THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: jwhouk on 10 Aug 2019, 20:32
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New week, new thread. Couldn't come up with a good poll, so mods can add if they see fit.
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Objective Reality is whatever consensus the majority finds.
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We all live in our own subjective realities. The human mind is not capable of being truly objective. Therefore, the entire idea of a single objective reality is purely speculative, an assumption that, while popular, is not necessary.
Thank you Wikiversity.
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Wait. What? Cloaking Device?
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They mispronounced it. Yelling Bird put a device on the emu's cloaca.
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On, or in?
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Poor, poor Winslow. :laugh:
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YOU FOOLS! YOU'VE GIVEN HUMANITY'S ARCH NEMESIS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War) CLOAKING TECHNOLOGY! YOU'VE DOOMED US ALLLLLLLLLL!!!!
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On, or in?
Yes.
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O'Brien Winslow Must Suffer
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An emu with a cloaking device genuinely would be terrifying.
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In the footer text, Jeph notes that he's not sure what the scientists were hoping to achieve. Personally, I suspect that, stripped of jargon, the research grant application could be summarised as: "Because no-one has done this before" or as "For SCIENCE!!!" I doubt that anyone in the team went as far as to ask 'why'. It's not as if anyone's career is on the line if they can't deliver commercially-useful results!
I think that Winslow is rapidly learning the full truth of what made Hannelore once utter the words: "This frickin' town!" I also thinking that he may tell May that, as ornery as she can be, she's better than the Emu, which will leave her thinking: "What... The emu?"
By the way, it looks like the lady researcher has the same type of face module as Beepatrice. For this reason, I dub her 'Chimevera'.
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An emu with a cloaking device genuinely would be terrifying.
Now that’s what I call a Romulan warbird.
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Not sure if this is what inspired Jeph, but there’s been an emu running around loose in North Carolina for weeks and nobody has been able to catch it.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/07/eno-the-emu-north-carolina-wanted (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/07/eno-the-emu-north-carolina-wanted)
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And some insurance company is advertising with an emu as well. Who's going to explain these things to future generations??!??
On a lighter note, is Faye's neck longer in panel 1 of 4066 than any of the 3065 or 3077 panels? I think Jeph has updated the model sheets to make necks longer or am I imagining things?
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And some insurance company is advertising with an emu as well. Who's going to explain these things to future generations??!??
Who needs a detailed explanations? All you'd need to say is: "You realise that people are basically irresponsible and crazy, right? Especially when asked to make decisions in groups or if money or sex is involved?"
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And some insurance company is advertising with an emu as well. Who's going to explain these things to future generations??!??"
McGruff the Crime Dog will explain everything.
On a lighter note, is Faye's neck longer ...?
... Faye. Faye is the emu!
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Faye is a cassowary.
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I can be literal, so excuse me if someone has already mentioned this and I missed it: but just how does one keep a tracking collar on an emu? Seems like a collar small enough to not slip over the head would cause it to starve...
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I can be literal, so excuse me if someone has already mentioned this and I missed it: but just how does one keep a tracking collar on an emu? Seems like a collar small enough to not slip over the head would cause it to starve...
don't birds usually get markers/tracking devices attached to their feet?
Edit: found an example
(https://www.telemetrysolutions.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/emu-001-225x225.jpg)
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In the footer text, Jeph notes that he's not sure what the scientists were hoping to achieve. Personally, I suspect that, stripped of jargon, the research grant application could be summarised as: "Because no-one has done this before" or as "For SCIENCE!!!" I doubt that anyone in the team went as far as to ask 'why'.
Obligatory.
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Not sure if this is what inspired Jeph, but there’s been an emu running around loose in North Carolina for weeks and nobody has been able to catch it.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/07/eno-the-emu-north-carolina-wanted (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/07/eno-the-emu-north-carolina-wanted)
Either that or Australia lost far worse in the Great Emu War, and now are trying research in the US...
Or they've just started training ninjas as well
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In the footer text, Jeph notes that he's not sure what the scientists were hoping to achieve. Personally, I suspect that, stripped of jargon, the research grant application could be summarised as: "Because no-one has done this before" or as "For SCIENCE!!!" I doubt that anyone in the team went as far as to ask 'why'. It's not as if anyone's career is on the line if they can't deliver commercially-useful results!
I think that Winslow is rapidly learning the full truth of what made Hannelore once utter the words: "This frickin' town!" I also thinking that he may tell May that, as ornery as she can be, she's better than the Emu, which will leave her thinking: "What... The emu?"
By the way, it looks like the lady researcher has the same type of face module as Beepatrice. For this reason, I dub her 'Chimevera'.
Care to explain your naming convention? I get the 'chime' part of it.
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Care to explain your naming convention? I get the 'chime' part of it.
Basically, 'Beepatrice' came from Cockatrice. I just chose another fantastic beast - The Chimera - and turned it into something artificial-sounding that also sounded like a feminine name. Chime + Vera becomes 'Chimevera'.
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I sort of just assumed "Beepatrice" was a play on "Beatrice" and that was it...
Then again, Roko's named "Basilisk", so that checks out.
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Speaking from personal experience, emus do not need cloaking devices to be terrifying. Those f*ckers are dead set fearless!
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Speaking from personal experience, emus do not need cloaking devices to be terrifying. Those f*ckers are dead set fearless!
Just 'too stupid to be scared' as I understand it.
On the note of teens; as a former cashier, bored tweens/teens, stoners, drunks, and parents who refuse to supervise their hellspawn children are the worst customers to get in terms of store loses (theft and/or damage).
EDIT: No, I don't hate children. I hate parents that won't parent their children.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqrg_VCPgAQ
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New Comic Up!
There is a lot of subtle sweetness in this strip. Yes, May is being May although, having to deal with the convenience store horror that's kids with nothing to do except shoplift for fun is a more than acceptable excuse for her being ornery. However, I think that Winslow has learned to read what she means out of what she says. That's why he has a little relieved smile in panel 3: Given May's mood, her words are practically an airborne glomp and enthusiastic full-body hug! She's happy to see him!
Whilst there is a temptation to ship Winslow and May, for me at this stage, the key here is that they are friends after their very rocky start. May hasn't said 'go away' and it's clear that Winslow is now planning to hang around because, let's face it, it seems like May needs someone to talk to with whom she feels comfortable.
I'm sort of expecting her manager to come in and say something like: "I thought that hiring a Synthetic clerk would mean I'd stop having their boyfriends or girlfriends or whatever coming in to 'hang out' for hours without buying anything but I guess I was wrong!" May and Winslow's reactions would probably be very, very funny.
Finally, please note the next teenager in panel 4! I suspect that May put down her broom too soon!
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So, is Winslow going to point out the lurking teen behind the counter?
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So, is Winslow going to point out the lurking teen behind the counter?
“The Lurking Teen” is the title of a story that H. P. Lovecraft considered writing, but then rejected because the premise was just too horrifying.
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So, is Winslow going to point out the lurking teen behind the counter?
“The Lurking Teen” is the title of a story that H. P. Lovecraft considered writing, but then rejected because the premise was just too horrifying.
*Let's loose a shrill, high pitched scream*
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Teen infestations. You can't even spray for 'em.
It was tried once, but it backfired. The stuff was just remarketed as Axe.
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Teen infestations. You can't even spray for 'em.
This was a long time ago and it wouldn't be legal now (the children involved are now in their 60's and it's not legal in my state for sure). One of my former bosses told his kids that they would lose all driving privileges and be kicked out of the family home if the ever got a DUI or he caught them drinking and driving while they were living under his roof. In return, they could drink at home, illegally as they were under age, as long as the party ended when they had previously negotiated it would. By all accounts it worked out fine. However:
Their house backed up on a local park. The local high school kids, which his were a part of the group, would have a large party in the park every year. After sunset, the under-age drinking had a tendency to get out of hand, fights, loud music from cars, etc. The city police would send a helicopter with a spotlight over to help break up the worst of the behavior and support the ground-based officers. Meanwhile, his kids and their friends would sit on the back porch and watch the mayhem.
My former boss remarked that teens under a chopper spotlight behave *exactly* like roaches when you flipped on the light in a dark kitchen...
It was tried once, but it backfired. The stuff was just remarketed as Axe.
My voice teacher refuses to let students into her studio if they are wearing that .. uh .. stuff. I don't blame her a bit, but then, I'm old enough to have learned that the best aphrodisiac is a recent shower with a scentless soap.
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I'm sort of expecting her manager to come in and say something like: "I thought that hiring a Synthetic clerk would mean I'd stop having their boyfriends or girlfriends or whatever coming in to 'hang out' for hours without buying anything but I guess I was wrong!" May and Winslow's reactions would her broom too soon
May would tell him, "My friend Roko says "hi!"
And the manager would shut up and slink back to his office.
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The problem is with the closing of many of their natural habitats mall rats seek other nests.
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Is May suggesting that teens will survive WWIII?
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Is May suggesting that teens will survive WWIII?
Yes. And promptly form a tribal cargo-cult-like society where rank is based on how many random bits of circuit board you can strap to your chest.
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Is May suggesting that teens will survive WWIII?
Yes. And promptly form a tribal cargo-cult-like society where rank is based on how many random bits of circuit board you can strap to your chest.
I feel like I've seen this show...
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I love May. The support Winslow needed, complete with crude joke.
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This is a curious strip. Is Jeph reacting to the annoyance some felt towards Hannelore for encouraging Winslow to do more with himself? Either way, though, this is a new insight into May. She's never struck me as being a 'do what you feel' sort of person, given that she was pretty active in urging Marigold to get over her indecision loop. That said, she was doing Dale a favour there so who knows what she thinks when she doesn't have a personal stake.
My disappointment with this comic? Panel 1 isn't May tossing that last teen out in some comedic way.
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This is the response I expect from May. She, for good reason, has strong feelings about personal freedom.
The difference in the Marigold case is that it was obvious that what Marigold was doing wasn't making her happy. In this case, the opposite is true. She's encouraging Winslow to do what brings him joy and comfort.
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My disappointment with this comic? Panel 1 isn't May tossing that last teen out in some comedic way.
But the debris from her doing it is scattered around every frame! I like being able to build my own picture of what went on...
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Stories are stronger when they let the audience join the dots. Wouldn’t you say, Ben?
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Stories are stronger when they let the audience join the dots. Wouldn’t you say, Ben?
Not automatically no. However, in this particular case you are taking a semi-humorous remark about something I wanted to see as some sort of substantive criticism.
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She's never struck me as being a 'do what you feel' sort of person, ....
I agree - she's not. I think she's just referring back to Winslow's privileged financial position: "Eh, you don't gotta. You could stay home and watch the pigeons all day" coming from her, I hear and interpret as a semi-snarky tone (because poor her has to work). Winslow then misses the point, and May's next comment about place is the poor minority apologizing to the hoity toity for existing. Winslow misses this point somewhat too, though you can tell he's a little annoyed with May who's "I wanna hear" comeback is as loud as she ever laughs internally at someone.
My disappointment with this comic? Panel 1 isn't May tossing that last teen out in some comedic way.
I agree. Perhaps a missed opportunity or just one deferred???
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*Let's loose a shrill, high pitched scream*
Yes, let's do! Who goes first?
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Stories are stronger when they let the audience join the dots. Wouldn’t you say, Ben?
Not automatically no. However, in this particular case you are taking a semi-humorous remark about something I wanted to see as some sort of substantive criticism.
I meant in general, of course. And no, I didn't think you were making a substantive criticism. Just picking up a topic and running with it.
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My disappointment with this comic? Panel 1 isn't May tossing that last teen out in some comedic way.
Personally, I like slapping the dust off her hands post-ejection even better. The kid is gone and May hasn't missed a beat in her conversation with Winslow.
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I think she's just referring back to Winslow's privileged financial position: "Eh, you don't gotta. You could stay home and watch the pigeons all day" coming from her, I hear and interpret as a semi-snarky tone (because poor her has to work). Winslow then misses the point, and May's next comment about place is the poor minority apologizing to the hoity toity for existing. Winslow misses this point somewhat too, though you can tell he's a little annoyed with May who's "I wanna hear" comeback is as loud as she ever laughs internally at someone.
I can see May being that snarky to some people, but she opened up to Winslow a lot the last time they met (when he was a substitute robo-counsellor back in #3581). I'd also expect her to emphasize "You" instead of "could" in "You *could* stay home" if she was snarking at him as you suggest. May's had some time to mature while Winslow was gone. She even hugged Roko without looking like she hated the idea... (#4032)
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Playing classical music is supposed to be an effective teenager repellent. Especially Mozart or Andrea Bocelli.
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And here I thought that classical music inspired teens into drinking drugged milk and going out on sprees of ultraviolence.
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And here I thought that classical music inspired teens into drinking drugged milk and going out on sprees of ultraviolence.
No, only Alex seemed to have the appreciation for music that his droogs lacked.
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Trust me, I’m a reader (http://www.laurelcohn.com.au/Evoking%20readers'%20trust.html)
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"SPEAKING OF BLOWING...."
Oh god, May. :lol: :laugh:
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May. May, no! Don't! You'll make Winslow's head explode!!!
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Or worse, Winslow will get all ridiculously jealous because he's been fantasizing about Sven too and May should have respected that!
...Okay, that's totally implausible. But hilarious to think about. May's fucking face when Winslow blows his stack...
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I think that this strip does remind us of just how proud May is of her achievement with Sven. I do think that it has radically impacted her self-image that she is capable of doing this for someone and, I suspect, enjoy it herself. Also, panel 1: Yeah, it kind of stands to reason that May would be anxious about any form of communication that would be difficult to derail if she starts treading on uncomfortable territory for herself.
I do get the impression that this arc has been stretched out a bit. The only reason that occurs to me is that Jeph is trying to be sure that he gets to a certain point in the conversation on Friday so that he can let us stew over the weekend.
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Oh May. You tell Sven not to make it awkward, and then, here *you* go about making it awkward... :roll: :roll: :roll: :evil:
Of course, now that I think about it some more, the arc goes like this:
- Roko gets inspired when May is granted the option for a new body and arranges for herself to get one.
- May gets Roko's current body by some kind of barely-legal chicanery.
- Hilarity of mistaken identity ensues for several strips.
- Sven decides he's in love with May in the new chassis so he proposes.
- Hilarity ensues as May tries to sort the situation and herself all out.
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And here I thought that classical music inspired teens into drinking drugged milk and going out on sprees of ultraviolence.
No,.only Alex seemed to have the appreciation for music that his droogs lacked.
Need I point out that Alex was a fictional character?
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And here I thought that classical music inspired teens into drinking drugged milk and going out on sprees of ultraviolence.
No,.only Alex seemed to have the appreciation for music that his droogs lacked.
Need I point out that Alex was a fictional character?
Not to me, you needn't. I'm aware.
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If any of the male characters had shouted this at a female one he would have been physically assaulted.
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Stories are stronger when they let the audience join the dots. Wouldn’t you say, Ben?
When you join the dots do you follow a linear progression?
I usually end up following a Fibonacci Sequence though I have tried geometric and harmonic.
Playing classical music is supposed to be an effective teenager repellent. Especially Mozart or Andrea Bocelli.
I have tried Ivan Rebroff and it is very effective against the vast majority of teens but has a tendency to attract a cappella fans.
Or worse, Winslow will get all ridiculously jealous because he's been fantasizing about Sven too and May should have respected that!
...Okay, that's totally implausible. But hilarious to think about. May's fucking face when Winslow blows his stack...
Just remember that if he does vent there may be a number of freshly steamed predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones going ballistic.
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Hmm, I am not sure, but I suspect I know where May is going with this conversation. Also, I am starting to wonder if Winston is Canadian.
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I'd love to know why email makes May anxious.
I mean, I can think of several reasons. For one, email creates a Permanent Record.
At any rate, she's comfortable texting and calling using her built-in phone hardware.
It'll be neat if and when May gets a better body. I'm wondering if she'll want any, er, unusual accessories... (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3305)
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If any of the male characters had shouted this at a female one he would have been physically assaulted.
What? Who?
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It'll be neat if and when May gets a better body. I'm wondering if she'll want any, er, unusual accessories... (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3305)
We've noted a number of times here the parallels between automobiles and AI chassis. Cost ranges, occupant/owner attitudes, similar issues. Accessories tend to move downmarket with cars. Time was a heater or radio was a $$$ option but now they're conspicuous by their absence in any used car built since the '60s. Try and find a manual transmission in most models, and manual rollup windows are scarce now, too.
It's been demonstrated that toes are a sign of a higher end AI body, as are tactile sensor equipped nipples. Odds are May's new chassis will include these. Roko hasn't told anyone about how her Philomena DeLuxe looks in comparison to May's Barbie Doll 'scaping, but I think we're safe in assuming those features are becoming more and more available, too. Either way, May will surely let us know with either gleeful celebration or cheated rage.
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Ah, May. *lol*
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Yeah, Winslow can see right through May. Maybe he's perceptive enough that just one session at a self-help group has taught him everything he needs to know about how her mind works or maybe May is just that bad at hiding herself. May's reaction shows that he is right on the button though!
I think we can definitely say that Jeph has sunk the Sven/May ship but that isn't a surprise to me as I always got the feeling that it was all more curiosity and bravado on both their parts from the start. It was also, strangely enough, a reminder that Sven has changed a lot and he's become a much nicer guy since he blew his chance with Faye (possibly with Hannelore's help).
I'm pretty sure that we're at the end of this arc but I'm thinking that it isn't impossible that things may yet get more... complicated between Winslow and May, depending on how far Winslow is willing to push this even though May's now getting defensive. Winslow also has yet to say hi to Momo and Pintsize, so that may happen next week too.
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... or maybe May is just that bad at hiding herself.
Yup; we already know she's a terrible liar. I'd expect the rest of her emotional interactions to be equally transparent.
For a horrible little goblin, May's growing on me.
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Try and find a manual transmission in most models...
That's a very American POV. Automatic transmission is rare in the UK - I can easily walk down a street and see 100% of cars have what y'all call a "stick shift". Plenty of drivers (including my parents) reject autos out of hand, and I've never driven one myself.
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Try and find a manual transmission in most models...
That's a very American POV. Automatic transmission is rare in the UK - I can easily walk down a street and see 100% of cars have what y'all call a "stick shift". Plenty of drivers (including my parents) reject autos out of hand, and I've never driven one myself.
Yes, that's a very American thing, from what I can tell.
I don't think I've ever in my entire life seen a friend or family member own a car with automatic transmission.
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Try and find a manual transmission in most models...
That's a very American POV.
By and large you can't tell a US from a Canadian vehicle without looking at the license plate. Perhaps you meant to say "North American."
Do the Germans and Swedes put manual transmissions in their mid-size cars?
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The only automatics I've ever ridden in on British roads were a Bentley limousine and a Maserati sports coupe.
Oh, and public buses. All buses in London are automatics and have been since the 1980s at the most recent.
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... or maybe May is just that bad at hiding herself.
Yup; we already know she's a terrible liar. I'd expect the rest of her emotional interactions to be equally transparent.
For a horrible little goblin, May's growing on me.
I'm just curious how many more times we need to be beaten over the head with "May is currently an unrepentant jerkass to everyone she meets" before her character arc, y'know, actually advances in any significant way.
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The only automatics I've ever ridden in on British roads were a Bentley limousine and a Maserati sports coupe.
Oh, and public buses. All buses in London are automatics and have been since the 1980s at the most recent.
Even In The UK, The Manual Transmission Is On The Verge Of Dying (https://carbuzz.com/news/even-in-the-uk-the-manual-transmission-is-on-the-verge-of-dying)
Looks like it's nipples and toes all the way.
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Winslow didn’t mean it as a burn, but it had the same effect. Good for him.
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Even In The UK, The Manual Transmission Is On The Verge Of Dying (https://carbuzz.com/news/even-in-the-uk-the-manual-transmission-is-on-the-verge-of-dying)
Looks like it's nipples and toes all the way.
With 63% of sales still being manual, "verge of dying" seems a bit hyperbolic.
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"I wouldn't bother changing my own gears, it's so nineteen-seventies."
SOOOOO FANCY!
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Yeah, Winslow can see right through May. Maybe he's perceptive enough that just one session at a self-help group has taught him everything he needs to know about how her mind works or maybe May is just that bad at hiding herself. May's reaction shows that he is right on the button though!
I think we can definitely say that Jeph has sunk the Sven/May ship but that isn't a surprise to me as I always got the feeling that it was all more curiosity and bravado on both their parts from the start. It was also, strangely enough, a reminder that Sven has changed a lot and he's become a much nicer guy since he blew his chance with Faye (possibly with Hannelore's help).
I'm pretty sure that we're at the end of this arc but I'm thinking that it isn't impossible that things may yet get more... complicated between Winslow and May, depending on how far Winslow is willing to push this even though May's now getting defensive. Winslow also has yet to say hi to Momo and Pintsize, so that may happen next week too.
I wouldn't put it as entirely dead, just waiting for the bomb to go off. Sven and May kind of hit that gasoline and lit torch thing that would be a short term thing that then goes off in a thermonuclear way to either something stable or bloody in the end.
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Winslow the therapist, as usual! I want to see what happens. Also, apparently Svarn no longer exists.
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I think that a therapist would be more likely to ask a series of questions designed to encourage you to acknowledge something like that yourself, rather than simply blurt it out.
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News flash: electric cars don't have manual transmissions. Heck, some of them don't even have transmissions, period.
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... or maybe May is just that bad at hiding herself.
Yup; we already know she's a terrible liar. I'd expect the rest of her emotional interactions to be equally transparent.
For a horrible little goblin, May's growing on me.
I'm just curious how many more times we need to be beaten over the head with "May is currently an unrepentant jerkass to everyone she meets" before her character arc, y'know, actually advances in any significant way.
I used to have the same opinion of May, and I actually think Jeph has been doing a lot more work on giving her something more to do. The whole Sven interaction was a leap forward in development, and most of her recent conversations have been. I also don't think she's being an unrepentant jerkass to Winslow this time - I'd say she's being reasonably nice to him, relatively speaking.
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Poll Results:
Is there objective reality?
No, our sensations are all there is 5 (15.2%)
Yes, but we can never know it 5 (15.2%)
Yes, and we can find out more and more about it 13 (39.4%)
Something beyond human understanding 5 (15.2%)
Mangled manganese mangaphile 5 (15.2%)
Total Members Voted: 33
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I wonder if the Teen Broom is more effective than the UBMEOD?