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Faye (general technicality)

Hannelore

Claire

Bubbles

Brun

Melon

Tilly

some I forgot [please specify]

Marigold (Marbear)

Emily

[JoeCovenant]

This is something I actually quite like in this universe, that the AI's have utterly non-sequitur fetishes.  I'd be interested to learn how this developed.  I mean, is it some random repeating "bug" in the code?  Does some programmer throw a dart at a giant wall of encyclopedia entries and then program in whatever he lands on for each AI? (Or does the AI code itself do that "virtually", when the AI is born?)

And I'm quite sure this has been discussed at length, but what was Roko's problem with Pintsize then, since he came exactly as advertised, which she "swiped right" on in the first place?  Was it just the inappropriate venue, him doing it in the very public restaurant, since she's basically "in the closet" about her fetish?

Yeah, I wondered about that as well.
She got exactly what she asked for!
And I pretty much came to the conclusion you do above.
It's all well and good that she is aware of her 'kink', she just doesn't seem keen to have that 'kink' arise in public.

[Annemoon]

This is something I actually quite like in this universe, that the AI's have utterly non-sequitur fetishes.  I'd be interested to learn how this developed.  I mean, is it some random repeating "bug" in the code?  Does some programmer throw a dart at a giant wall of encyclopedia entries and then program in whatever he lands on for each AI? (Or does the AI code itself do that "virtually", when the AI is born?)

And I'm quite sure this has been discussed at length, but what was Roko's problem with Pintsize then, since he came exactly as advertised, which she "swiped right" on in the first place?  Was it just the inappropriate venue, him doing it in the very public restaurant, since she's basically "in the closet" about her fetish?

I think you could just as well ask the question "how do humans get their fetishes", and then trace that back to a plausible theory for AI's. From what we see of AI's in this comic, AI's have personalities and other preferences that I'd imagine didn't get "programmed in" but developed over time. I would imagine that AI fetish would be a result of a somewhat similar process in humans; some sort of transference of feelings from sexual environments to other stuff that has build up a connection through a (series of) life events, in which the (AI) brain starts to associate this 'object'/thing with a sexual nature.

[Gyrre]

Oh, you had to bring spelt into it...

While a pun, it's still grammatically correct.

[Is it cold in here?]

Jeph said nobody knows why the AIs have libidos at all.

[traroth]

Oh, you had to bring spelt into it...

While a pun, it's still grammatically correct.

No bun intented.

[traroth]

Now that Roko and Elliot have met, I'm curious what will happen...

[moz1959]

A grandfather clock is a big clock.

A grandfather cock, therefore...

therefore... why would that lead to the reactions were seeing?

Maybe it's just a gag... maybe I just don't see the humour in this one.

Oh well...

Well I don't know about you, but given Brun's timepiece hobby and penchant for bad puns, I can only find Renee's response to be appropriately "horror logical".   

[awgiedawgie]

And I'm quite sure this has been discussed at length, but what was Roko's problem with Pintsize then, since he came exactly as advertised, which she "swiped right" on in the first place?  Was it just the inappropriate venue, him doing it in the very public restaurant, since she's basically "in the closet" about her fetish?

Roko doesn't want just a casual hook-up or sexual encounter. As she explained to O'Malley, she wants a relationship with an emotional and personal connection too. Pintsize made it abundantly clear that he was only interested in doing something kinky, transgressive and physical with Roko there and then.

I think it may also have something to do with Pintsize trying to skip all the preliminaries, and go straight to home base. He wasn’t even answering her questions. It’d be like boy meets girl, girl says “Hi, my name’s Jane”, and boy whips out his cock. I’m kinda surprised Roko managed to stay seated as long as she did.

[Welu]

First of all, yesterday's strip made me laugh a bunch.

Second, I wonder if Roko's interest in bread might be related with the differences in how robots have sensory experiences. They don't generally eat but we know they can have very intricate senses of smell, and can get pleasure or displeasure from different scents.

[OldGoat]

I wonder which bread is the kinkiest bread.

Challa is certainly a candidate.

Roko's smile in the fifth panel... Priceless.

Agreed.  She spends her time trying to keep herself buttoned up and squared away, and with that smile the facade has dropped.  It's got to be one of the most expressive faces Jeph has drawn to date.

[brasca]

It's spelt "Renee."

I care about bread somewhere between the normal amount and the Roko amount.

I’m working with a tiny screen and auto correct.  Don’t know how the kids manage.

[Is it cold in here?]

"I blame autoconnect for all hippos" is making the rounds.

[awgiedawgie]

"I blame autoconnect for all hippos" is making the rounds.

I would say I hate hippos but I don't want to sound like a speciesist... or a typist.

[zmeiat_joro]

TBH, I feel about sourdough quite the same way as she does about it.

[Tova]

Even small hippos can be destructive. A friend of mine made one the other day inviting a group of us to have lunch at her river horse.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Calm down, guys. This whole bread thing is just a metaphor.
Yeast is -alive-, which is why bread rises.

Also, Pintsize and cake batter. See?

[awgiedawgie]

Calm down, guys. This whole bread thing is just a metaphor.
Yeast is -alive-, which is why bread rises.

Also, Pintsize and cake batter. See?

A: Roko's bread "thing" is not a metaphor, it's a fetish.

B: Once the bread has been baked, the yeast is dead. All of the rising happens before it's put in the oven.
C: Cake batter is nothing like bread dough, and contains no yeast. It rises while baking because of the baking powder.
D: What were you getting at anyway?

[awgiedawgie]

Was not aware that Tai lived that close to the Bakery. But then I suppose pretty much everything is "close", relatively speaking.

[Gyrre]

I've loved Hannelore from her first appearance. Her suffering, her strength, her courage, her self-deprecating humour and the sheer determination she has had to drag herself out of what was close to total mental incapacitation is wonderful. She's a real heroine in what is otherwise mostly a story of ordinary folk.

It helps that I also think her as cute and lovable in most ways.

This. All of this. I so want her to find someone she can cuddle with. Sweet little cherub ^w^

Hopefully the excess of eyes, wings, and legs isn't too off-putting for her.

[Gyrre]

This is something I actually quite like in this universe, that the AI's have utterly non-sequitur fetishes.  I'd be interested to learn how this developed.  I mean, is it some random repeating "bug" in the code?  Does some programmer throw a dart at a giant wall of encyclopedia entries and then program in whatever he lands on for each AI? (Or does the AI code itself do that "virtually", when the AI is born?)

And I'm quite sure this has been discussed at length, but what was Roko's problem with Pintsize then, since he came exactly as advertised, which she "swiped right" on in the first place?  Was it just the inappropriate venue, him doing it in the very public restaurant, since she's basically "in the closet" about her fetish?

We barely understand how humans develop fetishes, but there are a few hypotheses floating around. It's just a matter of coming up with a proposed experiment an ethics committee would allow.

Even small hippos can be destructive. A friend of mine made one the other day inviting a group of us to have lunch at her river horse.

Kelpie level or each-uisge level?

[awgiedawgie]

Even small hippos can be destructive. A friend of mine made one the other day inviting a group of us to have lunch at her river horse.

Now I have this bizarre mental picture of a tiny hippopotamus figurine with a sign around its neck saying "PARTY AT MY PLACE (this message will self destruct in 5-4-3...)". o_O

[brasca]

Go visit Brun Clinton.  I'm totally shipping Roko and Elliot and as soon as you're an item Elliot can bake Roko a cake  

I'm not entirely sure if that's innuendo for anything, but it would be a nice gesture all the same. 

[OldGoat]

This is something I actually quite like in this universe, that the AI's have utterly non-sequitur fetishes.  I'd be interested to learn how this developed.  I mean, is it some random repeating "bug" in the code?  Does some programmer throw a dart at a giant wall of encyclopedia entries and then program in whatever he lands on for each AI? (Or does the AI code itself do that "virtually", when the AI is born?)

And I'm quite sure this has been discussed at length, but what was Roko's problem with Pintsize then, since he came exactly as advertised, which she "swiped right" on in the first place?  Was it just the inappropriate venue, him doing it in the very public restaurant, since she's basically "in the closet" about her fetish?

We barely understand how humans develop fetishes, but there are a few hypotheses floating around. It's just a matter of coming up with a proposed experiment an ethics committee would allow.

Someone, perhaps an E-C Enterprises employee, at some point was trying to address the question of how and why people develop fetishes with a computer model using company resources.   For whatever reason, maybe a storage device that didn't get wiped prior to being used for a major build, snippets of that code found their way into the Creche Operating System.  The unnamed researcher is no closer to an answer, but they now observe that AIs develop them right along with meat people.  The catastrophic contamination turns out to have made AIs much closer to being emotionally human.

Or not.

[awgiedawgie]

Or perhaps it was just a "Hey y'all, watch this!" moment up on the space station. For a bunch of nerdy super-geniuses, they know how to party.

[BenRG]

New comic up

So, how many of the local bread fetishists do Renee know? Is she their dealer and, if so, how big is her customer base?

I really love panel 3. It maybe in the eye of the beholder. However, to me, Brun seems to be a wee bit jealous of Elliott spending time seeing to Roko's sexual needs, no matter how peripherally. Maybe she wants that level of attention from Elliott too? If I'm interpreting this correctly, this is the first hint we've got that she wants that kind of attention from him.

As for poor Roko? Well, not only has she run into the best way she is going to get to fill in the blank 'Human Abs.jpg' file in her memory but also the person that she really would like to have rub bread on parts of her. Given that she's already overheated once today, you can't help but wonder if she's going to make it back home unaided. I've got to say that she needs help soon or she's going to melt down!

[traroth]

Yeah, go ahead, feed the birds in the park! Be assured they will give it back to you by crapping on cars, balconies and people!

Sorry, I live in Paris... Pidgins are like friggin' flying rats.

[anahata]

I don't think feeding the birds was what Roko had in mind.
Not that I'm venturing any kind of guess as to what she really wants to do with those loaves.

[JoeCovenant]

A grandfather clock is a big clock.

A grandfather cock, therefore...

therefore... why would that lead to the reactions were seeing?

Maybe it's just a gag... maybe I just don't see the humour in this one.

Oh well...

Well I don't know about you, but given Brun's timepiece hobby and penchant for bad puns, I can only find Renee's response to be appropriately "horror logical".   

See... THAT was funny! 

[traroth]

I don't think feeding the birds was what Roko had in mind.
Not that I'm venturing any kind of guess as to what she really wants to do with those loaves.

I know. I'm happy JJ is not inflicting us the visual realisation of said kink. But I have to confess I'm actually curious...

[bhtooefr]

Oh, but Jeph already did: http://jephjacques.com/post/153991088855/roko-unwinds

[Tova]

I'll never be able to see panel two of comic 1999 the same way again.

I always wondered how that toaster got so much job satisfaction.

[WoaLG]

"I blame autoconnect for all hippos" is making the rounds.

Thank you for the new signature.

I'll never be able to see panel two of comic 1999 the same way again.

I always wondered how that toaster got so much job satisfaction.

I don't know about you, but being a toaster sounds like a simple, easy life. I could live quite happily as a toaster so long as I had an internet connection in my head.

[sitnspin]

Plenty of people love baking. I imagine it is similar for our toaster friends.

[Tova]

It was a joke! I love baking too.

[awgiedawgie]

As for poor Roko? Well, not only has she run into the best way she is going to get to fill in the blank 'Human Abs.jpg' file in her memory but also the person that she really would like to have rub bread on parts of her. Given that she's already overheated once today, you can't help but wonder if she's going to make it back home unaided. I've got to say that she needs help soon or she's going to melt down!

Hmmm.... Clinton has a knack for helping damsels in distress. If Roko needs help getting home, and he offers, she may have to admit to him her earlier fantasy - if only to prevent that meltdown! Then again, he might then offer to make her fantasy come true, which might make her melt down... decisions, decisions...

Yeah, go ahead, feed the birds in the park! Be assured they will give it back to you by crapping on cars, balconies and people!

Sorry, I live in Paris... Pidgins are like friggin' flying rats.

Pigeons are like flying rats no matter where you live. Vile creatures.

[awgiedawgie]

Oh, but Jeph already did: http://jephjacques.com/post/153991088855/roko-unwinds

So, is a non-sentient toaster like a sex toy for a bread fetishist?

[shanejayell]

AND of COURSE she runs into Clinton. 

[OldGoat]

So, is a non-sentient toaster like a sex toy for a bread fetishist?

If it involves butter and Vegemite, it just might be.

[traroth]

Oh, but Jeph already did: http://jephjacques.com/post/153991088855/roko-unwinds

I will never be able to see my toaster the same way...

So it's all about toast, actually...

[traroth]

AND of COURSE she runs into Clinton. 

He's looking for Brun...

[BenRG]

AND of COURSE she runs into Clinton. 

He's looking for Brun...

Who, IMO, is making it quite clear that she'll simulate a bread fetish if it will get her Elliott's attention.

[traroth]

AND of COURSE she runs into Clinton. 

He's looking for Brun...

Who, IMO, is making it quite clear that she'll simulate a bread fetish if it will get her Elliott's attention.

I don't think she's trying to get anyone's attention. She just likes bread. Like in "she likes to eat bread".

[traroth]

We didn't see the whole bread sale transaction. It must have been something, in an awkward kind of way...

[dutchrvl]

AND of COURSE she runs into Clinton. 

He's looking for Brun...

Who, IMO, is making it quite clear that she'll simulate a bread fetish if it will get her Elliott's attention.

I think you might be reading too much into Brun's comment.
I think she simply stated that she likes bread (as in, eating/baking/making sandwiches/etc) to indicate that it's not that much of a stretch for somebody to REALLY be into bread....To me at least it did not seem to be an attempt to simulate a fetish, nor necessarily to gain Elliot's attention (attention in general, maybe...?)

[Magniras]

Mmmm, bread.  Maybe Roko used to be a toaster.

[Cornelius]

To me, it just seems that Brun sometimes wants to contribute to the conversation, but is a bit lost as to how to properly do so.

Anyway, I think Roko has a bit more than tuppence worth in that bag.

[awgiedawgie]

Anyway, I think Roko has a bit more than tuppence worth in that bag.

Inflation, you know. It takes a bit more than tuppence to buy a bag of bread these days.

[Netherdan]

Mmmm, bread.  Maybe Roko used to be a toaster.

Or maybe she wants to be a toaster to, you know, get bread-fucked on a regular basis...

[Neko_Ali]

Perhaps we need to introduce Roko to Talkie Toaster from Red Dwarf.

Hmmm.. On second thought that would probably go off at least as bad as the date with Pintsize.

[OldGoat]

Roko fantasizes about being sandwiched.  Literally.

Hurry up and get her into some kind of intimate relationship, Jeph.  That poor woman needs a cybergasm in the worst way, so much that it's getting painful to watch.