THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: BenRG on 15 Dec 2019, 04:06
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Okay, as random a poll as I'm probably able to come up with here: Martin and Steve seem to be thinking about getting a boat for relaxation purposes. However, what should Marten name this proud maiden of Massachusetts' inland waterways? Yes, all the options are silly to a greater or lesser extent but I like all these names and, or at least so I hope, they're all 'in characters' for Marten's somewhat-snarky world-view.
What would I choose. Marten is a bit of a sap, so I imagine him calling it 'Lady Claire' and trying to paint all flowers around the name-plate. Claire later points out that, as a librarian who loves cyberpunk, she'd vastly prefer a robotic skull and crossbones but thinks that the effort is 'sweet' anyway!
Naturally, the boat could ultimately be a plot device. Maybe Pintsize is always hinting that he is using it for smuggling bootleg recreational DLL thumb drives?
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If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, (https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/world/europe/boaty-mcboatface-what-you-get-when-you-let-the-internet-decide.amp.html) may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?
I feel that way true justice will be served. 8-)
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Just seen the poll. You read my mind. :-D
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If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, (https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/world/europe/boaty-mcboatface-what-you-get-when-you-let-the-internet-decide.amp.html) may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?
I feel that way true justice will be served. 8-)
I still find it hard to believe that that actually happened and I'm under 40yo.
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C'mon guys, his little pet robot is called Pintsize. The dinghy he'll be able to afford is going to be called "Nutshell".
(in English, you do call a tiny boat a nutshell, right? Also, the possibility of puns for Claire...)
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I've never heard anyone in America call a tiny boat a nutshell, but we definitely SHOULD be.
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An inland waterways fishing boat does not have to be anything elaborate. Take, for example this Avocet-17, known technically as a 'dory'.
(https://sc02.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1xGhvKXXXXXakXXXXq6xXFXXXq/Avocet17-fishing-dory-wilson-flyer.jpg)
The Wilson Flyer here is actually on sale for $4k, which is somewhat cheaper than most kinds of car. That said, the ancillary costs are what are killers for boat ownership: Hull maintenance, navigational and communications kit (radar and VHF radio), the transport trailer and a car powerful enough to tow it.
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Cleaning out the intakes to prevent the spread of invasive species....
Oh wait, that one's cheap.
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It'd surprise me if radar is required for something that size. I know that over here it's entirely optional for pleasure craft. Also, your nav and comm is a one time cost - unless you go with electronic charts, in which case you'll need to pay for the updates. Main cost is hull maintenance, and berth, really. Edited to add: and fuel, depending on the boat and how often you use it.
That being said, radar, if you really know how to properly read it, can be a great safety aid. Though, personally, I'd go for an AIS transponder for something that size, as radar utility is really rather limited this close to the water.
Cleaning out the intakes to prevent the spread of invasive species....
Oh wait, that one's cheap.
Also just a good idea even if you just value your engine.
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If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, (https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/world/europe/boaty-mcboatface-what-you-get-when-you-let-the-internet-decide.amp.html) may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?
I feel that way true justice will be served. 8-)
I still find it hard to believe that that actually happened and I'm under 40yo.
It didn’t. They named the ship itself the Sir David Attenborough, but named one of the boats upon it Boaty McBoatface as an appeasement measure :lol:
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If the boat was called Lady Claire, I’m half imagining a repurposed version of the Rolling Stones’ “Lady Jane” addressed to Claire to be sailing out of some loudspeakers as the boat goes past.
Or if it’s like a narrowboat I encountered travelling along a canal near me one time, the loudspeakers could be playing “Mundian To Bach Ke (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DJztXj2GPfk)” :-D :-D
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May be something more musical, like Riff Raft or Aquarius?
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The boat is named “Questionably Content”.
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"The Baroness" after Steve's EX.
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If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, (https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/world/europe/boaty-mcboatface-what-you-get-when-you-let-the-internet-decide.amp.html) may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?
I feel that way true justice will be served. 8-)
I still find it hard to believe that that actually happened and I'm under 40yo.
It didn’t. They named the ship itself the Sir David Attenborough, but named one of the boats upon it Boaty McBoatface as an appeasement measure :lol:
I meant that 'Boaty McBoatface' became the most popular name.
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The Motor Vessel Reed-Augustus Floating Instrument Repair Shop and Bookmobile.
Though anything they could afford would be too small to be a documented vessel -- that is, one formally registered under a name -- and would formally be MS(four digits)(two letters).
It should probably be a houseboat, but it will likely be a little dinghy.
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Awww, poor Tai. :D
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So I just want to comment on the prices on the menu: It looks like $1.00 for a burger, no price for cheese (free?), $16.00 for bacon and $0.50 for mushrooms. So you're saying I can get a mushroom cheese burger for $1.50? Unless the burger is a pile of ash grilled into a hockey puck by a surly Russian guy named Vlad and the $16.00 bacon is the only thing that makes it palatable then HELL YEAH.
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...they're acting like getting a boat together is like booking a honeymoon suite... if it's moored, it seems downright sensible...
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Oh this is so cute. Don't feel bad, Tai. If anything, this proves that all the people who used to make fun of you in school were wrong. You are very, very normal in so many ways, right down to falling deliriously in love and having a remarkably elaborate fantasy about how you're going to make a public statement about it to your wider community!
Now, I don't trust Steve's smile in panel 3. He's getting a kooky idea in his head about how he and Marten can make the 'boat' thing work and I suspect that it's going to be either embarrassing, semi-legal or just plain needlessly elaborate. Or maybe all three. You can take a man out of the super-spy biz but you can't take the super-spy biz (and it's methods) out of his head!
Oh, and hello, Brun in panel 1! It's been a while since we last saw you!
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— We are not buying a boat together.
— Unless...
Unless it is for hot gay sex (https://www.questionablecontent.net/random/1386alternate.png). (https://questionablecontent.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_alternate_versions)
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I just love Dora skritching Tai's head in panel 2...
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You know what's better than owning a boat? Having a FRIEND who owns a boat :clairedoge:
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That said, the ancillary costs are what are killers for boat ownership: Hull maintenance, navigational and communications kit (radar and VHF radio), the transport trailer and a car powerful enough to tow it.
One of my former bosses - who has a tinkerers bent - rigged up a used side-scan sonar for use on his boat. He doesn't fish, so I'm not quite sure why he did this. OTOH, he also created his own scanning electron microscope...
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
Depends where you are, I guess. Some parts of the US (Northern Florida, especially), I'm sure that it's much harder to get around without one. The area of the Great Lakes is probably similar as is the East Coast.
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
Depends where you are, I guess. Some parts of the US (Northern Florida, especially), I'm sure that it's much harder to get around without one. The area of the Great Lakes is probably similar as is the East Coast.
The only place I know of in the US where it’s “hard to get around” without a boat is the Mississippi Delta region, particularly southern Louisiana. And even in the deep swamps of Cajun country there are roads (of varying quality) to most places.
A boat in Northampton is probably purely recreational. Even a small single-outboard fishing boat would be a lot on the Connecticut River. They’d be better off buying a canoe.
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
Yes -- though the great majority of them aren't transport necessities, but recreation. And a significant number of them rarely leave the dock once they're in the water for the season, being floating party places for people who think it too common to have a camper-trailer ("caravan" as some call them). This is a good thing, as I see a great many plastic toys out on the water under the "command" of people who have no business being in charge of a boat.
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
Yes -- though the great majority of them aren't transport necessities, but recreation. And a significant number of them rarely leave the dock once they're in the water for the season, being floating party places for people who think it too common to have a camper-trailer ("caravan" as some call them). This is a good thing, as I see a great many plastic toys out on the water under the "command" of people who have no business being in charge of a boat.
This is what's throwing me.
I would imagine owning a boat would be expensive, but everyone's treating it as if it "ain't no thang!"... and fairly standard fare!
:psyduck:
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I would imagine owning a boat would be expensive, but everyone's treating it as if it "ain't no thang!"... and fairly standard fare!
:psyduck:
That's the thing: I don't think it is expensive, from what I've seen. If anything, it is cheaper than owning a car in most cases!
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Boat-owning is fairly common where I live, in the St. Louis metro area. There are plenty of small lakes hereabouts.
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Well, boat owner here. For me, it comes out cheaper annually, than my car. Though, I should add, that's because I have a berth in a small inland boating club, and she is from 1946, so I pay the lowest tax rate.
Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
Yes -- though the great majority of them aren't transport necessities, but recreation. And a significant number of them rarely leave the dock ...This is a good thing, as I see a great many plastic toys out on the water under the "command" of people who have no business being in charge of a boat.
And that is exactly why I applaud our new pleasure craft legislation, that sets higher standards on licensing, as well as rationalising the mandatory equipment.
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
Google is suggesting 1 in 10 households own a boat (17 million boats in the US). Of course, what counts as a boat becomes an immediate question. Some people consider a pontoon a boat, though I don't; I think they're more of a navigable dock.
https://www.boatsetter.com/boats/mqczlwh (https://www.boatsetter.com/boats/mqczlwh)
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
There are people in the Phoenix metro area that own boats.
Think about that for a moment or two.
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
There are people in the Phoenix metro area that own boats.
Think about that for a moment or two.
:::Thinks about it...:::
:::gets nowhere:::
...
:::Looks up Phoenix Metro Area on Google Maps:::
Ah! Right! Quasi Desert!!! :)
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It should be noted that Arizona is one of the few desert areas on the planet where people regularly die by drowning.
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
I think it depends on what you define as a boat.
I'd imagine far more people own a small outboard than those who have a 40 foot yacht. Plus, I'd also imagine that a lot of them are owned by fishermen (or people who call themselves fishermen).
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Is "owning a boat" really so prevalent in the US???
I think it depends on what you define as a boat.
I'd imagine far more people own a small outboard than those who have a 40 foot yacht. Plus, I'd also imagine that a lot of them are owned by fishermen (or people who call themselves fishermen).
Yeah, if you stick to the broadest definition of a boat, the statistics are about as useful as the statistics on how many people own or operate any wheeled vehicle.
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Yeah, but if you try using them as boats, you'll end up with a lot of submarines instead.
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Yeah, but if you try using them as boats, you'll end up with a lot of submarines instead.
"Look, I said it would go underwater, I never said it would make it back out."
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I actually just spent ages trying to think of the perfect present for my father-in-law. I suggested a book about making model boats (something he likes to do), and asked my husband's opinion. He had no suggestions other than "get him something he'll like". I said "yes, he likes building model boats, right?" "Yes, he loves doing that." "Right, I'm ordering this book about builsing model boats, it seems perfect for him."
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I humbly submit "Bros! Bros! Bros!" as the boat name.
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I was mad sneaky and wrote this: "Hi (father-in-law), merry christmas! Lots of love, (son and daughter in law). Eh, you gotta lose a few.
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Oh and he'll probably name a model boat after me. Which I think is fair enough seeing as I've sent cards and presents to my in-laws every year for 8 years, while my husband treats his own family as an inconvenience.
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:::Thinks about it...:::
:::gets nowhere:::
...
:::Looks up Phoenix Metro Area on Google Maps:::
Ah! Right! Quasi Desert!!! :)
Nothing's quasi about it. Sonoran Desert, in fact.
And yes, many people die of drowning in Arizona, but not because of all the backyard pools in our major cities.
There's this thing called "flash flooding" that happens in arid environments like ours.....
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New Strip up.
I;m VAGUELY worried Dora and Tai are gonna end up wedded right there....
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...no bet.
...wait, what's this about gift baskets?
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New Strip up.
I;m VAGUELY worried Dora and Tai are gonna end up wedded right there....
only vaguely? tsk.
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People drown in Arizona because it typically only rains during what they call monsoon season. During that time, quick building strong rain storms can drop a ton of rain in a short time. There are also a lot of crossings in Arizona called 'washes' where the road is either at ground level or close to it in dry riverbeds. You can easily go to an urban center and get caught out, meaning on the way home you might have to cross one or more of these riverbeds. If you misjudge the current or get too cocky, you end up a statistic as your vehicle is washed downstream and shredded.
Quite a bit of the blame is on the Arizona government for not properly building safe crossings. It is a lot easier and cheaper to just put signs out warning about the low water crossings.
I can recall when I was growing up and still living in south Arizona near the Tohono O'odham nation reservation, a couple of times I was almost a statistic. One was when I was 10 or 11 and my aunt came to visit. She took me to Tucson for some reason and on the way back she decided to shoot across a wash in her 65 mustang after she saw a larger truck go through it. The car started drifting to the left from the water pressure and we just barely made it out because she had hit the water fast, ending up in the opposite lane. Another time was when I was with my family in our ltd station wagon about a year later. We had went to town for groceries and I was sitting in the back in the flip up seats. My grandfather was generally pretty good at judging the washes, but we got hit by a small surge as we were going through and the car stalled. The back of the car where I was started taking in water through the semi open rear window. Some of our grocery bags were sucked out and I was lucky I had my little waist seat belt on. Some people on the other side noticed and were able to wade out to hook up our front with a chain, pulling us out.
Rushing water is scary and extremely dangerous. Sadly a lot of people find out only too late.
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I would imagine owning a boat would be expensive, but everyone's treating it as if it "ain't no thang!"... and fairly standard fare!
:psyduck:
That's the thing: I don't think it is expensive, from what I've seen. If anything, it is cheaper than owning a car in most cases!
What kind of boat?
I imagine flat-bottom boats, canoes, and kayaks are fairly cheap.
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"Buying a boat" is definitely a middle-class cliche; cf. Us.
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Okay, things are starting to approach the territory known as 'mistakes were made' and not necessarily the hilarious sort! I'm not expecting Steve to end up marrying anyone but I am expecting Marten to come to a decision or two about which he should really have consulted with Claire first! Can you say "Double Wedding"? I thought so. Either Marten will wake up with a ring in his pocket or he will bring home Steve, Dora and Tai to insist that Claire must do it because "you're so perfect together"!
I'm starting to wonder if Claire is listed on Tai's 'phone as "Cinnamon Roll, Perfect"! I used to think that they didn't like eachother but now I see that Tai clearly admires Claire's personality and drive!
Meanwhile, I'm wondering just how much stuff Claire will get in gift baskets that she'll never use or even be sure what it's for! Still, at least Bubbles is enjoying the fancy coffee!
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If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, (https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/world/europe/boaty-mcboatface-what-you-get-when-you-let-the-internet-decide.amp.html) may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?
I feel that way true justice will be served. 8-)
I still find it hard to believe that that actually happened and I'm under 40yo.
It didn’t. They named the ship itself the Sir David Attenborough, but named one of the boats upon it Boaty McBoatface as an appeasement measure :lol:
I meant that 'Boaty McBoatface' became the most popular name.
It actually was... (https://web.archive.org/web/20160603012305/https://nameourship.nerc.ac.uk/entries.html)click on the "Most Loved Overall" tab
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:::Thinks about it...:::
:::gets nowhere:::
...
:::Looks up Phoenix Metro Area on Google Maps:::
Ah! Right! Quasi Desert!!! :)
Nothing's quasi about it. Sonoran Desert, in fact.
And yes, many people die of drowning in Arizona, but not because of all the backyard pools in our major cities.
There's this thing called "flash flooding" that happens in arid environmenTS like ours.....
:)
I was using the Kalahari scale!
:)
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People drown in Arizona because it typically only rains during what they call monsoon season. During that time, quick building strong rain storms can drop a ton of rain in a short time. There are also a lot of crossings in Arizona called 'washes' where the road is either at ground level or close to it in dry riverbeds. You can easily go to an urban center and get caught out, meaning on the way home you might have to cross one or more of these riverbeds. If you misjudge the current or get too cocky, you end up a statistic as your vehicle is washed downstream and shredded.
Quite a bit of the blame is on the Arizona government for not properly building safe crossings. It is a lot easier and cheaper to just put signs out warning about the low water crossings.
I can recall when I was growing up and still living in south Arizona near the Tohono O'odham nation reservation, a couple of times I was almost a statistic. One was when I was 10 or 11 and my aunt came to visit. She took me to Tucson for some reason and on the way back she decided to shoot across a wash in her 65 mustang after she saw a larger truck go through it. The car started drifting to the left from the water pressure and we just barely made it out because she had hit the water fast, ending up in the opposite lane. Another time was when I was with my family in our ltd station wagon about a year later. We had went to town for groceries and I was sitting in the back in the flip up seats. My grandfather was generally pretty good at judging the washes, but we got hit by a small surge as we were going through and the car stalled. The back of the car where I was started taking in water through the semi open rear window. Some of our grocery bags were sucked out and I was lucky I had my little waist seat belt on. Some people on the other side noticed and were able to wade out to hook up our front with a chain, pulling us out.
Rushing water is scary and extremely dangerous. Sadly a lot of people find out only too late.
Funny you should say that... (https://www.azfamily.com/news/continuing_coverage/tonto_basin_tragedy/body-of--year-old-willa-rawlings-found-in-tonto/article_11e480cc-15ed-11ea-962f-234e8e434c98.html)
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Criminy!
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"Buying a boat" is definitely a middle-class cliche; cf. Us.
Is it really that middle-class? I'd imagine owning a canoe or a rowboat of some sort, or maybe an outboard at the most, would still be middle-class.
Anything bigger or fancier than that incurs enough costs that pretty much only the upper-class and the rich can afford it. That said, I come from a suburban town apparently full of such people.
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I spent a couple of minutes trying to decipher what was on that card Claire is holding... only to realize it’s upside-down and just says “To Claire”.
Also I am wondering what kind of visions Bubbles is getting from that coffee. Looks pretty nice hallucination so far, but that’s always when the velociraptors show up.
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I personally do not have a boat - sold the Fiberglas canoe a decade or so ago.
Brothers in-law each have some version of a bow rider.
Bother has two and possibly three power kayaks if he can fix the motor on the last one.
He also has a two seater hovercraft which I do like to go out on the lake on.
No it has never been full of eels.
Lots of wild rice in the fall because mister hot-dogger loves side-slipping through the wild rice in the shallows of the lake. Yes it stings. Yes it gets into everything. E v e r y t h i n g !
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I was confused by the gift baskets and how they tied into today's conversation, then remembered the page from a few days ago.
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call the boat Veronica Vance...
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And this is the third different beer Steve has tried.
( what comes out of the tap marked ? i wanna know )
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New strip is up.
Door knobs can be tricky, indeed.
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I like that Millefeuille's drunk bubbles are square
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Looking at Claire without pigtails I can only say this: The Floof has returned! Seriously, I can see why she prefers her hair shorter and in tails - managing that must be a nightmare!
Just in case anyone doubted Tai in Tuesday's strip, here is the proof: Claire is very, very good for Marten in every possible way. Panel 2 communicates such a wonderful level of love, trust and acceptance between the two of them. I particularly like how Marten so instinctively turns to Claire for reassurance and comfort whilst he's hurting and disoriented. No snapping or transferrance of his pain reaction. Just: "Wanna my hugz!"
You know, I think that Steve can handle a lot more alcohol than his friends. Panel 3 suggests to me that he is far more sober than anyone else. I also think that Wilson is Millie's designated driver to get her out of bars when she won't (or can't) shut off 'Drunk Mode'. He's used to it, uinfortunately. I suspect that he's hoping that she won't remember any of this!
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I also think that Wilson is Millie's designated driver to get her out of bars when she won't (or can't) shut off 'Drunk Mode'. He's used to it, uinfortunately. I suspect that he's hoping that she won't remember any of this!
I didn't make that interpretation. I've seen that look and it corresponds more to "I can't believe she instigated this" in my experience.
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Looking at Claire without pigtails I can only say this: The Floof has returned! Seriously, I can see why she prefers her hair shorter and in tails - managing that must be a nightmare!
Just in case anyone doubted Tai in Tuesday's strip, here is the proof: Claire is very, very good for Marten in every possible way. Panel 2 communicates such a wonderful level of love, trust and acceptance between the two of them. I particularly like how Marten so instinctively turns to Claire for reassurance and comfort whilst he's hurting and disoriented. No snapping or transferrance of his pain reaction. Just: "Wanna my hugz!"
You know, I think that Steve can handle a lot more alcohol than his friends. Panel 3 suggests to me that he is far more sober than anyone else. I also think that Wilson is Millie's designated driver to get her out of bars when she won't (or can't) shut off 'Drunk Mode'. He's used to it, uinfortunately. I suspect that he's hoping that she won't remember any of this!
I agree with paragraphs one and two, and that Steve has a higher tolerance. But, I think it's more just buzzed bemusement.
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I also think that Wilson is Millie's designated driver to get her out of bars when she won't (or can't) shut off 'Drunk Mode'. He's used to it, uinfortunately. I suspect that he's hoping that she won't remember any of this!
Unless there have been some new information that I missed, the name of the human cloaked-Emu-seeking scientist is Jones (from #4081 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4081)).
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BUTTS! BUTTS! BUTTS!
:D
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I hope that by "happening," Claire meant "planned", with nothing farther along than "the ingredients and utensils are in the ready position." Otherwise, one of 'em should at least stick their head in the kitchen doorway. Once they're in the skillet, pancakes happen pretty fast.
Unless Bubbles is keeping an eye on things, or making the pancakes happen. Food prep might be an interesting academic or olfactory exercise for her.
Pintsize and pancake batter is a combination best left theoretical.
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I think that "happening" means "served and ready to garnish to taste". It also means: "Get your butt into the kitchen before Faye sucks them up like a rogue Roomba"!
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I think that "happening" means "served and ready to garnish to taste". It also means: "Get your butt into the kitchen before Faye sucks them up like a rogue Roomba"!
That reminds me, where is our transonic roomba and progeny?
We haven't seen any of them in ages.
They should at least drop by for the holidays if nothing else. :-D
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I love the expression Jones (?) has in panel 3. The only sober guy in the group apparently. I am usually the DD in my social group, so I have often had the same expression on my face while watching the antics of my drunk friends.
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Steve's first beer is the one in the goblet. Then he tries the kind Marten is having. Next, the straw colored kind Dora ordered for Tai. Marten has switched to a more orangey one, so he tries that. Four different beers. Isn't that supposed to give you an exceptionally vicious hangover?
Is there something like Rainbow Shots, but with beer?
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Steve's first beer is the one in the goblet. Then he tries the kind Marten is having. Next, the straw colored kind Dora ordered for Tai. Marten has switched to a more orangey one, so he tries that. Four different beers. Isn't that supposed to give you an exceptionally vicious hangover?
That depends on the period of time over which they were drunk, and their individual tolerance.
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Tai and Claire are on the same wavelength. Hey! There's Mieville!
Anybody else think the Butt-Judging Contest needs to be a wallpaper?
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Wondering what the little smiley creature in the background is - is it a pet rock or a tiny AI alarm clock or something?
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If both Tai and Claire are announcing happenin' pancakes, then who's in the kitchen with Dinah?
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Ha.
I'm looking forward to who's in Tai and Dora's living room.
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Like others, I think it's interesting that Tai and Claire both announced their presence in more or less identical ways. As I said previously this week, I think that it's interesting that Tai and Claire (who I'd previously assumed at most tolerated each other because of their differing views of how to treat a library) actually think and act in the same way quite a lot. I wonder if either of them know it?
So, now I'm wondering if the 'mistakes were made' were all Dora's. I suspect that Millie will be able to explain at least some of it. Assuming that she remembers any of it (Yes, I've seen Jeph's footer note; no I don't think he's serious about that).
Wondering what the little smiley creature in the background is - is it a pet rock or a tiny AI alarm clock or something?
I'm guessing that it's either a pet rock or some weird souvenir that someone bought either Dora or Tai at some point. A keepsake from sunny Amity Bay?
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If both Tai and Claire are announcing happenin' pancakes, then who's in the kitchen with Dinah?
Perhaps Jones?
Either that or we're seeing potentially two different uses for "happening".
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If both Tai and Claire are announcing happenin' pancakes, then who's in the kitchen with Dinah?
Perhaps Jones?
Either that or we're seeing potentially two different uses for "happening".
not for the first time, I am sick with confusion.
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If our country can’t have a Naval ship named Boaty McBoatface in spite of popular poll opinion, (https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/world/europe/boaty-mcboatface-what-you-get-when-you-let-the-internet-decide.amp.html) may I offer it up as an option for Marten and Steve?
I feel that way true justice will be served. 8-)
I still find it hard to believe that that actually happened and I'm under 40yo.
It didn’t. They named the ship itself the Sir David Attenborough, but named one of the boats upon it Boaty McBoatface as an appeasement measure :lol:
No offence to Sir David, but it does look rather like a McBoatface (https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49829315) ...
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Mieville lives!
Wait. Whose place are they at? Are pancakes happening in two different locations, or is Marten and Claire over at Dora's?
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If both Tai and Claire are announcing happenin' pancakes, then who's in the kitchen with Dinah?
Becky?
Oh , sorry.. DinaH !
(Dammit, now I want happenin' pancakes!)
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Wait. Whose place are they at? Are pancakes happening in two different locations, or is Marten and Claire over at Dora's?
That's a good question. As there's never been indication of Tai's dorm-mates being around the Bianchi/Hubbard household, I'm assuming that this is whatever apartment Dora moved into after breaking up with Marten.
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Now wait a minute: are Tai and Dora at Marten's? Is that Pintsize on the dresser? And hello new AI character if that's not Millie in disguise... I'm so confused!
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Now wait a minute: are Tai and Dora at Marten's? Is that Pintsize on the dresser? And hello new AI character if that's not Millie in disguise... I'm so confused!
Pretty sure that's Dora's cat Mieville there, and Tai says "our living room floor" which suggests that a) she's cohabitating with Dora now and b) Dora and Tai are at Dora's place.
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IIRC, Dora moved to Amherst after breaking up with Marten. And Tai was living in the dorms at Smif when we met her. Don't recall if they if they got a place closer or in Northhampton since. But it would make sense if they did.
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Now wait a minute: are Tai and Dora at Marten's? Is that Pintsize on the dresser? And hello new AI character if that's not Millie in disguise... I'm so confused!
Pretty sure that's Dora's cat Mieville there, and Tai says "our living room floor" which suggests that a) she's cohabitating with Dora now and b) Dora and Tai are at Dora's place.
Hence my confusion - if pancakes are going on at both places, that's an odd coincidence. And what is that Pintsize-looking grin doing on the dresser??? Or did everyone land at Dora's and Claire came over to make pancakes for the crew? I guess we'll learn when we tune in tomorrow to hear Marten say...
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Millefeuille has a character page in the wiki now.
https://questionablecontent.fandom.com/wiki/Millefeuille
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Hence my confusion - if pancakes are going on at both places, that's an odd coincidence. And what is that Pintsize-looking grin doing on the dresser??? Or did everyone land at Dora's and Claire came over to make pancakes for the crew? I guess we'll learn when we tune in tomorrow to hear Marten say...
I don't see what's so odd about it. It's perfectly legal in Massachusetts for two different households in the same town to be making pancakes at the same time. We're progressive that way.
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I don't see what's so odd about it. It's perfectly legal in Massachusetts for two different households in the same town to be making pancakes at the same time. We're progressive that way.
Blasphemy! There should be waffles
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Blasphemy! There should be waffles
Waffles are one step above the world famous Lisa Douglas Hotcakes 8-)
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If being able to encrypt one's own memories is a common/normal thing then why did bubbles have to rely on corpse witch?
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I suspect Bubbles wanted to not have the decode key herself so she could not theoretically re-open those wounds.
That, or Yay Newfriend has popularized and released a free 'Seal your own memory' app to prevent the Corpse Witches of the world from taking another sentient like Bubbles for a ride.
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Or it's a new feature on newer models. Or Bubbles-type AIs can't have it because we want to be able to scan their memories for war crimes without having the hassle of decrypting. Or...
OK, I get the parallelism now, and maybe that's its own self-referential joke.
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I don't see what's so odd about it. It's perfectly legal in Massachusetts for two different households in the same town to be making pancakes at the same time. We're progressive that way.
Blasphemy! There should be waffles
Would an owlbear plushie with a nametag reading 'Waffles' suffice?
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invisible underscore emu
NEW BAND NAME!
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...no bet.
...wait, what's this about gift baskets?
From 4155 (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4155).
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:-D :laugh: :lol:
And I wish I could override my hangovers.
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Welcome, new person with a good question!
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If being able to encrypt one's own memories is a common/normal thing then why did bubbles have to rely on corpse witch?
Maybe it's some corporate scientist or military contractor upgrade (remember, they had an emu with a friggin' cloaking device).
Or they only can only encrypt from point A to point B, all or nothing. Bubbles wanted something rather specific, that probably spanned over a longer period of time, and not everything of that. Or encrypting makes you relive/remember in a way Bubs couldn't handle at the time.
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Hypothesis: Memories have to be encrypted as they're happening, so once they leave the short-term memory they're gone until you use the password. Bubbles didn't set up her own encryption and can't do it retroactively.
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Like others, I'm pretty sure that there is a world full of jealous fleshies who wish that it was as simple as opening Task Manager and instructing it to stop the process 'Hangover'. Just another way in which the Synthetics have so many natural advantages!
So, if Jeph goes by usual habit, this is the last regular strip until the new year. We're going to just have some random fillers from guest artists and Patreon for the next two weeks. This is a curious place to leave things, isn't it? I think that I will spend my whole time wondering precisely what happened that the only way that Millifeulle could handle it was to lock out those memory sectors behind password protection. I wonder if she also wrote: "You don't want to unencrypt these" on the mirror?
My guess is that something horribly embarrassing happened. Maybe something like these?
- Dora was so impressed with Tai and Millie's butts that she married both of them on the spot (thanks, Steve!)
- Jones got really annoyed with Millie's increasingly and indiscriminately flirty behaviour that he told her off and walked out; that hurt and Millie would prefer not to remember the look on his face; was it heartbreak or disappointment?
- It's actually a function of the Drunk app - All memories from within the activation period of the service are automatically encrypted and all records of the password deleted apart from a physical off-line copy; don't want to remember what you did whilst drunk? We've got you covered!
I've got a feeling that Dora and Tai have made a new friend. I also think that they're going to learn just what Marten went through all that time he's had to referee their relationship drama!
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I've got a feeling that Dora and Tai have made a new friend. I also think that they're going to learn just what Marten went through all that time he's had to referee their relationship drama!
And maybe married Tai gets to be part of a "thruple" after all.
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Hypothesis: Memories have to be encrypted as they're happening, so once they leave the short-term memory they're gone until you use the password. Bubbles didn't set up her own encryption and can't do it retroactively.
I like that one, and it makes sense either as technical necessity, or design choice, and leaves room why you'd need skills to do it afterwards.
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Why would you even install hangover.exe? And if I did discover it had managed to install itself, I'd root it out immediately. With an anti-malware package if need be.
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I would hazard that Hangover.exe is part of the Intoxicated,exe suite.
This is a series of nested files where once you push past a certain level of inebriation that, and encryption.exe, are both enabled.
Why? Because at those levels you can and will do some stupid things and this will protect you from the initial impact as well as a warning that a new stupid.exe algorithm was generated.
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I would hazard that Hangover.exe is part of the Intoxicated,exe suite.
This is a series of nested files where once you push past a certain level of inebriation that, and encryption.exe, are both enabled.
Why? Because at those levels you can and will do some stupid things and this will protect you from the initial impact as well as a warning that a new stupid.exe algorithm was generated.
The encryption is a feature to simulate a human blackout. I wonder if they have to issue a number for simulating a series of drinks imbibed, or if it's randomly generated?
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The RNG probably will be busy slurring speech.
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Wait, why would robots have drugs in a bathroom? I mean, they could just uninstall headache.exe...
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Why would you even install hangover.exe? And if I did discover it had managed to install itself, I'd root it out immediately. With an anti-malware package if need be.
Why would you voluntarily drink alcohol?
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Why would you even install hangover.exe? And if I did discover it had managed to install itself, I'd root it out immediately. With an anti-malware package if need be.
Why would you voluntarily drink alcohol?
In small amount is okay on a regular basis. Some drinks/food have miniscule amounts of it naturally (like kombucha) and aren't consumed for their alcohol content.
EDIT: typo fix
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On the encryption, there can be varying levels.
Millie probably went for the most basic type of encryption that any script kiddie could crack in less than a minute.
Bubbles probably wanted something that made 256-bit AES encryption look like the simplest substitution cypher (she's a military AI, she probably has/had military-grade cryptographic subroutines).
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Why would you voluntarily drink alcohol?
Personally, I like the taste of a fine whisky, or even a good stout or porter.
(IICIH OCD fixed quote tags)
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Why would you even install hangover.exe? And if I did discover it had managed to install itself, I'd root it out immediately. With an anti-malware package if need be.
Why would you voluntarily drink alcohol?
Because alcoholic drinks taste good to many people, and alcohol's effects can be pleasurable, not to mention facilitate social situations for many people.
Neither drinking for the taste nor drinking for alcohol's effect has much to do with having a hangover (as in, a hangover is not REQUIRED for either). And getting a hangover definitely isn't the *goal* for any drinkers, and if they can avoid it, that's great. I'm not even sure what you're implying with your question.
That's like responding to "I had a snowball fight and I caught a cold, I wish it wouldn't happen" with "Why would you voluntarily have a snowball fight?". Well, certainly not IN ORDER to catch a cold.
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On the encryption, there can be varying levels.
Millie probably went for the most basic type of encryption that any script kiddie could crack in less than a minute.
ROT13.
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ROT13 has vulnerabilities with the usual implementation as a single round so I recommend using a full 16 rounds.
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Conveniently, the algorithm to do that can be simplified such that you can get the same result in only two steps, saving processing time.
Though, recently, someone at the Chaos Communications conference announced that they had developed a way to achieve the same result by exploiting a file system level flaw and a simple change of the file attributes.
They said it “was even easier than breaking the private key on the PS3 once we knew what we were seeing.” :psyduck:
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When Triple DES isn't enough...
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Why would you voluntarily drink alcohol?
Personally, I like the taste of a fine whisky, or even a good stout or porter.
(IICIH OCD fixed quote tags)
A strong sweet licqueur, schnapps, Jægermeister, or a good whiskey (usually just a shot) for me.
Otherwise "fru-fru" mixed drinks like Seaside Sunrise or a Cosmopolitan, but only to the point of buzzed.
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If being able to encrypt one's own memories is a common/normal thing then why did bubbles have to rely on corpse witch?
My take on this is quite different from this thread's.
It wasn't the encryption that Bubbles needed to rely on Corpse Witch for. It was the partitioning of old memories.
I speculate that sealing memories from the night before is straightforward, but sealing off old, traumatic memories that are tangled with many memories of events since would be a lot more difficult, requiring the work of a skilled technician.
Whatever the QC equivalent of AES is ought to be freely available and not require a skilled technician in its application. It would be orders of magnitude more straightforward than AI. I doubt Millie would be agonizing over forgetting the password if the algorithm used were that easy to crack.
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Normally, spoilers from Patreon are forbidden but I feel okay providing this one: Next week isn't going to be exclusively filler strips.
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Why would you even install hangover.exe? And if I did discover it had managed to install itself, I'd root it out immediately. With an anti-malware package if need be.
Why would you voluntarily drink alcohol?
Because alcoholic drinks taste good to many people, and alcohol's effects can be pleasurable, not to mention facilitate social situations for many people.
Neither drinking for the taste nor drinking for alcohol's effect has much to do with having a hangover (as in, a hangover is not REQUIRED for either). And getting a hangover definitely isn't the *goal* for any drinkers, and if they can avoid it, that's great. I'm not even sure what you're implying with your question.
That's like responding to "I had a snowball fight and I caught a cold, I wish it wouldn't happen" with "Why would you voluntarily have a snowball fight?". Well, certainly not IN ORDER to catch a cold.
A hangover is usually indicative of overindulging alcohol. Especially if not enough water was consumed whilst drinking.
EDIT: oof! I was really out of it when I posted this. I'm trying to adjust to "normal people" hours for the holiday break. (I work nights.)
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Especially if enough water was consumed whilst drinking.
"Especially if NOT enough water was consumed whilst drinking" you mean!
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Spacing your drinks out sufficiently and staying hydrated makes the chances of having a hangover fairly minimal.
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Spacing your drinks out sufficiently and staying hydrated makes the chances of having a hangover fairly minimal.
That's been my winning strategy for about a decade now.
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Probably wouldn't be the worst of ideas to make sure electrolyte levels are up, too, not just water.
(I found that out the hard way recently - I suspect I drank too much water without replenishing electrolytes, and flushed them out.)
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Poll Results Post
Name the Reed Boat!
1. Queen Faye's Revenge - 7 (18.9%)
=2. Boaty McBoatface II - 5 (13.5%)
=2. Lady Claire - 5 (13.5%)
=2 . Other (please specify in comments) - Other (please specify in comments) - 5 (13.5%)
5. To Have and Have Not (Yes, a literary reference for Claire's sake) - 4 (10.8%)
=6. Float 'n' Chill - 3 (8.1%)
=6. Pintsize's Excellent Adventure - 3 (8.1%)
=8. My Other Boat Is A Tin Bathtub - 2 (5.4%)
=8. Don't Judge Me, Kids! You'll Be Here Soon Enough! - 2 (5.4%)
10. I Survived Jaws! - 1 (2.7%)
x. Gone Fishin' - 0 (0%)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, if there's any lesson to be had from this poll it is that there are a lot of people on this forum who can see Faye as a pirate haunting the waters of the mighty Connecticut River! Additionally, we obviously have a lot of imaginative members when it comes to naming stuff!
I am disappointed though that no-one thought to vote for the name suggested by Bing and Satchmo for the very purpose for which Marten and Steve want a boat...
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Did Jeph rewrite last Friday's strip (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4160)? The bit about the locked memories and the invisible_emu password has been replaced.
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Strips 4160 and 4161 have been rewritten to close a plot hole.
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Strips 4160 and 4161 have been rewritten to close a plot hole.
Whoa, didn't expect that kind of response to my first post here :mrgreen:
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Strips 4160 and 4161 have been rewritten to close a plot hole.
I didn't see the original 4161 before the rewrite then.
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Original 4160:
(https://web.archive.org/web/20191220192127im_/https://www.questionablecontent.net/comics/4160.png)
Original 4161:
(https://web.archive.org/web/20191223112315im_/https://questionablecontent.net/comics/4161.png)
Looks like the plot hole was using a password to encrypt memory.
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I think I liked the original version better.
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...
Looks like the plot hole was using a password to encrypt memory.
Why did Jeph change it‽ The original was fine, and a lot funnier. I hope he's not gonna start going back and re-editing all of his old comics for continuity. Quick, everyone save a copy of the archive now and keep monitoring what's online for changes. We might have another George Lucas here.
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Jank pointed out a plot hole: Bubbles' PTSD could have been solved if she were able to simply encrypt the bad memories instead of having Corpsewitch go in and partition them off.
Therefore, encrypting memories at will is not allowable and so Jeph fixed the last two comics to accommodate this canon.
Strips 4160 and 4161 have been rewritten to close a plot hole.
Whoa, didn't expect that kind of response to my first post here :mrgreen:
It goes to show you that Jeph pays attention to his fans.
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Pfft. I thought the original was perfectly explainable. Oh well.
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It goes to show you that Jeph pays attention to his fans.
I have no proof that he never pays attention to any fans ever, but he has assured us multiple times that this hypothetical group of fans he pays attention to does not include us.
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Jank pointed out a plot hole: Bubbles' PTSD could have been solved if she were able to simply encrypt the bad memories instead of having Corpsewitch go in and partition them off.
Therefore, encrypting memories at will is not allowable and so Jeph fixed the last two comics to accommodate this canon.
It goes to show you that Jeph pays attention to his fans.
Pfft. There were plenty of perfectly serviceable fanwanks provided for that in this very thread. Jeph was just overthinking it.
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It goes to show you that Jeph pays attention to his fans.
I have no proof that he never pays attention to any fans ever, but he has assured us multiple times that this hypothetical group of fans he pays attention to does not include us.
Man, and even after some of us got together and made a guest comic (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2316) for him?
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How did I end up on the credits for that? :psyduck:
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How did I end up on the credits for that? :psyduck:
You posted in the thread. That was considered helping.
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Jank pointed out a plot hole: Bubbles' PTSD could have been solved if she were able to simply encrypt the bad memories instead of having Corpsewitch go in and partition them off.
Therefore, encrypting memories at will is not allowable and so Jeph fixed the last two comics to accommodate this canon.
Strips 4160 and 4161 have been rewritten to close a plot hole.
Whoa, didn't expect that kind of response to my first post here :mrgreen:
It goes to show you that Jeph pays attention to his fans.
Less plot hole and more of a potential inconsistency that could make things a pain from THAT sort of "fan".
From Jeph's twitter:
"One thing I've learned is that it's generally better to rewrite than handwave, when possible, and I'd rather have slightly different jokes than a conflict in the logic of my worldbuilding."
EDIT: just saw the tweet.
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Well, hurrah for Jeph!
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Man, and even after some of us got together and made a guest comic (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2316) for him?
Reviewed that comic ... It mentions 'Tannelore'!
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Coincidence or unimaginably long-term foreshadowing? With Jeph and his dodgy long-term memory, you can never be sure!
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I forget if Jeph came up with Tannelore or the forum did, but it's a reference to 2300: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2300
Edit: I think it's the forum, although Jeph may have come up with it independently and nearly simultaneously, given that he avoids the forum. This was posted (https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,28323.msg1105496.html#msg1105496) at 6:44 AM Eastern time after the comic came out, and Jeph posted this (https://twitter.com/jephjacques/status/259248300174229504) 19 minutes later.