I've never gone to any of my high school reunions. Occasionally, I find myself wondering how some of theDitto. Granted, I'm not sure if we've had any.scumbagsdelightful people I knew in high school are doing. Then I find something better to do instead.
Epic burn.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.
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.
Hmmm, goth Renee. Which makes me wonder if Renee and Dora have ever met. They might have some stories to swap.
I've never gone to any of my high school reunions. Occasionally, I find myself wondering how some of thescumbagsdelightful people I knew in high school are doing. Then I find something better to do instead.
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.
And we have a last name for Brun! Yay!
I've never gone to any of my high school reunions. Occasionally, I find myself wondering how some of thescumbagsdelightful 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:
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.
Which is why the poll needed a “Pizza Girl & Purple Monkey Dishwasher” option.
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 never watched Daria but I've seen the character a few times on Beavis and Butthead.
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.
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:
(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!
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.
Anyone else notice the incredibly early-2000s trousers in panel 2? :')
JNCOs? Oh, shoplifters' jeans!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.
OK, then it's the WCDT parts I vaguely remember.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.
Interestingly, I do like the ring 'Brun Khoury' has.
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?
And it's not like Wagner is a complete unknown abroad.
Comic.
Doesn't sound like high school was the best part of Jed's life.
Oh and uh...What was her name, Butterbot? is INCREDIBLY anime in the first panel.Beepatrice.
is there anyone here who knows proper pronuncation of "Khoury"?
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
The better to not smell us with? For AIs with bionic sinuses I can imagine that being around some meatpeople can be agonizing.
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.
*wretching noises*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.
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.
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!
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 ...
Wouldn't 'not deliberately triggering an anxiety/panic attack' fall under SB's 'sanctity of mind' thing?
Also, wouldn't typing that memo on an external PC be the best way to draw Spooky's attention to Beepatrice?
{SNIP}
*One function of a free press is to make maintaining ultra-secrecy difficult.
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.{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)
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.
Rightly or wrongly, freedom of the press does not extend to state secrets.Agreed.
Rightly or wrongly, freedom of the press does not extend to state secrets.
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.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.
The i-beam is a reference to that guy's bathroom right? :D
I still find it interesting that in the US roller shutters are apparently not a common thing in residential buildings.
I mean something like this: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.
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.{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)
The functions of a free press remain, even if the nation's press fails to fulfill some or all of them.
{snip}Neat!
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.
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.Servicing them is something you usually do when you refurbish your home and replace the wallpapers anyway.
But they're rather robust - my parents' place was built in 1976 and some of the original ones are still in.
Aren't those common in Switzerland too?
Aren't those common in Switzerland too?
The Swiss probably invented them ... 8-)
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.
We already have Magustus. Claire & Clinton look so much like her one sometimes woners if they're actually her clones.
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).
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.