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white

8 (5.5%)

wheat

3 (2.1%)

whole wheat

18 (12.4%)

rye

15 (10.3%)

pumpernickel

10 (6.9%)

sourdough

25 (17.2%)

flatbread

3 (2.1%)

pita

7 (4.8%)

crumpet

9 (6.2%)

hardtack

4 (2.8%)

ciabatta

8 (5.5%)

cornbread

15 (10.3%)

one of the scores of varieties not mentioned

20 (13.8%)

Total Members Voted: 79

Voting closed: 10 Jul 2013, 07:49

[westrim]

The comic has arrived, ALL HAIL COMIC! HAIL!

Concerning Dale, called it. I wonder if her issues are similar to the ones people have with the method the 3DS uses to be 3d.

After he delivered peace-pizza (peaca?) and she responded with hissing on sight and her behavior this strip, Marigold is asking for an attitude adjustment. And to be called tsundere.

[Barmymoo]

I assume you mean North American people.

Um, no? That would be quite odd since I'm not North American. I guess I really meant "North American, European, Australian, and any other people who eat cereal, eggs, bread products, cheese and light meats for breakfast". But that seemed like quite a lot of words.

[Arancaytar]

So. AR glasses. When will somebody explain to him that it would be polite to turn them off when directly interacting with people?

Huh?

That kind of social protocol would be really out of place with ubiquitous AI and net access. Put another way, Dale's glasses don't do anything Momo can't do in her head.

(It might be impolite if he were using it in a way that distracts him from social interaction, but it's pretty evident that he isn't distracted.)

[Carl-E]

I suspected Jeph would go the google-glasses route. 

Like he says, THE MYSTERY IS DEAD.

[CrowFairy]

It does make me wonder just what he's augmenting over his reality. I'm going to pretend that mythical creatures are flying around in the background at all times.

[Carl-E]

Guys, guys, this is last week's thread.  AR glasses go in the other WCDT. 

<mod> This refers to posts formerly in the wrong thread that I have now moved here </mod>

[Soulsynger]

I still think whatever we came up with over the years was better. R.I.P. mystery.

Incidentally, with those glasses, Dale will never be a professional ninja. R.I.P. carreer choice.

[Carl-E]

I'm still at odds with how a running gag that went too long becomes retconned into a "magic" tech explanation. 


I just don't know how I feel about it.  It's not shark-jumping by a long shot, but it sorta feels like someone hopped over a fishbowl. 

[Skewbrow]

Dale a ninja? After the mess he and his glasses got into in that dark alley? Let's just say that he's not a natural talent.

Edit: Something happened to the strip-by-strip list? I was greeted with a message like: "Pages 6 to 54 will not be shown in the free preview."

[westrim]

Dale a ninja? After the mess he and his glasses got into in that dark alley? Let's just say that he's not a natural talent.

His WoW character is something ninjaish. I assume the dark alley event occurred because he was distracted by blinking to upload a picture of her reaction.

[mtmerrick]

Dale. Dale.

I want your glasses.

Dale.

Give them to me.


(edit for spelling)

[snubnose]

DA MYSTERY IS DEAD ! ALL HAIL YA MAJESTY DA MYSTERY !

Aaaaand I'm good on Dale glasses. He can keep them. REALLY !

[mtmerrick]

So. AR glasses. When will somebody explain to him that it would be polite to turn them off when directly interacting with people?

never. Because it's not, unless you're a luddite.

[GarandMarine]

I want AR specs! Hell I'd settle for just a HUD...

[Loki]

I assume you mean North American people.

Um, no? That would be quite odd since I'm not North American. I guess I really meant "North American, European, Australian, and any other people who eat cereal, eggs, bread products, cheese and light meats for breakfast". But that seemed like quite a lot of words.

It appears that by calling you out for jumping to conclusions, I jumped to conclusions myself. Sorry I assumed you were talking about eggs and bacon.

His WoW character is something ninjaish.

A rogue, to be precise. It was also mentioned in the comic, but I am too lazy to find the exact strip.

It is interesting how Jeph correctly depicted that self-conscious people are sometimes (frequently?) unable to take compassion shown to them for real, used to being bullied and their feelings made fun of. So when that happens, they are prone to telling those people to go away. This, of course, alienates people even more, leading to a vicious cycle.

Am I projecting from my teenage self? Yes, maybe.

[Delator]

I'm still at odds with how a running gag that went too long becomes retconned into a "magic" tech explanation. 

I just don't know how I feel about it.  It's not shark-jumping by a long shot, but it sorta feels like someone hopped over a fishbowl.

I know I'm still shaking my fist at that cloud...

[St.Clair]

So. AR glasses. When will somebody explain to him that it would be polite to turn them off when directly interacting with people?

never. Because it's not, unless you're a luddite.

I see.  So you'd also be fine with me always being on the phone when you're trying to talk to me?  Or, in a previous era, having all conversations with an open newspaper or book between us?

Because, really, in all those cases the implication/subtext is the same:  "You are not worth my full attention."

[ChaoSera]

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!

The correct spelling for our "main" characters:

• Marten Reed
• Faye Whitaker
• Dora Bianchi
• Tai Hubbard
• Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham
• Sven Bianchi
• Steve
• Marigold Farmer
• Pintsize
• Winslow
• Cosette Hurlbut
• Penelope Gaines
• Veronica Vance-Reed
• Henry Reed
• Maurice Duplantier
• Emily Azuma
• Claire Augustus
• Clinton Augustus

Added Winslow and Cosette.

I also never noticed that we don't know Steve's last name, despite him being introduced in the third comic. Weird.

[mtmerrick]

So. AR glasses. When will somebody explain to him that it would be polite to turn them off when directly interacting with people?

never. Because it's not, unless you're a luddite.

I see.  So you'd also be fine with me always being on the phone when you're trying to talk to me?  Or, in a previous era, having all conversations with an open newspaper or book between us?

Because, really, in all those cases the implication/subtext is the same:  "You are not worth my full attention."

no,  the implication is "I am capable of doing multiple things with my brain". I feel sad for anyone who is not.

[Border Reiver]

You're still telling the person you are having a conversation with, giving instructions to, etc. that they are not worth your full attention. 

[KOK]

Because, really, in all those cases the implication/subtext is the same:  "You are not worth my full attention."

no,  the implication is "I am capable of doing multiple things with my brain". I feel sad for anyone who is not.

So it is not just rude, it is rude and arrogant.

[judemorrigan]

So. AR glasses. When will somebody explain to him that it would be polite to turn them off when directly interacting with people?

never. Because it's not, unless you're a luddite.

I see.  So you'd also be fine with me always being on the phone when you're trying to talk to me?  Or, in a previous era, having all conversations with an open newspaper or book between us?

Because, really, in all those cases the implication/subtext is the same:  "You are not worth my full attention."

I think that really depends on exactly what the AR glasses provide and how much control one has over when they provide it.  It's conceivable that there's just a basic HUD that a user who's used to them can pretty much ignore when interacting with other people.  Plus, this is Dale.  He probably considers their constantly glowing to be a feature, not a bug.  I have no problems imagining him leaving them glowing even if and when they were providing him with no information at all.

[pwhodges]

Using enhanced reality glasses when interacting with someone need not mean that you are not engaging with them indirectly through them (just as with hearing aids, for instance); however, social awareness of this will require time to evolve more fully.

[Zebediah]

Exactly. This tech is still in the early stages, so we haven't fully come to terms with the social implications of it.

One thing to note is that the people who have Google glasses now do not turn them off. Ever. But the early adopters are all extreme technophiles, so they're not a good representative sample of the population at large.

[jwhouk]

Jwhouk, I'm tempted to move that post to its own stickied thread. Would you object?

Not at all. Include link to the Wiki if you want.

[ChaoSera]

Jwhouk, I'm tempted to move that post to its own stickied thread. Would you object?

Not at all. Include link to the Wiki if you want.

Don't use the one without Winslow and Cosette, though.

[jwhouk]

Dale a ninja? After the mess he and his glasses got into in that dark alley? Let's just say that he's not a natural talent.

Edit: Something happened to the strip-by-strip list? I was greeted with a message like: "Pages 6 to 54 will not be shown in the free preview."

*Sigh* Scribd is being stupid. If you don't have an account and submit something to share, it doesn't let you read complete documents. 

[westrim]

no,  the implication is "I am capable of doing multiple things with my brain". I feel sad for anyone who is not.

This has actually been scientifically analyzed and found to not happen. Humans don't multitask- the closest they get is switching focus back and forth rapidly between tasks.

Now, Dale is probably not multitasking, because there is no evidence that he is interacting with or observing his glasses while conversing.

[pwhodges]

*Sigh* Scribd is being stupid.

I have never had Scribd do anything useful for me.  I learnt long ago to ignore all references to its use; and as far as I can see it offers nothing that can't be done by simply hosting a PDF on any suitable web space.

[snubnose]

I also never noticed that we don't know Steve's last name, despite him being introduced in the third comic. Weird.

Maybe he's actually a king and has no family name. Okay okay I'll shut up, he probably just has a good old fashioned family name. Maybe its Steve ? Or Steven. Or Stevenson. Or Steverific... ? shutting up, shutting up !

[Zebediah]

Steve had a last name, but all records of it were erased when he joined USDOKYA. Now he just has a number. And they won't even tell him what the number is.

[celticgeek]

Steve's last name might be Agent K.

[Floorman]

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!

The correct spelling for our "main" characters:

• Marten Reed
• Faye Whitaker
• Dora Bianchi
• Tai Hubbard
• Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham
• Sven Bianchi
• Steve
• Marigold Farmer
• Pintsize
• Winslow
• Cosette Hurlbut
• Penelope Gaines
• Veronica Vance-Reed
• Henry Reed
• Maurice Duplantier
• Emily Azuma
• Claire Augustus
• Clinton Augustus

Added Winslow and Cosette.

I also never noticed that we don't know Steve's last name, despite him being introduced in the third comic. Weird.

According to this strip, Tai's last name is Hubbert, not Hubbard

[Is it cold in here?]

I have never had Scribd do anything useful for me.

There's an outdated but still useful copy of the list hosted on the wiki.

Scribd has multiple uses. It can temporarily treat low blood pressure, and cure you of excessive goal orientation.

[onefish]

Oh, I just knew I'd come to this thread and people would be disappointed by the glasses.

I'm extremely pleased -- we still got all the great glowing glasses jokes and images, but the explanation retroactively makes sense and fits the character. And an explanation that makes sense is good -- there's some pretty crazy tech, but there isn't "magic" in the QC world.

[Masterpiece]

Speaking of AR glasses, a guy was using Google Glass in front of me in the subway. I felt weirdly watched.

[cesium133]

Big Brother is watching you (assuming you have a living elder male sibling who isn't blind and is within range of sight of you and is looking in your general direction).

*throws some acorns into the pun jar for the hungry squirrel*

[Sidhekin]

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!

The correct spelling for our "main" characters:

• Marten Reed
• Faye Whitaker
• Dora Bianchi
• Tai Hubbard
• Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham
• Sven Bianchi
• Steve
• Marigold Farmer
• Pintsize
• Winslow
• Cosette Hurlbut
• Penelope Gaines
• Veronica Vance-Reed
• Henry Reed
• Maurice Duplantier
• Emily Azuma
• Claire Augustus
• Clinton Augustus

Added Winslow and Cosette.

I also never noticed that we don't know Steve's last name, despite him being introduced in the third comic. Weird.

According to this strip, Tai's last name is Hubbert, not Hubbard

According to this strip, Marigold's full name may be Marigold Louise Farmer.

However, Marten is not really named Marten Tiberius Reed, so who knows? 

[J]

i like the idea of one of the characters using ar goggles, it's a good example of how technology is integrated into everyday life in the qc setting.

speaking of which, notice how the only other two characters on that list without last names are robots. maybe that's a clue about steve?

no,  the implication is "I am capable of doing multiple things with my brain". I feel sad for anyone who is not.

This has actually been scientifically analyzed and found to not happen. Humans don't multitask- the closest they get is switching focus back and forth rapidly between tasks.

actually, the answer is a great deal more complicated than that. the nervous system does multitask to a massive extent, managing all the essential systems of the body at the same time, constantly. however, individual parts of the brain are only able to engage in one task at a time & have to switch back and forth while multitasking.

this is why you can walk and talk and breathe and digest and navigate all at the same time without any problems, but not read a book while having a conversation and listening to the news. the former is an example of different systems engaging in different tasks, while the later is an example of one system (language) trying to process 3 different streams of input at the same time.

furthermore, while that type of multitasking can be improved with practice, there is some recent evidence that people who learn to do so well experience a detrimental effect on their ability to concentrate on a single task.

[Floorman]

According to this strip, Marigold's full name may be Marigold Louise Farmer.

However, Marten is not really named Marten Tiberius Reed, so who knows? 

Since proper spelling of character names seems to be a very important deal, I simply wished to do my part.

[Loki]

Big Brother is watching you (assuming you have a living elder male sibling who isn't blind and is within range of sight of you and is looking in your general direction).

*throws some acorns into the pun jar for the hungry squirrel*

Thank you for your consideration. However, is this enough?
Abstract:
In this paper, we will attempt to determine whether out little virtual critter survives. It is known that squirrels eat acorns [3], among other things (they are omnivores [3]).

One dried acorn weighs 4 grams. [1]
100g of (dried) acorns contain 509 calories. [2] Therefore it follows that 4g  (= 1 acorn) contain 509/25 = 20.36 calories.
The Internet tells us that a squirrel has a daily caloric intake of a squirrel is between 95-140 calories [3], which comes out at about 5-7 acorns the little critter needs to eat per day.

Now, how many is "some"? Again, from the Internet [4], we learn that "some" is "relatively many". The first recorded use of the word is 1840, by the way. Maybe we can conclude how many acorns we have from historical context. It seems opportune to take a look at Wikipedia [5] to see what was happening in the UK in 1840.

We can see a lot of architectural projects being started in that year, despite the ongoing Opium War with China. This year also marks the introduction of the Chimney Sweeps Act which "prohibits the employment of children under the age of 21 as chimney sweeps." [5]. From these facts, we can conclude that 1840 was a year of relative prosperity, so the word "some" probably meant what would in other times be considered "plenty". For purposes of this paper, it seems to be safe to assume that this could have meant around 7, which is, as shown earlier, enough for a squirrel to survive for one day.

Conclusion: the squirrel lives for now. However, as an omnivore, it will require a balanced diet. For how long it can live, yet remains to be seen, and we are looking forward to further research on the matter.


[1] http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=weight+of+one+dried+acorn
[2] http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3083/2
[3] http://impactla.calstatela.edu/lesson.shtml?param=135 in the PDF
[4] http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=how+many+is+some
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1840_in_the_United_Kingdom

[Nepiophage]

I love the way Dale can eat and drink with a toothpick in his mouth.

[no one special]

For those who don't already know about it, the BEST alternatives to jerky are Tanka Bites...
...Plus, it's big, soft chunks of meat, not all dried out like jerky...

You say that like jerky is a brand name with one method of production. Also, I feel like i just read an infomercial.

Didn't mean to make it sound like an infomercial - I just get excited about stuff.  I love finding healthier alternative foods, and I just think it's really awesome that a Native company is doing so well - so I guess I just believe in it and want to help any way I can 

[no one special]

I'm still at odds with how a running gag that went too long becomes retconned into a "magic" tech explanation. 

I wouldn't call it retconning - that would imply that some previous history was being rewritten.  Since we have no previous history on Dale's glasses, this is just... an explanation, really.

[Rghfrgl]

 He said a long time ago on twitter there was a reason for it.

 He could have probably have revealed it earlier though, BEFORE it actually became a real life thing.

[celticgeek]

As I recall, something like these glasses showed up in "Snow Crash".

[mtmerrick]

i like the idea of one of the characters using ar goggles, it's a good example of how technology is integrated into everyday life in the qc setting.

speaking of which, notice how the only other two characters on that list without last names are robots. maybe that's a clue about steve?

no,  the implication is "I am capable of doing multiple things with my brain". I feel sad for anyone who is not.

This has actually been scientifically analyzed and found to not happen. Humans don't multitask- the closest they get is switching focus back and forth rapidly between tasks.

actually, the answer is a great deal more complicated than that. the nervous system does multitask to a massive extent, managing all the essential systems of the body at the same time, constantly. however, individual parts of the brain are only able to engage in one task at a time & have to switch back and forth while multitasking.

this is why you can walk and talk and breathe and digest and navigate all at the same time without any problems, but not read a book while having a conversation and listening to the news. the former is an example of different systems engaging in different tasks, while the later is an example of one system (language) trying to process 3 different streams of input at the same time.

furthermore, while that type of multitasking can be improved with practice, there is some recent evidence that people who learn to do so well experience a detrimental effect on their ability to concentrate on a single task.

everyone I've ever met, even luddites bad at multitasking, are able to do two things at once - example, making a bed while holding a conversation, dicing vegetables while reading a cookbook, or the singular act of dictation: listening to and understanding what someone is saying while writing it down. Yes, studies have shown that with a complex task,  your full attention is required. Duh. However 3/4 of your daily activities, if not more, do not qualify as a "complex task" to most people. One of my biggest pet peeves are people who say "you're not listening to me unless you're sitting down,  making eye contact,  hands folded in your lap,  and not saying a word". I know people like that. They're wrong. I highly doubt anyone will challenge me on this.

[bhtooefr]

He said a long time ago on twitter there was a reason for it.

 He could have probably have revealed it earlier though, BEFORE it actually became a real life thing.

It was a real life thing 22 years before QC started.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyetap

[Shjade]

i like the idea of one of the characters using ar goggles, it's a good example of how technology is integrated into everyday life in the qc setting.

speaking of which, notice how the only other two characters on that list without last names are robots. maybe that's a clue about steve?

no,  the implication is "I am capable of doing multiple things with my brain". I feel sad for anyone who is not.

This has actually been scientifically analyzed and found to not happen. Humans don't multitask- the closest they get is switching focus back and forth rapidly between tasks.

actually, the answer is a great deal more complicated than that. the nervous system does multitask to a massive extent, managing all the essential systems of the body at the same time, constantly. however, individual parts of the brain are only able to engage in one task at a time & have to switch back and forth while multitasking.

this is why you can walk and talk and breathe and digest and navigate all at the same time without any problems, but not read a book while having a conversation and listening to the news. the former is an example of different systems engaging in different tasks, while the later is an example of one system (language) trying to process 3 different streams of input at the same time.

furthermore, while that type of multitasking can be improved with practice, there is some recent evidence that people who learn to do so well experience a detrimental effect on their ability to concentrate on a single task.

everyone I've ever met, even luddites bad at multitasking, are able to do two things at once - example, making a bed while holding a conversation, dicing vegetables while reading a cookbook, or the singular act of dictation: listening to and understanding what someone is saying while writing it down. Yes, studies have shown that with a complex task,  your full attention is required. Duh. However 3/4 of your daily activities, if not more, do not qualify as a "complex task" to most people. One of my biggest pet peeves are people who say "you're not listening to me unless you're sitting down,  making eye contact,  hands folded in your lap,  and not saying a word". I know people like that. They're wrong. I highly doubt anyone will challenge me on this.

I like how this whole side conversation misses the point of the phrase "full attention."

Yes, you are completely capable of juggling a variety of different tasks or maybe a couple of complex ones or etc. etc. I'm sure you're a very talented person and your parents are proud of you. However, when you're showing off your multitasking skills, you are, by definition of that act, not devoting your full attention to any one of those tasks. You are doing all of them adequately. "Adequate attention" is not "full attention."

If you're multitasking while you're having a conversation with someone, you may very well hear and respond to that person, but you're also refusing to give them your full attention while you do so. To some, this could be seen as disrespectful, depending on the circumstances.

[Jeva]

Glowy AR specs, SO MUCH WANT.

On the topic of mulitasking problems/social conventions of AR-specs with HUDs, we really don't have many real-world examples at the moment, they aren't widespread enough yet. However, we can look to computer games as a guide, I'm sure many of us who play RPGs (role-playing games) can testify that during conversations with characters there's very little distraction caused by the HUD, or at most other times really. Checking it is more subconcious activity than concious, I can see this being very similar in the real world.