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It's nothing except proof that you can get a sufficiently compulsive personality to buy anything

A 'funny' novelty motorised toy with lowbrow toilet humour

The QC universe's version of the Tesseract

A genie's trap; what would be Pintsize's three wishes anyway?

Something out of the factory's 'defective' bin

A device for summoning Spookybot

Corpse Witch's backup drive is hidden within; Bubbles last hope!

A Chekhov's Gun for a story with genetic engineering, a lost city on the moon and freaky glowing-eyed girls

It has an audio chip hidden in it: "My name is Charles Augustus and, if you are hearing this, I am dead."

Veronica knows what it does and I don't think Claire will ever be able to touch it again!

Other (Please specify in your comment)

[SmilingCat]

Have to wonder if the timing of this strip has anything to do with Apple's announcement that they're discontinuing the iPod nano and the shuffle...

Winslow's more of an Ipad, isn't he? (I don't know apple products very well).

[bhtooefr]

No, he's based on the iPod (complete with click wheel), and predates the iPad by five years: http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=527

[SmilingCat]

No, he's based on the iPod (complete with click wheel), and predates the iPad by five years: http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=527

Okay, in retrospect that makes more sense.

[Tova]

I shamelessly stole this from a Patreon comment, but I now wonder whether this will lead to Union Robotics business, and whether they even have the capability to construct an entire chassis. Although I feel like this has been coming for awhile, it does seem like this is where we are heading.

[shanejayell]

Poor Winslow. *lol* You would think ALL A.I. bodies would have automatic 'self righting' systems and such...

[Milayna]

Man I was just thinking that it's been awhile since we've seen Winslow. And that Linux one with the...heatsink.

Also, after reviewing the link to the 500's, does anyone remember when Hanners got the floof? I've read the whole comic, but yknow, 3k+ pages. Almost twilight zony, looking back at the early pages and seeing the difference.

[Isyrion]

LOL I have the Winslow plushie... oh well I like Winslow as the iPad he is cute that way but hopefully the body he picks will look great.

[SmilingCat]

Poor Winslow. *lol* You would think ALL A.I. bodies would have automatic 'self righting' systems and such...

Well he is an apple product. A self righting mechanism might have interfered with the look they wanted.

[Storel]

"Winslow 2.0"? Ohhhhh myyyyy..... </takei>

[jwhouk]

Gee, I wonder what Winslow is up to...

Are you a Patreon patron?

...mmmmmmmmmmmMayyyybeee...

[BenRG]

I wonder if Jeph realises just what a horrible can of continuity worms he's just opened up. It's been a long time since we last saw Winslow and even longer since he tried out Dr E-C's 'uncanny valley' humanoid chassis. However, in-universe, its' been two years at  the most. If Jeph wants to imply that the humanoid chassis has been perfected since that little misadventure, then that means that Bubbles entire life likely fits into that period of time. You'll excuse me if I find that a little implausible.

The only way I can think of to wriggle off that hook is that the humanoid chassis Winslow tried out had some... er... 'experimental special features' that Dr E-C felt that his daughter's 'practice boyfriend' needed and it's those that Winslow refers to here (which makes the mind boggle). Either that or there are long time skips during Martin's relationship with Dora of which we were not previously aware.

Or... maybe... Jeph is retroactively stretching out the timeline. It's his prerogative but I think it will give forum members like April Arcus serious stress headaches.

Okay, my nerdish continuity gripes aside... yeah, I can see why Winslow might want limbs as long as his body... or at least a curved back so he can roll himself over. Jeph's footer text makes me wonder just how long the poor little guy has been stuck there!

[Bollthorn]

Yaaaay I've missed Winslow!! ^.^

[Kugai]

It shall be interesting to see what kind of Chassis Hanners will get for Winslow.

[DaiJB]

I wonder if Jeph realises just what a horrible can of continuity worms he's just opened up. It's been a long time since we last saw Winslow and even longer since he tried out Dr E-C's 'uncanny valley' humanoid chassis. However, in-universe, its' been two years at  the most. If Jeph wants to imply that the humanoid chassis has been perfected since that little misadventure, then that means that Bubbles entire life likely fits into that period of time. You'll excuse me if I find that a little implausible.

The only way I can think of to wriggle off that hook is that the humanoid chassis Winslow tried out had some... er... 'experimental special features' that Dr E-C felt that his daughter's 'practice boyfriend' needed and it's those that Winslow refers to here (which makes the mind boggle). Either that or there are long time skips during Martin's relationship with Dora of which we were not previously aware.

Or... maybe... Jeph is retroactively stretching out the timeline. It's his prerogative but I think it will give forum members like April Arcus serious stress headaches.

Okay, my nerdish continuity gripes aside... yeah, I can see why Winslow might want limbs as long as his body... or at least a curved back so he can roll himself over. Jeph's footer text makes me wonder just how long the poor little guy has been stuck there!

Maybe it has been a long time? I mean, there was enough time between Faye leaving Coffee of Doom and coming back to make up with Dora, for Dora to be surprised at the fact that Faye had "got buff" - that usually takes months at least. Maybe there have been other breaks?

Maybe very advanced combat chassis have existed longer, but all Top Secret? I mean, we've seen some wildly advanced examples of in-comic technology (like Transformer-Vespa, Holographic space-station AI, etc), so maybe it's been around a long time, just not publicly available?

Maybe....ah, what the heck - it's a comic... 

[theMarc]

I hope this trend of the AI characters getting human-sized bodies doesn't lead to Pintsize getting one. Pintsize having opposable thumbs and a longer gait is, I'm pretty sure, the very thing prophesied to bring about Ragnarok.

[Gyrre]

LOL I have the Winslow plushie... oh well I like Winslow as the iPad he is cute that way but hopefully the body he picks will look great.

Maybe he'll go for a TV-head chassis or one with a LED screen face.

[flondrix]

The only way I can think of to wriggle off that hook is that the humanoid chassis Winslow tried out had some... er... 'experimental special features' that Dr E-C felt that his daughter's 'practice boyfriend' needed and it's those that Winslow refers to here (which makes the mind boggle).

No, those were "features to be added at a later date."

[Case]

It shall be interesting to see what kind of comments May makes on the Chassis Hanners will get for Winslow.

[SmilingCat]

I wonder if Jeph realises just what a horrible can of continuity worms he's just opened up. It's been a long time since we last saw Winslow and even longer since he tried out Dr E-C's 'uncanny valley' humanoid chassis. However, in-universe, its' been two years at  the most. If Jeph wants to imply that the humanoid chassis has been perfected since that little misadventure, then that means that Bubbles entire life likely fits into that period of time. You'll excuse me if I find that a little implausible.

I don't know of anywhere where the timeline has been established, and I suspect it runs more on Comic Book Time.

Also, Bubbles wasn't born as a combat unit. She was a volunteer that wanted to serve, suggesting that she had a life before that, and presumably a different chassis.

[JoeCovenant]

LOL I have the Winslow plushie... oh well I like Winslow as the iPad he is cute that way but hopefully the body he picks will look great.

Maybe he'll go for a TV-head chassis or one with a LED screen face.

Everytime I think of Pintsize doing such a thing.. this jumps into my head...

[OldGoat]

For Comic #3538...

Oooh...  Winslow (re-)joining the humanoid chassis ranks?  The shopping alone should be entertaining.

And, oh my gosh, has it really been that long (2007!) [http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1012] since then...?

It was those damn Little Orphan Annie eyes.

[JimC]

The shopping alone should be entertaining.

And make a change from all the shipping...

[flondrix]

I don't know of anywhere where the timeline has been established, and I suspect it runs more on Comic Book Time.

Also, Bubbles wasn't born as a combat unit. She was a volunteer that wanted to serve, suggesting that she had a life before that, and presumably a different chassis.

The timeline was last updated in November of 2015.

You make a good point, that Bubbles could have had formative experiences before receiving a humanoid body.  But it also sounds like she has had that body for quite some time, in-strip.  And it is a very convincing human-looking body aside from the coloration and being a muscular giant, both of which were intentional and I assume not the only type being made.  Yeah, continuity kind of suffers there.

[A Duck]

Interesting. I guess this is Jeph's way of responding to the criticism that most humanoid AI's we know are female.

So basically Pintsize will be the last non-human sized main AI character. Curious.

I don't ever see him getting a humanoid body, though. I'm sure he agrees his wacky antics work better as a tiny robot.

You make a good point, that Bubbles could have had formative experiences before receiving a humanoid body.  But it also sounds like she has had that body for quite some time, in-strip.  And it is a very convincing human-looking body aside from the coloration and being a muscular giant, both of which were intentional and I assume not the only type being made.  Yeah, continuity kind of suffers there.

Now I can't stop imagining Bubbles as a tiny, red and angry Pintsize

[flondrix]

I don't ever see him getting a humanoid body, though. I'm sure he agrees his wacky antics work better as a tiny robot.

I am pretty sure that he is holding out for a tentacle monster chassis.  And you know that someone in Japan is working on one.

[ChipNoir]

If he does get a humanoid body, that's gonna make me think further about human/AI romance potentials. I did think the chasis that Hanelor's dad sent was a little bit cute, but since that arc was nixed very quickly, it kinda faded from my mind.

But now I gotta wonder about myself: Could I get into a relationship with a male identified AI? Not Winslow of course. He's so chipper and naive that he comes off as childlike. But there's been other AI's floating about in the background, so it's giving me time to pause. Especially since this could be something in our lifetime.

Course I'll be a 90 year old fart by then, so its creepy any way you slice it. Sigh.

[DaiJB]

For Comic #3538...

Oooh...  Winslow (re-)joining the humanoid chassis ranks?  The shopping alone should be entertaining.

And, oh my gosh, has it really been that long (2007!) [http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1012] since then...?

That was a long time ago!
But now the speculation can begin - what sort of body would Winslow want?

Let's see - what's Winslow like? - "Refreshingly sane compared to Pintsize" is his description in the cast list. Also a little bit innocent - or he was before he met Pintsize - probably a bit jaded by now 
Always the voice of reason, but with a sense of humour.
He has an owner with access to extreme wealth, so there wouldn't be any of the reliability problems of May's chassis, or Marigold's shock when she heard the price of Momo's chassis...

I reckon he'd go for: reliable, straightforward, no bells and whistles.
He's a quiet type, so nothing showy or particularly physically imposing - so probably an average to small build.

Hey, he could end up looking like Clinton before his makeover... 

[shanejayell]

Re: Why would Bubbles have been more advanced than other robot bodies: Military R&D is often ahead of civilian versions?

[flondrix]

Re: Why would Bubbles have been more advanced than other robot bodies: Military R&D is often ahead of civilian versions?

Hanners' dad's organization is the one behind AI.  Even if the Military is using the most advanced versions, the new developments are coming from Ellicot-Chatham Inc.

[Welu]

I got the impression the proto-bot was essentially a hobby project Hanners' dad did by himself. So it wouldn't have had the whole organisation working on it.

I'm all excited to see what kind of bodies Winslow will try out. We might see more of the singing AI at the store Marigold and Momo went to before.

[shanejayell]

*wonders if Momo/Winslow could hit it off now*

Or possibly May. 

[Gyrre]

Dependent on the new chassis,  my head voice may go from Nikki Yang's B-mo voice to the filtered voice in Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Especially if he goes for a screen-face.

[QuestionableIntentions]

If Winslow and Pintsize get both android bodies they could move in together, a whole new level of robot shenanigans.

[BenRG]

There's one thing that today's strip reminds us of and it's this: Hannelore doesn't need to work for a living. I suspect that her allowance from one or both of her parents probably doesn't even all get spent most months because it's so large. It's highly possible that Winslow's new body will be one of the highest-spec models. If so, I'd like for it to have a few entertaining quirks due to finely-tuned and aggravatingly delicate components like most high-spec products tend to. Or maybe Winslow can have some acclimatisation problems that turn into a running gag ('Walking is harder than it looks with legs this long!').

I, meanwhile, am looking at Jeph's footer on today's strip and wondering just what he's implying here. Possibly nothing but it could also be foreshadowing.

[St.Clair]

He could just be saying there won't be another harlotry trial.

[JimC]

Hanners' dad's organization is the one behind AI.

But is the company responsible for originating the mindware necessarily the best at developing the hardware. We've all seen the situation where those who can conceive and originate something are not necessarilly the very best at developing the concept.

[Milayna]

I'm really curious about the social movements going on in the background. AI's are still a very nascent species, and are still establishing their place in the world, with all sorts of movements going on - recall Momo's and Bubbles' explanations of the role of AI's in combat for instance.

So I wonder if Momo and Winslow and Jeremy - and the increasing number of background humanoid chassis - are occurring in the context of an AI social movement towards anthrocization? Recall also the discussions of robot sexuality, and May's theories that though there's no rational reason for robots to be sexual, hanging around gross, fluid-excreting meatbags rubs off on AI's. With civilian humanoid chassis becoming much more reliable, I wouldn't be surprised at all if anthrocizing is a trending movement - and a countermovement toward, say, cuddly jumping spiders.

[BenRG]

Some people on the Subreddit have been speculating if Pintsize will follow the 'humanoid chassis' trend. An increase in his chassis size might further increase the pressure for the group currently in Marten and Faye's apartment to split up into separate groups to have more living space.

A part of me is fascinated by the thought of Winslow, May, Momo and Pintsize setting up their own household. We might then gain an insight into how a group of synthetics, away from the pressures to conform to human social and behavioural norms, would set up their living space and arrange to cover their limited physical needs. More importantly, we'd get an 'Odd Quartet' situation with the wild and crazy Pintsize and May contrasting with the more sane Momo and Winslow.

However, honestly, I can't see Momo and Winslow wanting to leave their humans unless there was some extreme social pressure to do so. Given this and given that I'm not sure Pintsize and May are sufficiently organised to be able to have their own household, it's more likely that Jeph will find some other solution (possibly a move to a bigger house for Marten & Co.).

[bhtooefr]

We also have Melon and Arthur...

[DSL]

I wonder if Jeph will do a chassis-tryout montage, similar to Claire's choice-of-clothing montages we have already seen.

[Thrudd]

It would be extremely ironic if he went with a chibi chassis ..... or a samurai 

(click to show/hide)

DRIFT from transforms

Yes he is an attack helicopter

Yes that would make May really really jealous or continuously bug him for rides   

[OldGoat]

A part of me is fascinated by the thought of Winslow, May, Momo and Pintsize setting up their own household. We might then gain an insight into how a group of synthetics, away from the pressures to conform to human social and behavioural norms, would set up their living space and arrange to cover their limited physical needs. More importantly, we'd get an 'Odd Quartet' situation with the wild and crazy Pintsize and May contrasting with the more sane Momo and Winslow.

I was thinking that a Winslow|May pairing would provide fodder for all kinds of Henry Higgins|Eliza Doolittle hilarity.   And Momo thinking she can civilize Pintsize?  Oh yeah!  That works!

[Is it cold in here?]

Global Moderator Comment

OK. I think the random robot romantic pairings are over the line.

[OldGoat]

OK. I think the random robot romantic pairings are over the line.

"I was thinking that a Winslow|May pairing would provide fodder for all kinds of Henry Higgins|Eliza Doolittle hilarity, And Momo thinking she can civilize Pintsize?  Oh yeah!  That works! as would Momo taking on the Sisyphean task of civilizing Pintsize."

Better?

[pwhodges]

Global Moderator Comment

We have no in-comic reason to be shipping the robots at present. Winslow wants another body, end of. Not everything is about sex or its precursor relationships.

[OldGoat]

Not everything is about sex or its precursor relationships.

I'll grant you that not everything is about sex, but without relationships, "precursor" to sex or not, you're left with NO potential for comedy beyond slap-stick sight gags.  Or interpersonal drama, for that matter.

[Is it cold in here?]

The synthetics do have a network of relationships with each other, a rich and varied set.

[OldGoat]

The synthetics do have a network of relationships with each other, a rich and varied set.

And therein lies the raw material for Jeph to turn into strips for our amusement (and T-shirts and books and mugs for us to buy for his enrichment).

[flondrix]

I got the impression the proto-bot was essentially a hobby project Hanners' dad did by himself. So it wouldn't have had the whole organisation working on it.

We have seen near-identical ones since on the street and working menial office jobs, so it must have become a product.

[A Duck]

Come on, people, we all know how Winslow's chassis will look like: