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Chase raccoons.

Ask about hair.

Pound Pintsize.

Squash spiders in the basement.

Get Awkward with Elliot.

Purple Monkey Dishwashers

Something Completely Different

Speculate wildly!

[Tova]

That said, she's a bright girl.

She's certainly quite switched on.

[Neko_Ali]

What I'm wondering from this series is.. just how strong is that couch of theirs? Bubbles couldn't sit in the usual chairs at the Coffee of Doom without breaking them. But she's been on the couch for a while without it even groaning.

[cesium133]

That couch has been through a lot worse.

[Is it cold in here?]

If that couch were going to groan it would have a long time ago.

[Undrneath]

With Pintsize around they need industrial strength furniture.

[Sorflakne]

So it just occurred to me, but are the QC characters all just really short?  Looking at Bubbles in relation to the door behind her when she has Marten touch her abs, she has to be around or a tad over seven feet tall (going by the average doorframe height of ~7').  Marten's more or less standing straight up in panel 3, but he only comes up to her chest.  Rough estimation, but if Bubbles is 7', that means Marten's only about 5'1"-5'4", with Faye being about similar height.

[BenRG]

This is another strip that I had to sit down and think about. Bubbles has clearly decided that letting people into her personal space is a way of reassuring them that she is non-threatening. I'm also wondering if she's mentally assembling a list of things that humans incorrectly assume about her chassis; the 'slinky full of ball-bearings' is two-for-two at the moment.

I'm also hoping at this point that Bubbles makes a comment about Marten and Faye being like siblings in their interactions and similarities; that is certainly something that strikes me on occasion.

So it just occurred to me, but are the QC characters all just really short?

Gotta say that I'm voting 'art error' here.

[Gyrre]

With Pintsize around they need industrial strength furniture.

It'd have to be. I wouldn't be surprised if it were held up with cinder blocks.

Though, on the note of strength, what floor do Marten and Faye live on, and how strong is the building's floors?
I'm fairly certain Bubbles has mentioned how much her chassis weighs.

[Kugai]

Efficiency is her middle name 

A classic moment of friend bonding ensues.

And as for the couch it's probably made of Ironwood

[brasca]

It's safer than letting Emily hit her with a mallet. 

[Skewbrow]

So it just occurred to me, but are the QC characters all just really short?  Looking at Bubbles in relation to the door behind her when she has Marten touch her abs, she has to be around or a tad over seven feet tall (going by the average doorframe height of ~7').  Marten's more or less standing straight up in panel 3, but he only comes up to her chest.  Rough estimation, but if Bubbles is 7', that means Marten's only about 5'1"-5'4", with Faye being about similar height.

IIRC earlier Bubbles has been said to be 8ft tall, which probably covers everything over 7ft6in. So I suspect that "the doorframe rose to the occasion" (read: Jeph may have copy/pasted a convenient background shot). Somebody here once collected a lot of data concluding that Hanners is the tallest of the girls (Bubbles and Emily had not been introduced at that point) at about 5ft9-10in. Marten is about the same height, Sven something like 6ft2-3in and Elliot may be 6ft5in. I would guess that Dale is also over 6ft - at least he's very climbable.

[BenRG]

So, looking forward to next week, anyone care to speculate on what this preview image in Jeph's Twitter feed might be about?

(click to show/hide)

Claire seems to be in "Squeeee!" mode here, with Marten standing behind her and looking in the same direction. My guess is that she's reacting to Faye and Bubbles going for the hug. I just hope that she doesn't get it into her head that she needs to 'help' them with any relationship that they may or may not have. I think that it's been said before that Claire is a shipper at heart!

[Akima]

Bubbles realises that her Abs() have a positive value.

[jwhouk]

Bubbles realises that her Abs() have a positive value.

Grrrrooooooaaaaannnnnnnn......

Sent from my Nextbook

[Thrudd]

I like the detail that Bubbles' idea bulb is a modern energy saving kind.

Uhm, those things were so last year and then some.
Heck they were out of date when they were pushed on the mass market as energy saving, which overall they are not if you include their production.
Also they are a major environmental hazard due to toxic phosphors, mercury and the high levels of UV emitted by the cheaper ones. Also they tend to burst into flame at the most inopportune times.

LED lighting systems when implemented correctly are huge energy savers and way brighter than you would expect.
I replaced all the bathroom bulbs last week [kinda broke one and couldn't find a replacement] and boy am I glad I have a high quality dimmer on that light fixture.
Room went for something out of a Bogart film to a clean room inspection suite.
Now I have to repaint the walls or go with wallpaper because you now you can see every [censored] flaw and blemish..... on the walls dammit.

Grrrrooooooaaaaannnnnnnn......

Sent from the floor joists

[Zebediah]

Yes, but the problem with LED bulbs is that they look pretty much like old-fashioned light bulbs on the outside. So if Jeph drew one of those the joke wouldn't as clear as it is with a compact fluorescent bulb.

[Mad Cat]

Bubbles's number on the Kinsey scale is imaginary.

I would have thought it was complex

(click to show/hide)

There are so many number types it gets weird fast but so many opprotunities for puns
I was going to list them and then got lazy when I realized there is a better article in the web
Numbersl

Ah, but do you have a t-shirt that makes such a claim? I have a zazzle link where you can buy a t-shirt that reads, "My number on the Kinsey scale is imaginary."
http://www.zazzle.com/my_number_on_the_kinsey_scale_is_imaginairy_t_shirt-235664311861500216

Also, all complex numbers are at least partly imaginary. How can something be both real and imaginary at the same time? That's a complex question. (as well we a complex number.)

[Is it cold in here?]

Yes, but the problem with LED bulbs is that they look pretty much like old-fashioned light bulbs on the outside. So if Jeph drew one of those the joke wouldn't as clear as it is with a compact fluorescent bulb.

One of the lollipop-style ones might have worked visually.

[Thrudd]

Mmmmmm lollipops - Hey, threes Kojak! 

[Akima]

LED lighting systems when implemented correctly are huge energy savers and way brighter than you would expect.

They're not exactly inexpensive though. A couple of months ago, I got a quote to replace the ceiling track-lights in my kitchen with compatible LED spots, and the cost was over A$1000 (supply only - I could fit them myself). There were cheaper units, but they would have required me to remove the track, get in an electrician to rewire, and make good the ceiling, so the overall cost would have been much higher.

[TheEvilDog]

LED lighting systems when implemented correctly are huge energy savers and way brighter than you would expect.

They're not exactly inexpensive though. A couple of months ago, I got a quote to replace the ceiling track-lights in my kitchen with compatible LED spots, and the cost was over A$1000 (supply only - I could fit them myself). There were cheaper units, but they would have required me to remove the track, get in an electrician to rewire, and make good the ceiling, so the overall cost would have been much higher.

Yes, but I imagine what you save over time offsets the cost of getting the LEDs.

[pwhodges]

the cost was over A$1000 (supply only - I could fit them myself).

That seems a lot; I've paid about twice that to replace all the lights in the house, including fittings where necessary.

Yes, but I imagine what you save over time offsets the cost of getting the LEDs.

When I replaced the lighting in our most-used room, the consumption fell from 600W to 48W.  Next time we sent in a meter reading, the electricity company queried it.

[Mr. Skawronska]

LED lighting systems when implemented correctly are huge energy savers and way brighter than you would expect.

They're not exactly inexpensive though. A couple of months ago, I got a quote to replace the ceiling track-lights in my kitchen with compatible LED spots, and the cost was over A$1000 (supply only - I could fit them myself). There were cheaper units, but they would have required me to remove the track, get in an electrician to rewire, and make good the ceiling, so the overall cost would have been much higher.

Now add a 70-year-old house and 50-plus-year-old cantankerous owner who likes things as they were to the mix, and you have my dilemma.

However, to be fair, LED technology has come a long way in the last decade.  I am SLOWLY changing.  Why, I just upgraded to a push button phone!  I'm so progressive!

[Storel]

LED lighting systems when implemented correctly are huge energy savers and way brighter than you would expect.

They're not exactly inexpensive though. A couple of months ago, I got a quote to replace the ceiling track-lights in my kitchen with compatible LED spots, and the cost was over A$1000 (supply only - I could fit them myself). There were cheaper units, but they would have required me to remove the track, get in an electrician to rewire, and make good the ceiling, so the overall cost would have been much higher.

Now add a 70-year-old house and 50-plus-year-old cantankerous owner who likes things as they were to the mix, and you have my dilemma.

However, to be fair, LED technology has come a long way in the last decade.  I am SLOWLY changing.  Why, I just upgraded to a push button phone!  I'm so progressive!

I can relate. My house (which I inherited from my late parents) is about 90 years old, and sometime back in the Nineties my father had most of the overhead light fixtures replaced with flourescent lights (the old-fashioned kind with 4-foot long tubes), presumably to save electricity. Unfortunately, they don't really save much; each of those 4-foot tubes uses about 40 watts, and all the light fixtures have at least 2, sometimes 4 tubes in them. Ironically, now if I want to use bulbs that save much more electricity like CFLs or LEDs, I'll have to hire an electrician first to remove the fluorescent fixtures and reinstall standard fixtures. *sigh*

[JimC]

The ironic thing about energy efficient light bulbs is that, if you are in a building with thermostat controlled heating, then as soon as the heating is on all the energy saved from incandescent bulbs goes straight on the heating bill, since that energy doesn't go into thin air, but is simply dissipated as heat. So energy savings are rather less than the  headline values would have you believe. On the other hand, if you have airconditioning, the incandescent light heat goes straight onto the cooling bill, so in that case the savings are probably greater than headline cost.

[anahata]

Ironically, now if I want to use bulbs that save much more electricity like CFLs or LEDs, I'll have to hire an electrician first to remove the fluorescent fixtures and reinstall standard fixtures. *sigh*

I got compatible LED replacements* for a roomful of 4ft and 5ft fluorescent tubes - no rewiring needed!
(you can optionally short out the ballast if you're VERY SURE that nobody will ever put a real fluorescent tube back)

*Chinese made, "Emprex" brand. I expect they aren't the only ones

[Gyrre]

I like the detail that Bubbles' idea bulb is a modern energy saving kind.

Uhm, those things were so last year and then some.
Heck they were out of date when they were pushed on the mass market as energy saving, which overall they are not if you include their production.
Also they are a major environmental hazard due to toxic phosphors, mercury and the high levels of UV emitted by the cheaper ones. Also they tend to burst into flame at the most inopportune times.

LED lighting systems when implemented correctly are huge energy savers and way brighter than you would expect.
I replaced all the bathroom bulbs last week [kinda broke one and couldn't find a replacement] and boy am I glad I have a high quality dimmer on that light fixture.
Room went for something out of a Bogart film to a clean room inspection suite.
Now I have to repaint the walls or go with wallpaper because you now you can see every [censored] flaw and blemish..... on the walls dammit.

Climate alarmism seems to have had the opposite effect as the environmentalism movement would have wanted. But that's what tends to happen when movements get hijacked by industrialists (see "carbon credits scandal(s)")

[Thrudd]

I can relate. My house (which I inherited from my late parents) is about 90 years old, and sometime back in the Nineties my father had most of the overhead light fixtures replaced with flourescent lights (the old-fashioned kind with 4-foot long tubes), presumably to save electricity. Unfortunately, they don't really save much; each of those 4-foot tubes uses about 40 watts, and all the light fixtures have at least 2, sometimes 4 tubes in them. Ironically, now if I want to use bulbs that save much more electricity like CFLs or LEDs, I'll have to hire an electrician first to remove the fluorescent fixtures and reinstall standard fixtures. *sigh*

All hope is not lost - One of my brothers-in-law works with light message systems and one of the products he installs is an LED replacement for the tubes that keeps the fixtures but pulls out the ballast and original mounts. He usually only puts in two for the old 4 lamp fixtures because they are so dang bright. For domestic installations the better dimmers are compatible as well so you can save even more on operating costs while limiting the electrical headaches.

[Storel]

I got compatible LED replacements* for a roomful of 4ft and 5ft fluorescent tubes - no rewiring needed!
(you can optionally short out the ballast if you're VERY SURE that nobody will ever put a real fluorescent tube back)

*Chinese made, "Emprex" brand. I expect they aren't the only ones

All hope is not lost - One of my brothers-in-law works with light message systems and one of the products he installs is an LED replacement for the tubes that keeps the fixtures but pulls out the ballast and original mounts. He usually only puts in two for the old 4 lamp fixtures because they are so dang bright. For domestic installations the better dimmers are compatible as well so you can save even more on operating costs while limiting the electrical headaches.

Sweet! It never occurred to me that there might be LED replacements for the old fluorescent tubes. Thank you both!

Given how expensive an ordinary LED light-bulb is, I shudder to think how much these will cost. But the cost of LED bulbs seems to be coming down, so if I wait a bit hopefully they'll be more affordable.

[Morituri]

Claire didn't need to explain what gender dysphoria is.

Erf?  Why is "gender dysphoria" any harder to parse than "green wallpaper"?  One adjective, one noun, both used in their canonical senses. Well, okay, 'gender' is tecnically a noun, but all nouns can be adjectivized, or we'd have a 'female candidate' instead of a 'woman candidate' standing for the presidency.  I've always admired people for NOT using a euphemism or codephrase for that issue.  For once they're content just saying exactly what it is and leaving it at that. Someone is unhappy about gender.  Period.  It's both true, and (unless it's the specific topic of that conversation) it's all that needs to be said.

[Morituri]

I'm just trying to wrap my head around the idea of someone being offended by the fact that someone else is trying not to be offensive. No offense meant.

Berkeley Breathed beat you to it. 
     http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/1982/11/14

[Morituri]

The thing is, there has been speculation on Human/AI relationships in the Forum on and off for years. I don't remember offhand, but I think that this is something Jeph himself has weighed in on on a couple of occasions (can't remember whether he was for, against or indifferent about it - others with better memories than I can probably give you a better answer on that.)

I've gotten asked this on more than one occasion.  I won't go into exactly why right now but it has to do with my work. I'm COMPLETELY sure it would work for a lot of people.  I'm COMPLETELY sure that when there are AI in chassis capable of it, sexual services (or slavery) is probably one of the first major markets (heck, there aren't yet, even, but already some folks get emotionally attached to sex dolls and toys and etc).

Speaking for myself though? I just don't know. 

If I had met the woman of my dreams but she were wearing a mechanical body?  I can imagine being really, really close friends regardless.  I can even imagine being comfortable and deriving great joy from having sex with each other.  But the level of emotional bonding that humans in that circumstance usually get?  It's hard to imagine myself getting there with someone in a mechanical body.  For me a lot of that emotion/attraction link is olfactory, and I have trouble imagining convincing synthetics for it.  It's subtle and complicated and just really, really hard for anything except human skin and breath to create.  So I can imagine a "best friends and sex partners" relationship but it's much harder to imagine the kind of scary, total, out-of-my-power love that I feel for my wife. 

Then again, sometimes we surprise ourselves, or judge our capabilities inaccurately.  After spending a year or so with someone in a mechanical body conditioning might let the olfactory bits get less important to that part of my brain.

[Morituri]

So it just occurred to me, but are the QC characters all just really short?  Looking at Bubbles in relation to the door behind her when she has Marten touch her abs, she has to be around or a tad over seven feet tall (going by the average doorframe height of ~7').  Marten's more or less standing straight up in panel 3, but he only comes up to her chest.  Rough estimation, but if Bubbles is 7', that means Marten's only about 5'1"-5'4", with Faye being about similar height.

My mental canon has Bubbles height at 220 cm - or about seven feet eight inches.  Sometimes she seems to loom larger, sometimes lesser.  But in open shots where there aren't a bunch of things to distract the artist or make scale difficult to judge, it seems fairly consistent.

[Sullivan]

The ironic thing about energy efficient light bulbs is that, if you are in a building with thermostat controlled heating, then as soon as the heating is on all the energy saved from incandescent bulbs goes straight on the heating bill, since that energy doesn't go into thin air, but is simply dissipated as heat. So energy savings are rather less than the  headline values would have you believe. On the other hand, if you have airconditioning, the incandescent light heat goes straight onto the cooling bill, so in that case the savings are probably greater than headline cost.

This is all true, but incomplete. In most locales, heating with other fuels (whether it's natural gas, heating oil, whatever) is much cheaper than heating with electricity. And lights are usually up near the ceiling, which is not where you usually want your heat. So you're better off with the energy-efficient lights even though you're "losing" about 80% of the previously wasted heat. You can buy that heat much more cheaply from the gas or oil supplier.

(Comparison: In my city, natural gas costs about 1.3 cents per kWh. (They actually bill it in "therms" but the conversion is trivial.) Electric energy costs about 10 c/kWh at the cheapest tier.)

[Storel]

So it just occurred to me, but are the QC characters all just really short?  Looking at Bubbles in relation to the door behind her when she has Marten touch her abs, she has to be around or a tad over seven feet tall (going by the average doorframe height of ~7').  Marten's more or less standing straight up in panel 3, but he only comes up to her chest.  Rough estimation, but if Bubbles is 7', that means Marten's only about 5'1"-5'4", with Faye being about similar height.

My mental canon has Bubbles height at 220 cm - or about seven feet eight inches.  Sometimes she seems to loom larger, sometimes lesser.  But in open shots where there aren't a bunch of things to distract the artist or make scale difficult to judge, it seems fairly consistent.

I just remembered that one of Jeph's filler comics a while back was a "spec sheet" for Bubbles's chassis. Did that happen to specify her height? I can't recall.

[Is it cold in here?]

All those specs did not make it into the wiki.

[Method of Madness]

No height mentioned. Also wow, Bubbles has been around over a year?

[Thrudd]

Tickle Zone?
But didn't she mention recently that she doesn't have that particular algorithm installed or did she mean in relation to those abs camouflaged as a slinky full of ball bearings?

[BenRG]

It's still listed as 'tickle zone' on the manufacturer's schematics. It's just that there's a tiny asterisk leading to a footnote that reads: "NOTE: Users must download operating software patches for all non-standard anthromimietic functions". Bubbles downloaded blushing for some reason but she didn't download ticklish spots.

[Thrudd]

Wait a sec.

Ticklishness is a response to light touching on specific areas on a body resulting in involuntary twitching movements or laughter. This can be implemented with the appropriate array of sub-dermal pressure sensors and reflex firmware. No need to burden the main processor core with such basic functionality intrinsic to the chassis at hand.

Blushing is the reddening of a person's face due to psychological reasons. It is normally involuntary and triggered by emotional stress, such as that associated with embarrassment, anger, or romantic stimulation. On a technical note, this would require such chromatic variability to be already be part of the the dermal layer. With humans it is an increase in blood-flow in the dermal layers. So that would mean that either that this combat model comes with chromatic variability as standard issue or it is part of a suite of autonomic responses to avoid the uncanny valley effect and thus avoiding the creeping out of the troops in the field. I am thinking that the military, being what they are, the autonomic response was a lucky afterthought and the built in camouflage capability would save on the grease paint and the dermal chemical comparability issues. [Don't want our soldiers faces melting off during recon]