Topic: WCDT: 2333-2337 (3-7 December 2012) Weekly Comic Discussion Thread (Read 85967 times)

DSL · « **Reply #300 on:** 08 Dec 2012, 07:18 »

Now all we need is for Hanners to let Winslow upgrade to a holoprojector and for Faye to decide her art-metal shop needs a (cheap) drill press.

MillionDollar Belt Sander · « **Reply #301 on:** 08 Dec 2012, 08:15 »

I mentioned it upstream... and a cheap drill-press would be hilarious.

DSL · « **Reply #302 on:** 08 Dec 2012, 14:51 »

Quote from: MillionDollar Belt Sander on 08 Dec 2012, 08:15

I mentioned it upstream... and a cheap drill-press would be hilarious.

Only if you're on the other side of the safety glass, I imagine.

MillionDollar Belt Sander · « **Reply #303 on:** 08 Dec 2012, 15:20 »

True story from the world of work.

I started my manufacturing career in a plastic factory. They did injection-molding of very complex mechanical parts... out of "Long Glass Fiber" materials such as Amodel and Isoplast. Exotic stuff, not your typical throw-away plastic materials.

We built a mold to manufacture a hub/housing/seal part for a major corporation. Engineering determined that in order to get maximum reinforcement from the "Long glass fiber" the plastic had to flow into the center of the part and radiate outward. This was called "center gating" and is normal for plastic molding.

Problem is the dead center of the part is where the shaft for the pump-driver went. This meant that we had to use a special "end mill" style cutting tool to add the critical-to-function feature back into the part.

Again, not a big deal, this kind of thing is normal in production.

This hole... was also a sealing surface, no fluid could leak around the driver-shaft. So it was determined that a skilled machinist (ahem, me) should perform the task.

Well it worked and we won the contract bid. Major Corporation loved our parts and our solution... and promptly doubled the order then tripled it again...

In order to keep up, one of the managers took a look at my Bridgeport Style Turret Milling Machine and declared it a "fancy drill-press." He then decided that it was too expensive to have a machinist do the "drilling" (in reality "milling").

His solution... he bought a drill-press sight unseen from a salvage yard. Got it in-house, the drive-shaft was bent so the drill-chuck wobbled real bad. On top of that it was much too fast, and there was no down-rate control.

Long story short, we managed to get the order done, but all of the parts were rejected for cracking and chipping on the seal-surface... that is the ones where the shaft hole were centered correctly... I think out of the thousands we made only a handful were even on center.

We lost the contract.

So, long story short... A cheap drill press can do major harm... there is a difference between a drill and a mill, and skilled machinists produce better parts than unskilled labor-minions.

jwhouk · « **Reply #304 on:** 08 Dec 2012, 16:41 »

I knew there was a reason why you were called $1MBS.

-----

And our Moment Of The Week?

Let's see if you qualify for our "discount program." (Obtuse metaphor use!) 7 (13.7%)
THERE WAS NO SEX INVOLVED. 1 (2%)
Well it's my headcanon and you should respect that. 4 (7.8%)
How do you monitor my aaaAAAAAAGH 1 (2%)
Gordon the ArachnoPC! "Don't be nervous! There are no wrong answers!" 11 (21.6%)
The biometrics look good to me! (please get off my head) 1 (2%)
I should probably go over our return procedure. And criminal liability agreement. And insurance policies. 5 (9.8%)
My head please get off it 6 (11.8%)
...Then they brought out Pintsize. I took him home, and the rest is history. 1 (2%)
But... but that is all wrong! You were frightened of Gordon! That would have completely thrown off your biometrics! 1 (2%)
Well, it worked out all right in the end, so YOU MEAN I COULDA BEEN WITH A HOT CHICK THIS WHOLE TIME?! 1 (2%)
...So it turns out I shouldn't have ended up with Pintsize after all. 1 (2%)
He does make me look like a better roommate by comparison. 1 (2%)
Still, I wonder what kinda robot you were supposed to end up with. I guess we'll never know. 1 (2%)
THE ROBOT WHALE! (CetaPC?) 9 (17.6%)

Total Members Voted: 51

MillionDollar Belt Sander · « **Reply #305 on:** 08 Dec 2012, 16:42 »

Quote from: jwhouk on 08 Dec 2012, 16:41

I knew there was a reason why you were called $1MBS.

I told the story about the belt-sander in another thread.

Vurogj · « **Reply #306 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 05:12 »

I'm already guessing the answer is no, because that sounds like the kind of decisions my managers make far too often, but...

did the decision maker lose his job, or otherwise suffer professionally in any way?

jwhouk · « **Reply #307 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 05:35 »

Gordon was probably reassigned to a less difficult task.

Like becoming a moderator for 4chan.

Somebody · « **Reply #308 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 06:49 »

Point of order - Marten could never have afforded a whale chassis!

jwhouk · « **Reply #309 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 07:40 »

Oh, but it's not as expensive as you may think! The AI is actually the same level as an actual whale.

DSL · « **Reply #310 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 08:40 »

Present the financing the right way, and you can convince anybody they can afford anything.

No, I'm not going to rant about the U.S. mortgage bubble.

But you shoulda seen the guy at the Cleveland Air Show one year try to show me how I, on a newspaper salary and a small newspaper salary at that, could swing the financing on a brand-new, $600,000 Cirrus lightplane. The Blue Angels had nothing on this guy's maneuvering.

Maybe you can lease the whale chassis for two years? Or it's a timeshare among several AIs and their ~~owners~~ companion humans?

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #311 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 09:16 »

Quote from: Vurogj on 09 Dec 2012, 05:12

I'm already guessing the answer is no, because that sounds like the kind of decisions my managers make far too often, but...

did the decision maker lose his job, or otherwise suffer professionally in any way?

The way these things work is that the employee gets in trouble for pointing out in advance that it's a mistake ("not a team player"!), then gets in trouble after the fact for not having pointed out that it was a mistake.

DSL · « **Reply #312 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 11:43 »

Sometimes the whistleblower is charged criminally.

K1dmor · « **Reply #313 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 22:39 »

Quote from: DSL on 08 Dec 2012, 07:18

Now all we need is for Hanners to let Winslow upgrade to a holoprojector ..

Or maybe another chassis? Like, more "anthro" , you know..

If she wanna stay with Apple, Not all the Chassis are like Winslow.

Remember #855 ?

He could be a character with more appearance in QC (?).

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #314 on:** 09 Dec 2012, 23:02 »

Jeph has hinted that Winslow is content with his current chassis, but I bet something more cat-resistant would be tempting.

Mr_Rose · « **Reply #315 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 01:16 »

Quote from: K1dmor on 09 Dec 2012, 22:39

Quote from: DSL on 08 Dec 2012, 07:18
Now all we need is for Hanners to let Winslow upgrade to a holoprojector ..

Or maybe another chassis? Like, more "anthro" , you know..

If she wanna stay with Apple, Not all the Chassis are like Winslow.

Remember #855 ?

He could be a character with more appearance in QC (?).

Eve is… not exactly standard equipment. In fact she's practically unique and, if Jeph wants to go that way, could well turn out to be one of the original AIs that sparked the A-PC industry, her AI core being built around a cluster of, IIRC, stock G5 chips, a modified copy of OSX, and some custom hardware which may or may not have included living neural tissue….
She also has integrated weapons that make Pintsize and his laser look like a baby with a water pistol.

I very much doubt there's an Adam model out the waiting for Winslow to come along and inhabit.

jwhouk · « **Reply #316 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 06:51 »

And our Moment Of The Week?

Let's see if you qualify for our "discount program." (Obtuse metaphor use!) 8 (13.1%)
THERE WAS NO SEX INVOLVED. 1 (1.6%)
Well it's my headcanon and you should respect that. 5 (8.2%)
How do you monitor my aaaAAAAAAGH 1 (1.6%)
Gordon the ArachnoPC! "Don't be nervous! There are no wrong answers!" 12 (19.7%)
The biometrics look good to me! (please get off my head) 1 (1.6%)
I should probably go over our return procedure. And criminal liability agreement. And insurance policies. 5 (8.2%)
My head please get off it 9 (14.8%)
...Then they brought out Pintsize. I took him home, and the rest is history. 1 (1.6%)
But... but that is all wrong! You were frightened of Gordon! That would have completely thrown off your biometrics! 1 (1.6%)
Well, it worked out all right in the end, so YOU MEAN I COULDA BEEN WITH A HOT CHICK THIS WHOLE TIME?! 2 (3.3%)
...So it turns out I shouldn't have ended up with Pintsize after all. 1 (1.6%)
He does make me look like a better roommate by comparison. 1 (1.6%)
Still, I wonder what kinda robot you were supposed to end up with. I guess we'll never know. 1 (1.6%)
THE ROBOT WHALE! (CetaPC?) 12 (19.7%)

Total Members Voted: 61

DSL · « **Reply #317 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 07:10 »

Quote from: K1dmor on 09 Dec 2012, 22:39

Quote from: DSL on 08 Dec 2012, 07:18
Now all we need is for Hanners to let Winslow upgrade to a holoprojector ..

Or maybe another chassis? Like, more "anthro" , you know..

Inside joke.

FunkyTuba · « **Reply #318 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 11:44 »

Quote from: MillionDollar Belt Sander on 08 Dec 2012, 15:20

His solution... he bought a drill-press sight unseen from a salvage yard. Got it in-house, the drive-shaft was bent so the drill-chuck wobbled real bad. On top of that it was much too fast, and there was no down-rate control.

Did you have to use this paragon of managerial ingenuity?

Barmymoo · « **Reply #319 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 16:31 »

Is it really an inside joke when the joke was made public a few weeks ago? It's in the archive

DSL · « **Reply #320 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 17:02 »

I'm allowing for wind. And the earth's rotation.

Redball · « **Reply #321 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 17:11 »

I'm lost. Will one of you inside jokesters give me a comic number?

jwhouk · « **Reply #322 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 17:15 »

And that idiot Marven with his pet tarantula.

MillionDollar Belt Sander · « **Reply #323 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 17:43 »

Quote from: Vurogj on 09 Dec 2012, 05:12

I'm already guessing the answer is no, because that sounds like the kind of decisions my managers make far too often, but...

did the decision maker lose his job, or otherwise suffer professionally in any way?

He was driven out of his job by a series of malicious pranks and deliberate attempts to make him look extremely bad in front of the owner. Wasn't hard to do.

Quote from: Funky Tuba

Did you have to use this paragon of managerial ingenuity?

At that point the job was no longer the responsibility of the machine-shop and was fully the responsibility of the production area. So aside from declaring it a "piece of shit" I had nothing further to do with it.

Mr_Rose · « **Reply #324 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 17:48 »

Quote from: Redball on 10 Dec 2012, 17:11

I'm lost. Will one of you inside jokesters give me a comic number?

2316

jwhouk · « **Reply #325 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 17:53 »

Redball: "I worry about you."

ChaosWolf · « **Reply #326 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 00:19 »

Quote from: DSL on 08 Dec 2012, 07:18

Now all we need is for Hanners to let Winslow upgrade to a holoprojector

At first I read that as "helicopter" and pictured Winslow wearing one of those propellor-helmet things from New Super Mario Bros. Wii...
http://www.mariowiki.com/Propeller_Mushroom

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #327 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 01:19 »

Anyone else want to see a quadcopter AnthroPC?

DSL · « **Reply #328 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 02:38 »

Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 11 Dec 2012, 01:19

Anyone else want to see a quadcopter AnthroPC?

Flying Winslow would be cute as hell. Flying Pintsize would be terrifying in its implications. One imagines a Predator drone sent to confront him, doing the General Atomics airframe of a slow headshake and saying, "Dude."
Also, for an OrnithoPC, I'm thinking less of a Mario Bros. propeller beanie and more of ears-turning-into-helicopter-blades, a la Snoopy (with Woodstock as pilot). Or, you know, Robo-YB.

de_la_Nae · « **Reply #329 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 07:43 »

I'm just waiting for the OctoPC

DSL · « **Reply #330 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 08:25 »

It'll just be an ArachnoPC, restyled and re-badged for export.

Carl-E · « **Reply #331 on:** 12 Dec 2012, 01:48 »

No,no,no...

RoboTentacles!

Mr_Rose · « **Reply #332 on:** 12 Dec 2012, 02:55 »

Well, if you must….

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Poll

And our Moment Of The Week?

Author Topic: WCDT: 2333-2337 (3-7 December 2012) Weekly Comic Discussion Thread (Read 85967 times)