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Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: BenRG on 03 Mar 2019, 11:28

Title: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 03 Mar 2019, 11:28
Okay, as a new set of Pokémon games are out, I thought I'd do something in line with them. I stopped seriously following the franchise years ago, but I still think I can make connections up to the Houen-based game.

I think I'll be cheering on Marten because I'm always a sucker for the underdog!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: TV4Fun on 03 Mar 2019, 19:44
Comic.

Doesn't sound like high school was the best part of Jed's life.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 03 Mar 2019, 19:48
Epic burn.

Quite a bit of truth to it.

A guy I went to school with went to a reunion. He met one of the bullies who had beaten him up on the school bus.

My friend was using his physics PhD programming the most powerful computers in the world to simulate galaxies colliding.

The bully was pursuing a career in his own line of work, that of bagging groceries.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cesium133 on 03 Mar 2019, 19:55
I've never gone to any of my high school reunions. Occasionally, I find myself wondering how some of the scumbags delightful people I knew in high school are doing. Then I find something better to do instead.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 03 Mar 2019, 20:03
Hmmm, goth Renee.  Which makes me wonder if Renee and Dora have ever met.  They might have some stories to swap.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Penquin47 on 03 Mar 2019, 20:21
And we have a last name for Brun!  Yay!

I wonder what the mean girls who bullied me in middle school are doing now.  Probably soccer moms and professionals of some sort.  If I could be bothered to remember their names I might look them up on Facebook one of these days...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 03 Mar 2019, 20:26
Hmmm, my school reunion...well, three guys died in separate car crashes before they were 30, one died of a drugs overdose. One has just become an executive and suffered a breakdown because of the 100 hour weeks he was doing. Another has gone off the grid. All in all, while I won't be going to any reunion, I don't think I'm doing too badly.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: shanejayell on 03 Mar 2019, 20:33
Way to go, Brun.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: St.Clair on 03 Mar 2019, 21:29
Critical Hit!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 03 Mar 2019, 22:22
I've never gone to any of my high school reunions. Occasionally, I find myself wondering how some of the scumbags delightful people I knew in high school are doing. Then I find something better to do instead.
Ditto. Granted, I'm not sure if we've had any.

Epic burn.

Quite a bit of truth to it.

A guy I went to school with went to a reunion. He met one of the bullies who had beaten him up on the school bus.

My friend was using his physics PhD programming the most powerful computers in the world to simulate galaxies colliding.

The bully was pursuing a career in his own line of work, that of bagging groceries.
The physical bullying stopped as abruptly as it started. Two of said 'shithead enabler jocks' tried to stuff me in a locker. My shoulders were a bit too broad for the door to close (despite being 5'5" and a sophmore). And, when I pushed the door open on them, both immediately fled before I could see who it was.

Still had to deal with the verbal bullying all 4 years, though.

EDIT: typo fix.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 03 Mar 2019, 23:18
This strip feeds into my belief that Brun has far better understanding of what she's saying than she lets on, at least sometimes. It's just  that her experiences have taught her a deadpan delivery of her dry, ironic burns and witty observations that is nearly impossible to differentiate from when she's genuinely failing to catch on to the subtleties and contradictions of everyday human social behaviour.

I think that the dog puns are when she's deliberately trying to be wacky and fun. Like most deadpan people, she's not good at wacky and fun, which is why they seem so forced.

FWIW, I think that Brun had been looking for an opportunity to pass on her dad's wisdom to Jed. She's been looking for the right opening for a very long time!

Hmmm, goth Renee.  Which makes me wonder if Renee and Dora have ever met.  They might have some stories to swap.

IIRC, Dora said that her goth phase was mostly her rejection of her parents' lifestyles and standards although her paranoia also had a huge part of it. These days, I get the impression that Dora mostly still wears dark clothes and dyes her hair black because she likes it rather than it sending any particular message about her as a person. Tai has been good for her.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 03 Mar 2019, 23:45
As true as Jeph's line about bully-enablers rings, and as satisfying as the idea of uttering that one line that silences your bullies may feel, in my experience, that line would have either been laughed off or would have motivated a doubling of whatever bullying prompted it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 04 Mar 2019, 00:37
Panel 4 never happens.

I've had one reunion. A third of my class had died - suicide or suspicious accident. For the rest, the 'Sports heroes' idolised by the PE-teacher - they're in the national youth teams, don't you know? - were either selling shoes or insurance. The main bully did not show up - rumour has it he has a steady relationship with a bottle, or two. Surprisingly, the girl that wanted to be mother of twelve seems to be on track - and is manager of the after school day care.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Case on 04 Mar 2019, 01:00
I've never gone to any of my high school reunions. Occasionally, I find myself wondering how some of the scumbags delightful people I knew in high school are doing. Then I find something better to do instead.

Same here. Though, according to IICIH, maybe we should?  :evil:

P.S.: Of course I've watched the usual US high-school movie classics, but it never ceases to amaze me when I realize that people actually go through this. It's ... different over here. Also stupid and brutish, in its own way, but ... different. There's jocks, of course, but they’re not doted over in the same way, or encouraged to advertise their class-consciousness with clothing. We don't have so many rituals seemingly designed to encourage cliqueishness and social stratification. When I first heard about a US high school publishing the results of  'popularity contests', I couldn't believe it - why not just chug a bunch of knives into class, lock the door and wait for the screaming to die down? Also, most schools aren't day schools, so you aren't forced to spend the whole day with the same people.

And the tripartite school-system means there's an early selection after elementary school ... people aren't encouraged to 'be competitive' in the same way, but at the same time the system is deeply classist (not really elitist, not in the strict meaning of the word, just very, very unconcerned with how education pathways influence upward mobility. It's very good at producing a large, well-trained professional class (especially engineers), but there exist no elite Unis in the UK/US sense, or cadre-schools like the French CNRS), and you mostly don't realize that there actually had been a competition going on until you've already won or lost it.

Hugs for the 'Merricans?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 04 Mar 2019, 01:30
Panel 4 never happens.

I've had one reunion. A third of my class had died - suicide or suspicious accident. For the rest, the 'Sports heroes' idolised by the PE-teacher - they're in the national youth teams, don't you know? - were either selling shoes or insurance. The main bully did not show up - rumour has it he has a steady relationship with a bottle, or two. Surprisingly, the girl that wanted to be mother of twelve seems to be on track - and is manager of the after school day care.

I never bothered to look for my former classmates, except for the one who was my friend and still is. So all I know I heard by accident. One girl I knew from kindergarten is my bank clerk. Another couldn't study because of major health issues and is cashier in a supermarket, which is sad. My buddy is salesman for tooling machines.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 04 Mar 2019, 01:34
Those bullies asked for Brun to say something weird. She was happy to oblige. Enjoy!

Another illustration that you have to be careful what you ask for. But let's see it in a positive way: maybe the powerful kick in the ass Brun gave them propelled them in the right direction, and so they stopped being assholes. Who knows?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 04 Mar 2019, 01:38
When I went to my hs reunion, everyone was working at a meeting-ends-meet type job and living with their parents or other relatives. I live in one of the richest counties in the nation. You're either one of the power brokers in the washington-military complex, or one of the service/retail people they buy from.

I almost never got bullied, surprisingly. I don't know exactly why, though it could have been that everybody was afraid of me. After I graduated, someone I don't recall ever talking to added me on Facebook; a couple of years later he got drunk and messaged me to say the he always thought I'd be the one to snap and shoot up the school. Was kinda surreal.

There was a time in grade school, though, when a classmate at lunch came over and asked if I liked buns. I was suspicious and asked what kind of buns, he said "You know, like hot dog buns" and hey, I like bread, so I said yeah, sure. He ran away laughing with his buds.

I don't know how much bullying went on at my schools, actually, since I didn't really pay attention to most other people. Considering the secondary school had thousands of students, I'd expect it to be significant, but it could have just been that we had a relatively nice student body.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 04 Mar 2019, 02:25
And we have a last name for Brun!  Yay!

Indeed and like Peter the Prick we can thank Jed the Jock for providing a last name.  At least they’re good for unintentional exposition.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 04 Mar 2019, 02:42
I've never gone to any of my high school reunions. Occasionally, I find myself wondering how some of the scumbags delightful people I knew in high school are doing. Then I find something better to do instead.

Same here. Though, according to IICIH, maybe we should?  :evil:

hahahahahahaahahahaha no
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 04 Mar 2019, 04:16
Isn't today's poll missing a question or an explanatory sentence?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 04 Mar 2019, 04:21
It used to have one... not sure what happened to it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 04 Mar 2019, 05:10
It used to have one... not sure what happened to it.
It's back. So it's Pokemon related. I have no knowledge whatsoever on that subject.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Zebediah on 04 Mar 2019, 05:12
Which is why the poll needed a “Pizza Girl & Purple Monkey Dishwasher” option.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: TinPenguin on 04 Mar 2019, 05:13
I suppose Brunhilde is one hell of a name to Khoury through life.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cesium133 on 04 Mar 2019, 05:16
Which is why the poll needed a “Pizza Girl & Purple Monkey Dishwasher” option.

(https://imgur.com/eRzQZdq.jpg) (https://imgur.com/yY6vGbB.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Mar 2019, 05:51
Someone on the Subreddit said that Brun's paternal wisdom in panels 3 and 4 sound like something Daria would say. That's when I realised that I have had Tracey Grandstaff's voice for Daria as my mental voice for Brun for some time. Given that I've never seen a full episode of Daria and am literally going off of a dozen or so meme clips, that's an impressive achievement on Ms Grandstaff's part!

I also note that Brun is wearing Daria's colours in her flashback, so I'm wondering if she was Jeph's inspiration for the character on some level.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Theta9 on 04 Mar 2019, 07:31
Someone on the Subreddit said that Brun's paternal wisdom in panels 3 and 4 sound like something Daria would say. That's when I realised that I have had Tracey Grandstaff's voice for Daria as my mental voice for Brun for some time. Given that I've never seen a full episode of Daria and am literally going off of a dozen or so meme clips, that's an impressive achievement on Ms Grandstaff's part!

I also note that Brun is wearing Daria's colours in her flashback, so I'm wondering if she was Jeph's inspiration for the character on some level.
I never watched Daria but I've seen the character a few times on Beavis and Butthead.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Theta9 on 04 Mar 2019, 07:32
I'm another who couldn't be arsed to attend any high school reunions. Or any reunions at all.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Sullivan on 04 Mar 2019, 08:50
As true as Jeph's line about bully-enablers rings, and as satisfying as the idea of uttering that one line that silences your bullies may feel, in my experience, that line would have either been laughed off or would have motivated a doubling of whatever bullying prompted it.
Brun's zinger reminds me of this from the character "Aaron Altman" in Broadcast News:

Quote
(Aaron, the class valedictorian, is being beat up after delivering his commencement address, which was highly critical of his classmates)
Aaron: Go ahead Steven, take your last licks. But this will heal. What I’m going to say never will. It’ll scar you forever. Ready? Here it is. You’ll never make more than $19,000 a year. Ha ha ha!
Steven: Take him.
Aaron: Okay, how about this? You’re never gonna leave South Boston and I’m gonna see the whole damn world. You’ll never know the pleasure of writing a priceless sentence. Or having an original thought. Think about it!
Steven: $19,000. Not bad!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: NemesisDancer on 04 Mar 2019, 09:57
Anyone else notice the incredibly early-2000s trousers in panel 2? :')
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 04 Mar 2019, 10:35
This strip also establishes their relative ages.  I'd always had it in my head that Renee was somewhat older than Brun.  If she is, it's not my much.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 04 Mar 2019, 10:58
This strip also establishes their relative ages.  I'd always had it in my head that Renee was somewhat older than Brun.  If she is, it's not my much.
Not surprising, seeing as Renee acts like she's Brun's carer.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Dandi Andi on 04 Mar 2019, 11:11
Anyone else notice the incredibly early-2000s trousers in panel 2? :')

I hadn't noticed at first, but now that you mention it those do look a lot like JNCOs.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 04 Mar 2019, 11:55
Anyone else notice the incredibly early-2000s trousers in panel 2? :')

I hadn't noticed at first, but now that you mention it those do look a lot like JNCOs.
JNCOs?  Oh, shoplifters' jeans!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Thrudd on 04 Mar 2019, 11:57
I am also one of those who have missed re-unions.
I always seem to find out about them well after the date.
Funny that I now live not all that far from my old high school.
:psyduck:

As for physical bullying, that was all through primary, grade and middle school but disappeared in high school. The main instigators started in kindergarten in a completely different part of the city but when my family moved, their family followed not 3 months latter, so my reprieve from physical violence was limited.
My guess is that their intramural [wrestling team] took up so much of their free time on top of them being in a different stream, which negated any chance encounters.

As for jocks, they were there but I never hit their radar until senior year when I got an invite to the annual athletic banquette and through no fault of my own got a Sr.Letter - turns out I was technically a jock the whole time for being involved in archery on top of all the smaller less popular clubs
(click to show/hide)
  Funny that I wasn't invited until Sr year when there was a new advisor to the athletic association.

As for what happened to my classmates. I had pretty much lost touch / track of all of them within the first decade. Now I am back in contact with a few of them and know of a few others thanks to local groups formed on Facebook or just a friend of a friend reconnecting us.
There are some I really would like to reconnect with once again even if I wasn't a major blip on their radar at the time.
One I still have a pocket of buried anger for if I think of them. It used to be rage but that fire has slowly, very slowly, ebbed over the years.
Why they did what they did to indelibly character assassinate me from the shadows I still don't know.

:facepalm: ... I ran on for a bit there.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 04 Mar 2019, 14:08
Did we ever learn where Brun's parents are from? Well, we now know that probably Brun's father was Lebanese (given her parents were married, which I assume a highly likely), and the question is: was Brun's mother of German descent, or did her parents just like the name?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 04 Mar 2019, 15:15
I think there's been no mention in the comic.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 04 Mar 2019, 15:24
OK, then it's the WCDT parts I vaguely remember.

Interestingly, I do like the ring 'Brun Khoury' has.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 04 Mar 2019, 15:50
OK, then it's the WCDT parts I vaguely remember.

Interestingly, I do like the ring 'Brun Khoury' has.
I'd expect "Brunhilde Khoury" to be followed by "PhD."   Sounds like a name for a high level archeologist or something like that, a researcher in horology, and the leading authority on Near/Middle Eastern timepieces.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Case on 04 Mar 2019, 16:05
Did we ever learn where Brun's parents are from? Well, we now know that probably Brun's father was Lebanese (given her parents were married, which I assume a highly likely), and the question is: was Brun's mother of German descent, or did her parents just like the name?

Given the name's 'popularity' among Germans & Austrians, it's almost more likely that none of her parents were either.

And it's not like Wagner is a complete unknown abroad.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Dandi Andi on 04 Mar 2019, 16:38
As to the poll question:

Of course Bubbles would have a Scizor. No doubt his name would be Arthur.

As to the discussion of high school and bullies:

I had a graduating class of just over 200 people. I don't remember most of the people I went to school with nor do I care to.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 04 Mar 2019, 17:14
And it's not like Wagner is a complete unknown abroad.

I do recall (if a bit fuzzily) early on in "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", Lawrence writing about a night where a British officer and a high-up in the Arab Revolt were both talking shit about Wagner.  The world has grown MUCH smaller since 1916.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Datalore on 04 Mar 2019, 18:47
I've said things like panel 4 just because "those are the things people say."

I rely on what I call scripts, also known as imperfect copying. As far as I can tell you guys all have some sort of telepathy or something that signals what 'script' is the appropriate one to engage when and how. Things like clunky dialogue or "People don't actually talk like that," are harder for me to determine because I've seen clunky dialogue as a thing that exists in the world (even if only creatively) and it seems to function just as well as other dialogue that for some reason is what people say. Who decides what's clunky and what's natural, and what's the criteria? How do you assess that while you're in the middle of a conversation, and also how do you account for the way language and specifically vernacular changes over time? etc. The answer to most of that is Autistic = Manual, and Allistic = Automatic, but that's another conversation entirely.

In any case, high school me saw things that resembled today's comic and decided, "Ah yes, this is the way #NormalPeople stand up to bullies. This is the way it must be done," and just up and ran with it like it was normal because as far as I could tell, it was. To me, that was how people talked.

Which I really love here because it's a comic strip about an autistic person standing up to bullies by repeating things she'd heard other people say in a different context. The context is wrong though, so it comes off as clunky (The dad probably did say all of that, but as far as Brun's concerned the line between the first bit and the closing zinger is probably invisible) but there are probably a bunch of autistic kids reading today's strip and filing it away as yet another example of that sort of dialogue being used, and the cycle continues. And because people rarely stand up to bullies like that in a way you can witness and learn from in real life, fiction is where 100% of your examples for "how to deal with this social situation" come from. Basically what I'm getting at is it might be unrealistic dialogue, but that's ironically exactly what makes it realistic in this case.

Also, hi! I've been reading since before Jeph quit his job, but just never got around to making an account.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 04 Mar 2019, 19:57
If you tuned into the Xcom stream last week you'd have seen Brun's last name early, but anyway, is there anyone here who knows proper pronuncation of "Khoury"? I googled an Arabic/Moroccan pronunciation of "khouri" that sounded like "hoo-ree", but also got results from elsewhere in the world that pronounce the K, and Morocco isn't anywhere near Lebanon.

Also, has anyone noticed any physical differences in Roko's new body?

Oh and uh...What was her name, Butterbot? is INCREDIBLY anime in the first panel.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: DaiJB on 04 Mar 2019, 20:21
Comic.

Doesn't sound like high school was the best part of Jed's life.

I dunno - considering the fatality rate of wingsuit jumps, it sounds to me like Jed might have a death wish...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 04 Mar 2019, 20:22
Oh and uh...What was her name, Butterbot? is INCREDIBLY anime in the first panel.
Beepatrice.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Valakhan on 04 Mar 2019, 20:37
is there anyone here who knows proper pronuncation of "Khoury"?

The "kh" is supposed to make a sound similar to the "ch" in the German "Nacht". It's similar to a h sound, but harsher and coming from the back of the mouth rather than from the throat. There is no real equivalent in English though, so it's hard to describe.

For the little story, Khoury means priest in levantine dialect. In modern standard Arabic, priest is qas or kahin, but khoury is the way they say priest in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, etc.

It's a name very common in the Christian community in Lebanon, and by extension in other Christian minorities in all the middle east. The most famous person with that name was Besharra Al-Khoury, one of the leaders of the Lebanese independance, the first president of independent Lebanon and one of the craftsmen of the National Pact, which is the separation of powers between the different religious communities in Lebanon, where for example the presidency is held by Christians, the prime minister by Sunnis and the head of Parliament by Shias.

Given that, we can safely assume that Brun's father is a Christian Lebanese. Given Brun's apparent age, it is likely that her father was a refugee from the Civil War and met her mother in the US. Of course it's possible that he wasn't a refugee as even before the war there was a big Lebanese diaspora around the world, but it would be interesting if he was one.

Refugees and their integration is a topic very dear to me, so having him be a former refugee could help shed light on the challenges those people have to face when in a new country, a topic that is sadly still relevant nowadays.

By the way hi! Long time reader, just found out the forum
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 04 Mar 2019, 21:05
As true as Jeph's line about bully-enablers rings, and as satisfying as the idea of uttering that one line that silences your bullies may feel, in my experience, that line would have either been laughed off or would have motivated a doubling of whatever bullying prompted it.
Nearly got me expelled.
"People like you are why Columbine happened."

BTW, 1) not trying to one-up anyone, 2) this was back in 2001 or 2002, and 3) I now know that wasn't the whole of the cause for that tragedy.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 04 Mar 2019, 21:11
Thanks Valakhan! Wow, I kind of pride myself an being relatively aware of the world, geographically, but that is a lot of stuff that I've never even heard of! As an American, I know very broadly of Israel's history and relation to the Arab world (1967 war, etc) and I know of Christian Arabs, but I hear almost nothing of the history of other nations. In just one paragraph you've mentioned several historical events I knew nothing of. I know it's presumptuous of me to ask, but if you have any more lessons to share, I'm all ears!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 04 Mar 2019, 21:57
I've said things like panel 4 just because "those are the things people say."

I rely on what I call scripts, also known as imperfect copying. As far as I can tell you guys all have some sort of telepathy or something that signals what 'script' is the appropriate one to engage when and how. Things like clunky dialogue or "People don't actually talk like that," are harder for me to determine because I've seen clunky dialogue as a thing that exists in the world (even if only creatively) and it seems to function just as well as other dialogue that for some reason is what people say.
<snip>
Basically what I'm getting at is it might be unrealistic dialogue, but that's ironically exactly what makes it realistic in this case.

Hi, new person!

I can certainly relate to what you're saying here.

I'm not sure whom you are referring to because I didn't think anyone was saying that Brun's dialogue was "clunky" or that "people don't actually talk like that." I personally did not think her dialogue was unrealistic, because I did do exactly that when I was at school. I was hopeless at dealing with bullies, so I often re-used lines. Stuff Mum had said, stuff Dad had said, stuff that I'd read.

In the worst case, it would backfire spectacularly when what I said sounded stupid was or incredibly uncool, earning myself merciless mocking that I could have avoided by simply shutting up.

Best case was that the line would hit home. That happened rarely, thankfully, because that generally ended badly for me as well.

So, what am I saying? Brun's line was certainly believable as far as I was concerned. It's only the bullies' stunned reaction to it that I didn't buy. It only affects us because we have the benefit of hindsight and can see the truth of what Brun is saying. These bullies I daresay would neither have comprehended what Brun was saying nor would they have given two shits about it even if they had.

Nice fantasy, though.

NEW COMIC
*reads*
njdnasjdaodhae
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 04 Mar 2019, 22:00
To datalore and to valakhan,

Welcome, new person!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 04 Mar 2019, 22:27
Re: Tova's and Datalore's posts: When I said panel 4 never happens, I was referring to the stunned reaction. The dialogue totally happens, but rarely more than once, in view of the actual reaction of the bullies.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 04 Mar 2019, 23:07
is there anyone here who knows proper pronuncation of "Khoury"?

The "kh" is supposed to make a sound similar to the "ch" in the German "Nacht". It's similar to a h sound, but harsher and coming from the back of the mouth rather than from the throat. There is no real equivalent in English though, so it's hard to describe.

[...]

By the way hi! Long time reader, just found out the forum

Welcome, new person!

I like to compare the German 'ch' sound found in "Nacht" and "Bach" (the latter being both a well known composer, and an expression for 'creek') with the Spanish sound of 'j', like in Jalapeño.

Did we ever learn where Brun's parents are from? Well, we now know that probably Brun's father was Lebanese (given her parents were married, which I assume a highly likely), and the question is: was Brun's mother of German descent, or did her parents just like the name?

Given the name's 'popularity' among Germans & Austrians, it's almost more likely that none of her parents were either.

And it's not like Wagner is a complete unknown abroad.

As weird as it may sound, people not living in their home country are prone to become "more catholic than the Pope", but that usually doesn't extend to names. Might be some Germanophone ancestry though, but with a lack of cultural background.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 04 Mar 2019, 23:21
I really feel for Beepatrice today. Like her, I feel the need to offer comfort to those who are feeling bad. Like her, not knowing precisely what to say leads me to blurt out something that probably isn't helpful at all! There's nothing worse, socially speaking, at least in my experience, to have a combination of a desire to help and the lack of ability to do anything except make basically useless platitudes.

Regarding panel 5, I think that the phrase that fits here is 'You had to be there'. I'm sure it was hilarious to see from the right perspective. It also reminds us that some AIs are so non-integrated that chassis damage, even severe damage, doesn't phase them at all!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 05 Mar 2019, 02:04

No  :psyduck: ?

No Comment!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 05 Mar 2019, 02:31
At least, Roko knows now that if nothing else helps, she still can try yet another body, and then maybe feel better.

Also: that penile masturbation sleeve is terrifying!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: lemonglamour on 05 Mar 2019, 02:35
I really feel for Beepatrice today. Like her, I feel the need to offer comfort to those who are feeling bad. Like her, not knowing precisely what to say leads me to blurt out something that probably isn't helpful at all! There's nothing worse, socially speaking, at least in my experience, to have a combination of a desire to help and the lack of ability to do anything except make basically useless platitudes.

Regarding panel 5, I think that the phrase that fits here is 'You had to be there'. I'm sure it was hilarious to see from the right perspective. It also reminds us that some AIs are so non-integrated that chassis damage, even severe damage, doesn't phase them at all!

reminder that beepatrice uses 'they'!  :-)

but yeah, very relatable.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 05 Mar 2019, 04:48
So... noseless robots are a thing, now, I guess...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 05 Mar 2019, 05:41
Jeph has confirmed that Beepatrice's face is a display screen, so we shouldn't expect to see much in the way of contours there. Maybe her supervisor has a similar feature?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 05 Mar 2019, 06:28
and Kevin (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3945), probably...

Interesting. I didn't know that. Reminds me of Fallout New Vegas.

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/465abrUbdAs/hqdefault.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 05 Mar 2019, 06:56
I never thought acclimation was such an issue, but then again Battlestar Galactica’s Number One had a bad case of it.  Even started a war over it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 05 Mar 2019, 08:05
So... noseless robots are a thing, now, I guess...
The better to not smell us with?  For AIs with bionic sinuses I can imagine that being around some meatpeople can be agonizing.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 05 Mar 2019, 08:58
So... noseless robots are a thing, now, I guess...
The better to not smell us with?  For AIs with bionic sinuses I can imagine that being around some meatpeople can be agonizing.

There's no need for the olfactory sensors to be located behind a nose. For all we know, they could acquire air samples through what would be the human ear canal.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 05 Mar 2019, 09:15
Or even through a separate device, with sensors you can switch out as the situation requires, and a built in scent diffuser. I can imagine there's some jobs where you'd want to leave your nose at home.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 05 Mar 2019, 09:15
So... noseless robots are a thing, now, I guess...
The better to not smell us with?  For AIs with bionic sinuses I can imagine that being around some meatpeople can be agonizing.

Sure thing. (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3166)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 05 Mar 2019, 09:37
Valakhan put together an excellent summary of the history and dynamics of Brun's ancestral country. Just for tidiness I moved it to DISCUSS, and I encourage everyone to read it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 05 Mar 2019, 16:24
The better to not smell us with?  For AIs with bionic sinuses I can imagine that being around some meatpeople can be agonizing.

My sense of smell was never good, and after 20 years of a pack-a-day habit, is barely there.  There are people I pass whose "fragrance" is so strong that I come close to vomiting.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 05 Mar 2019, 20:21
 New comic up!  Beepatrice caught in kind of a feedback loop.  And Pintsize has a cousin.  Although we've seen that chassis type before.  As far as odors go,  I'd assume it could be disabled by a simple command, if the AI wishes.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Datalore on 05 Mar 2019, 21:04
Re: Tova's and Datalore's posts: When I said panel 4 never happens, I was referring to the stunned reaction. The dialogue totally happens, but rarely more than once, in view of the actual reaction of the bullies.

Ah, totally fair! I was coming in already pretty hyped about Brun's coming out post, so I think I might've been a bit too eager to assume the entire discussion revolved around her and what she was doing. My bad. ^^ Thank you and Tova for clearing that up for me, though.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 05 Mar 2019, 21:30
The better to not smell us with?  For AIs with bionic sinuses I can imagine that being around some meatpeople can be agonizing.

My sense of smell was never good, and after 20 years of a pack-a-day habit, is barely there.  There are people I pass whose "fragrance" is so strong that I come close to vomiting.
*wretching noises*
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 05 Mar 2019, 21:50
Now I wonder whether there was a way of covering Pintsize's head, if not whole chassis with a display.  ... He'd probably be renting out ad space. The NSFW kind.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 05 Mar 2019, 23:23
Beepatrice is an interesting being are they not? Not everyone is entirely socially confident. Indeed, some are so worried about what come out of their mouths that it can be socially disabling (and, once again, I empathise because that's me)! Frankly, I'm hoping that there is someone around who gives them the hug they need!

Well, it's been a long time since we've last seen a true AnthroPC in the comic. It reminds us, I suppose, that not every AI wants to pass somewhat as human or even feels still wearing a 'toy' body is demeaning. As always, I find myself wondering if those who protest do more because they wouldn't like it rather than considering the AI in question's perspective.

Why shouldn't Beepatrice's skirt have pockets? I've seen such skirts before although I grant that they are not that common.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 06 Mar 2019, 01:12
Another character with issues.

But don't we all have some?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 06 Mar 2019, 03:58
My first reaction was "the fact that AI bodies/minds can be rebooted with a paperclip is kinda dark".

Then I thought about it for a moment and realised there were MANY social situations when I would have immensely benefitted if I could essentially be knocked out and be able to reset the whole conversation.

So nevermind. The paperclip solution is still kinda weird, but actually pretty awesome. Paperclip-based reboots for me too, please.

EDIT: also, pockets on skirts? QC *is* a technological utopia!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 06 Mar 2019, 07:28
Well, the paperclip a.k.a. the hard reset should knock her out of the apology loop. but so would a soft reset.

Question is: would she lose any memories?


Makes me wonder whether AnthroPCs need downtime like humans need sleep? some subconscious cycles that compress, truncate and simplify memories?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Case on 06 Mar 2019, 07:31
My first reaction was "the fact that AI bodies/minds can be rebooted with a paperclip is kinda dark".

Then I thought about it for a moment and realised there were MANY social situations when I would have immensely benefitted if I could essentially be knocked out and be able to reset the whole conversation.

Most people use alcohol for that purpose ...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 06 Mar 2019, 07:41
My first reaction was "the fact that AI bodies/minds can be rebooted with a paperclip is kinda dark".

Then I thought about it for a moment and realised there were MANY social situations when I would have immensely benefitted if I could essentially be knocked out and be able to reset the whole conversation.

So nevermind. The paperclip solution is still kinda weird, but actually pretty awesome. Paperclip-based reboots for me too, please.

EDIT: also, pockets on skirts? QC *is* a technological utopia!

Maybe Beepatrice has the human equivalence of hiccups.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 06 Mar 2019, 07:41
My first reaction was "the fact that AI bodies/minds can be rebooted with a paperclip is kinda dark".

Then I thought about it for a moment and realised there were MANY social situations when I would have immensely benefitted if I could essentially be knocked out and be able to reset the whole conversation.

Most people use alcohol for that purpose ...

That's the soft reset. Works fairly well, but potentially leaves some lingering side effects.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 06 Mar 2019, 17:16
Beepatrice is big mood...apology loops are the worst, there only way out is to announce that you're going to shut up and self-exile and then do it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 06 Mar 2019, 21:20
Super powerful crypto AIs, huh?  Spooky & company aren't keeping as low a profile as was thought.  Or are they the truth mixed into the fiction as a cover?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: A small perverse otter on 06 Mar 2019, 21:45
Well, now, let's be clear.  Roko doesn't believe in those "ultra-powerful crypto-AIs that move among us in secret" either.

After all, certain knowledge is not belief.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: DaiJB on 06 Mar 2019, 21:59
"Right..." - Roko knows one of those ultra-powerful crypto-AI's personally - and isn't about to increase Beepatrice's anxiety problem by telling her that 'eavesdropping on their thoughts' is probably the least of their worries...   :-\
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: jesslc on 06 Mar 2019, 22:25
Background details: Is Nelson perhaps the only actual employee there? (Ie. not a volunteer). Or is he just that good? I like how the employee of the month photos start off serious but end up with him just goofing around.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 06 Mar 2019, 22:39
Well. Obviously, that is complete nonsense.

Of course they can.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 06 Mar 2019, 23:04
Roko ends up being the only normal AI in this wacky retelling of Haruhi Suzumiya (Nelson is ABSOLUTELY a super AI from the future; he's employee of the month, every month, because he knows exactly where he's needed and when).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 06 Mar 2019, 23:21
Given that Nelson is almost certainly a background character and we're not likely to see him often (or possibly even at all after today, Jeph really has put a lot into the scene to make us wonder about him. Like jesslc, I wonder how it is that he gets Employee of the Month, every month, for a year. I suspect that he is just that good at his job even though, like most other true AnthroPCs, he has a very mischievous and playful personality, as we see from the 'photos.

A thought that just occurred to me: Does anyone remember waaay back, when Pintsize went on a virtual date and ended up having data-transfer sex with another AnthroPC that he didn't find until later identified as male? The being in question had the same casing colouring as Nelson does. So, if we do see Nelson again, it's because Jeph finally wants to follow up on this, years later both in- and out-of-universe.

Finally...

MEMORANDUM
FROM: Roko Basilisk
TO: Self
RE: Co-worker healthcare

Never tell Beeps about Sb; I'm not sure their drive integrity could handle the resulting panic attack. Additionally, never, ever, ever tell Sb about Beeps. They'd manifest to her just for the giggles they'd get at seeing their reaction.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 06 Mar 2019, 23:35
I think that's nine pictures for last month's employee of the month. Well done, Nelson.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 06 Mar 2019, 23:37
Wouldn't 'not deliberately triggering an anxiety/panic attack' fall under SB's 'sanctity of mind' thing?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 06 Mar 2019, 23:42
Also, wouldn't typing that memo on an external PC be the best way to draw Spooky's attention to Beepatrice?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Penquin47 on 06 Mar 2019, 23:59
Wouldn't 'not deliberately triggering an anxiety/panic attack' fall under SB's 'sanctity of mind' thing?

I don't think so, unless they're using some kind of virus or something to do it.  Spooky didn't intervene with Corpse Witch because she was gaslighting Bubbles, but because she had actually gone into Bubbles' mind and erased memories.  Deliberately triggering an anxiety/panic attack would be much more like gaslighting than direct memory editing.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 07 Mar 2019, 00:12
Also, wouldn't typing that memo on an external PC be the best way to draw Spooky's attention to Beepatrice?

Only if it's an AI.  More than likely it's just the standard PC we all use today. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 07 Mar 2019, 00:24
But then, if she were just making a mental note, I think that would be safe from Eminence Grise. I don't think we can assume they don't have access to regular PCs, as the sanctity of mind principle is no argument for them to keep out of it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 07 Mar 2019, 01:50
A normal PC has no mind of its own. Well, at least not in the way an AI has. That'd be no issue. Mental notes would be breaking and entering.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 07 Mar 2019, 04:11
Maybe Roko could try a more... jet-fightery body?

(Yeah, I know, it has no real link with the current events, but I just only thought about it)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 07 Mar 2019, 07:58
Meat-folks have multiple layers of nominally* ultra-secret entities moving among us, not always aware of what the others are up to.  And some of them are actually real.  The entity we see manifested as SpookyBot isn't necessarily the only one and may or may not represent the highest echelon.  Nelson may be one.  So might Pintsize!

Hydra was a front for Advanced Idea Mechanics which was a front for THEM.  (I think that's how it worked - it was 50 years ago.)

*One function of a free press is to make maintaining ultra-secrecy difficult.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 07 Mar 2019, 08:43
{SNIP}
*One function of a free press is to make maintaining ultra-secrecy difficult.

Is that why the biggest names in news work for corporations owned by billionaires, then?
(Hint: yes)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 07 Mar 2019, 10:26
{SNIP}
*One function of a free press is to make maintaining ultra-secrecy difficult.

Is that why the biggest names in news work for corporations owned by billionaires, then?
(Hint: yes)
Exactly.  Our press isn't as free as it ought to be.  There are piss few real journalists left, and nearly all US broadcast news organizations are no longer free standing but have been absorbed by the networks' entertainment divisions.

The functions of a free press remain, even if the nation's press fails to fulfill some or all of them.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 07 Mar 2019, 14:03
Meat-folks have multiple layers of nominally* ultra-secret entities moving among us, not always aware of what the others are up to.

<snip?

*One function of a free press is to make maintaining ultra-secrecy difficult.

Not exactly. To make maintaining matters of public interest secret difficult, yes. That's an important qualification, not a pedantic quibble. And yes, what's "of public interest" is always a matter for debate.

In the context of this conversation, there are secret entities that move among us, and it's not considered in the public interest to unmask them.

Rightly or wrongly, freedom of the press does not extend to state secrets.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cesium133 on 07 Mar 2019, 20:00
Cozy.

(https://imgur.com/w5xjfcc.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: dreed on 07 Mar 2019, 20:19
The i-beam is a reference to that guy's bathroom right? :D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 07 Mar 2019, 20:48
Rightly or wrongly, freedom of the press does not extend to state secrets.
Agreed. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: A small perverse otter on 07 Mar 2019, 20:59
Rightly or wrongly, freedom of the press does not extend to state secrets.

Actually, that's not true.  The decisions in the _Progressive_ case and the Pentagon papers cases conclude that the freedom of the press *does* extend to state secrets. Prior restraint only applies to secrets which would pose a "clear and present danger to national security". There is, to my mind, some question of the Constitutionality of the secrecy provisions in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. I doubt that anybody's going to challenge it, at least as long as it isn't applied too much.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 07 Mar 2019, 21:18
It could be a bedroom, but if Brun doesn't have a problem sleeping standing up why not clear out a closet in Rene's current apartment? 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Oenone on 07 Mar 2019, 22:20
It might be a “Harry Potter” closet — big enough to walk into and to have a twin bed but not big enough for much else.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 07 Mar 2019, 22:30
Rightly or wrongly, freedom of the press does not extend to state secrets.

Actually, that's not true.  The decisions in the _Progressive_ case and the Pentagon papers cases conclude that the freedom of the press *does* extend to state secrets. Prior restraint only applies to secrets which would pose a "clear and present danger to national security". There is, to my mind, some question of the Constitutionality of the secrecy provisions in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. I doubt that anybody's going to challenge it, at least as long as it isn't applied too much.
Some of the earliest court cases regarding the press and newsletters, we framed in terms of espionage, back in the early 1700s. They're now considered political trials. In almost all of the cases, the sentence was death. But then, freedom of the press was not yet a thing at the time.

Maybe they should get Brun a box-bed. Very cosy, very dark.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 07 Mar 2019, 23:13
Two things immediately jumped into my mind when i saw this strip for the first time. The first is that the layout of this apartment is familiar from what we've seen of it so far. It is, in fact, close to identical to the layout of the one where Marten, Faye, Claire and Bubbles live. Could Renee and Brun be about to move into either the same building or an identical one in the same neighbourhood?

Secondly, is it me or does the realtor look a lot like Claire? Maybe it is just me but I think that Jeph has, consciously or otherwise, given us a clue about what Claire will look like in a bout 10-20 years time (in-comic, of course).

I've also been thinking about Brun's preference for 'caves'. I wonder if she likes to have something approaching a sensory-deprivation chamber when a meltdown is threatening? The less sensory stimulation, the more mental processing power she can devote to trying to sort out and categorise all the backlog of sensations she's got in her head. It's subtleties about her like this that make her an interesting window onto the lives of people with conditions like hers.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Jedit on 08 Mar 2019, 00:15
The i-beam is a reference to that guy's bathroom right? :D

Yep, it's 100% a burn on BeatmastrJ. I came in to let people know if they didn't already.

If you want to know the full story, google "BATHDOOM". I'm too lazy to hunt out a link before work, and you'd need a Something Awful account to read the full story anyway. :D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Geographus on 08 Mar 2019, 00:46
I still find it interesting that in the US roller shutters are apparently not a common thing in residential buildings.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: pwhodges on 08 Mar 2019, 02:00
Nor in the UK.  The only place they seem somewhat common from my own observation is Germany.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Near Lurker on 08 Mar 2019, 03:09
Roller shutters... like a mall storefront?  I have literally never seen that on a residential building.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 08 Mar 2019, 03:14
I still find it interesting that in the US roller shutters are apparently not a common thing in residential buildings.

I'm guessing that you mean roller blinds? When I hear 'roller shutters', I think of segmented metal gates that you roll up and down in front of shop fronts.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Geographus on 08 Mar 2019, 03:18
I still find it interesting that in the US roller shutters are apparently not a common thing in residential buildings.

I'm guessing that you mean roller blinds? When I hear 'roller shutters', I think of segmented metal gates that you roll up and down in front of shop fronts.
I mean something like this:

(https://www.leibetseder.net/files/imagetypes/cat-col-md-12/voro-putz-rollladen-ansicht.jpg)

They are basically on every residential house in Germany with very few exceptions.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 08 Mar 2019, 03:41
{SNIP}
*One function of a free press is to make maintaining ultra-secrecy difficult.

Is that why the biggest names in news work for corporations owned by billionaires, then?
(Hint: yes)
Exactly.  Our press isn't as free as it ought to be.  There are piss few real journalists left, and nearly all US broadcast news organizations are no longer free standing but have been absorbed by the networks' entertainment divisions.

The functions of a free press remain, even if the nation's press fails to fulfill some or all of them.

And, of course, all alternative news sources gets generally looked down upon regardless of quality or how many reputable sources they cite.

{snip}
I mean something like this:

(https://www.leibetseder.net/files/imagetypes/cat-col-md-12/voro-putz-rollladen-ansicht.jpg)

They are basically on every residential house in Germany with very few exceptions.
Neat!
Though I imagine maintenance is an issue for some folks.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 08 Mar 2019, 03:50
Well, unless you have the old fashioned wooden kind, maintenance is limited to washing them, once in a while. In my house, I've still got the same ones that were put in in the early sixties, without any issue. I'll be upgrading them next month, though, as I'm upgrading the windows to double glazing.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Case on 08 Mar 2019, 04:44
Neat!
Though I imagine maintenance is an issue for some folks.

In many older models, the shutters are rolled onto a spindle in a cavity in the wall above the window that opens to the inside of the room, so you may have to cut through wallpaper if you want to open the access-hatch. But there's also models that you can attach from the outside.

https://www.energie-experten.org/bauen-und-sanieren/fenster/rollladen.html#c19193

But they're rather robust - my parents' place was built in 1976 and some of the original ones are still in.

They help a bit with nocturnal thermal insulation, when the temperature gradient between outside and inside is greatest, and also a bit with burglary-preventiion: It's pretty hard to get through one of those without waking the whole street.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Geographus on 08 Mar 2019, 04:50
They shutters are rolled onto a spindle in a cavity above the window on the inside of the romm, so you may have to cut through wallpaper if you want to open the access-hatch.

But they're rather robust - my parents' place was built in 1976 and some of the original ones are still in.
Servicing them is something you usually do when you refurbish your home and replace the wallpapers anyway.

The mechanism inside is really robust and cleaning is usually only necessary for the parts that are exposed to
the weather so you can access them from the outside anyway.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 08 Mar 2019, 05:10
I do have roller blinds in my apartment building, which was built mid-60s. My parents have them, too, and I had to help my dad replace some of the individual parts (apparently there's the "I'll live long enough to be repaired/replaced during general renovation" and the "yeah, bits ajd pieces will fail every now and then" variants).
Older buildings have a set of blinds that operate like windows being closed on the outside, bur are made of solid wood instead of glass, or just some heavy curtains.

But as Case said: roller blinds go inside the walls, so retrofitting is really hard, and quite messy (at least for brick walls).
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Zebediah on 08 Mar 2019, 06:07
I’ve seen blinds like this in Spain. Never seen them in the US though. So yeah, heavy dark curtains are the way for Brun to go. That’s what I have on my own bedroom windows.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 08 Mar 2019, 09:46
Aren't those common in Switzerland too?

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Case on 08 Mar 2019, 11:46
Aren't those common in Switzerland too?

The Swiss probably invented them ...  8-)

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 08 Mar 2019, 16:31
Aren't those common in Switzerland too?

The Swiss probably invented them ...  8-)


Wer hat's erfunden?


Well, sounds like it should be common enough in the German speaking parts of this space rock.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 08 Mar 2019, 19:48
I’ve seen blinds like this in Spain. Never seen them in the US though. So yeah, heavy dark curtains are the way for Brun to go. That’s what I have on my own bedroom windows.
Ditto.
Though I made mine by hand since it was cheaper to just get a few yards of fleece (the non-wool kind) and layer it with some stitching and a sewing a sleeve(?) for the curtain rod at the top.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 08 Mar 2019, 20:29
We have blockout curtains behind our decorative curtains. Super effective.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 08 Mar 2019, 21:54

Secondly, is it me or does the realtor look a lot like Claire? Maybe it is just me but I think that Jeph has, consciously or otherwise, given us a clue about what Claire will look like in a bout 10-20 years time (in-comic, of course).
We already have Magustus.  Claire & Clinton look so much like her one sometimes woners if they're actually her clones.

I saw plenty of residential roller shutters on Okinawa, but they were there for typhoons,  not security against two-legged hazards.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 08 Mar 2019, 23:29
Well, sounds like it should be common enough in the German speaking parts of this space rock.
Most of Western Europe, really. As to who invented them, I can't find anything definitive, but they seem to have been around since the second quarter of the nineteenth century, with the main producer in Belgium established in 1874.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3951-3955 (4th to 8th March 2019)
Post by: Thrudd on 12 Mar 2019, 10:16
I have seen the occasional residence here in the Greater Toronto area with them as well.
They serve the multiple purposes of; insulation, weather guarding, security and 100% light & sound blocking for those who work nights.