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Roko gets the big bust of her dreams.

Corpsewitch does something to set up Faye & Company.

Bubbles does some raccoon extermination.

Spathe Ham and Waffles.

Cloistered chlorine Chloe

[brasca]

Corpse Witch doesn't look concerned so more than likely there's nothing there she can use as evidence or she's baited the place with what appears to be contraband, but it is actually legal and will only serve to embarrass Officer Basili when the case has to be thrown out. 

[BenRG]

Corpse Witch always comes across as cheerful and upbeat. It's basically her default expression and might have more to do with her chassis than her mood.

In any case, what really does she have to fear at this point? Unless, as I suggested up-thread the $2 bills are marked as part of an attempt by the ATF to trap gun-runners and those who launder their profits, I doubt that there's anything in the arena that a moderately-competent lawyer (and you can bet that Corpse Witch's lawyers are good) couldn't explain away.

[Method of Madness]

I figure Pintsize uses Jeffersons because arms dealers do and he thinks that's cool,  not that he got them from arms dealers. If he actually knew arms dealers, don't you think he would actually have better arms? I mean you can barely see them, they're much smaller than his hands

[Case]

My new go-to line for greeting strangers (and fending off Jehova's Witnesses):

"Hi! Would you like to come inside? We're about to peel off someone's face!"


EDIT: Well, I'm still not the greatest fan of the organization per se, but ... JW are people, just like me. Making fun of them just because I can was not inspired by the better angles of my nature. In fact, it came from a place I really dislike.

Sorry 'bout that.

[Method of Madness]

I'm probably the only person who has never had a Jehovah's Witness come to my door and is disappointed about that. It seems like they'd be fascinating to talk to! Unless they just shut down when you try to engage in a debate.

[neurocase]

face meaaaaaats

[oddtail]

I'm probably the only person who has never had a Jehovah's Witness come to my door and is disappointed about that. It seems like they'd be fascinating to talk to! Unless they just shut down when you try to engage in a debate.

I haven't had JW's come to my door, but I've read extensively about their discussion methods, and I'm less than eager to talk to them after that. They use some pretty effective arguing tricks, but from what I've heard from friends who did talk to them, they tend to either talk in circles and ignore points made by who they talk to (or should I say, "talk at"?), or their discourse gets short-circuited if you point out the sophistry they use.

YMMV.

[Zebediah]

Hm, now I'm imagining how the scene would play out if the JWs came to the door and Pintsize answered. 

[dexeron]

Wait... her name is actually Roko Basilisk?!

 

[Storel]

Wait... her name is actually Roko Basilisk?!

 

It's not certain what her full last name is -- as TheEvilDog pointed out, she appears to have been cut off by CW's remark. Basilisk certainly seems plausible, though.

[jheartney]

One other observation about this is that Roko was not intending to go in and arrest people at this moment; she was just skulking and attempting not to be seen (unsuccessfully). So she's trying to wing it with bluster. CW knows this, and also knows there won't be anything actionable in view, so there'll be no probable cause for Roku to go looking for gambling winnings stashed anywhere, or a ledger of bets taken/lost/won.

Taking down a large-scale criminal organization isn't something you do on a whim. Unless Roko has some real info and a plan, she's shooting blanks.

[Zebediah]

So if Roko is actually Roko's Basilisk, is she going after Corpse Witch for failing to help her come into existence?

[Atherea]

I figure Pintsize uses Jeffersons because arms dealers do and he thinks that's cool,  not that he got them from arms dealers. If he actually knew arms dealers, don't you think he would actually have better arms? I mean you can barely see them, they're much smaller than his hands

It's also a possible reference to the common usage of 2 dollar bills in strip clubs, which feels like a very Pintsize sort of thing.

[Morituri]

At the risk of derailing things with a tangential topic, Roko's Basilisk is not quite the stupidest idea I've ever heard but it's in the top two percent. 

In the first place, entropy.  Information is continually being destroyed.  The idea that sufficient information exists at some future point to make a simulation of me as I am now is a non-starter. And if some God-mode AI will decide it feels like making simulations of people (random people, not specific individuals, because entropy introduces information constraints that place specific individuals out of reach) and torturing them, then that sucks but there's nothing I can do about that. 

In the second place, even if the God-mode AI can make a perfectly accurate simulation of me, it won't be me.  I'll be dead by that time.  The existence of some simulation having my memories, personality, etc, is interesting, but it will be a different person - and for that matter a completely blameless one, since if the thing making the simulation already exists, then obviously the simulation cannot have prevented or delayed its existence.

In the third place, a willingness to modify one's own course of action based on the suffering of a hypothetical simulation is the sole reason for any such simulation to be made.  Therefore it is a horribly bad idea to modify one's course of action based on the suffering of some hypothetical simulation. Or to put this another way, if it turns out that I am the simulation, then what the hell was the point of simulating me given that I'm a simulation of someone who has logically concluded that his behavior mustn't be modified in the slightest by doing so?

In the fourth place, this is supposed to be a "Friendly" AI?  A friendly AI has such a thing as empathy IMO, and would find such a pastime repugnant.

Just sayin.'  The idea makes complete nonsense. 

[tomveil]

Wait... her name is actually Roko Basilisk?!

 

Shh, don't disturb the time-travelling Singularity!

[Is it cold in here?]

I think Detective Basilisk needs an update to her tactical software.

I wouldn't turn my back on Corpse Witch, for example.

Bursting into hostile territory single-handed? Either they don't have officer safety training in the QC world or else it's modified on the theory that the officer can transfer to a new chassis if the current one gets wrecked.

[TheEvilDog]

I think Detective Basilisk needs an update to her tactical software.

I wouldn't turn my back on Corpse Witch, for example.

Bursting into hostile territory single-handed? Either they don't have officer safety training in the QC world or else it's modified on the theory that the officer can transfer to a new chassis if the current one gets wrecked.

Part of the reason for my theory that Roko isn't actually a cop. She really has no clue what she is doing.

[TinPenguin]

This paints Bubbles in a weird light to me.  The fact that she and Corpse Witch have a code phrase and SOPs for police calls makes it seem less like she's a good person in a bad place and more "willing accomplice".

Of course she's a willing accomplice. Whether she wants to be willing is another matter, but so is Faye, and everyone working there as fighter or fixer, who all know it is illegal and regardless of why any one of them is there, they all have a vested interest in not being busted.

'Raccoon' need not be a codeword, or even an in-joke, though. I read it as an off-the-cuff improvisation. Corpse Witch knows Bubbles wouldn't bother telling her about a mere raccoon, so she picks up that there is a more serious threat snooping.

Part of the reason for my theory that Roko isn't actually a cop. She really has no clue what she is doing.

Ah, maybe she just wants to meet Hank the Dismemberer too.

[SomeCanadianWeirdo]

Part of the reason for my theory that Roko isn't actually a cop. She really has no clue what she is doing.

It'll turn out she works in parking enforcement, and is hoping to break a big case by herself so they'll make her a real cop. 

[Kugai]

It's been mentioned before that CW and Bubbles have been aware of Rocko/Lilac snooping around for a while, so it wouldn't surprise me if they did have some sort of Code Phrase for her.

I think that this is where Rocko has her Clouseau moment

[Is it cold in here?]

If she is imagining taking down an organized crime ring single-handed then Clouseau is also delusional.

[JimC]

'Raccoon' need not be a codeword, or even an in-joke, though. I read it as an off-the-cuff improvisation.

Dunno. Go back to http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3331. Do you see it in a new light? Maybe the in joke was there?

I see it as quite a smart move by CW etc. Officer has just burst in spectacularly on a scene that's legal, bordering on charitable. 

[TinPenguin]

Oh sure it's an in-joke alright, just CW isn't necessarily in.

[Tova]

If she is imagining taking down an organized crime ring single-handed then Clouseau is also delusional.

We already know she isn't interested in taking down the fighting ring.

What we don't know is what she actually does want to achieve.

Her recent actions certainly aren't illuminating.

[Gyrre]

Finally, we know the officer's name! "Roko Basili", hmm, is that a reference to anything? Roko sounds like possibly an anime name.

Bear in mind that "Basili" isn't the full name, she got cut off by CW. Could be Basilisk, Basilica, Bastiliatcos, or Bastiliastephloccus (she's Greek, her mother was Galatea)

Or Jeph could have gone way out there with 'Basilisk-Run'. Which  could indicate that Roko is a fan of both Ninja Gaiden and Vurez.

[Mad Cat]

That's one of the goofiest grips on a handgun I've ever seen.

[TheEvilDog]

That's one of the goofiest grips on a handgun I've ever seen.

Reminds me more of a power tool with a rechargable power pack.

[Welu]

The weapon looks like a taser to me. We've seen jolts are an effective non-lethal way of incapacitating a robot before. Not sure how universally effective it would be on all varieties of chassis though.

[blt]

Bubbles' facial expressions throughout are my favourite part of today's comic

[Tova]

Bubbles' facial expressions throughout are my favourite part of today's comic

You took the words out of my mouth.

[SubaruStephen]

Here we are, discussing serious matters like A.I. theory and RoboCops' attempts at infiltrating the illegal fighting ring, and when she finally makes a dramatic entrance...  Jeph goes and makes a fart joke.

I love this comic.

[Tova]

If I didn't know better, I'd imagine that you're somehow implying that we overanalyse the comic. 

[SubaruStephen]

Not all....nobody has yet taken over a government or universitys' supercomputer to calculate some thing like the processing power needed for self awareness.

[cesium133]

Not all....nobody has yet taken over a government or universitys' supercomputer...

*glances at the SSH icon on taskbar*
*nervously taps fingers on desk*

[Is it cold in here?]

If she is imagining taking down an organized crime ring single-handed then Clouseau is also delusional.

We already know she isn't interested in taking down the fighting ring.

What we don't know is what she actually does want to achieve.

Her recent actions certainly aren't illuminating.

I was thinking of the "big fish" she mentioned to Faye. She seems to believe there's something much larger and darker than Robot Fight Club. Such things are best tackled by organized crime task forces.

[brasca]

Given Bubbles' expression I don't know if May's app has a deluxe smell feature or pseudo soiling function.  I think the former since farting is one thing, but replacing her pants is another.

[BenRG]

I'm pretty sure that the police report on this one will go in the big filing cabinet under 'fiascos'. So, was it Faye or did May trigger her App and, if so, why? I suspect that it was May and this was an attempt on her part to 'diffuse tension'. You only need to look at Bubbles' expression in panel 4 to see what she thinks of that idea.

That's one of the goofiest grips on a handgun I've ever seen.

Yeah, it's wrong. Shouldn't her right thumb be on the other side of the gun's body?

[Mr_Rose]

I'm pretty sure that the police report on this one will go in the big filing cabinet under 'fiascos'. So, was it Faye or did May trigger her App and, if so, why? I suspect that it was May and this was an attempt on her part to 'diffuse tension'. You only need to look at Bubbles' expression in panel 4 to see what she thinks of that idea.

That's one of the goofiest grips on a handgun I've ever seen.

Yeah, it's wrong. Shouldn't her right thumb be on the other side of the gun's body?

No? Why would you want your thumb in the way of the slide where it will get broken the first time you pull the trigger?
As for the rest of it, that looks like a fair representation of the Weaver Stance they teach to cops to minimise recoil recovery time and stabilise aim. Unlike the goofy over-under version you see in film and TV.

[ThomasEll]

It looks like she's holding a taser, but the barrel is pointing at the floor...

[BenRG]

No? Why would you want your thumb in the way of the slide where it will get broken the first time you pull the trigger?

Um... No. I wasn't even suggesting that. Not on the back of the gun on the other side of  the body, around the other side of the handgrip like any creature with an opposable thumb would hold something.

[Storel]

That's one of the goofiest grips on a handgun I've ever seen.

Yeah, it's wrong. Shouldn't her right thumb be on the other side of the gun's body?

No? Why would you want your thumb in the way of the slide where it will get broken the first time you pull the trigger?

What slide? According to Jeph's note on Tuesday's strip, this is an "electromagnetic pulse pistol". Fairly sure those don't eject any cartridges, therefore no slide.

As for the rest of it, that looks like a fair representation of the Weaver Stance they teach to cops to minimise recoil recovery time and stabilise aim. Unlike the goofy over-under version you see in film and TV.

Why would you need to worry about recoil from an EMP gun? No solid projectiles, no recoil.

Which pretty much supports the theory that Officer Roko is not terribly competent.

[ZoeB]

Wouldn't an EMP pulse gun take out Lilac Roko-Basili at the same time as the other AI's? EMP's are not aimable

Depends how they're generated. And...  I can't say much more, even though it's been 30 years.

Although a taser-like weapon would qualify. Its a lot easier making a conductive path using copper wire than brute force and megavolts.

[BenRG]

I've previously theorised that the existence of AIs have impelled the development of directed energy weapons technology, using superconducting electromagnetic wave-guides to force the flux out in a tight and directional cone rather than having a spherical area of effect. This particular weapon is EMP gun - which is probably restricted to police and military use for obvious reasons. However, I also think that civilians can get 'Robot Repellers', which generate an RF signal that interacts with an embedded override code in an AI's chassis that forces them to retreat from the source of the signal.

I find it unlikely that police and military chassis would have the override code installed (again, for obvious reasons). So, such a weapon would likely be ineffective on Bubbles and Pintsize. This means that Pintsize is effectively immune to a widely-available 'Robot Pepper Spray'; this would explain an awful lot about him and the amount of physical damage he suffers on a regular basis.

[Method of Madness]

According to Jeph's note on Tuesday's strip, this is an "electromagnetic pulse pistol".

It also said "by NERF". I wouldn't take those notes as canon, just amusing.

[Zebediah]

Although a taser-like weapon would qualify. Its a lot easier making a conductive path using copper wire than brute force and megavolts.

Hey, "brute force and megavolts" is my preferred problem-solving technique! 

[pwhodges]

Although a taser-like weapon would qualify. Its a lot easier making a conductive path using copper wire than brute force and megavolts.

But lightning is so much more fun!

[jwhouk]

Not all....nobody has yet taken over a government or universitys' supercomputer...

*glances at the SSH icon on taskbar*
*nervously taps fingers on desk*

Down, boy. You know how crazy the pols on Capitol hill get about the "Wisconsin Idea" thing...

Sent from my Nextbook on Tapatalk

[OttawaJohn]

My guess is she is a cop but either lower ranking and this isn't her right role or it is but she was told to leave it be as it's not a real problem, or CW paid off the right people and they told her to leave it be.

I think she's investigating due to a friend or loved one being tied up in it and she's making it personal and trying to get it shut down/investigated due to that.

Or this is just playing her as an idiot that doesn't know what she's doing and it'll be laughed off later, like some of the early stuff with Pintsize and the feds or the Vespa Avenger thing

[Stoutfellow]

Bubbles' expressions interest me. In the first two panels, she appears to be looking past Roko - towards CW, perhaps? In the final panel, she looks as though she'd be wrinkling her nose if she could - and we know she has a good sense of smell. It looks to me as though either May's app has olfactory as well as auditory capacity, or else it really was Faye.

[Case]

Bubbles' facial expressions throughout are my favourite part of today's comic

"Omg officer! Pleaseplease don't use that crappy taser of yours on my superconducting dermal armour *stiflesyawn*"

"Hmmmmh ... if she hurts Faye or May I might have to take her face off ... "

"She. Did. Not."

"I want back into the Army ..."