Print

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

Bubbles busts through a wall and shouts "Oh yeah!"

Marten asks where the bridal catalog came from

Claire buys a corset

Tai, Dora and Faye play mini golf!

Emily and Clin-ton have an excellent adventure followed by a less memorable bogus journey

[mustang6172]

We can do all of those options through the power of a montage.

[Squiddlywinx]

Hmmmmm?

[mustang6172]

Ah, we're going the robosexual route.  Sometimes I wonder if QC was created by an intelligent force that reads our thoughts.

[Penquin47]

Fourteen is definitely old enough to know about smooching.  That would put her 8th or 9th grade, and a LOT of kids her age are dating and doing a lot more than smooching, so I'm pretty sure if Momo admits that yes, she's thought about smooching a human, Jim's not gonna be mad.

Anything more than that and she should probably check with Jim, though.

[mustang6172]

Come to think of it, Sam's probably had a few sex ed classes.  Plus, there is a computer (not referring to Momo) in her room.  Even with a porn blocker, there's more than a few Wikipedia articles about human sexuality that could be read.

[Mmeaninglessnamee]

The ship that was chartered thousands of strips ago may still one day sail (squeeeeee)

I completely agree with Momo being hesitant to talk to someone else's child about sexuality though, it could end up problematic in many ways. But then again searching the wild wild web for information would probably be much worse.

[Somebody]

...am I forgetting something? Why is Momo in Samantha's room?

[Gladstone]

Sam is babysitting.

[TheCollector]

They really seem to be delving into AI/Human intimate relations alot more since Bubbles came around huh?
/hint hint

[anahata]

Fourteen is definitely old enough to know about smooching.

Yes of course, Momo's only making a hasty excuse for avoiding a subject she feels uncomfortable with. If she answered yes, Sam's next question would be "who?", though Momo would then be on safer ground to say that was none of Sam's business.

[hedgie]

It's just a good thing that Sam doesn't socialise with May or Pintsize.

[BenRG]

Well, that's pretty much how a fourteen-year-old would have a conversation like that! Teasing, challenging and full of that teenage conceit that they are somehow already grown up! There is also a call-back to the fact that Momo personally finds Sven attractive and wants to do the 'physical aspects' with him! Can't blame her for dodging that confession! 

Now, is Jeph laying the groundwork for something or is he just presenting the answer to a frequently asked question through Sam and Momo?

[Storel]

Somewhere I got the impression that AIs/AnthroPCs didn't like the term "robot", so it seems odd to hear Momo saying "robot years". Or am I hallucinating having seen that in one of the older strips?

[Loki]

"Like, smooching?" Somebody please tell me Sam's got the Talk already.

You know, not the one in strip 500.

[hedgie]

Somewhere I got the impression that AIs/AnthroPCs didn't like the term "robot", so it seems odd to hear Momo saying "robot years". Or am I hallucinating having seen that in one of the older strips?

It seems to vary from AI to AI.  Momo has used the word "robot" for herself on multiple occasions, even after getting the new chassis.  May, OTOH doesn't seem to like it much.

[oeoek]

Today's comic is a nice reminder of certain problems around AI's. In a way. Sam and Momo hanging out makes perfect sense, they pretty much look and act like girlfriends (frog lord) They are both still very much exploring and questioning the world.
But in a way, Momo -and all AI's- are very different in childhood. Able to download massive amounts of data and protocols might make 4 year old Momo a suitable 'babysitter' (with the much needed more impulse control than the average fourteen year old). But just downloading data and protocols does not make a grown-up, and Momo is -like Sam- still in a process of figuring out what it all means (her talk with Bubbles is a good example I think). Her reaction is indeed not that mature if I try to imagine how for example Veronica might have handled it. Interesting...

And yes, there was that Sven-moment...

[BenRG]

It occurs to me that Sam is at just the right age where her hormone balances are changing and she's started to possibly start to feel attraction to others. It makes sense that she'd turn to her closest 'similar age' (adolescent or equivalent) friend to discuss this.

Here is a thought: QC started out very much as the story of Marten trying to get his life back together, post-Vicky. This meta-arc has more-or-less concluded now. There are only a few more serious steps for Jeph to dramatise before we can say Marten's arc is completely wrapped up. Similarly, one of the B-arcs, Dora's attempt to find stability in her life, seems to be approaching or even at a conclusion. I suspect that Jeph has decided to focus on a few new arcs to take over as the central plank of the strip.

• Faye getting her life back together and, perhaps, finding a purpose in life;
• Bubbles' story (and, to a broader extent, criminality and exploitation within the AI community);
• The relationship between humans and AIs, as symbolised by Momo's anthrosexuality.

I am arguing that, in some ways, we could consider the time skip at the start of this year as being the beginning of "Questionable Content v.2.0"

[Method of Madness]

I wonder what the conversion rate is from robot to human years.

[osaka]

I'm guessing is not a linear scale and most likely depends on the model, specially taking into account the specializations different chassis can give. Hell, we could consider the original Pintzise chassis (way back at QC 1) to be equivalent to a talking baby, since he basically couldn't move on his own.

[Zebediah]

Come to think of it, Sam's probably had a few sex ed classes.  Plus, there is a computer (not referring to Momo) in her room.  Even with a porn blocker, there's more than a few Wikipedia articles about human sexuality that could be read.

Absolutely. In Massachusetts sex ed classes start in sixth grade (ages 11-12). Fifth grade if you count discussion of puberty, though they don't cover the sexual aspects of it in until sixth grade. So Sam definitely should have learned about sex by now.

[ThePerilsOfDan]

I was digging Sam's choice of reading material and wonder if those 4" D-ring binders on the bottom shelf are her own field work results.  Jeph's comment about enjoying backgrounds in Manga Studio prompted me to take a closer look.

One question, I keep hearing something about a time skip and I am confused.  I've been reading this toon for a couple years now and I don't know what are they talking about and could use some enlightenment.

[BenRG]

One question, I keep hearing something about a time skip and I am confused.  I've been reading this toon for a couple years now and I don't know what are they talking about and could use some enlightenment.

At the start of this year, the strip skipped over the events of about 3-6 months in-universe. We have gone from the beginning of fall to possibly the beginning of winter or even later in the course of just one strip.

[Morituri]

I'm writing off pintsize's original non-mobile chassis as a compromise between

"severely problematic underdeveloped personality and exposing him to humans is probably a risk to reputation and goodwill"

and

"nevertheless applied for companion duty and for unknown reasons, scored a match with a particular human (DEAR GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT BOY?!)"

And of course it turns out that the match was spurious because Gordon was freaking Marten the hell out, but it got Pintsize out of virtuality regardless.

[comicalArchitect]

Regarding the term "robot": I see it as almost like "colored". Not quite overtly offensive, but still antiquated enough that humans shouldn't use it.

[DSL]

Regarding the term "robot": I see it as almost like "colored". Not quite overtly offensive, but still antiquated enough that humans shouldn't use it.

Any evidence for that being the case in-universe?

[Zebediah]

All the evidence we have in-universe indicates that "robot" is a term that AIs with mechanical bodies use for themselves and do not find offensive when humans use it.

[jheartney]

It occurs to me that Sam is at just the right age where her hormone balances are changing and she's started to possibly start to feel attraction to others. It makes sense that she'd turn to her closest 'similar age' (adolescent or equivalent) friend to discuss this.

That was probably at least a year earlier. By fourteen she'll have full information on the mechanics of human sexuality, and will have likely had at least one crush. If she's advanced, she'll have had more experience than that, though she strikes me as nerdy enough not to have.

The only reason for Momo to withhold specifics is out of deference to Jim. She should alert him that Sam asked the question, though.

On the point of human/AI relationships, it looks to me that there'd be a whole range, from purpose-built sex-bots to platonic love affairs a la Her. AI's are presented as having a recognizable gamut of human emotions, so this sort of thing would be inevitable.

(ETA: I see there's a whole thread for this topic.)

[Undrneath]

I think Sam is a late blooming tomboy so she may not have developed to that point.

[chaospersonified]

I keep reading these comments like 'of COURSE she'll have had sex ed by fourteen!' and it's reminding me that most places aren't as bassackwards as where I grew up. My school taught sex ed to us in 9th grade, abstinence-only. 

[Zebediah]

I'll just leave  this here: One of my sisters is an MD in family practice. When she started her practice 30 years ago, she would ask 14-year-old girls if they needed to talk about birth control. Enough said "yes" that she started asking 13-year-olds. Then 12. Then 11. Now she routinely discusses sex and birth control with 10-year-old girls. Because they need to know.

[Kugai]

I wonder if this is the beginning of a new and interesting arc

[hedgie]

I'll just leave  this here: One of my sisters is an MD in family practice. When she started her practice 30 years ago, she would ask 14-year-old girls if they needed to talk about birth control. Enough said "yes" that she started asking 13-year-olds. Then 12. Then 11. Now she routinely discusses sex and birth control with 10-year-old girls. Because they need to know.

And as a doctor, she'd actually know how to discuss things properly.  I remember when I still played WoW, there was one guy asking in guild chat about the HPV jab and whether it was a good time to get for his kids who were either in that age range, or about to enter it.  I answered honestly and completely enough, albeit a bit bluntly about the prevalence of it, and the guy freaked and disconnected immediately.  An hour or so later, he comes back on.  Apparently his wife had to explain things to him in a less ham-fisted way to bring him back to normal and he said that he was scheduling appointments for the sprogs first thing in the morning.

[Method of Madness]

I'm guessing "jab" means vaccination? That's an interesting way to put it, hopefully whoever is wielding the needle doesn't take it literally.

[comicalArchitect]

Regarding the term "robot": I see it as almost like "colored". Not quite overtly offensive, but still antiquated enough that humans shouldn't use it.

Any evidence for that being the case in-universe?

Just the feeling I got based on the varying reactions to it throughout the comic. Not trying to make any definite statement.

[hedgie]

I'm guessing "jab" means vaccination? That's an interesting way to put it, hopefully whoever is wielding the needle doesn't take it literally.

Being terribly afraid of needles, trust me, I'm going to say "jab".  The one I got this year for the flu[1].  Got it in my right arm, since I'm left-handed, but since I sleep on my right side, I was pairing a strong night cap to go with my sleeping pill because otherwise the discomfort was too much.

[1]Not concerned about myself, but I don't want to be a potential Typhoid Mary for the immunosuppressed.

[TheEvilDog]

Regarding the term "robot": I see it as almost like "colored". Not quite overtly offensive, but still antiquated enough that humans shouldn't use it.

Considering that the word robot came from the Czech word "robota", which means "forced labour", as in serfdom, itself coming from the word "rab" meaning "slave", I can understand why many AI and AnthroPCs might feel that the word is offensive.

With regards to Sam's questioning, I'm kinda getting the feeling that Jeph is using this both as a means to answer a perhaps oft-asked question with an innocent response, but also as a means to gauge people's responses to something happening somewhere down the line.

I'm guessing "jab" means vaccination? That's an interesting way to put it, hopefully whoever is wielding the needle doesn't take it literally.

Ever had to get an intramuscular vaccine shot? I've seen doctors and nurses practically throw the syringe to get it deep enough to where it needs to go.

[Mordhaus]

All AI's want to do is to serve Man.

[Morituri]

I think the politically correct word would probably be "Synthetic." 

Some people already use (and actively encourage others to use) it in discussions on "Artificial Intelligence" because what we're trying to create isn't FAKE intelligence, it's NON BIOLOGICAL intelligence.  Similarly, "Robot" sort of  implies an automaton (or slave) working according to an owners' orders where 'synthetic' just means it was created by technical means, so "Synthetic" is probably a much better word there.

However, it's never been used AFAIK in QC, so YMMV. 

[Neko_Ali]

All AI's want to do is to serve Man.

Plot twist! It's a cookbook!

[Tova]

The term "jab" to mean "vaccine" is common here in Australia, at least.

I am generally fine with needles, but I still have memories of getting a cat scan as a young teenager, where they had to inject some kind of fluid into my spinal column, preceded by the teeniest little needle you've ever seen to administer an anesthetic. It seemed to take them forever, and I was in tears. They admonished me thus:

"We had a little girl in here, and she didn't cry."
"I DON'T CARE"

I'd rather not go through that again, thank you.

I'll be getting flu jab in the near future. Some people have bruising and all kinds of horrible problems, but luckily for me, it is no problem, and the people who administer it are pretty skilled at it.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Dog years are way more than Robot years.

[pwhodges]

The term "jab" to mean "vaccine" is common here in Australia, at least.

It's completely normal here in the UK also.

[FunkyTuba]

Re: "Robot"

Given her job interacting with The Public at the convenience store, May probably gets the term "robot" hurled at her as a pejorative more often than Momo does and as such might be more inclined to take offense at it.

Plus she was in "robot jail" which sucked.

[Penquin47]

I want a Derp Snake poster.

[Method of Madness]

The term "jab" to mean "vaccine" is common here in Australia, at least.

It's completely normal here in the UK also.

It makes way more sense than a "shot," which is what they call it in the states.

[hedgie]

I'm pretty sure that I have heard both in the US, although "shot" is far more common.  Sometimes my brain gets left-pondian and right pondian confused.

[Method of Madness]

She should alert him that Sam asked the question, though.

Since when was Momo a snitch?

[chaospersonified]

I'm pretty sure that I have heard both in the US, although "shot" is far more common.  Sometimes my brain gets left-pondian and right pondian confused.

As a dude in the southern parts of the US, I would be entirely thrown off by the term 'jab' except for a good vocabulary and an appreciation for foreign media. The word is 'shot,' and I say that as the son of a doctor and someone who's worked in other areas of the American medical system.

'Jab' is something I could understand in context, but not something I've ever heard.

[Method of Madness]

Yeah, I figured out "jab" from context, but I'd never heard it used to mean that before today.

[Tova]

I forgot to mention that I was quite pleased that Sam managed to find a way to produce a sentence containing three instances of the word "like" in a row.