question in my mind is whether or not she asked Crushbot's permission before she picked him up and threw him across the street to get at Roko's body.  Bubbles has shown herself to be...single-minded...when it comes to the well-being of her friends.

I slept almost immediately after reading the page, and the following scene played out in my dreams:
Bubbles deadlifts Crushbot off Roko while Faye silently and perfectly in sync slides in and moves Roko's shattered chassis out of the impact zone. Panels 2-10 are Faye doing triage on Roko's chassis(making sure to safely render Roko unconscious if the Massive Physical Trauma hadn't done so) while Bubbles makes sure Crushbot A: isn't damaged from the fall and B: Understands what just happened. panels 11 and 12 are Faye picking up the parts that are still attached to Roko's AI Drive and running, presumably to the Intensive Care version of Union Robotics' Urgent Care Facility.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 02 Jan 2019, 07:19
She makes bread fun!

Given the nature of her condition and bread fetish, she'd probably end up being more like "Talky Toaster" from Red Dwarf.

Jeph has explained that Roko's primary relationship with bread is tactile and olfactory. It wouldn't be the same in any other way.

The nearest equivalent would be if the sensory nerves were cut to your most sensitive spot. It just simply wouldn't have any effect if you were touched there beyond a possible vague 'sense memory'.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 02 Jan 2019, 08:04
So I guess Roko won't be shipping up to Boston to buy her wooden leg.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: themacnut on 02 Jan 2019, 08:31
From what I'm gathering, Roko needs more than a replacement leg - more like a replacement everything. Except her brain/central processor of course.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 02 Jan 2019, 09:01
She makes bread fun!

Given the nature of her condition and bread fetish, she'd probably end up being more like "Talky Toaster" from Red Dwarf.

Jeph has explained that Roko's primary relationship with bread is tactile and olfactory. It wouldn't be the same in any other way.

The nearest equivalent would be if the sensory nerves were cut to your most sensitive spot. It just simply wouldn't have any effect if you were touched there beyond a possible vague 'sense memory'.

On the other hand, of your putting an AI in a toaster, it's not hard to imagine you'd also put in some specialised sensors, to judge the doneness of toast by roach and smell as well as temperature and rolling. I find it hard to see the use otherwise. And well, having senses uniquely and specifically qualified for what you enjoy...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Pilchard123 on 02 Jan 2019, 09:23
She makes bread fun!

Given the nature of her condition and bread fetish, she'd probably end up being more like "Talky Toaster" from Red Dwarf.

I never said what sort of fun, nor who the fun would be for :angel:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 02 Jan 2019, 09:37
From what I'm gathering, Roko needs more than a replacement leg - more like a replacement everything. Except her brain/central processor of course.

Well by the sound of it the only reason her core survived was because of the extra reinforcement she got when she joined the police force. In the cliffhanger comic Crushbot had fallen on her entire body, you couldn't see anything other than a hand and her ponytail. So it seems Roko only very narrowly escaped death.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: A small perverse otter on 02 Jan 2019, 09:45
From what I'm gathering, Roko needs more than a replacement leg - more like a replacement everything. Except her brain/central processor of course.

Well by the sound of it the only reason her core survived was because of the extra reinforcement she got when she joined the police force. In the cliffhanger comic Crushbot had fallen on her entire body, you couldn't see anything other than a hand and her ponytail. So it seems Roko only very narrowly escaped death.
Even so, the incident was a crushing blow to her mental health. The rest of the cast is going to have to make sure she doesn't slip into depression and fall apart.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: brasca on 02 Jan 2019, 10:28
For comic #3908... (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3908)

1. Poor Roko, besides physical trauma, I am sure there is deep emotional trauma from a total body-chassis loss.

2. The real question is how much of a "very robust" insurance policy Crushbot has.

We know that even a "basic" humanoid chassis is significantly costly.  Whether Roko's body-chassis had something of higher-grade due to being Law Enforcement (besides her processor & memory core reinforcement-protection), which means something even more costly, we do not know.

And knowing insurance companies, I doubt Roko will not get much in the way of "satisfactory" coverage for a new body-chassis.  :(

If Marigold could afford Momo’s upgrade then I think Crushbot’s insurance can provide a suitable replacement.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: syclick on 02 Jan 2019, 10:51
Cue storyline regarding identity & body/gender fluidity.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 02 Jan 2019, 11:06
Cue storyline regarding identity & body/gender fluidity.

I certainly hope so! That'd be fun to explore with non-human characters.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Case on 02 Jan 2019, 12:41
Looks like everything will eventually turn out all right for Roko, but now I'm terrified of depressed nuclear reactors.

Depressed is safe. Manic on the other hand...

"Safe"? Um... what happens if a depressed nuclear reactor decides to commit suicide? Meltdown at best, nuclear explosion at worst? As Arthur Dent once said, this is obviously some strange usage of the word safe that I wasn’t previously aware of.


The word "depressed' is often colloquially used to suggest a state of melancholy, disappointment or unhappiness.

There are many people here more qualified than me, but IMO., those emotions have about as much to do with depression as being in a slight drizzle has to do with being shipwrecked. Yes, both involve water, and neither is pleasant.

It's like your soul running out of fuel.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Thrudd on 02 Jan 2019, 12:48
"Roko in an immobile sensor & communications pod that ends up being carried around by a main character"
I SO want this to happen - and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let it be May   :evil: 

Now if I was behind this little bit of temporary housing then there would be a few extra functions added to make it a bit more palatable than the white-space she is occupying at the moment.

If Marigold could afford Momo’s upgrade then I think Crushbot’s insurance can provide a suitable replacement.

I have worked at one time for a consultancy that did work for insurance adjusters.
Those guys may be specialists in labour, housing, automotive but computers and software has them totally lost.

With respect to the chassis issues, just because a model is no longer in production does not mean that exact same model series cannot be found on the open market.
Also the insurance company always makes the final decision and if a replacement is cheaper than a repair then the cheaper solution it is.
Most times the software had been registered so all was just a download away. Claimants either are very happy about this or cry because they cant get a free upgrade to anchient software.

As for the hardware, if a model was not available on any market at all then a like for like replacement would be sought out that met or exceeded the capabilities of the original system specifications.

As a consultant I had to find at least three alternatives that met the basic specifications of the original system yet at the lowest price points reasonably possible.
This is where the adjuster would then take your quotes, pass the numbers onto their boss and then consult with the claimant on whichever the bean counter allowed.
Most times the claimant was given the choice of cash equivalent to the replacement system or the replacement system.

Due to being within the computer and systems service industry the price points are very very different compared to the consumer market - if the insurance company liked the client they would give them a broader choice of options. After all that the claimant then finally becomes your client and they can pony up what cash they want to to add newer features they would like, at better than retail of course.

Only if it was spelled out fully in the policy that there must be no substitutions would that ever even be considered.
There are those conditions in some policies for reasons of compatibility with other hardware but most times it was proprietary software which limited the options to specific make and models of components.

Gah - I rambled on again didn't I?

Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your post once again and maybe not go that far down memory lane.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 02 Jan 2019, 13:11
I never said what sort of fun, nor who the fun would be for :angel:

Hopefully she'd end up in a real chassis *before* that Scouser commits toastercide (again).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Inconsequential on 02 Jan 2019, 16:33
I don't recall any indication of how "old" Roko's mind and/or body are (other than "I've had it since I was born"), but it's obviously one of the higher-end models that appeared fairly recently, between Winslow's old iPod-ish chassis and his bubblegum incarnation.

Tech obviously moves fast in the QC-verse, and it'll be interesting to see whether Roko will ever feel "right" enough in a new body with presumably upgraded hardware (Will she still have the bread fetish thing?). Winslow and Momo were instantly at home in their new bodies, so what might keep Roko from experiencing the same?

She'll almost certainly insist on the same appearance. If that takes time to build, will she be too creeped out by a temporary body, or might she ask to be put in sleep mode for a while?

Should be a fascinating few weeks coming up here.



Also, Lemon's mismatched socks make me unreasonably happy somehow.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: War Sparrow on 02 Jan 2019, 19:48
Melon's wacky, but she's a good friend.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 02 Jan 2019, 19:59
One of Roko's hallmarks is her degree of body integration.  And Spookybot just visited her and gave  her a bit of teasing about .  Was that meant to be a portent of what was about to occur.  Not so much from Jeph, but do the Spookybot group perceive time differently, and was giving Roko a veiled warning?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: zisraelsen on 02 Jan 2019, 20:50
Im pretty sure thinking about melon, sitting in a server room, singing the only song she knows, to comfort her best friend, is the closest I've come to crying over a webcomic for a while. To be fair ive spent a long time hospitalized so i guess i empathize.

By the way, its probably just a throwaway number Jeph chose because its funny, but twinkle twinkle little star is about 25 seconds long (at least, the first stanza is, which is the only one i have ever heard. Im assuming its the only one melon is singing.) 25 x 1257 = 31,425 seconds / 3600 = 8.7 straight hours. I hope melon brought her charger.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Wombat on 02 Jan 2019, 21:09
Im pretty sure thinking about melon, sitting in a server room, singing the only song she knows, to comfort her best friend, is the closest I've come to crying over a webcomic for a while. To be fair ive spent a long time hospitalized so i guess i empathize.

By the way, its probably just a throwaway number Jeph chose because its funny, but twinkle twinkle little star is about 25 seconds long (at least, the first stanza is, which is the only one i have ever heard. Im assuming its the only one melon is singing.) 25 x 1257 = 31,425 seconds / 3600 = 8.7 straight hours. I hope melon brought her charger.
Melon is a strange egg, but a good egg.

I am also emotional.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: brasca on 02 Jan 2019, 21:36
Melon is a good friend, but this seems like the kind of torment visited upon those in robot jail. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Storel on 02 Jan 2019, 23:06
By the way, its probably just a throwaway number Jeph chose because its funny, but twinkle twinkle little star is about 25 seconds long (at least, the first stanza is, which is the only one i have ever heard.

Ah, but how long does it take to sing it to the tune of "Bohemian Rhapsody", as Jeph noted under the comic? Since the lyrics to TTLS don't last long enough to fill up an 8-minute melody, does she start over from the beginning each time she restarts the lyrics, or does she just keep continuing on through the melody?

Just trying to imagine it, I now have "Twinkle, twinkle little star, Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will you do the fandango?" running through my head...  :roll:  :laugh:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: zisraelsen on 02 Jan 2019, 23:15
"Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will you do the fandango?"/
"Little-Star! Little-Star! How I wonder what-you-are!"
(If it takes her 8 minutes, she's been singing for 7 days.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 02 Jan 2019, 23:18
I think that today's strip is really extra-sweet and beautiful. Although he plays it for laughs (and I bet she can't sing in tune), Jeph really puts a lot of emotion into Melon's expression and body language in panel 6. She's clearly very, very upset about what's happened to Roko and is desperately trying to help her in any way she can. It sort of establishes all over again in my head the way that Roko seems to be almost a big sister-like figure to Melon.

It also reinforces for me how young and innocent Melon seems. It's the sort of thing a young child would do for a beloved friend or relative who is in a coma or something. In some ways, it's as much to comfort herself as it is for Roko.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: ZoeB on 02 Jan 2019, 23:30
Cue storyline regarding identity & body/gender fluidity.

Yes. Trans people should be able to identify with the psychological trauma Renko feels.

Meanwhile, Onya, Melon. Renko is luckier than she knows to have you as a friend. Certainly luckier than I knew before now.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: ZoeB on 02 Jan 2019, 23:35
I hope Crushbot is getting some help too. He might have irrational guilt feelings. Maybe a talk with Renko would help both of them.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: DaiJB on 02 Jan 2019, 23:37
Just thinking - maybe it could have been a lot worse? At least Roko is repairable - but Crushbot could just as easily
have landed on an organic.......ewww.....

Also makes me wonder about the legal ramifications of plainly-unstable heavy machinery like Crushbot
just wandering the streets - maybe he should have flashing warning lights? Or an escort vehicle with sign?
You know, like "WARNING - OVERSIZE LOAD" ?   :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 02 Jan 2019, 23:41
I wondered about that as well. I get that AI are people too, but that doesn't explain how a chassis weighing several tonnes is allowed on a sidewalk. Especially since over here not even bikes, once you're over 9 years old, are allowed on there.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 03 Jan 2019, 00:07
Also makes me wonder about the legal ramifications of plainly-unstable heavy machinery like Crushbot
just wandering the streets - maybe he should have flashing warning lights? Or an escort vehicle with sign?
You know, like "WARNING - OVERSIZE LOAD" ?   :-D

There's two things you need to remember. Firstly, it's clear that, given the way Crushbot was insured and the way his insurance company rolled over without a fight, they know just how potentially hazardous they are.

Secondly, I don't think that Crushbot is intrinsically unstable; if they were, they wouldn't be allowed onto the public streets. However, they stepped on a loose, low-traction and unanticipated high-grade slope (a broken crate of bananas. Any machinery would struggle to stay balanced and upright in those circumstances.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 03 Jan 2019, 01:23
Eh. Sorry, still not sold on Melon. Judging by the thread, I'm the only heartless bastard who isn't, but I've mentally put her in the category of "comic really wants to make sure you know she's WACKY" that I'd previously had Emily in (and to a small extent, Raven), and the latest comic did little to change that. Except Emily was occasionally semi-interesting to me, and unless Melon gets significant character development, "she doesn't know basic stuff/she says and does things that don't seem to make much sense" seems to be the character trait that overwhelms anything else.

(incidentally, I find it mildly funny that, as far as I can tell with a quick check, the last appearance of Emily a few hundred strips ago was her interacting with Melon and another character commenting that "she has a way with the weirdoes")

I mean, I'm not hatin' on anyone who finds the fact that Melon cares endearing. I just don't. My reaction is mostly "she sings Twinke Twinkle Little Star to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody. Hilarious" and rolling my eyes a bit. It kinda kills for me any genuine emotion that the comic might otherwise convey.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: traroth on 03 Jan 2019, 01:35
Maybe Roko will become a sentient loaf of bread?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: TheCollector on 03 Jan 2019, 01:51
Okay I can't handle any more of this highly upsetting story line. Wake me when it's resolved.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Meander on 03 Jan 2019, 02:45
It also reinforces for me how young and innocent Melon seems. It's the sort of thing a young child would do for a beloved friend or relative who is in a coma or something. In some ways, it's as much to comfort herself as it is for Roko.

And now I'm crying.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Annemoon on 03 Jan 2019, 04:34

With respect to the chassis issues, just because a model is no longer in production does not mean that exact same model series cannot be found on the open market.
Also the insurance company always makes the final decision and if a replacement is cheaper than a repair then the cheaper solution it is.


Well, you're looking at it from a purely "thing" point of view. However, it's actually very interesting if that would fully be the case.
E.g. if your human 'body' is damaged by cause of another (especially one with good insurance) you would be eligible for both hospital cost (damages) but also for some sort of emotional compensation.

In my opinion - equal rights would place android bodies more within the latter point of view, especially considering the process of body integration.
It's interesting to see how Jeph is going to spin this.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: traroth on 03 Jan 2019, 05:19
Time for a better, faster, stronger Roko!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Thrudd on 03 Jan 2019, 06:52
With respect to the chassis issues, just because a model is no longer in production does not mean that exact same model series cannot be found on the open market.
Also the insurance company always makes the final decision and if a replacement is cheaper than a repair then the cheaper solution it is.
Well, you're looking at it from a purely "thing" point of view. However, it's actually very interesting if that would fully be the case.
E.g. if your human 'body' is damaged by cause of another (especially one with good insurance) you would be eligible for both hospital cost (damages) but also for some sort of emotional compensation.

In my opinion - equal rights would place android bodies more within the latter point of view, especially considering the process of body integration.
It's interesting to see how Jeph is going to spin this.

Interesting observation though I think that may stem from the USA's unique approach to everything equating directly to dollar signs in some way.
This is especially true for "emotional compensation" which has seemingly spiralled into absurdity a long long time ago.

Mind you what I see here from the white-space interactions being portrayed by Jeph, is that psychological counselling is part of the "medical" response to the trauma, so maybe the QC verse isn't as dysfunctional as The Real Worldtm.


Now onto a tangent regarding Insurance.
Crushbot's Insurer looks to be very diligent when it comes to their liability coverage at this point. I would see that they would seek something from the banana delivery services insurer to either mitigate some of their own costs or help supplement the compensation to Roko in some way.  This all depends on a number of factors. What are the various clauses and factors covered in the insurance policy? What type of people work for and run the insurance company and how do they view their client base? What kind of person is the adjuster and how are they dealing with claims of this nature?

We may be able to see how this pans out though I doubt Jeph will even bother going anywhere near any of that.
More times than not it is boring and annoying at best, unless it is part of his story arc for for that little extra bit of drama and slice of life that isn't quite so sweet.
Oh and maybe adding in a new character or three for the story arc.
Insurance Adjuster not seen as yet, Hardware Consultant though Bubbles may be the closest expert on that and most likely has better rates, Lawyers from the insurance company and maybe from her old police union, and a Councillor as we already have Lemon.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: DSL on 03 Jan 2019, 10:56

With respect to the chassis issues, just because a model is no longer in production does not mean that exact same model series cannot be found on the open market.
Also the insurance company always makes the final decision and if a replacement is cheaper than a repair then the cheaper solution it is.


Well, you're looking at it from a purely "thing" point of view. However, it's actually very interesting if that would fully be the case.
E.g. if your human 'body' is damaged by cause of another (especially one with good insurance) you would be eligible for both hospital cost (damages) but also for some sort of emotional compensation.

In my opinion - equal rights would place android bodies more within the latter point of view, especially considering the process of body integration.
It's interesting to see how Jeph is going to spin this.

What, you think an insurance company would approach the matter any differently if it were an organic's body?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 03 Jan 2019, 12:02
If the law permitted different approaches between the two and one approach was cheaper I would expect them to treat the two differently.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Roborat on 03 Jan 2019, 12:32
I knew Melon would somehow get involved in this.  I am touched by her compassion and dedication to help, but perhaps she could download a few more songs, both for her sanity and that of anyone else within earshot?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tova on 03 Jan 2019, 12:35
If the law permitted different approaches between the two and one approach was cheaper I would expect them to treat the two differently.

On the other hand, if the law permitted the same approach and one approach were cheaper ...

We may be able to see how this pans out though I doubt Jeph will even bother going anywhere near any of that.

I agree with this. Fascinating though the topic may be, I suspect it was mentioned only to quickly establish the reason Roko has access to therapy and (presumably) to a new chassis. In story terms, details beyond that are uninteresting.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 03 Jan 2019, 13:00
The replacement body will be easy enough.  Adapting to it, and the sensory as well as psychological issues are much better comic-fodder.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 03 Jan 2019, 13:50
Melon's wacky, but she's a good friend.
The Sacred Fool, stupid (or in Melon's case zaney) to the point of holiness.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: gprimr1 on 03 Jan 2019, 14:31
It would be interesting to see the comic do something with Roko having to reconcile that Roko left the police department because she disliked it and what it stood for, but had she not have been a police officer, she would be dead.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Cheetaur on 03 Jan 2019, 15:24
I wonder if Roko might just say to turn her off? Basically a virtual death, she did sort of die, if she were and organic she would be. This is sorta a limbo, perhaps she may feel that this is the end and perhaps end it. It would be an interesting view ...suicide is a big problem that lies dormant until it affects you directly.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: tHEfOOL on 03 Jan 2019, 15:50
Melon is a true friend
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 03 Jan 2019, 17:07
both for her sanity and that of anyone else within earshot?

Bold of you to assume that Melon had any sanity to begin with.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tova on 03 Jan 2019, 17:52
Bold of you to conflate quirkiness with mental health.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: St.Clair on 03 Jan 2019, 18:59
Sanity is one of those transitive verbs.

"I'm quirky, you're weird, they're [batshit, bugfuck, etc etc]."
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tova on 03 Jan 2019, 19:09
Ah yes! The emotive conjugation.  :mrgreen:

Bernard: It's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it: I have an independent mind; you are an eccentric; he is round the twist.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: zisraelsen on 03 Jan 2019, 19:22
Comic's up!
A running list of things that bring out Roko's boston accent:
Being drunk
Stressful situations
Receiving large sums of money
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Magniras on 03 Jan 2019, 20:00
translation, Jeph likes Roko, but wanted to update her design. This way just has the benefit of letting her go into volunteering full time, and exploring AI psychology.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tyr on 03 Jan 2019, 20:20
Comic's up!
A running list of things that bring out Roko's boston accent:
Being drunk
Stressful situations
Receiving large sums of money

Given the last two, I'd combine them to just read "Intense emotions"
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: zisraelsen on 03 Jan 2019, 20:29
Yea, you're not wrong. in fact even in the first example she only lapsed into the accent when O'Malley pissed her off. (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3695) I just phrased it like I did 'cuz I think lists are funny.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jan 2019, 21:13
I'm very glad to see that Roku will likely come out of this relatively unscathed - at least physically.  The mental trauma may take some time.

Isn't anybody else surprised that after millions of years of evolution and survival of the fittest processes humans have become MORE susceptible to major damage from minor events?  Look at gorillas or rhinos.  You can wail on their bodies with a pipe wrench with relatively little effect.  Why are we so goddanged 'delicate'   I'm also thinking that we should all be fitted with reinforcement for our processors and memory cores.  Could someone please get on that STAT!
'Survival of the Sickest'
Negative attribute that provides short-term immediate survival boost and leads to said attribute being propagated more readily. Examples; diabetes, sickle cell anemia. Excess sugar in the blood reduces risk of frostbite. Most commonly found in individuals with Scandinavian ancestry. Higher blood cell turnover rate reduces likelihood of malaria infection. Most commonly found in peoples native to the Malaria Belt.

TL;DR: Evolution does not and cannot plan. It works purely on hindsight.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 03 Jan 2019, 21:14
The emblem is a scrumptiously golden brown croissant.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tova on 03 Jan 2019, 22:06
Merely getting a hairstyle change won't cut it anymore.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Jan 2019, 23:26
This arc and its implications reminds me of a Kim Possible/The Bionic Woman crossover that I read a few years back. In it, the titular heroine is horrendously injured in a bomb explosion and the only way to avoid her being left a permanently institutionalised cripple, barely better than a vegetable, is radical prosthetic surgery, replacing all four limbs, most of her sensory organs and skin with synthetic replacements as well as heavily augmenting her brain to interface with this amount of electronic appliances.

From there, the story starts going into Ghost in the Shell territory. Being comfortably over 75% synthetic, Kim starts questioning if she's still really is Kim Possible anymore or a sophisticated android that's using some of the late Kim's biological parts to function. There is also the more physical issue that she now weights around 250lbs because of the amount of titanium, coltan and plutonium in her rebuilt body including its micro-fission power system. Not being able see, hear, smell or even feel in the same way as a human anymore doesn't help very much.

I mention this because I think it gives something of an insight into what Roko is likely to go through in the medium-term. No matter how alike her new chassis is to her original, Roko is still going to have this feeling of dislocation - A sense that she is, at the very least, heavily changed from who she was before and, at the worst, that she is not really 'Roko' anymore but a totally different being that just has a copy of a dead woman's memories.

Additionally, Lemon and Roko's interactions in the virtual environment remind me of the early phase of the story. During the reconstructive process, the scientists use the bionic interface circuitry to 'jack' into Kim's brain and interface directly with her consciousness to help her prepare for what was happening to her and to enable her to assist them in testing all the systems to ensure they were interfacing properly with the remainder of her biological central nervous system.
"[A]round 250lbs"

I'm suddenly very conscious of the fact that I'm 5'5" (165cm) and I weigh 221lbs. Granted I've got broad shoulders and a deep chest on top of being generally stocky, but still.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 03 Jan 2019, 23:28
The more I read today's strip, the more I think that it's basically a commentary and satire on Apple's upgrade policies and marketing. You're having to pay a premium price for only a very small hardware improvement and... oh, did we mention the cool new wireless earbuds? As Apple are finding out, this doesn't work forever and I'm wondering if the manufacturers of Roko's chassis will learn the same!

That aside, I'm wondering just how big the sensorium upgrade will be? I'm definitely thinking that one of the major issues that Roko will have to confront is a body that is much higher-specification than the one she's used to. Imagine being suddenly super-sensitive to the world around you so that every little touch, scent or sound is a bit clearer and more dramatic in its impact on your awareness. I strongly suspect that Roko may simply faint when she next walks into The Secret Bakery from the pleasure overload! She'll likely turn down her sensitivity settings after that but I think that she'll still find it difficult to smell Elliot without seeing the best kind of bread in her head!

So, we know that Roko's chassis is the Philomena series. ((Opens Google in another tab)) The most famous pop culture use of the name appears to be The Philomena Project, a charity named for Annie Philomena Lee, an Irish adoption rights campaigner who had her child forcibly removed from her by the church with state assistance and whose son died before she could track him down. According to Wikipedia, Ms Lee was likely named for Saint Philomena, the patron saint of children.

I've been thinking about Roko's avatar, particularly the white body-sock and the whole thing strikes me as a PG-13 version of 'Roko minus all external adornment'. I wonder if any philosophers out there might wonder if we're looking at her soul?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: traroth on 04 Jan 2019, 01:28
Now I want to see the fancy emblem...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Magniras on 04 Jan 2019, 02:20
I've been thinking about Roko's avatar, particularly the white body-sock and the whole thing strikes me as a PG-13 version of 'Roko minus all external adornment'. I wonder if any philosophers out there might wonder if we're looking at her soul?

I just assumed we were looking at her ghost.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Eternal_Newbie on 04 Jan 2019, 04:15
And another 5k for one without the annoying ass logo probably.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Jan 2019, 04:27
Here's a possibility: The logo is a stylised 'PG' (for 'Philomena-G'). Roko uses the extras from the settlement to commission Sam to use permanent markers to change it to 'RB'. Part of the process of making the new chassis more psychologically 'hers'.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: traroth on 04 Jan 2019, 04:46
I just realize most AI must have doppelgangers, as chassis are not unique. So we could see others characters looking exactly like, say, Momo. Or Winslow. Or PT410X. Bubbles has probably a very unique chassis, though...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 04 Jan 2019, 04:56
I just realize most AI must have doppelgangers, as chassis are not unique. So we could see others characters looking exactly like, say, Momo. Or Winslow. Or PT410X. Bubbles has probably a very unique chassis, though...

I hope there is something about facial features that's customizable to an extent, or at least that factories that produce chassis introduce some minor random variation.

Then again, seeing as AI are individual, and it's not like human identical twins can't give a different impression when you meet them, maybe the way AI move their facial muscles makes them different enough?

That makes me wonder. Just how detailed is an artificial body's face? If it's simplified, that must necessarily limit emotional expression. If it's detailed, it'd be incredibly creepy to humans due to Uncanny Valley. I guess the best solution would be for facial features to be somewhat cartoonish in-universe (less threatening, less Uncanny Valleyish, still extremely expressive). But that might ALSO backfire in that AI would subconsciously be perceived as immature or not serious.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: rtmq0227 on 04 Jan 2019, 05:45
That aside, I'm wondering just how big the sensorium upgrade will be?

A thought: how will changes to her sensorium suite affect her ability to enjoy baked goods?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Thrudd on 04 Jan 2019, 06:10
Now I want to see the fancy emblem...
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Stoutfellow on 04 Jan 2019, 06:20
Is it clear that Roko will have to buy the Philomena-G? Lemon said that that is the flagship of the line, which implies that other models - e.g., the Philomena Classic - are available. (I think that the Classic is the rebranding of the Philomena 5s; it wouldn't make sense to rebrand a discontinued model, would it?)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: traroth on 04 Jan 2019, 06:49
I just realize most AI must have doppelgangers, as chassis are not unique. So we could see others characters looking exactly like, say, Momo. Or Winslow. Or PT410X. Bubbles has probably a very unique chassis, though...

I hope there is something about facial features that's customizable to an extent, or at least that factories that produce chassis introduce some minor random variation.

Then again, seeing as AI are individual, and it's not like human identical twins can't give a different impression when you meet them, maybe the way AI move their facial muscles makes them different enough?

That makes me wonder. Just how detailed is an artificial body's face? If it's simplified, that must necessarily limit emotional expression. If it's detailed, it'd be incredibly creepy to humans due to Uncanny Valley. I guess the best solution would be for facial features to be somewhat cartoonish in-universe (less threatening, less Uncanny Valleyish, still extremely expressive). But that might ALSO backfire in that AI would subconsciously be perceived as immature or not serious.

Maybe they have crossed the Uncanny Valley. Maybe they are so human-like they are not creepy or disturbing anymore. Or maybe humans have adapted? Does the Uncanny Valley still make sense when speaking about really intelligent and sensitive beings?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: dutchrvl on 04 Jan 2019, 07:17
translation, Jeph likes Roko, but wanted to update her design. This way just has the benefit of letting her go into volunteering full time, and exploring AI psychology.

Could be yes. Personally I feel Jeph wanted to explore some the psychological aspects related to AI connections with their physical embodiments (I feel like he set this up quite a while ago by in-comic discussions of Roko's integration with her body (as early as #3574 at least), as well as adding some exposition on how AI's consciousnesses may be transferred to other bodies, what happens if their bodies 'die', etc.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 04 Jan 2019, 07:26
I just realize most AI must have doppelgangers, as chassis are not unique. So we could see others characters looking exactly like, say, Momo. Or Winslow. Or PT410X. Bubbles has probably a very unique chassis, though...

I hope there is something about facial features that's customizable to an extent, or at least that factories that produce chassis introduce some minor random variation.

Then again, seeing as AI are individual, and it's not like human identical twins can't give a different impression when you meet them, maybe the way AI move their facial muscles makes them different enough?

That makes me wonder. Just how detailed is an artificial body's face? If it's simplified, that must necessarily limit emotional expression. If it's detailed, it'd be incredibly creepy to humans due to Uncanny Valley. I guess the best solution would be for facial features to be somewhat cartoonish in-universe (less threatening, less Uncanny Valleyish, still extremely expressive). But that might ALSO backfire in that AI would subconsciously be perceived as immature or not serious.

Maybe they have crossed the Uncanny Valley. Maybe they are so human-like they are not creepy or disturbing anymore. Or maybe humans have adapted? Does the Uncanny Valley still make sense when speaking about really intelligent and sensitive beings?

I've been thinking about this WAY too much, so a super long post incoming. Sorry  :-D

I doubt humans have adapted that quickly. Uncanny Valley is a reaction that I think of as something visceral and largely subconscious. Something completely emotional and not based on worldview or values or anything like that.

I mean, we react differently to someone we *know* is human acting or looking a bit off. And it's not just a reaction of generally prejudiced people. Things looking "not quite right" are unnerving. We base our reactions on looks even when we know someone is intelligent and emotional (and the opposite - we humanize and anthropomorphise anything that's cute or visually non-threatening or otherwise good- and human-looking, even inanimate objects). Either it's human nature, or something so deeply ingrained in Western culture as to be effectively the same as human nature. If I put disturbing-looking make-up on that'd make me look extremely doll-like or give me a weird eye shape or skin tone or something like that, even people who know me would be a bit uncomfortable, I imagine. And they would know I'm still me, so it's not about the fact they'd suddenly treat me as a different person.

I mean, YMMV, but I think of Uncanny Valley as being a fairly normal, default human reaction.

As to them being super-realistic - I doubt it to the extent that the art style suggests they look markedly different from humans in the comic. It's not just the color of the skin. Plus, the colourful bodies would also likely be a conscious decision to avoid an Uncanny Valley-ish effect that flesh-coloured skins might provoke. If that choice was made, it stands to reason that the choice of facial structure was affected by the consideration as well.

Also, when trying to create an appealing image of a person, people in e.g. animation have always gone for exaggeration, and it's no accident that super-realistic drawings look kinda off. I think if popular art, comics and animation, including animation with incredible budgets, hasn't disposed of exaggeration and cartoonish features in a century (and counting drawings, in several millenia), then it's just a good practice that works. Plus, if AI bodies are made as products, the producer would certainly go for artistic and aesthetic value, at least in part, and there's a huge market for things looking cute and simplified (when you have a video game avatar in an online space, or a little person appearing on-screen to help you, is it usually a photorealistic rendition? Are mascots for places and events extremely realistic? Are fursuits at furry conventions? Usually not).

Thirdly, we've seen a variety of types of AI chassis and they often are extremely stylised (including chibi-fied) or have some features simplified (often to imply a lower price tag). Even if there are bodies for AI indistinguishable from those of humans, I doubt they are within a reasonable pricing range, based on the AI and the problems with their bodies we've witnessed in the comic - they may have easily removable skin, feet with no individual toes, arms and legs with obvious connectors and so on. So it's not unreasonable to think they also have relatively simple mechanics of muscle structure and so on, because otherwise there'd be a weird disjoint between a body that has features that are robot-like or almost mannequin-like coupled with a perfectly human-like face. And even that might be a little unsettling, so we're coming back to the problem with Uncanny Valley.

Plus, the negative reactions to AI that we've seen in some strips imply that people are used to being able that an AI is an AI at a glance. And we've never seen anyone doubting someone else being human, so it's either uncommon or unknown that such a possibility may occur (I mean, it's also possible that the comic just never went there, but that'd be speculation based on no in-comic evidence).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: traroth on 04 Jan 2019, 08:19
I just realize most AI must have doppelgangers, as chassis are not unique. So we could see others characters looking exactly like, say, Momo. Or Winslow. Or PT410X. Bubbles has probably a very unique chassis, though...

I hope there is something about facial features that's customizable to an extent, or at least that factories that produce chassis introduce some minor random variation.

Then again, seeing as AI are individual, and it's not like human identical twins can't give a different impression when you meet them, maybe the way AI move their facial muscles makes them different enough?

That makes me wonder. Just how detailed is an artificial body's face? If it's simplified, that must necessarily limit emotional expression. If it's detailed, it'd be incredibly creepy to humans due to Uncanny Valley. I guess the best solution would be for facial features to be somewhat cartoonish in-universe (less threatening, less Uncanny Valleyish, still extremely expressive). But that might ALSO backfire in that AI would subconsciously be perceived as immature or not serious.

Maybe they have crossed the Uncanny Valley. Maybe they are so human-like they are not creepy or disturbing anymore. Or maybe humans have adapted? Does the Uncanny Valley still make sense when speaking about really intelligent and sensitive beings?

I've been thinking about this WAY too much, so a super long post incoming. Sorry  :-D

I doubt humans have adapted that quickly. Uncanny Valley is a reaction that I think of as something visceral and largely subconscious. Something completely emotional and not based on worldview or values or anything like that.

I mean, we react differently to someone we *know* is human acting or looking a bit off. And it's not just a reaction of generally prejudiced people. Things looking "not quite right" are unnerving. We base our reactions on looks even when we know someone is intelligent and emotional (and the opposite - we humanize and anthropomorphise anything that's cute or visually non-threatening or otherwise good- and human-looking, even inanimate objects). Either it's human nature, or something so deeply ingrained in Western culture as to be effectively the same as human nature. If I put disturbing-looking make-up on that'd make me look extremely doll-like or give me a weird eye shape or skin tone or something like that, even people who know me would be a bit uncomfortable, I imagine. And they would know I'm still me, so it's not about the fact they'd suddenly treat me as a different person.

I mean, YMMV, but I think of Uncanny Valley as being a fairly normal, default human reaction.

As to them being super-realistic - I doubt it to the extent that the art style suggests they look markedly different from humans in the comic. It's not just the color of the skin. Plus, the colourful bodies would also likely be a conscious decision to avoid an Uncanny Valley-ish effect that flesh-coloured skins might provoke. If that choice was made, it stands to reason that the choice of facial structure was affected by the consideration as well.

Also, when trying to create an appealing image of a person, people in e.g. animation have always gone for exaggeration, and it's no accident that super-realistic drawings look kinda off. I think if popular art, comics and animation, including animation with incredible budgets, hasn't disposed of exaggeration and cartoonish features in a century (and counting drawings, in several millenia), then it's just a good practice that works. Plus, if AI bodies are made as products, the producer would certainly go for artistic and aesthetic value, at least in part, and there's a huge market for things looking cute and simplified (when you have a video game avatar in an online space, or a little person appearing on-screen to help you, is it usually a photorealistic rendition? Are mascots for places and events extremely realistic? Are fursuits at furry conventions? Usually not).

Thirdly, we've seen a variety of types of AI chassis and they often are extremely stylised (including chibi-fied) or have some features simplified (often to imply a lower price tag). Even if there are bodies for AI indistinguishable from those of humans, I doubt they are within a reasonable pricing range, based on the AI and the problems with their bodies we've witnessed in the comic - they may have easily removable skin, feet with no individual toes, arms and legs with obvious connectors and so on. So it's not unreasonable to think they also have relatively simple mechanics of muscle structure and so on, because otherwise there'd be a weird disjoint between a body that has features that are robot-like or almost mannequin-like coupled with a perfectly human-like face. And even that might be a little unsettling, so we're coming back to the problem with Uncanny Valley.

Plus, the negative reactions to AI that we've seen in some strips imply that people are used to being able that an AI is an AI at a glance. And we've never seen anyone doubting someone else being human, so it's either uncommon or unknown that such a possibility may occur (I mean, it's also possible that the comic just never went there, but that'd be speculation based on no in-comic evidence).

In my opinion, Uncanny Valley is not caused by something "being of", but by the realistic appearance of life, intelligence and conscience in something that has none of those. But obviously, AI in QC have them, so I'm not sure their appearance would still cause that creepy effect.

Just watch Twillight Zone, the episode "The dummy" (s03e33), the puppet is creepy as hell!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 04 Jan 2019, 08:24
I mean... Uncanny Valley, the way I've seen it defined, is about something looking or appearing as almost human, but not quite.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/uncanny_valley

By this definition, it's all about appearance and its effect, regardless of intelligence or lack thereof. I've seen store mannequins described as creepy because of the "Uncanny Valley" effect, as well as humanoid dolls or even visual art that's almost-realistic.

Also, I've never seen it discussed in the context of a good facsimile of a living, thinking being. Neither the P-zombie thought experiment, for instance, nor Hal 9000 from "2001: A Space Odyssey" are something I've ever seen discussed in the context of UV.

So I guess we have different definitions here? I'm not sure there's a consensus, but again - I'm going by the definition I've almost universally seen.

EDIT: Wikipedia seems to make similar assumptions:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley

Quote
In aesthetics, the uncanny valley is a hypothesized relationship between the degree of an object's resemblance to a human being and the emotional response to such an object. The concept of the uncanny valley suggests humanoid objects which appear almost, but not exactly, like real human beings elicit uncanny, or strangely familiar, feelings of eeriness and revulsion in observers.[2] Valley denotes a dip in the human observer's affinity for the replica, a relation that otherwise increases with the replica's human likeness.[3]
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: syclick on 04 Jan 2019, 08:29
I can see Roko being tempted to purchase her old chassis model off the black market.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tyr on 04 Jan 2019, 08:42
I can see Roko being tempted to purchase her old chassis model off the black market.

Doesn't even have to be 'black' market. She could just buy one secondhand. they're discontinued, not outlawed.

of course, a secondhand chassis in general may skeeve her out... that's someone else's body. It'd be like wearing someone else's underwear x256, or using another dwarf's tools.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 04 Jan 2019, 08:47
AIs often refer to their physical frames as their chassis.  Roko, near as I can tell, always uses "body."  Hanners actually used the term unprompted in 3574 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3574), but then again she'd be the human to spot that degree of integration.

Another subtle Jephism.  Very good!  Very good!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 04 Jan 2019, 09:41
WRT the "Uncanny Valley" effect and QC-verse AIs, I do believe that Jeph has stated that Momo can pass as human under casual inspection.

Edit: Even if he has not directly said it, Sam did think that she was just another adolescent kid until Momo pointed out that she was a robot.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Case on 04 Jan 2019, 10:39
Cue storyline regarding identity & body/gender fluidity.

Yes. Trans people should be able to identify with the psychological trauma Renko feels.

Yes, I was wondering about that - Jeph's handling of this arc so far seems to support 'our' (=wcdt) speculations that AI appear to have kind of a "body-map" that tells them what should be where and how everything should 'feel' at a very deep-down, 'firmware' level.

If I recall your posts & citations correctly, we humans have something like such a map, too, the configuration process starts already in the womb, and mismatches between that internal map and the physical body is what we call gender-dysphoria?

It would be nice if Jeph used this arc to try to highlight this particular aspect of the *trans experience - just like many other SF-authors have used their stories about the future to give us tools/analogies to better understand our present.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 04 Jan 2019, 10:43
... and now she will have a butt sensitivity to concern her. Great.
What we really need to know is the difference between the old model and the Philomena 5s/Classic.

(I notice that Lemon uses 'butt' and not more clinical language.)

I sanity in your general direction!  (sanity is a verb now)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: DSL on 04 Jan 2019, 11:49
I wonder if observing that one does not have the latest model, with the slightly upgraded sensorium, the $20K extra on the price tag, and the really nice emblem on the butt would be the AI equivalent of chas -- er, body-shaming.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Jan 2019, 12:09
"What? You're still using that old thing? The new Philomena has been out for four whole weeks now!"
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Roborat on 04 Jan 2019, 12:55
I love how her accent comes out when she is startled.  As another has said, perhaps she could explore what is available on the secondhand market, maybe she will get lucky and find her old chassis available?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Inconsequential on 04 Jan 2019, 16:32
If we think back to the time May accidentally ripped her face skin off, we'll see that humanoid AIs in the QC-verse, even ones in janky, low-rent government issue chassis, have very elaborate facial myomers that closely mimic human facial muscles.

The rest of May's body is basically abstract blue plastic (she was shirtless during the repairs, and was, uh, even more featureless than a Barbie doll), but her face and the ability to make expressions is the one thing that works well.

From this, I'd deduce that facial expressions in AIs are very, VERY well developed, and the colorful dermals might help erase the last of the uncanny valley effect. Plus, if people could choose skin colors, why wouldn't many of them choose something bright or bold?

Momo is the one character we've seen who has life-like translucent caucasian skin, and she's been mistaken for a human more than once. Even so, she still has pink hair and "big ol' anime eyes".

Humans (and AIs) are VERY good at reading expressions and body language, so facial myomers aren't really necessary to be understood. Several characters have more abstract faces (Pintsize, O'Malley, Punchbot, Arthur, Swordsmary, "Punkbot" - does he have a name?, etc.) with varying degrees of mobility and features.

Interesting stuff to think about.


So anyway, where's this week's Overthinkers Anonymous meeting? Down the hall and to the left?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Morituri on 04 Jan 2019, 20:56
I dunno.  Big ol' anime eyes are a pretty strange look IRL.  Have a look at Rosa Salazar in one of her recent roles.  It's a film adaptation of the anime 'Battle Angel Alita.'  The main character is drawn with eyes the size of grapefruit, and in the role Rosa's eyes are digitally altered to about the size of mandarin oranges.  Juuuust on the edge of 'uncanny  valley girl' territory.

Nobody ever remarked on her eye size in the anime itself; it was just art style.  But, since the character's not entirely human, there's at least a justification for the arresting look to be translated into a live-action film.

(https://cdn.empireonline.com/jpg/80/0/0/1200/675/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/c/articles/5a2af10004fafc3605f56496/screenshot_381.jpg)

(https://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Alita-Battle-Angel-eys-Rosa-Salazar.jpg)

(https://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Alita-Battle-Angel-Rosa-Salazar.jpg)

I think she gets my vote for 'uncanny valley girl,' or at least as close as we're likely to see in film for this year.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: ZoeB on 04 Jan 2019, 23:23
Cue storyline regarding identity & body/gender fluidity.

Yes. Trans people should be able to identify with the psychological trauma Renko feels.

Yes, I was wondering about that - Jeph's handling of this arc so far seems to support 'our' (=wcdt) speculations that AI appear to have kind of a "body-map" that tells them what should be where and how everything should 'feel' at a very deep-down, 'firmware' level.
Some do. Some would be ok with trading what they have for a jet fighter chassis. It varies. See Momo's reaction to her upgrade.

Quote
If I recall your posts & citations correctly, we humans have something like such a map, too, the configuration process starts already in the womb, and mismatches between that internal map and the physical body is what we call gender-dysphoria?
You do recall correctly. There is a variability of degree though. Some women who have radical mastectomies have severe psychological trauma from it. Some people who lose legs below the knee likewise. To others it's just a bloody inconvenience
.
Quote
It would be nice if Jeph used this arc to try to highlight this particular aspect of the *trans experience - just like many other SF-authors have used their stories about the future to give us tools/analogies to better understand our present.
Concur. On the other hand, sometimes it's better to not look at the big picture,  but to just care about individuals as individuals.

Those who fight monsters must beware they too don't become monsters thereby. Look at the big picture and forget the personal one, and the abyss stares into you.  So in order to do the big picture stuff, to be an effective activist, one must first remember to be a decent human being. Then you can state into the Abyss, and have it blink.

Yes, I know it's a comic, with fictional characters, but I'd rather see them as individuals not stereotypes. If their experiences mirror a big picture, well and good, but only if it's incidental, I'd prefer them not to be conscripted into serving a cause. Even one I passionately believe in. Enough of the stereotype is true for such conscription not to be necessary anyway, alas.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: ZoeB on 04 Jan 2019, 23:58
There's a danger in universalising one's own experience, but sometimes anecdotes can be useful in aiding understanding.

A very good friend of mine who I've known for over 40 years visited us on new year eve. He's vehicularly challenged, and was staying here in Canberra with some other friends. They came around at 7pm to take him home.

They're really good people, and it was great to meet them. Both had medical training, and as we were nattering, I mentioned in passing that I'd had my face burnt off a few years ago. They were disbelieving, till I showed them some medical photos, and drew their attention to a small patch on my face that had healed imperfectly. The general consensus was that I'd been extraordinarily fortunate, by rights I should have at least lost my nose.

Their disbelief made me feel good for no logical reason. They asked me about the few patches of keloid scarring I had on my right forearm, and I was right with those, they gave me no psychological distress at all. They were me. They'd both seen that phenomenon before. (And we ended up talking wayy past midnight and into the new year).

So here I am, an example of where body map was really emotionally important in one area, but of negligible importance in another. People vary, neurology varies.

I hope Ms Roko Basilisk finds her new circumstances comfortable. Maybe it might take a second hand chassis of her previous model, or a customisation of the replacement to replicate the parts that were crucial to her being her. She has friends who are skilled in that kind of thing (and could do with the work...). 

Funny. I wish I could talk to her about it. But then, I wish I could be on Spookybot's ethics review panel. I feel she must have one, for quality assurance. I rely on friends too, to tell me when I'm being assholic. I don't have godlike powers though, so it's a nice-to-have rather than utter necessity.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 05 Jan 2019, 06:47
So anyway, where's this week's Overthinkers Anonymous meeting? Down the hall and to the left?

The room down the hall and to the left is moving with the Earth's rotation and orbital velocity and the Sun's' galactic orbit. It will be necessary to parallel those exactly to get there, and even if you manage that you can't get in legally if there are too many over thinkers for fire code compliance, not at all if the room is physically full. The building might have been destroyed by the end of this week, that's another possibility.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Case on 05 Jan 2019, 07:47
The meeting of the proudly un-anonymous overthinkers, otoh, is right here.

Or rather: The permant steering committee ...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Baleanopter on 05 Jan 2019, 19:20
Thinking about Roko's body integration and seeing some of the discussion of varying degrees of that in humans, and "bocy maps" (there's a name for your sense of your place in space and your sense of your shape, but I don;t remember what it's called - it is categorized as a sense, like smell or hearing or whatever though).

A few years ago, at the age of 51, I somehow contracted the childhood ailment "hand, foot, and mouth disease". I know where I got it - a toddler a roommate was babysitting had a diagnosed case shortly before my symptoms developed, though I didn't know that for a while after I got sick - but since I hardly ever interacted with the little poo-larva it was a shock. Until I found out what it was, it rather terrified me (I was broke until payday and didn't want to incur a massive ER bill for what probably wasn't life-threatening, so didn't see a doctor.) My hands and feet were literally completely covered in a very painful, deep red rash that turned shades of purple and black before it subsided, and the roof of my mouth was - fortunately - less so. (The onset fever was no joke either.) In the aftermath, thick bits of skin gradually sloughed off - the peeling was heavy enough to be almost as terrifying as the active infection.

The point though - up until fairly recently my perception of my hands and feet was altered. For a few years I would very often notice an uncomfortable sense that my hands and feet were skeletonized, or otherwise insubstantial (like thin porcelain or even cheap plastic), or even much, much smaller in actual dimensions - even though after the new skin toughened up everything was objectively perfectly normal. To this day I am unsure if it was from temporary nerve damage giving feedback my brain wasn't expecting or some sort of dysphoria brought on by the very disturbing progress of the original illness.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: pwhodges on 06 Jan 2019, 03:13
(there's a name for your sense of your place in space and your sense of your shape, but I don;t remember what it's called - it is categorized as a sense, like smell or hearing or whatever though)

Proprioception.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: SpanielBear on 06 Jan 2019, 07:21
I wonder if observing that one does not have the latest model, with the slightly upgraded sensorium, the $20K extra on the price tag, and the really nice emblem on the butt would be the AI equivalent of chas -- er, body-shaming.

It might get a similar reaction to the difference between buying an off-the-peg suit as opposed to a tailored one from Saville Row.

And would matter (or not matter) to similar types of people/entities.

There'd also be another layer of difference between an AI like Momo, who's chassis is a matter of aesthetics and practicle choice, and AI's like Roko and May for whom the nature of their embodiement is an existential question. You could insult May by telling her her Chassis looks ugly, and it would be like telling someone their shoes sucked. Saying that to Roko would be wounding on a very different level.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 06 Jan 2019, 13:19
Poll Results Post
Pancake!Roko! What happens next?

1. Roko has to deal with a low-spec temporary body until Faye and Bubbles can somehow fix her original chassis - 14 (21.2%)
=2. Spookybot: "I can repair her although she may find the specification of the replacement a bit more... cutting edge." - 10 (15.2%)
=2. Roko in Momo-tan - 10 (15.2%)
=2. Roko in an immobile sensor & communications pod that ends up being carried around by a main character - 10 (15.2%)
5. Roko in a robo-girlfriend prototype chassis - 7 (10.6%)
6. Other (specify in comment) - 6 (9.1%)
7. Uploaded into the experimental town data grid. She now IS Northampton - 4 (6.1%)
8. Roko in iWinslow - 3 (4.5%)
9. "Bubbles, that's not a humanoid chassis, it's a Transformer. A 30-foot tall one too!" - 2 (3%)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Interesting that a lot of people wanted Roko to experience a definite down-grade, even if only temporary. Did people want her to learn empathy by walking (or being carried) a mile in another AI's shoes? Or did they just like the thought of Roko trying to adapt to being a different woman (or not even a woman at all, on a physical level)?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Tova on 06 Jan 2019, 13:35
"Wanted" or "expected"?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Inconsequential on 06 Jan 2019, 16:08
I dunno.  Big ol' anime eyes are a pretty strange look IRL.  Have a look at Rosa Salazar in one of her recent roles.  It's a film adaptation of the anime 'Battle Angel Alita.'  The main character is drawn with eyes the size of grapefruit, and in the role Rosa's eyes are digitally altered to about the size of mandarin oranges.  Juuuust on the edge of 'uncanny  valley girl' territory.

Nobody ever remarked on her eye size in the anime itself; it was just art style.  But, since the character's not entirely human, there's at least a justification for the arresting look to be translated into a live-action film.

(https://cdn.empireonline.com/jpg/80/0/0/1200/675/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/c/articles/5a2af10004fafc3605f56496/screenshot_381.jpg)
I think she gets my vote for 'uncanny valley girl,' or at least as close as we're likely to see in film for this year.


OK, wow, I looked up a trailer and yeah, that is a very, uh, interesting look in live action when she's mingling with humans. Looks like it could be a really groovy movie, too.

Anyway, back to the QC-verse, Momo was described as having "big ol' anime eyes" https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3014 (and her eyes are the same pink as her hair), but I don't think her eyes are actually drawn any bigger or at a larger proportion than anyone else's.
Dunno... she seems to look surprised or more emotional at times... https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3853

If anyone has "big ol' anime eyes, it's Claire... maybe it's the glasses that magnify things, and the intense blue of her eyes?
https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3857

Close-ups sort of remind me "oh, yeah, it's a cartoon". When Bubbles and Faye were spooning after, uh, y'know, round 1, something in my brain went "dang, they sure do got biiiig ol' eyes."
https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3747
https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3748






Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Theta9 on 08 Jan 2019, 07:46
I thought for sure that the movie Elysium would have ended Cameron's Battle Angel project.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 08 Jan 2019, 13:09
I thought for sure that the movie Elysium would have ended Cameron's Battle Angel project.
Why? It’s not like Armageddon stopped Deep Impact’s production, or vice versa.