THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: Farideh on 23 May 2021, 18:17

Title: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Farideh on 23 May 2021, 18:17
A new week has begun.


Oh no... Let Pintsize's galactic reign of terror begin!
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Beast_Reborn on 23 May 2021, 18:20
If Pintsize has permanently switched to a humanoid body, I'll be tempted to stop reading the strip. Some changes are just unacceptable.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 23 May 2021, 18:23
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

I opened that strip and legitimately got the same feeling I do when I'm having a bad dream. Can't be real, can't be real, this is all wrong...
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: zioninavision on 23 May 2021, 18:32
Monster Hunger Fries
@jephjacques
·
May 18
everyone who's like "I wish jeph would go back to classic qc characters like marten and pintsize" should check their monkey paws

:0  :0   

So it is!!  i am curious and excited, there is only so much that we know about Pintsize and many places around town that he can visit and make friends, and hopefully not enemies, now!  That he is just wearing shorts does feel like a bit of homage to Ardent! 
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Oenone on 23 May 2021, 18:33
Maybe he’s moving on/ looking for a new companion? Marten doesn’t need him anymore
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Beast_Reborn on 23 May 2021, 18:33
A couple of secondary questions that come to mind after the initial shock is over:

Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 23 May 2021, 18:36
1. He found them on the floor of a Canadian strip club, and his other clothes were eaten by an allosaurus.
2. I read that as "humans in general," not "Claire specifically," though we don't know if Claire using they/them pronouns as well as she/her.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: shanejayell on 23 May 2021, 18:47
NO NO NO NO NO......

Well, lets see how it goes.

How did MARTEN react, tho?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: zioninavision on 23 May 2021, 19:20
NO NO NO NO NO......

Well, lets see how it goes.

How did MARTEN react, tho?

that is a good point!!  It is possible that where he is with Bubbles, they arranged something together without needing to ask Marten, which, if so, he might even faint or something when finding out!!   but also it will be in certain ways like making a new friend!  They may even be able to play music together!  Also, I am sure that Pintsize will want to get some sprays??
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Sorflakne on 23 May 2021, 19:21
So PIntsize finally dug into his funds of undeterminable size and bought a new body.  Or tried downloading a firmware update again and it did weird things to his ancient chassis.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: jwhouk on 23 May 2021, 19:22
I have this bad feeling that Marten doesn’t know yet, either.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Farideh on 23 May 2021, 19:26
That is a good point, since Marten was always against Pintsize getting a more human-standard chassis. Then again, Pintsize didn't want to upgrade either, so what changed? Is he just messing with people (of course he is, it's his raison d'etre)?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Baz_Yat on 23 May 2021, 19:27
I don't like Pintsize's new body.

It's not pintsize.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: WAYF on 23 May 2021, 19:29
So, if I have this right,


So, with all that in mind, I guess his name is Fullsize now. I wonder if the huge metal dong he commissioned from Faye is going to attach to the new chassis somehow, or whether we're not coming back to that arc anymore.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: DaiJB on 23 May 2021, 19:37
WHAT

The moment Claire said "Morning Pintsize", I had that momentary brain-lurching-sideways-in-my-head sensation that I have grown accustomed to associating with major paradigm shifts  :psyduck:
(At first I thought it was going to be Claire's dream, with her waking up in a cold sweat in the last panel  :-D)

From Pintsize's new appearance, I deduce:
Small-to-average stature, so on a par with Winslow and Momo,
Lots of visible seams, so not an upmarket model (Blue and cheap - maybe the same model line as Old May?)
Also Pintsize must have kept the same voice - for sleepy Claire to have responded like that with eyes closed, she must have recognized his voice.

So - instead of a horrible little goblin, we now have a more Puck-like character?

Also, I put "Other": Pintsize discovered that his non-standard military spec chassis is actually worth enough money to buy a reasonably priced humanoid body. Bubbles seems to be familiar with the situation, so I suspect it may have been reconditioned at Union Robotics.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: badbum61 on 23 May 2021, 19:43
He bought it with Canadian Tire Money.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: cesium133 on 23 May 2021, 19:45
He bought it with Canadian Tire Money.

He found it in an abandoned tire in Canada.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: SomeCanadianWeirdo on 23 May 2021, 21:10
All you used to have to do to find Canadian Tire money is look in enough glove compartments.  Lots of it would get stuffed into them, never to be seen again.  Now you can collect CT money on your credit card, so the amount of physical bills in circulation will decrease.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: QuestionableIntentions on 23 May 2021, 22:14
Huh. I honestly expected him to go for something very hunky and sexualised, given his preferences.

Also, it would have been hilarious if members of the cast suddenly found him attractive.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 23 May 2021, 22:41
Quote from: WAYF
Companion AIs no longer need lengthy consultations with their owners ... whose status as owners is incidentally becoming increasingly suspect with every passing comic...

I don't have a link to it, but quite some time back Jeph explained companionship contracts and said that QC society was increasingly unfriendly to the word "owner". I'm not sure but that may even have been before the ERA.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Norphy on 24 May 2021, 01:26
A couple of secondary questions that come to mind after the initial shock is over:

  • Where did he get the pink jockey shorts, and why are they the only thing he's wearing?
  • Why is he calling Claire "they" instead of "she"?

I  read "They" as "they - humans in general" than "They - non-gender specific pronoun"
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: andrybak on 24 May 2021, 04:02
Quote from: WAYF
Companion AIs no longer need lengthy consultations with their owners ... whose status as owners is incidentally becoming increasingly suspect with every passing comic...

I don't have a link to it, but quite some time back Jeph explained companionship contracts and said that QC society was increasingly unfriendly to the word "owner". I'm not sure but that may even have been before the ERA.

News post under Number 1996: Grounds For Divorce (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1996).
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: John Allenson on 24 May 2021, 07:10
I like the idea of Pintsize in a new body.  While other characters have been changing, even growing/evolving, Pintsize has not.
His friends, well peer group, have all taken on humanoid bodies.  This will help him interact with them more.

I'm interested in Pintsize again.  What is he going to do?  How are other people going to react to him?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: baronvonfritz on 24 May 2021, 08:01
For the love of God and all that is holy NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

About damned time...

I wonder if Fullsize and May will make brownie batter farting scat porn together... Wonder if Fullsizes chassis even has the standard number of human holes...
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 24 May 2021, 08:41
I too am coffee deficient.
Cut the clown act, Melon.

-----------------------------------
Whatever is going on, Jeph is in on it. The impostor is using the same RGB values as Pintsize.
Wake me when the coffee's ready.

-----------------------------------
Bubbles is here with a cup of visibly ordinary teabag tea. We have not seen her partake except for her specials at Coffee of Doom.
What is -in- this coffee?


Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: ihaveavoice on 24 May 2021, 09:57
SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA

PINTSIZE LOOKS REAL FREAKY

 :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: somnolesence on 24 May 2021, 10:11
I'm going to assume for now that pintsize asked to see what it would be like in a humanish model chassis and this is a spares/repairs model from the shop that Faye and Bubbles found that he's trying on. Either that or he went into the equivalent of eBay and bought whatever he could for under 50 bucks that was listed as working.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Veritable_Variable on 24 May 2021, 12:14
It's possible that he's going to have a thing going where he has two bodies he routinely swaps between, depending on his mood.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: TRenn on 24 May 2021, 13:53
He bought it with Canadian Tire Money.
A LOT of Canadian Tire money.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Farideh on 24 May 2021, 18:22
New comic.

So it's all just an elaborate prank? Not sure if I'm relieved or disappointed.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 24 May 2021, 18:51
Words cannot express my relief.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Torlek on 24 May 2021, 19:04
People presume Pintsize is saying he won't tell Marten that because Marten's supposition is true....

This is what happens when you gripe about not seeing enough of old characters, people.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: jwhouk on 24 May 2021, 19:07
Oh.

Oh no.

Oh no, oh no.

Oh no oh no oh no oh nooooooooo...
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: shanejayell on 24 May 2021, 20:04
Poor Matren. *lol*

I thought Pintsize's old body was rare military surplus. Wouldn't he NOT want to give it up?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Skewbrow on 24 May 2021, 20:06
Sad to see the real Pintsize go :-(

Looks like Jeph likes to draw potoo eyes. (https://www.questionablecontent.net/alice3.html)
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gus_Smedstad on 24 May 2021, 20:14
I'm about 95% sure that it isn't a one-off joke, and that Pintsize is just using the question to further mess with Marten. That it is, in fact, a permanent change.

I think it's arguable that Pintsize's original appearance exists because Jeph wasn't a very good artist in the early days, and a near-stick figure for a robot was the best he could do back then. Just go look back to strip #1. Jeph's drawing skills have been evolving for as long he's been drawing the strip, and he's come a long, long way from drawing figures with vague ellipsoids for limbs.

I'm having a hard time with the new body for a variety of reasons. Scrawny, plus the eyes (now that we can see them) mostly. Maybe I'll just come to accept it, assuming it is indeed a permanent change.

I don't miss Winslow-as-iPod. He didn't have much character back then, and I think the square block body was part of that. I do rather miss Momo-as-doll, since there were a lot of jokes that played off her size and doll-like appearance. May's body change was minor compared to those major shifts.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: DaiJB on 24 May 2021, 22:57
Actually, that would be so like Pintsize - to swap randomly between two bodies, just to keep everyone permanently off balance... :evil:
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gyrre on 24 May 2021, 23:20
[Neutral semi-reassuring pat response triggered]
Time will tell.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 24 May 2021, 23:41
imagine having access to body modification

and not having fun with it

sounds miserable, godspeed pintsize you lovely gremlin
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 24 May 2021, 23:42
I don't like Pintsize's new body.

It's not pintsize.

how is it not?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Farideh on 25 May 2021, 00:09
'Pint-size' means being small in size. This chassis is not small, hence: Pintsize isn't pint-sized
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: theMarc on 25 May 2021, 00:46
Pintsize having opposable thumbs and a longer gait is, I'm pretty sure, the very thing prophesied to bring about Ragnarok.
I warned you about thumbs, bro! I fuckin' told you!
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: SinusPi on 25 May 2021, 04:22
No no no no no. Pintsize in a human-standard chassis? No.

Also, why is he still speaking in a Macintosh voice/font? He has (supposedly) a more modern voice box now.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: John Allenson on 25 May 2021, 06:53
If Pintsize were in a body like Bubbles I'd be concerned.

I think there are some interesting concepts flying around with robot bodies with the different characters.
Roko, changed bodies involuntarily, is having problems with her new body similar to neurodiversity problems.
Winslow, got a new body as a gift from a friend.  Smooth transition (except for the time scorpions got into his chassis.)
May, had a horribly disfunctional body as part of (unofficial) on going punishment.  Got a wish-fulfillment body through crowd-funding charity that she is still ambiguous about.
Momo, is guilty about recieving a body she feels she hasn't earned.
Pintsize, got a new body on what might have been a whim without human intervention.  If humans are going to oppose his physical autonomy, what does that say about attitudes to the others' autonomy?  Are people going to be treating him differently, that's an interesting bias?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gyrre on 25 May 2021, 07:09
No no no no no. Pintsize in a human-standard chassis? No.

Also, why is he still speaking in a Macintosh voice/font? He has (supposedly) a more modern voice box now.

Personal preference?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: notStanley on 25 May 2021, 08:03
Others swapping shells almost at whim may not help Roko's issues with getting comfortable in hers.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: sitnspin on 25 May 2021, 08:16
People gave Pintsize a lot of leeway in his behaviour because his chassis made him a minimal threat. A relatively human standard chassis makes his antics (eg. sexual harassment) more serious and threatening. So, yea, people are going to treat him differently.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: oddtail on 25 May 2021, 08:44
People gave Pintsize a lot of leeway in his behaviour because his chassis made him a minimal threat. A relatively human standard chassis makes his antics (eg. sexual harassment) more serious and threatening. So, yea, people are going to treat him differently.

I really hope the comic actually does go into exploring that.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: stayctee on 25 May 2021, 09:20
I would LOVE it if the comic took a hard left turn and started following Pintsize. His character has never really been explored beyond pratfalls. He deserves it, he's the oldest character along with Marten!

Pintsize! Pintsize! Pintsize!
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Roborat on 25 May 2021, 12:24
Two days of Pintsize being not so Pintsize, beginning to suspect this may not be a one-off.  So, has he joined the rest of the main AI cast in getting a new body? Is this permanent, a loaner, or is he going to swap back and forth?   And I don't want to know how he paid for it, if it isn't a loaner.  I am not sure how I feel about this, previously, his mayhem was limited by not having usable hands, so him now having thumbs is potentially terrifying. This could be funny, or the start of a reign of terror; time will tell which side it comes down on. 
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: DSL on 25 May 2021, 13:35
It may or may not be weird and I don't care if it is, but I'm finding the robot characters that started out with non-humaniform bodies less relatable now that they have humaniform bodies. Winslow in particular; his oversized iPod body was, to me, part of his personality.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Oenone on 25 May 2021, 16:31
Others swapping shells almost at whim may not help Roko's issues with getting comfortable in hers.

It might help her to see that what makes a body yours isn’t inhabiting it but claiming it.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Wombat on 25 May 2021, 18:28
Well, May's onboard.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: shanejayell on 25 May 2021, 18:34
Is anyone surprised Pintsize upgraded just to troll people? *lol*
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: ElfDestruct on 25 May 2021, 18:50
Two days of Pintsize being not so Pintsize, beginning to suspect this may not be a one-off.  So, has he joined the rest of the main AI cast in getting a new body? Is this permanent, a loaner, or is he going to swap back and forth?   And I don't want to know how he paid for it, if it isn't a loaner.  I am not sure how I feel about this, previously, his mayhem was limited by not having usable hands, so him now having thumbs is potentially terrifying. This could be funny, or the start of a reign of terror; time will tell which side it comes down on.

Yeah, I'm concerned that a Robot Jail arc is on the way if it isn't temporary :evil:
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: John Allenson on 25 May 2021, 18:50
Of course that's where Pintsize would keep a plug-in cord.
This is the most interesting he's been in a long time.  That was definitely the best interaction he's ever had with May.

And no, I'm not surprised that he glowed up just to troll people.  Martin has changed a lot in the last few years, he has settled into a job he is competent at and enjoys doing.  Martin has a healthy relationship now.  I wouldn't be surprised if Pintsize were feeling neglected.

Sometimes people act out since negative attention is better than zero attention.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 25 May 2021, 19:04
i mean maybe but also like

it's fun? and funny? you can do things just because they're fun. googly eyes are almost always funny! my friend had some quietly delivered to her at the warehouse back when we worked there and we put them on receipt printers and packing material dispensers to make them look like they were barfing material. barcode scanners cuz then they were googly :0 faces.
management um... got annoyed. especially when we put them on the pictures of them on the department corkboard. but they were also literally evil, some of them. outside of being killjoys
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Scarlet Manuka on 25 May 2021, 19:14
Of course that is where he would want his charging cable to connect to.  :roll:

Also, why is he still speaking in a Macintosh voice/font? He has (supposedly) a more modern voice box now.

Personal preference?

Recall that he has been trying to do a version of the invisible gorilla experiment on Marten and Claire. Keeping the voice the same is an important part of presenting a façade of normality.

Beyond that, I don't think he would necessarily want to change his voice. Pintsize has always seemed pretty happy with most aspects of himself.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gus_Smedstad on 25 May 2021, 19:33
A relatively human standard chassis makes his antics (eg. sexual harassment) more serious and threatening.

After today's strip, it's apparent he's going to sexually harass women with a USB cable.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Sorflakne on 25 May 2021, 20:22
Well, May's onboard.
Honestly, I'd have been surprised if she wasn't.

Now we just need more interaction between Pintsize and May. They don't get enough screen time together causing chaos and bouncing their personalities off each other.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Thrudd on 25 May 2021, 20:24
Well Union Robotics seems to be in on it, so my guess on the real story is that he talked them into letting him do an extended test drive on a refurbished chassis for one of their clients.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Farideh on 25 May 2021, 20:49
That seems plausible.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gyrre on 25 May 2021, 20:51
Well now I'm wondering if Jeph is a Ken Ashcorp fan
, because it feels like he may have been singing along to the chorus of this while writing today's dialogue.

Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: QuestionableIntentions on 25 May 2021, 20:52
Assuming this isn't a custom job, who designed that cable placement?  :-D

May admures trolldom in it's purest form it seems
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 25 May 2021, 22:27
Oh no. First he gets a humanoid body, and now he's about to get infinite energy by plugging both ends of a cable into himself.

Will no one stop this fiend?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Farideh on 26 May 2021, 01:06
Surely that would cause a feedback loop which would then make him implode?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: BenRG on 26 May 2021, 03:30
I'll go one step further: I think it is entirely possible that we're seeing the leading edge of an arc about Pintsize moving out of the apartment (Claire and Faye won't let the little pervert stay now he's an android) and maybe even an previously-unanticipated romantic relationship with May.

As well as the whole sexual harassment of his female room-mates, Pintsize has said on several occasions that he feels that his work with Marten was done. With Faye also on a fairly even keel, he may feel no need to stay anymore and he might want to move his unique form of psychotherapy to a new venue and a new set of 'clients' (although he very obviously has his own income stream, given the quality of that chassis).
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 26 May 2021, 06:56
Anyone else think he’s after May? Romantically, I mean?
They already had some physical intimacy but realised they weren’t really equipped to appreciate it… what if he wants to try again now that they both (possibly) are?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 26 May 2021, 08:15
Remember how Jimbo was permanently barred from entering Canada? This will end at the Hague with Pintsize censured for violating the Geneva Accords.

Is that one of Marigold's bras?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Annemoon on 26 May 2021, 08:25
Well, May's onboard.

I'm not actually 100% sure of this, her expression is a bit odd, it could definitely also be read as 'negatively' hysterical.
(I would lean towards that interpretation when looking at this drawing. The emotion is mixed probably so good luck portraying that 100% clearly in one comic panel ^^')
Hope Jeph's going to elaborate on this in one of the following days I'm really curious about that now.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Wingy on 26 May 2021, 10:52
Anyone else think he’s after May? Romantically, I mean?
And if he is, which I really doubt, it's likely to go unrequited as May still wants Sven.  Not that Pintsize is above colluding with May to get Sven jealous enough to rekindle Sven+May for a fee.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: St.Clair on 26 May 2021, 10:55
I think May's in a much better position to appreciate the joke now that she's in a non-sucky body and has just acquired non-sucky employment.  If you'd sprung this on her a month or two ago (in-strip time)...
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Farideh on 26 May 2021, 18:07
Remember how Jimbo was permanently barred from entering Canada? This will end at the Hague with Pintsize censured for violating the Geneva Accords.

Is that one of Marigold's bras?


I think it's a crop top.


Claire probably won't kick Pintsize out, they actually have a pretty decent relationship. After all, Pintsize was the one to get Marten to pay attention when Claire was struggling with anxiety over her upcoming exams.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: SmilingCat on 26 May 2021, 18:24
The thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's some sort of safeguard to keep an AI from inhabiting more than one body at a time.

Because otherwise pintsize might have not so much migrated to a new body as multiplied.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: shanejayell on 26 May 2021, 18:32
Pintsize and a actual JOB. Seriously?  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Farideh on 26 May 2021, 18:57
I can just see him in the R&D department of the sex toy factory, coming up with new designs...
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Shjade on 26 May 2021, 19:25
Anyone else think he’s after May? Romantically, I mean?
They already had some physical intimacy but realised they weren’t really equipped to appreciate it… what if he wants to try again now that they both (possibly) are?

While possible, I don't see it, personally. I could see them experimenting physically, trying out the new bodies and all, but I never got a sense of romance behind any of their interactions. At most, friends with benefits.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gus_Smedstad on 26 May 2021, 19:54
Protip for job interviews: a tie doesn't give a positive impression if you're not wearing a shirt.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Beast_Reborn on 26 May 2021, 21:06
Going shirtless doesn't usually give a positive impression, but given that, I suppose a tie wouldn't actually hurt... Besides, I like how it matches his shorts.

Re. romantic speculation about Pintsize with May or anyone else, this seems entirely foreign to anything we've seen of his personality, and I'd go so far as to say that a Pintsize in a relationship would be unrecognizable and, in effect, a completely new character.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gyrre on 26 May 2021, 23:20
i mean maybe but also like

it's fun? and funny? you can do things just because they're fun. googly eyes are almost always funny! my friend had some quietly delivered to her at the warehouse back when we worked there and we put them on receipt printers and packing material dispensers to make them look like they were barfing material. barcode scanners cuz then they were googly :0 faces.
management um... got annoyed. especially when we put them on the pictures of them on the department corkboard. but they were also literally evil, some of them. outside of being killjoys

If it was food, their concern was food contamination (on top of being killjoys).

I'm a line inspector for a food production facility and often find myself in the roll of 'fun police' because one of the production supervisors is an apathetic lazyass who actively avoids work. The only reason he's still employed is because he can run (and fix) every line machine in the building.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: BenRG on 27 May 2021, 01:17
The thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's some sort of safeguard to keep an AI from inhabiting more than one body at a time.

Because otherwise pintsize might have not so much migrated to a new body as multiplied.

it's been established in-strip that AI algorithms cannot be copied, only moved. Some readers have theorised that any attempt to copy would fail because the differences in environment and sensory input from two chassis, no matter how small, would instantly cause the two algorithms to diverge and rapidly become two very different individuals.

Setting that aside, I do kind of like the idea of particularly well-off synthetics having different bodies the way that you or I have different sets of clothes. Either for different activities or just in case they feel like looking different today.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 27 May 2021, 04:06
Going shirtless doesn't usually give a positive impression, but given that, I suppose a tie wouldn't actually hurt... Besides, I like how it matches his shorts.

Re. romantic speculation about Pintsize with May or anyone else, this seems entirely foreign to anything we've seen of his personality, and I'd go so far as to say that a Pintsize in a relationship would be unrecognizable and, in effect, a completely new character.
Uh, you’re kidding, right? He was clearly depressed after his online boyfriend rejected him and he was trying to date Roko for a while there. Am I the only one who remembers that?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Wingy on 27 May 2021, 05:09
... he was trying to date Roko for a while there.
Pintsize totally fouled up his only date with Roko; I expect she left early.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: hedgie on 27 May 2021, 07:16
While possible, I don't see it, personally. I could see them experimenting physically, trying out the new bodies and all, but I never got a sense of romance behind any of their interactions. At most, friends with benefits.

I’m pretty sure that the latter scenario would fall apart once he finds out that May opted for only the standard human number of holes.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: QuestionableIntentions on 27 May 2021, 08:58
The thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's some sort of safeguard to keep an AI from inhabiting more than one body at a time.

Because otherwise pintsize might have not so much migrated to a new body as multiplied.

it's been established in-strip that AI algorithms cannot be copied, only moved. Some readers have theorised that any attempt to copy would fail because the differences in environment and sensory input from two chassis, no matter how small, would instantly cause the two algorithms to diverge and rapidly become two very different individuals.

Setting that aside, I do kind of like the idea of particularly well-off synthetics having different bodies the way that you or I have different sets of clothes. Either for different activities or just in case they feel like looking different today.

So why does that not happen when an AI "moves"?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Beast_Reborn on 27 May 2021, 09:32
Going shirtless doesn't usually give a positive impression, but given that, I suppose a tie wouldn't actually hurt... Besides, I like how it matches his shorts.

Re. romantic speculation about Pintsize with May or anyone else, this seems entirely foreign to anything we've seen of his personality, and I'd go so far as to say that a Pintsize in a relationship would be unrecognizable and, in effect, a completely new character.
Uh, you’re kidding, right? He was clearly depressed after his online boyfriend rejected him and he was trying to date Roko for a while there. Am I the only one who remembers that?
I did honestly forget about his brief online relationship in the very early days of the strip. His more recent forays into dating apps, including his disastrous date with Roko, don't seem like very strong counterexamples, since his interest seems to be mainly in trolling other users.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: BenRG on 27 May 2021, 11:12
The thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's some sort of safeguard to keep an AI from inhabiting more than one body at a time.

Because otherwise pintsize might have not so much migrated to a new body as multiplied.

it's been established in-strip that AI algorithms cannot be copied, only moved. Some readers have theorised that any attempt to copy would fail because the differences in environment and sensory input from two chassis, no matter how small, would instantly cause the two algorithms to diverge and rapidly become two very different individuals.

Setting that aside, I do kind of like the idea of particularly well-off synthetics having different bodies the way that you or I have different sets of clothes. Either for different activities or just in case they feel like looking different today.

So why does that not happen when an AI "moves"?

It does; have you noticed the way that AI characters change when they change chassis? Some of it is natural character growth but it's strongly enabled by the fact that they're got a different sensorium.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 27 May 2021, 12:20


If it was food, their concern was food contamination (on top of being killjoys).


no, we're not that dumb.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 27 May 2021, 12:22
talking about the differences between moving and copying and limits thereof, without noting the seeming exemption of Yay (however many letters they use)
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: St.Clair on 27 May 2021, 12:36
Part of the problem is that there is actually no such thing as a "move" operation in any digital storage I'm familiar with, only "changing pointers" or "make a copy, then forget about/overwrite/destroy the original."
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 27 May 2021, 12:49
talking about the differences between moving and copying and limits thereof, without noting the seeming exemption of Yay (however many letters they use)
The whole point of Yay is that they are an exception so I don’t think that actually adds much. I mean we don’t even know if they are a series of individual instances that happen to be networked or if they are operating out of a colossal mega-brain somewhere that is just puppeteering around a bunch of (relatively) dumb terminals. Heck, they could be Geth for all we know.

Part of the problem is that there is actually no such thing as a "move" operation in any digital storage I'm familiar with, only "changing pointers" or "make a copy, then forget about/overwrite/destroy the original."
Various kinds of RAM have destructive reads; i.e. it only retains the data because of a looping buffer that writes the read data back after the read operation. Depending on the architecture used, this could be exploited to provide a true move-only command.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Thrudd on 27 May 2021, 13:04
Claire probably won't kick Pintsize out, they actually have a pretty decent relationship.
After all, Pintsize was the one to get Marten to pay attention when Claire was struggling with anxiety over her upcoming exams.
There was the birdseed incident that established the pecking order between them some time back.

The whole scene had me with a very strong sense of Déjà vu, and it took some pondering before my abused memory filing system spit up an answer.

GWS - I have the two ton slip cased and signed edition looming on the top shelf of a bookcase glaring at me.
I must go now and sacrifice the appropriate items on the altar to appease the goddess.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: BenRG on 27 May 2021, 13:09
Part of the problem is that there is actually no such thing as a "move" operation in any digital storage I'm familiar with, only "changing pointers" or "make a copy, then forget about/overwrite/destroy the original."

There is nothing to suggest that the AIs are digital. They're almost certainly analogue and may even have quantum (and, by definition, fractional) elements. So, instead of '1' and '0', there are probably also factors of 1/3 (lepton spin) and, because quantum is like that, a 'maybe' and 'maybe not' state.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Sorflakne on 27 May 2021, 16:54
The thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's some sort of safeguard to keep an AI from inhabiting more than one body at a time.

Because otherwise pintsize might have not so much migrated to a new body as multiplied.

it's been established in-strip that AI algorithms cannot be copied, only moved. Some readers have theorised that any attempt to copy would fail because the differences in environment and sensory input from two chassis, no matter how small, would instantly cause the two algorithms to diverge and rapidly become two very different individuals.

Setting that aside, I do kind of like the idea of particularly well-off synthetics having different bodies the way that you or I have different sets of clothes. Either for different activities or just in case they feel like looking different today.
So how does Yay work?  Are they really one entity managing multiple bodies, or multiple entities that are so similar and interconnected that they may as well be one?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: hedgie on 27 May 2021, 17:35
Yes?
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: SmilingCat on 27 May 2021, 17:36
The thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's some sort of safeguard to keep an AI from inhabiting more than one body at a time.

Because otherwise pintsize might have not so much migrated to a new body as multiplied.

it's been established in-strip that AI algorithms cannot be copied, only moved. Some readers have theorised that any attempt to copy would fail because the differences in environment and sensory input from two chassis, no matter how small, would instantly cause the two algorithms to diverge and rapidly become two very different individuals.

Setting that aside, I do kind of like the idea of particularly well-off synthetics having different bodies the way that you or I have different sets of clothes. Either for different activities or just in case they feel like looking different today.

It was also established that Marten has a backup of Pintsize on his computer, indicating that which makes pintsize pintsize can in fact be copied.

Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: shanejayell on 27 May 2021, 18:41
Pintsize and a actual JOB. Seriously?  :-D

Comics up.

"NO FREE DILDOS?! Fuck it, I'm gone."
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Sorflakne on 27 May 2021, 19:22
They get there are are promptly told to apply for the job via the company website.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gnabberwocky on 27 May 2021, 19:59
Oh no, imagine if they both get hired.

Pintsize and Claire as co-workers? It can only end in tears.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gyrre on 27 May 2021, 20:37


If it was food, their concern was food contamination (on top of being killjoys).


no, we're not that dumb.

I've seen some pretty stupid shit here.
Thankfully we passed the FDA check this week with just a warning.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gyrre on 27 May 2021, 20:40
Oh no, imagine if they both get hired.

Pintsize and Claire as co-workers? It can only end in tears.

"...Of fun!"
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: DaiJB on 27 May 2021, 22:21
Pintsize and a actual JOB. Seriously?  :-D

Comics up.

"NO FREE DILDOS?! Fuck it, I'm gone."

No, I reckon he'll still consider it! - Extra income, getting to mess with sex toys all day long AND having first dibs on any new products freshly hatched from the fertile imaginations of sex toy developers...  :roll:

I think it's still Pintsize's dream job - it's a practical joker's paradise! :-D
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: BenRG on 27 May 2021, 23:21
The thing I'm curious about is whether or not there's some sort of safeguard to keep an AI from inhabiting more than one body at a time.

Because otherwise pintsize might have not so much migrated to a new body as multiplied.

it's been established in-strip that AI algorithms cannot be copied, only moved. Some readers have theorised that any attempt to copy would fail because the differences in environment and sensory input from two chassis, no matter how small, would instantly cause the two algorithms to diverge and rapidly become two very different individuals.

Setting that aside, I do kind of like the idea of particularly well-off synthetics having different bodies the way that you or I have different sets of clothes. Either for different activities or just in case they feel like looking different today.

So how does Yay work?  Are they really one entity managing multiple bodies, or multiple entities that are so similar and interconnected that they may as well be one?

My guess is a combination of Quantum Entanglement and regular synch sessions to 'iron out' any differences.

There are enough differences between all the Yay instances (mostly ultra-subtle) that I wonder if each one represents a different part of the overall single psyche.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 28 May 2021, 09:03
Pintsize sadly removes tie, puts it around Claire's neck.


Claire gets the job! She learns that it is actually a front for the Army to test new anti-materiel ordnance in secret. (That's why the 'dildos' explode, burst into flame, penetrate brick walls, etc.)
Before her security clearance can come through, she finds a letter from a library in her mailbox.
They want to hire her!
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: wiserd on 28 May 2021, 15:06
Do.... do people just decide to go in for an interview like that? Every interview I've gotten in the past 10 years or so, there's been some kind of remote pre-screening.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Gus_Smedstad on 28 May 2021, 18:42
Do.... do people just decide to go in for an interview like that? Every interview I've gotten in the past 10 years or so, there's been some kind of remote pre-screening.
Good point.

I suspect that for entry-level, low-skill jobs, you can just show up for the interview. Flipping burgers at McDonald's, for example. For any professional job, they won't talk to you until they've read your resume and decided you're worth the time.

It's not clear what's involved in this job. Other than dildos.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Oenone on 28 May 2021, 21:51
Yeah, that’s how I got my call center job. And now, at some teacher job fairs, you can just show up with your resume, and sign a contract right then. That’s normally not a great sign tho.
Title: Re: WCDT 24-28 May 2021 (4531-4535)
Post by: Wingy on 31 May 2021, 18:56
Do.... do people just decide to go in for an interview like that?
My favorite grocery has "instant interview" signs up for a variety of workers.  I suspect that really means, if you indicate interest, they find the MOD who chats you up after you run through the computerized interview system.  If the MOD likes you, you're hired and put into the rotation more or less instantly.