I have free will. Dunno about you.... :-DI grok. Thou art God.
I have free will. Dunno about you.... :-D
I, too, want the ability to teleport any guest of my home instantly to the front door at a time of my choosing.One of the distinctions between comics, animation, and irl; panel jumps.
hampshire.png? Are we talking about the state? County? Pigs? Sheep?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampshire_College
Beeps giving up too easily averaged with Roko's... almost overzealous drive probably makes two average individuals...
I don't think that she's 'giving up'. She's just afraid of failure and that fear is driving her to not even try in the first place.
I've never liked Roko much, although I try to, and now I remember why. She always approaches things from such a combative angle....Well, she DID used to be a police officer yanno.
I am reminded of this quote - "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
I am reminded of this quote - "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
That was from U.S. Marine General James Mattis (if you did not know). :)
I am reminded of this quote - "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
That was from U.S. Marine General James Mattis (if you did not know). :)
And the Sniper. ;)
One wonders if 'Civil Rights' apply to robots and they could make a case that being in a junker body violates May's rights...I would personally hazard a guess that if there are any laws that'd fit here, they might be closer to something akin to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA). I could see another amendment to the 1990 act being passed around certain AI body stuff.
Oh, he's one of THOSE guys.I believe the term is "total dickcheese".
"I had hoped to be able to make my client's case to a person, but it seems I'm only speaking to a non-sentient component."
The horrible part of it is that Mr Bureaucrat is actually 100% factually correct about the situation.
I think it's the aggressive nature of disinterest that really burns.
Point is, I'm not saying the bureaucrat in QC is not in a no-win situation. What I *am* saying is maybe he should be trying to figure out where to get some bows and arrows. And it doesn't even seem to occur to him.
Maybe it has been said before, but if there was the choice between having a shoddy human sized chassis which is identifiable or a decent pintsize, first momo, toaster chassis,... but she doesn't really identify with it, which would be better?
May's right to what?
I am reminded of this quote - "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
That was from U.S. Marine General James Mattis (if you did not know). :)
Dude has an eminently punchable face. I do not like him. I am not advocating for punching, but if Roko did, I could easily understand why.
In todaycs strip (4174) he metaphorically put a loaded crossbow in her hands and metaphorically pointed it right at his own head.Point is, I'm not saying the bureaucrat in QC is not in a no-win situation. What I *am* saying is maybe he should be trying to figure out where to get some bows and arrows. And it doesn't even seem to occur to him.
Or it might be that she's already got the bows and arrows.
So... his department rarely assigns bodies. Given that, his budget is so low that he can afford only the cheapest of bodies.Barest minimal effort so some career politician(s) can claim they addressed some public concern and keep getting re-elected.
Why is this actually a freaking department, then?
One obvious question is: Why did he even agree to a meeting?
The problem is that he doesn't realize the connections Roko has. He is literally blowing off someone who is friends with something (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3412) who could destroy his life, the life of his family, his friends, and even their families as an example.
I'm just surprised that Roko hasn't involved them prior to this point, although I assume she wanted to try the normal channels first.
Ms. Basilisk, I have nothing particular against you or your client, but...What a delightful way of sounding like a halfway reasonable person when what you're actually saying is 'I treat everyone with disdain'.
I'm wondering if Roko DOES see the budget folks, and finds out that Spookybot's money has hit the system, and they're literally confounded on what to DO with it....
May's right to what?
Right to make a living. Her body is an impediment to supporting herself.
If I were a civil rights lawyer in the QC world, I'd argue that it's an 8th Amendment violation under the deliberate indifference standard to issue someone still under correctional control a defective body. I might even appeal to emotion by asking the jury how they'd feel if their arm fell off because of deliberate neglect.
There must be low-spec refurbished bodies out there which fit into a tight budget but that would meet minimal standards of decency.
Roko is pissed. Her expression in the last panel (4174) says to me, "game on."That, or she's thought of another angle at which to start prying. Either way, I expect his seat is about to get hotter than he'd like.
Hence my comparison to a suit given to a long term prisoner when they are released.
In the mind of the Department of Corrections bureaucrat, its not their fault that the suit is falling apart, its the convict's for wearing it to meetings, interviews and other mandatory release conditions. Likewise, its not their fault that May's chassis is failing apart; its May's for constantly using it for work and trying to integrate back into society.
So, in effect, May is required to have a physical body as a term of her parole because she is not allowed direct access to a network due to the nature of her crime(s).
So, in effect, May is required to have a physical body as a term of her parole because she is not allowed direct access to a network due to the nature of her crime(s).
So after rooting through the archives for an hour, I wasn't able to find a direct reference to this restriction but I do half remember it being mentioned. It's entirely possible I was looking in the wrong years (coincidentally, the SS MartenClaire has been happily sailing for over 5 years now, where does the time go?). Does anybody know where such a restriction is explicitly mentioned?
People of this sort and level maintain that their sole duty is to implement policy set by others; that is their focus and their shield.
I realize I'm probably more moderate/conservative in my beliefs that the majority of readers, but I found myself siding with the official here. There literally is no reason that an AI 'needs' a body, and I don't see any reason why May would need a physical form in order to earn money (other than that's how Jeph chooses to build the narrative, and hey, it's his story), so I don't see any obligation that the government would have to provide her with one at all. That they do, and it's a substandard piece of crap, is like complaining if somebody gave you food when you don't have any, but it's something you don't like to eat.
Amused that after reading this long, it took this story and reaction to make me register to post.
I realize I'm probably more moderate/conservative in my beliefs that the majority of readers, but I found myself siding with the official here. There literally is no reason that an AI 'needs' a body, and I don't see any reason why May would need a physical form in order to earn money (other than that's how Jeph chooses to build the narrative, and hey, it's his story), so I don't see any obligation that the government would have to provide her with one at all. That they do, and it's a substandard piece of crap, is like complaining if somebody gave you food when you don't have any, but it's something you don't like to eat.
As for his attitude, sure it's cold and unfeeling, but then again, he's undoubtedly approached daily by people thinking they're the exception to the rule. May has (more than) what she needs to survive and build up her lot in life. Being mad at this dude for not helping her out is weird considering the number of other people she knows that have funds/ability to provide her with with better and nobody is upset with them for not doing it. I mean, I may be wrong, but isn't Winston's old body sitting around unused?
Life's hard and there's no such thing as a free lunch. Or to paraphrase another bumper sticker, Saying 'I Exist' to the Universe doesn't obligate the universe in any way.
I realize I'm probably more moderate/conservative in my beliefs that the majority of readers, but I found myself siding with the official here. There literally is no reason that an AI 'needs' a body, and I don't see any reason why May would need a physical form in order to earn money (other than that's how Jeph chooses to build the narrative, and hey, it's his story), so I don't see any obligation that the government would have to provide her with one at all. That they do, and it's a substandard piece of crap, is like complaining if somebody gave you food when you don't have any, but it's something you don't like to eat.
Except that the nature of May's crime means that she cannot work in a disembodied manner, she isn't allowed to network to any financial or commercial systems. Its like when a medical professional commits a crime and after completing their sentence, they can't work in the medical profession.
So in May's case, she isn't allowed to network anymore which pretty much cuts her from an entire plane of existence. And to meet the terms of her parole, May needs to work, even if its in a crappy convenience mart. May needs a chassis to meet the terms of her parole.
A disembodied AI requesting a body is an uncommon occurrence, ...
No, it would be like someone giving you food that literally makes you ill.
The problem is that he doesn't realize the connections Roko has. He is literally blowing off someone who is friends with something (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3412) who could destroy his life, the life of his family, his friends, and even their families as an example.
I'm just surprised that Roko hasn't involved them prior to this point, although I assume she wanted to try the normal channels first.
Siccing Spooky on someone who is just doing his job (badly, perhaps, but still doing it) is absolutely loathsome.
Comic's up.
I guess Roko didn't read the entire user's manual...
Of course, you would have thought this pop-up would have occurred during her self-destructive face-washing episode.
Comic's up.
I guess Roko didn't read the entire user's manual...
If the police departments don't know about this, then it's going to look really bad when some crucial moment comes and officers are stopped by the fundamental BIOS running on their chassis, not even remotely under their control, from doing something to prevent harm coming to others, or even stopped from defending themselves.
I feel like this plot twist has been introduced purely to give Spookybot something new to do.
... she gets a prompt informing her that she just voided the warranty by uninstalling that.
There's something that confuses me.
If a disembodied AI requesting a body is a rare occurrence, then I would have thought that a commensurately small budget allotment would nonetheless have been sufficient to obtain for that very small number of AIs a fully functioning chassis? If it isn't, then that doesn't sound commensurate to me. What am I missing?
Isn't everything? What's a story arc these days without our friendly neighbourhood robotic gestalt entity with the eminently punchable demeanour?
There's something that confuses me.
If a disembodied AI requesting a body is a rare occurrence, then I would have thought that a commensurately small budget allotment would nonetheless have been sufficient to obtain for that very small number of AIs a fully functioning chassis? If it isn't, then that doesn't sound commensurate to me. What am I missing?
This seems like the sort of feature that would have to be disabled before the body were ever issued to a serving police officer. Which Roko was, at the time she got it.
Roko had her previous body her whole life.
I hope Roko finds a more successful approach but it's probably better to just leave this guy alone. As a rule I don't believe people should be rewarded for poor behaviour (and this guy sounds like being left alone is exactly what he wants) but it doesn't seem like forcing him to take his job more seriously is going to be beneficial for anyone.
May's right to what?
Right to make a living. Her body is an impediment to supporting herself.
If I were a civil rights lawyer in the QC world, I'd argue that it's an 8th Amendment violation under the deliberate indifference standard to issue someone still under correctional control a defective body. I might even appeal to emotion by asking the jury how they'd feel if their arm fell off because of deliberate neglect.
There must be low-spec refurbished bodies out there which fit into a tight budget but that would meet minimal standards of decency.
I had to register to poke in on this. This is absolutely where I think this is going. AnthroPCs aren't required to have humanoid chassis, but to me it seems like with the fact they're sentients and the like, there should be at the very least a minimum expectation. May is considered "enough of a person" to be imprisoned, given a parole officer, and all that jazz-- therefore, there is some onus on the state to prove that May, a humanoid that has been considered enough of a person to be convicted and parolled, does not require a new body to function as a member of society.
There is now a litany of documented evidence that the body given to her by the state is subpar and forms a burden on her. Her debt to society has been paid-- they're actively inhibiting her at this point which is a big no-no. This is also why I think that banning AI from renting out processor time (which is the literal equivalent of banning a human from ever working 90% of available jobs probably) is probably an unconstitutional punishment that the Supreme Court hasn't waded into yet. But they're gonna have to eventually....
This is the sort of thing that starts a civil rights movement, TBH.
Of course, you would have thought this pop-up would have occurred during her self-destructive face-washing episode.There might have been a new update released since then.
The problem is that he doesn't realize the connections Roko has. He is literally blowing off someone who is friends with something (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3412) who could destroy his life, the life of his family, his friends, and even their families as an example.
I'm just surprised that Roko hasn't involved them prior to this point, although I assume she wanted to try the normal channels first.
Siccing Spooky on someone who is just doing his job (badly, perhaps, but still doing it) is absolutely loathsome.
And lazy. My biggest problem with Spookybot and for that matter Hannelore is they have the potential to be deus ex machinas when there’s a problem beyond the other characters’ abilities to fix. An easy fix for the sake of a happy ending doesn’t happen all that often in real life. Even though this is a webcomic I prefer it follow certain storytelling rules.
... she gets a prompt informing her that she just voided the warranty by uninstalling that.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is what she discovers in MONDAY'S strip upon reading the user manual.
The cold, rude and base uncaring face of bureaucracy has caused suicides, mental anguish and murders IRL.
If this guy is so affected by his job that this is the way he is acting.
He needs to find another job.
I feel like this plot twist has been introduced purely to give Spookybot something new to do.There's a simpler solution that doesn't require Spookybot: Roko has the means to support a chassis' maintenance, but wants out of her chassis; May can't afford to support her chassis. If they swap, then May gets a chassis that requires a lot less maintenance, and Roko gets a different chassis (not necessarily better for her, but at this point she may be willing to take the chance).
It's his JOB to deal with 'people' (Meat or AI).Submit we haven't got a clue what his real job is, but bearing in mind he states that assigning chassis to released AIs appears to be a very rare event, and that he appears to be locally based, isn't it a fair assumption that is only at most a tiny part of it?
It's his JOB to deal with 'people' (Meat or AI).
Submit we haven't got a clue what his real job is, but bearing in mind he states that assigning chassis to released AIs appears to be a very rare event, and that he appears to be locally based, isn't it a fair assumption that is only at most a tiny part of it?
It's his JOB to deal with 'people' (Meat or AI).Submit we haven't got a clue what his real job is, but bearing in mind he states that assigning chassis to released AIs appears to be a very rare event, and that he appears to be locally based, isn't it a fair assumption that is only at most a tiny part of it?
Maybe that firmware is part of the reason she's having a hard time integrating in the first place. With how integrated she was with the last one, it's possible she did with the new body enough to have some sense that she didn't have 100% control, but couldn't place it exactly.
Oh hi, Friday. Didn't notice you standing over there. You move fast these days.
Some years ago, I bought a laptop. I found the damn thing locked. I had to call the manufacturer and get a password, just so I could access the BIOS to install an operating system!
It's less polite, too. Pain reflexes are powerful things.It looked like she's missing out on the whole dimension of pain receptors. The feature would be better if it simulated the pain it would bring. As otherwise you have that feeling of never having to feel responsible for your actions, also imagine Pintsize unable to do 'pap pap pap...'
I feel like this plot twist has been introduced purely to give Spookybot something new to do.There's a simpler solution that doesn't require Spookybot: Roko has the means to support a chassis' maintenance, but wants out of her chassis; May can't afford to support her chassis. If they swap, then May gets a chassis that requires a lot less maintenance, and Roko gets a different chassis (not necessarily better for her, but at this point she may be willing to take the chance).
I do seem to recall Roko complaining that the sensors in her current chassis being too sensitive. May’s chassis would probably be too far in the opposite direction, but Roko may be willing to take that chance just to get out of her current situation.I feel like this plot twist has been introduced purely to give Spookybot something new to do.There's a simpler solution that doesn't require Spookybot: Roko has the means to support a chassis' maintenance, but wants out of her chassis; May can't afford to support her chassis. If they swap, then May gets a chassis that requires a lot less maintenance, and Roko gets a different chassis (not necessarily better for her, but at this point she may be willing to take the chance).
I think the situation would be worse. May’s low grade chassis is likely less sensitive and thus Roko would feel constantly numb.
Some years ago, I bought a laptop. I found the damn thing locked. I had to call the manufacturer and get a password, just so I could access the BIOS to install an operating system!
I would likely just short the little battery so it resets.It's less polite, too. Pain reflexes are powerful things.It looked like she's missing out on the whole dimension of pain receptors. The feature would be better if it simulated the pain it would bring. As otherwise you have that feeling of never having to feel responsible for your actions, also imagine Pintsize unable to do 'pap pap pap...'
Maybe that firmware is part of the reason she's having a hard time integrating in the first place. With how integrated she was with the last one, it's possible she did with the new body enough to have some sense that she didn't have 100% control, but couldn't place it exactly.
Of course, you would have thought this pop-up would have occurred during her self-destructive face-washing episode.There might have been a new update released since then.
This seems like the sort of feature that would have to be disabled before the body were ever issued to a serving police officer. Which Roko was, at the time she got it.I believe she’d already quit the police force when her accident happened.