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Poll

Winslow wants to help people. What sorts of jobs do you think he might take? (jobs listed in no particular order)

teacher's assistant
crossing guard
sales clerk
receptionist
EMS responder
file clerk
peer support worker
nurse
library intern at the local public library
library intern at SMIF
wait staff
police dispatcher
customer satisfaction survey conductor (poor naïve bastard)
railroad dispatcher
bus driver
volunteer at a retirement home
blood drive volunteer
interpretor (sign language or foreign language)
other (please specify as best you can)

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Author Topic: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)  (Read 40400 times)

Gyrre

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Well, Winslow is getting a new body and wants to be helpful. He's been a great companion for Hanners, so who else might he be able to help?

EDIT: I'm not really sure what exactly he might go for, myself, so I listed as many jobs as I could think of off the top of my head. As for why he'd go police dispatcher instead of straight for a badge, I don't really see Winslow wanting to risk confrontation. From the way he's written, he seems to me to be a pacifist.
« Last Edit: 06 Aug 2017, 04:18 by Gyrre »
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Now that I think of it, I should probably explain what a 'peer support worker' is. I might have the title wrong as I only have passing knowledge of the position. But, as I understand it, basically they work with patients of their local mental health clinic and help individuals with special needs (usually those who can live on their own) and act as both a moral and social support. If memory serves, some peer support workers also work with recovering addicts.

EDIT: fixing tired typos
« Last Edit: 06 Aug 2017, 17:59 by Gyrre »
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NemesisDancer

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I chose "crossing guard" as one of my options because the mental image of Winslow as a lollipop man is adorable :3 Retirement home volunteer also seems like it'd be interesting from an art point of view as we've not seen a lot of older characters in the comic.

As he's built around iPod-like technology, he's probably got a pretty good capacity for remembering lists of things, so maybe admin/secretarial work of some sort?
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Duck Crossing Guard.
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NemesisDancer

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Duck Crossing Guard.

I may have to draw some fan-art of this.
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BenRG

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I think that Winslow considers being there for Hannelore his full-time job. That said, she is making a lot of progress and perhaps he might be interested in having a supplemental job. At random, why not an employment adviser at the AI career matching bureau? You could write endless stories about his role in matching an AI to their dream careers and the chaos that causes. Just because an AI wants to be a jet interceptor doesn't make her even remotely mentally or emotionally fit for the job!
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So we're going with the deluxe cute-butt model?
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I wonder: is Jeph planning some sort of romantic arc for Winslow, now that he has a humanoid body? Not that the strip needs another romantic subplot right now, what with Faye and Bubbles on top of the whole Secret Bakery gang mess, but it seems like a possibility that should be considered. Who do you think would be the most likely candidate? (This isn't shipping, just prediction.)
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Method of Madness

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No, I think it was just an excuse for at least one butt joke (but probably several more).
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TheEvilDog

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I wonder: is Jeph planning some sort of romantic arc for Winslow, now that he has a humanoid body? Not that the strip needs another romantic subplot right now, what with Faye and Bubbles on top of the whole Secret Bakery gang mess, but it seems like a possibility that should be considered. Who do you think would be the most likely candidate? (This isn't shipping, just prediction.)

Not every story has to have a romantic component to it. As it is, Winslow just hasn't offered much recently, so I imagine its a way for him to be in the comic more. After all, he's Hannelore's AnthroPC, but he's had less comic time than Pintsize the last year or so. I view more as a "headswap" as is sometimes done in television series.
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ProvenNonsense

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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #10 on: 06 Aug 2017, 20:12 »

No, I think it was just an excuse for at least one butt joke (but probably several more).

Jeph really loves butts (can you blame him?)
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Method of Madness

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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #11 on: 06 Aug 2017, 20:23 »

Oh, if that sounded like criticism, it wasn't.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #12 on: 06 Aug 2017, 20:25 »

I think Jeph is reconsidering some of the choices he made with AI bodies when the strip began.  Jeph has said that the introduction of Momo forced him to really think deeply for the first time about the social and societal implications of human-equal AI.  When the strip began, Pintsize and later Winslow were more like super intelligent dogs: they noticed that they were physically dependent on humans, but they didn't resent it.  Now that it's clear that AI have real hopes and dreams and inner lives, well, some are going to conclude that they need physical independence, not because they want to leave their humans, but because their sense of self respect calls for it.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #13 on: 06 Aug 2017, 20:43 »

Oh, if that sounded like criticism, it wasn't.

Don't worry, I definitely did not take it that way, I'm sorry if my statement read as criticism of your statement :wink:, QC is a dramedy (not to be confused with a dromedary), we need the jokes and the deeper insights and examinations, and even at times when it seems like the jokes may detract from the drama (perhaps the Faye's dad's suicide revelation?) making light of the heavy is a coping mechanism and human nature.

And tomveil, I think you're right.  Pintsize and anthro-pcs seem like they were introduced as a quirky joke, Jeph had no way of knowing how far he would want to go with it in the future.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #14 on: 06 Aug 2017, 21:07 »

Winslow's prospective new chassis does look a little like Ardent.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #15 on: 06 Aug 2017, 21:08 »

I suspect that a delightful tail would be a pricey add-on (although I doubt that bit would worry Hanners).
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #16 on: 06 Aug 2017, 21:15 »

That was funny.

*whips off trousers*

"Fall to the HYPNO-BUTT!"

Or not.

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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #17 on: 06 Aug 2017, 22:26 »

I suspect that a delightful tail would be a pricey add-on (although I doubt that bit would worry Hanners).

Bodyguard sister sold separately

Regarding AI chassis being cuter and pet like in the beginning this could be attributed to author interpretation at the time, but maybe AIs just out of the cyber womb need a limited body until they absorb enough about the world to request a humanoid or more sophisticated chassis.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #18 on: 06 Aug 2017, 22:30 »

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That would be the absolute perfect title for something but I have no clue what.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #19 on: 06 Aug 2017, 23:26 »

Question: Do staff at the chassis shop routinely strip off for customers to demonstrate the attractiveness of various chassis models? You have to admit, it represents a whole new and unexpected level to the sale of items with a significant cosmetic aspect!

As for the chassis? Yeah... There is definitely a team up with Momo and May coming here: He looks about their presented 'age'.

What is interesting here is that Winslow really does seem to care about what most people would consider 'sexual' characteristics - Whether certain parts of the body are or are not attractive. That could just be personal aesthetics at work. After all, who'd want an ugly body if they had a choice? That said, this is a little detail that will get some fans thinking. The meta justification is obvious, of course. Winslow's iPod chassis is limited in its mobility and manipulation. Giving him a humanoid body would make it easier to utilise him in the strip. That said... I can't help but wonder if he's trying to impress someone.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #20 on: 06 Aug 2017, 23:33 »

Jeph really loves butts (can you blame him?)

Butts disease.

Regarding AI chassis being cuter and pet like in the beginning this could be attributed to author interpretation at the time, but maybe AIs just out of the cyber womb need a limited body until they absorb enough about the world to request a humanoid or more sophisticated chassis.

Technical limitations might also be used as an excuse. Chronologically, the first humanoid chassis seen was the receptionist that handled Marten's companion application, and she showed a more mechanical appearance (visible seams and the like). The prototype "Robot Boyfriend" was also notably artificial in appearance, and, also, a prototype. Momo's chassis, when acquired, was pricey enough to induce nosebleeds, and the quality of her skin was sufficiently improved over prior models for Clinton to nerd out about it.

Basically small, mechanical constructs like pintsize doubtless have advantages in simplicity and power consumption over larger, human type models. It may simply be a question of larger humanoid/human-like chassis only recently becoming practical for widespread civilian use. The idea that Bubbles' chassis existed earlier actually supports this idea, as advancements in military technology inevitably impact the private sector. As military contractors got better at building robo-valkyries, they also learned techniques and developed technologies that applied to the civilian sector, driving down the price for everybody.

Also, it's been hinted a couple of times that some of the rights AIs enjoy in the current part of the timeline were earned during the course of the comic. Once AIs got rights more equivalent to humans, giving them reasonable availability of a practical and functional chassis becomes a civil rights issue.

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pendrake

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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #21 on: 07 Aug 2017, 01:33 »

For comic #3541...

That was a pretty good selling point.   :roll:

On the other hand, so (humanoid) Winslow is going to be shorter than Hannelore?  Meaning probably on the same (short height) scale as Momo and May?

I was kind of hoping that (humanoid) Winslow would be more on the same height level as Hannelore, but not hard-set on that either.
« Last Edit: 30 Aug 2020, 22:02 by pendrake »
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Kugai

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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #22 on: 07 Aug 2017, 04:33 »

The Deluxe Cutebutt Model it is  :claireface:
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #23 on: 07 Aug 2017, 07:13 »

A) I looked for the dermal seams around her neck and joints and didn't see any, so I thought Hanners' sales girl was human.
B) What, exactly, is this store's policy on the help MOONING te customers?
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #24 on: 07 Aug 2017, 07:20 »

It’s not mooning, she is wearing underpants.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #25 on: 07 Aug 2017, 07:27 »

Is she? Or is she like Bubbles and her "intimate" parts are simply moulded in the different color of "skin"? And, you know, Ken doll-like in "correctness".

Another thought has occurred to me. Hanners and Winslow are not shopping for a "young MAN" chassis in which to install him. They're shopping for different models of "Regular BOY". These chassises are modelled on pre- and peri-pubescent children.  The last panels of this strip are essentially a young girl flashing her genitals at the customer. I wish I hadn't made this realization. This strip has taken creepy overtones for me now.
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BenRG

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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #26 on: 07 Aug 2017, 07:34 »

Is she? Or is she like Bubbles and her "intimate" parts are simply moulded in the different color of "skin"? And, you know, Ken doll-like in "correctness".

Look at panel 3. There is a colour difference, a clear edge and shadowing to indicate clothing differentiated from the skin. So, yes, she's wearing something not dissimilar to gym shorts.

Ease down, MC. Take a few deep breaths.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #27 on: 07 Aug 2017, 07:36 »

Also, “like Bubbles”? I would say that those are undergarments, too.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #28 on: 07 Aug 2017, 08:21 »

Well, it is certainly an interesting and different sales technique... Not one that would work with a human sales person probably, but then again humans don't sell copies of their own body usually, so....
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #29 on: 07 Aug 2017, 09:11 »

Up to now Winslow has not had any strips where he is the main character. He did not seem to have a very interesting personality, unlike Momo for example, who even in her chibi chassis was someone to be reckoned with. I wonder where we will go from here?
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #30 on: 07 Aug 2017, 09:23 »

Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #31 on: 07 Aug 2017, 09:27 »

They have 'adopted' a lot of human social norms. It seems that, the more anthromimetic their chassis, the more they are likely to have internalised our near-universal cultural nudity taboo.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #32 on: 07 Aug 2017, 09:43 »

Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?
Because it’s comfy and easy to wear.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #33 on: 07 Aug 2017, 11:00 »

Duck Crossing Guard.

I may have to draw some fan-art of this.

If you do, you should know (if you don't already) that McCloskey's seminal work in this genre, Make Way for Ducklings, is set to the east of Northampton in Boston Public Garden, where it has been immortalized in Bronze sculpture:



It is very likely that at least one of the characters in the strip know this and would make reference to it if Winslow were to find work as a duck crossing guard.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #35 on: 07 Aug 2017, 12:44 »

Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?

They have 'adopted' a lot of human social norms. It seems that, the more anthromimetic their chassis, the more they are likely to have internalised our near-universal cultural nudity taboo.

Melon was running around without pants after the butt launching incident, when they showed up at Union Robotics and nobody batted an eye at it. Though she does normally wear pants apparently. The default model antro PC that we are seeing here and other places only has the basic shape of the body but no details... As May puts it, smooth as a Barbie doll. So they could probably get away running around naked like less human robots do... Models like Arthur, Punchbot and Seven. But those who choose more human-like chassis seem more interested in fitting in with human norms, so they wear the same clothing, even if there is no need to. There might be a legal reason too as well. The sales lady here has skin tone close to human norm unlike the Regular Boy chassis. Seen from a distance without clothes on someone might mistake her for a streaking human if they weren't close enough to see the joint seams. While technically not indecent exposure it could lead to a disturbance of the peace.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #36 on: 07 Aug 2017, 14:11 »

What is interesting here is that Winslow really does seem to care about what most people would consider 'sexual' characteristics - Whether certain parts of the body are or are not attractive.

We here in this forum may be constrained by the moderators to treat AIs as sexless, but in the strip robots are obsessed with butts and giant dongs and burning out USB cables.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #37 on: 07 Aug 2017, 14:24 »

We here in this forum may be constrained by the moderators to treat AIs as sexless,

No you aren't.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #38 on: 07 Aug 2017, 14:42 »

We here in this forum may be constrained by the moderators to treat AIs as sexless, but in the strip robots are obsessed with butts and giant dongs and burning out USB cables.

Winslow has acknowledged looking at lesbian porn in the past. Though it is uncertain if he was entirely aware of what it was.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #39 on: 07 Aug 2017, 15:42 »

Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?
Well maybe the tech is still a little imperfect, and they get the odd lubricant stain from those high load high mobility thigh joints, so it makes sense to waer something underneath to stop anything getting on the outer clothes.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #40 on: 07 Aug 2017, 15:48 »

I suspect that a delightful tail would be a pricey add-on (although I doubt that bit would worry Hanners).

Salesgal: "To be honest, the higher tiers get you diminishing returns in terms of features. So unless you're looking for something extremely specific, you're probably going to be happy with the Deluxe." [emphasis added]

It is now my headcanon that the Extra-Special Super Deluxe Regular Boy Custom Unlimited* has the "blue skin" and "delightful tail" options, but the price is... astronomical. :wink:

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* Not present in the shop, but available by special order.
« Last Edit: 07 Aug 2017, 15:59 by Storel »
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #41 on: 07 Aug 2017, 18:26 »

It is now my headcanon that the Extra-Special Super Deluxe Regular Boy Custom Unlimited* has the "blue skin" and "delightful tail" options, but the price is... astronomical. :wink:

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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #42 on: 07 Aug 2017, 18:58 »

I think something we need to consider at the moment, and its something I think we have missed despite how important it would be toward AI rights. And that's regarding the concept of the Uncanny Valley.

If you look at the more human looking chassis, you'll notice that none of them look 100%, there's little differences that mark them as noticeably AI chassis. The vividly coloured hair, the esoteric skin tones, the neon eyes (proverbially speaking) - they're all key visual indicators that they are not human, but just different enough that they avoid the pit of the Uncanny Valley. Compare that to the AI who operated out of the Skate Park, many of whom fitted into the 1950s aesthetic similar to Forbidden Planet's Robby the Robot or the Robot from Lost In Space, in a way that the QC AI like Punchbot look almost cute in their mechanical kind of way.

It seems to me that Ellicott-Chatham Inc. must have realised what an effect the Uncanny Valley would have had on the emerging AI rights movement and introduced more advanced chassis that were realistic enough that people don't bat an eyelid, but distinct enough that people won't feel disturbed by them.

I mean, to take three real world examples and for the moment, endow them with real AI, which of them do you think would garner greater support for AI rights:
ASIMO, the robot produced by Honda?
Or
The Actroid, produced by Osaka University?
Or
Nadine, a robotic receptionist, designed and created by Nanyang Technical University in Singapore?

So it does seem that Jeph is subtly showing how AI may have gained their rights without intimidating Humanity.

Either that or I'm thinking way too much at 3am....

(Fixed Nadine's tag -Method)
« Last Edit: 07 Aug 2017, 19:02 by Method of Madness »
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #43 on: 07 Aug 2017, 19:03 »

Fun fact, the original boyfriend chassis was how I learned the term "Uncanny Valley".
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #44 on: 07 Aug 2017, 19:11 »

Well, I think that some chassis may pass as human more easily than others.  In strip 2009, Padma mistakes Momo for human, as did Sam a couple of strips later.  Also, IIRC, Jeph stated in a newspost that she would pass for human under casual inspection. 
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #45 on: 07 Aug 2017, 19:21 »

Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?

So she can whip off her skirt for impromptu model demonstrations, of course. ;)

And amusingly, I only just noticed where the skirt landed.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #46 on: 07 Aug 2017, 19:31 »

'Cmon, folks:  It's so obvious -- Winslow + Dr. Corinne.  (Where's she been, anyway?)
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #47 on: 07 Aug 2017, 19:44 »

Why do AnthroPCs wear underwear?

Assimilation.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #48 on: 07 Aug 2017, 19:55 »

Well, I think that some chassis may pass as human more easily than others.  In strip 2009, Padma mistakes Momo for human, as did Sam a couple of strips later.  Also, IIRC, Jeph stated in a newspost that she would pass for human under casual inspection.

With my natural inclination to overthink things, I have to wonder how many robots choose to look as human as possible, and how many consider it important to stand out.

(not in the sense of just liking to look different, but considering it an important part of their identity as a robot to look different from people).
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Re: WCDT Strips 3541 to 3545 (7th August to 11th August 2017)
« Reply #49 on: 07 Aug 2017, 19:56 »

Comic.

Humaniform Winslow is going to take some getting used to for me; it's much more of a change than, say, Momo's. Pintsize is either going to chafe at or take advantage (or maybe both) of his new uniqueness among the principal QC AIs.

Also, the phrasing in Salesbot's last line is slightly creepy to me, given the attention the US media has been giving to human trafficking.
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