Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

Personal video screens.

10 (5%)

Lay-flat seats.

11 (5.4%)

Mini wet-bar.

9 (4.5%)

Wi-Fi/Internet Connection.

22 (10.9%)

Great Food.

7 (3.5%)

Wait, this flight will last what, 30 minutes?

27 (13.4%)

Barf bags.

11 (5.4%)

COOKIES!

2 (1%)

WAFFLES!

12 (5.9%)

Emergency EVA suits.

18 (8.9%)

Space Toilets.

10 (5%)

Space Sleeping Bags.

1 (0.5%)

Space Pillows.

4 (2%)

Space Space!

6 (3%)

Tethers for Null-G "bumps".

7 (3.5%)

Duct Tape for AnthroPC's.

13 (6.4%)

Richard Branson sitting next to you.

8 (4%)

Winslow sitting next to you.

5 (2.5%)

Something COMPLETELY Different.

10 (5%)

Gravity Dampeners.

9 (4.5%)

Total Members Voted: 69

[Carl-E]

I think you mean stimulated? 



Actually, I hope you don't...

[ChaosWolf]

This doesn't quite hang together, but I'll try, anything other than admit that it was just a funny joke.

Accurately rendering fabric is CPU-intensive. What if the holo-pilot were in an optimized mode where he only expected to be seen from the waist up and skipped the CPU cycles for rendering pants?

This is plausible.  It's like those jokes about TV newscasters not wearing pants because you never see under the desk.

[ecstaticjoy]

Holographic avatar? Did anyone see Resident Evil? (who am I kidding, you've all seen it) : "you're all going to die down here!"

[Method of Madness]

Incidentally, like netizen, the word is older than the web - it is not a recent coinage.

I don't get it...did it used to refer to tennis or basketball (or any sport involving nets?)

[TinPenguin]

I had assumed he meant it referred to networks of people, not computers.

[Is it cold in here?]

"Netiquette" is a perfectly cromulent word.

It goes back at least to the days of Usenet, well before Sir Tim Berners-Lee even thought of the Web.

[Is it cold in here?]

...why would an AI even NEED that equipment? 

Docking.

(moderator)
Requesting that there be no further elaboration of this thought.

I actually got a PM from someone who wanted to say that but was sure it would be inappropriate to post it.

Anyway, if you propose a liaison between two ships, isn't that shipping?
(/moderator)

[Method of Madness]

"Netiquette" is a perfectly cromulent word.

I'm not saying it's not or that it's new, it just irks me for some reason.  It's weird, I enjoy some portmanteaus, and others just bug me.

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

...why would an AI even NEED that equipment? 

Docking.

(moderator)
Anyway, if you propose a liaison between two ships, isn't that shipping?
(/moderator)

If we were permitted I'd totally hook up the Hannershuttle with the Star Trek 2009 Enterprise.     I'm sure Hannershuttle would LOVE to get his hands on her ample nacelles if you know what I mean and I thinkUSER HAS BEEN ULTRA-BANNED.    AND MURDERED WITH FIRE.

[pwhodges]

Incidentally, like netizen, the word is older than the web - it is not a recent coinage.

I don't get it...did it used to refer to tennis or basketball (or any sport involving nets?)

No, just referring to the Internet - but that went back way before the Worldwide Web emerged as one of its key applications.  I was already using the Internet - email, usenet, ftp, archie (yes!) - before the first publicly available browsers appeared (they were Mosaic and Cello).

[Is it cold in here?]

The OED traces "netiquette" to 1982.

[jwhouk]

Ah, the days of Mosaic and Lynx and waiting five minutes for the one or two useful pages to load. Like some page at Stanford.edu that had a "guide to the web".

[Method of Madness]

I guess I always forget that "Internet" and "the Web" aren't synonymous.

[purple.platypus]

So I guess no-one else thought the AI looked a lot like Marten? That was my first thought, and wondering why that would be (Hanelore's doing, no doubt...).

My second was even worse. (Namely, "why isn't he better hung?")

Accurately rendering fabric is CPU-intensive. What if the holo-pilot were in an optimized mode where he only expected to be seen from the waist up and skipped the CPU cycles for rendering pants?

Then why render the bottom half at all? Or is that why it doesn't quite hang together?

[cesariojpn]

The OED traces "netiquette" to 1982.

I read that as Netrunner.

[Y]

So I guess no-one else thought the AI looked a lot like Marten? That was my first thought, and wondering why that would be (Hanelore's doing, no doubt...).

I thought he looked like a character we'd seen before in the comic, I first thought of Clinton but that's not him either.

[Is it cold in here?]

Then why render the bottom half at all? Or is that why it doesn't quite hang together?

Yes, that's the key flaw in my attempt at explaining away a joke. It's hard to make up a good reason why the rendering from the waist down wouldn't be either always on or always off.

[Method of Madness]

Aww, he knew her favorite cause of death.

[truestatic]

I'm not sure whether she's a cutey or a creeper.  Maybe both.

[Near Lurker]

Huh.  I didn't notice before, but this shuttle is clearly built for commercial flights, isn't it?

[Omega Entity]

So I guess no-one else thought the AI looked a lot like Marten? That was my first thought, and wondering why that would be (Hanelore's doing, no doubt...).

I thought he looked like a character we'd seen before in the comic, I first thought of Clinton but that's not him either.

He looks vaguely like the robot boyfriend Hanner's dad sent her way back, though Jeph's drawing has since improved from that stretch of comics.

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1012

[ecstaticjoy]

I. Love. Hanners.

[Soulsynger]

He looks vaguely like the robot boyfriend Hanner's dad sent her way back, though Jeph's drawing has since improved from that stretch of comics.
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1012

That reminds me... we haven't seen Winslow in QUITE a while... wouldn't he come with on something like this?

And I love the thought that for a holo-projection to lean on something casually, an unbelievable array of mathematic equasions has to be run through the tech first, kind of rendering the term "casual" really incongruous.  

I. Love. Hanners.

We. All. Do.

[J]

so, is this the first time hannelore has had to deal with someone more nervous than she is? it would amuse me if up in space she was the calm and collected one, while marten was the nervous wreak afraid of everything.

[Is it cold in here?]

More nervous? No, but she has been the pillar of strength during a Marigold depressive episode.

This is the first time we've seen Hannelore with home court advantage. This is going to be interesting!

[steveh11]

Am I the only one who's thinking of Iain M. Banks' Culture novels when I see autonomous ships with holographic avatars?

I wonder what this ship's name is?  If it's had the weapons removed, that could make it a VFP, so perhaps "If you catch me, you can have me" would work.

[DSL]

Andromeda Ascendant, the starship with the fanservice AI avatar -- available in both hologram and droid form, if I recall correctly.

Also, assuming you don't have a Columbia-style breakup, I doubt you'd even get a fraction of a second. And if I'd just had an adventure, or even a fairly interesting time, in space -- I don't think I'd mind going that way, either. Especially in a Boeing Business Class seat.

[Akima]

Huh.  I didn't notice before, but this shuttle is clearly built for commercial flights, isn't it?

It's pretty large and well-appointed isn't it? If it's not commercial, Ellicott-Chatham must have a large staff on the High Frontier, and find it cost-effective to pamper them. The fancy seats might, of course, be there to cushion the acceleration, or seal themselves into escape-pods in the event of depressurisation, making space-suits unnecessary, or... I need an hand-waving smiley...

And Hannelore... "You're not NERVOUS are you?" If it were anyone else, I'd suspect she was winding Marten up.

[Jabberwocky]

Ah, the days of Mosaic and Lynx and waiting five minutes for the one or two useful pages to load. Like some page at Stanford.edu that had a "guide to the web".

What kind of yahoo would have something like that?   

[Border Reiver]

Although I realize that Marty's being just a little sarcastic, I prefer Tyrion's response to a favourite way to go.

[wiikipedia]

Ok so the holographic eyes are really creeping me out.

 It seems to only be able to create its avatar in different shades of blue, so then why are the eyes white? It doesn't make any sense, unless it elimintates all of its head behind its eyes (assuming of course that it is in 3d
and not just a flat projection)  and lets you see the white of the ship as its pupils, and that doesn't even make sense because we are seeing the whites of the eyes and so none of the characters would be able to.

The only solution, Spaceship (and by extension all A.I.s) know they are in a comic and are letting us see things! Brilliant!

[tjradcliffe]

Also, assuming you don't have a Columbia-style breakup, I doubt you'd even get a fraction of a second.

I dunno.  Unless the burn-through was right in front of your face you'd more likely die from lack of air than too much heat, so several seconds is more likely.  Since most of the heat of re-entry is dumped into the underside and leading edges of the lifting body the odds are burn-through wouldn't happen in the passenger cabin, so I'd say the ship has the right estimate.

[Spiff]

This doesn't quite hang together, but I'll try, anything other than admit that it was just a funny joke.

Accurately rendering fabric is CPU-intensive. What if the holo-pilot were in an optimized mode where he only expected to be seen from the waist up and skipped the CPU cycles for rendering pants?

This is plausible.  It's like those jokes about TV newscasters not wearing pants because you never see under the desk.

According to the Far Side, the truth is much worse. The desks aren't there so they can sit there without pants but to hide the fact that the newscasters are hideous aliens with tentacles instead of legs.

[jwhouk]

Huh.  I didn't notice before, but this shuttle is clearly built for commercial flights, isn't it?

Well, occasionally he does have to have the rest of the board of directors of ECT come up to the station, so...

[pwhodges]

Huh.  I didn't notice before, but this shuttle is clearly built for commercial flights, isn't it?

An inventor can save a lot of trouble by using off-the-shelf parts for stuff that doesn't matter.

Also, a tweet from Jeph:

Just got an email from an interior-parts designer for Boeing, thanking me for using their 777 first-class seats in the comic :3

[jwhouk]

Ah, the days of Mosaic and Lynx and waiting five minutes for the one or two useful pages to load. Like some page at Stanford.edu that had a "guide to the web".

What kind of yahoo would have something like that?   

Someone who wanted yet another highly officious oracle.

[sluthy]

Also, a tweet from Jeph:

Just got an email from an interior-parts designer for Boeing, thanking me for using their 777 first-class seats in the comic :3

I thought they looked a lot like the photo Jeph tweeted of the seats on his flight to NZ. https://twitter.com/#!/jephjacques/status/154797932485414912

[alienatedduck]

I'm thinking after Marten's hard time recently he's just going to end up space-crazy and murder everyone.

Everyone will just be surprised it wasn't Hanners.

(That's some crazy awesome plane seat.)

[Throg]

Jeph flew first class to Australia / NZ?  Damn skippy. 

If Spaceship has enough RAM to run a holograph with body language (leaning on a seat, making gestures) then it damn well had enough memory to render pants the first time. I call shenanigans. There can be only one explanation: it was FLIRTING.   

(no no that's not shipping put down the banhammer put it down please)

[mike837go]

Also, assuming you don't have a Columbia-style breakup, I doubt you'd even get a fraction of a second.

I dunno.  Unless the burn-through was right in front of your face you'd more likely die from lack of air than too much heat, so several seconds is more likely.  Since most of the heat of re-entry is dumped into the underside and leading edges of the lifting body the odds are burn-through wouldn't happen in the passenger cabin, so I'd say the ship has the right estimate.

We've all negleted the delay between when the catostrophic failure occurs and actually realizing that you are feeling terror.

The idea of "You'll never know what killed you" is probably a little closer.

[pwhodges]

(no no that's not shipping put down the banhammer put it down please)

Kitty has mercy on you.



Amazingly, that hammer with the orange fibreglass handle in the picture is the exact model that I bought when I got my first house to maintain in 1969; I still use it.

[jwhouk]

A Birthday Party at Hannerdad's Space Station! What WILL we see?

Defense satellites. LOTS of Defense Satellites.    - 28 (9.3%)
The 21st Century version of Castle Heterodyne. (Google it.)    - 21 (7%)
The mandatory "view of earth" panel.    - 64 (21.3%)
2001: An OCD Odyssey    - 35 (11.7%)
Babylon 2 3/4ths.    - 6 (2%)
Someplace a little smaller than the ISS.    - 6 (2%)
PSYCHE! It's actually a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific.    - 6 (2%)
Marigold will mess something up.    - 30 (10%)
All the robots look like Pintsize.    - 6 (2%)
All the robots ARE Pintsize.    - 11 (3.7%)
Richard Branson.    - 9 (3%)
We never see Hannerdad's face.    - 48 (16%)
Waffles don't taste as good in space.    - 3 (1%)
Cookies do, though.    - 4 (1.3%)
Mandatory "Something completely different" option.    - 21 (7%)
Holographic WHAT?    - 2 (0.7%)

Total Voters: 119

[Kugai]

If the AI's name is Ted Stryker, you're in good hands   

Definitely a nice setup in the seating Dept.  Nothing like being comfortable while you're being squished backwards at Mach 3

[jwhouk]

I had to change the poll to something... well, what would YOU expect in First Class on HannerDad Aerospaceways?

[Mr. Doctor]

Surprised to see that I was the only one so far who voted for great food. Maybe I'm the only on that hates airplane food so I expect that they have at least something ok/good.

[DSL]

I hope Marten gets the souvenir T-shirt. He should find it helpful.

[Method of Madness]

Surprised to see that I was the only one so far who voted for great food.

Not true.  There are a few votes for waffles.

[specter177]

Has to be Richard Branson sitting next to you. I assume he will be at the party.

[TinPenguin]

Why am I hearing this in my head?

[J]

More nervous? No, but she has been the pillar of strength during a Marigold depressive episode.

This is the first time we've seen Hannelore with home court advantage. This is going to be interesting!

will the home-field advantage change her behavior? will nervous little hannelore become the apotheosis of cool?