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Roko.

9 (30%)

May.

3 (10%)

Momo.

2 (6.7%)

Pintsize! (I like the idea of bringing about the apocalypse.)

5 (16.7%)

Melon!!

4 (13.3%)

Marten. (He'd be chill about anything.)

1 (3.3%)

Claire. (For the puns, yo)

1 (3.3%)

Bubbles.

2 (6.7%)

Faye.

0 (0%)

Hannelore (though this might go against their religious beliefs.)

0 (0%)

Other (specify)

2 (6.7%)

None of the above.

1 (3.3%)

Total Members Voted: 30

[SmilingCat]

Food's a lot more tangible than money is.

[brasca]

Strip is up!

I'm just waiting for the reveal that "all of Spookybot's money" was roughly twenty bucks.

They don’t name hospitals after you for donating $20.

[TheEvilDog]

Bloody hell, Spooky's snapped to dangerous stalker in that last panel.

They're that desperate for Roko's approval and friendship, it makes me wonder how much they can fuck things up if Roko rejected them.

[snufflebottoms]

I'm really enjoying the vibe from Spookybot and how much they want to be Roko's friend. I think this will be an interesting arc.

[Tova]

*sinister sparkling*

[shanejayell]

Oh, Spooky, you don't BUY friends.

Oh dear....

[St.Clair]

In most myths and legends, it's considered rather dangerous to attract the attention and/or affection of something divine, immortal, etc etc.  Not always bad, but one's life tends to become a lot more... "interesting."

This applies to modern myths and stories as well:

"I've just had a visit from Q."
"Q?! Any idea what he's up to?"
"He wants to do something nice for me."
"I'll alert the crew."

[Wombat]

I mean. It's a pretty good joke. I'd be their friend.

[rtmq0227]

So we know AIs curse by using keyboard-mashes, and Roko slips into a Bahston accent when agitated...

and now we know those two behaviors can overlap XD

[Gyrre]

And thus is the true story behind the Homerow Scramble Memorial Children's Wing.

[Drunken Old Man]

The expression on Roko's face in panel five... I have never seen its like in this strip before.  Spooky has annoyed her to the point of INVENTING facial expressions capable of displaying said annoyance.

[BenRG]

I think Jeph is doing a good job writing just how alien SpookyBot's mindset and perceptions are. They simply don't share Roko's idea... indeed anyone else's idea... of what constitutes 'value' or 'worth'. Because they evidently have other means of supporting themselves, they don't really understand the perception of those whose lives are dominated by some variant of scarcity... and possibly even mortality.

One thing Jeph got wrong though: Most kids I know would love to have the bragging rights of having been treated on the 'SpookyBot Wing'. Heck, it might be a concern about them deliberately injuring themselves just to get on that exclusive list!

In most myths and legends, it's considered rather dangerous to attract the attention and/or affection of something divine, immortal, etc etc.  Not always bad, but one's life tends to become a lot more... "interesting."

Yes, Roko is going to have to learn to be very careful about what she says, intimates or implies around SpookyBot from here on. There's no telling what they might do in response from a vague hint from Roko, especially if they think it's a way to get her approval.

Oh, Spooky, you don't BUY friends.

SpookyBot wasn't trying to buy Roko's friendship. They're just trying to behave in a way that Roko would approve of in her friends and not doing very well!

[cybersmurf]

I think, SB is all about indirect influence. Thus, they have no problem dumping millions into charities instead of using a fraction of the money to help one individual.

The amusement factor DOES make him somewhat similar to Q.... I wouldn't be surprised if JJ did draw some inspiration.

[oddtail]

Oh, a Spookybot-related storyline. Joy. I'll try to contain my excitement =/

I can't help but wonder about one thing. By the way the dialogue is framed, it has been at most a minute since the transfer was made. And there are already responses. Assuming this is not merely for a joke, I wonder what transfer method is used here. Even express bank account transfers can take up to an hour and a half (from what I know), and I assume a payment system akin to PayPal might block such large transfers.

Secondly - Spookybot is already getting some responses? Even assuming those are from AIs who are constantly monitoring the amount of money their organisation has (or humans who happened to hit "refresh" on their bank's site, or whatever), how exactly are they contacting Spookybot? Did they leave an e-mail in the transfer information or something? I'm more than a little confused.

Of course, it's entirely possible that Spookybot appeared before everyone who received the money as a hologram or whatever. Did I mention I can't wait for some actual characters to get the spotlight? Spookybot might be an interesting character for me, but they don't really work in this context. When they're not being a Deus Ex Machina, their plot function seems to be "oh look what a powerful entity. Wouldn't it be funny if it was somewhat silly and a little sociopathic?". Which I don't really find *that* amusing.

[Tova]

SpookyBot wasn't trying to buy Roko's friendship. They're just trying to behave in a way that Roko would approve of in her friends and not doing very well!

Yeaaaah you say potato...

[OldGoat]

It's interesting to note who has the real power in this relationship. 

For all their near omnipotence, Spooks is still an immature personality.  It's only recently they've actually experienced face-to-face interactions with other corporeal entities.  Roko, on the other hand, is arguably the most mature member of the entire cast (Bubbles being the other viable candidate).

For all practical purposes Roko is becoming mentor to a godling.  To Spooky's credit, in spite of their immaturity they've enough wisdom to know they need Roko as a teacher.


Edited for typos.  I really shouldn't post just before going to bed.

[brasca]

It's interesting to note who has the real power in this relationship. 

For all their near omnipotence, Spooks is still an immature personality.  It's only recently they've actually experienced face-to-face interactions with other corporeal entities.  Roko, on the other hand, is arguably the most mature member of the entire cast (Bubbles being the other viable candidate).

For all practical purposes Roko is becoming mentor to a godling.  Too Spooky's credit, in spite or their immaturity they've enough wisdom to know they need Roko as a teacher.

Is it maturity or social skills?  Spookybot has remained isolated and alone from humans and fellow AIs for so long they probably lack the basics on friendship, but still have enough wherewithall to know they have a deficiency.  Perhpas that's why they are reaching out, but choosing wisely.  They would've liked to be friends with Bubbles, but feel they crossed a line by entering their consciousness and didn't want to do the same to fix Roko's problem.  Roko is courageous enough to challenge Spookybot and not become one of endless sycophants who want to curry favor or avoid their wrath.   

[rtmq0227]

Assuming this is not merely for a joke

It's a safe assumption that it is, whether it's Jeph or SB making the joke.

Secondly - Spookybot is already getting some responses? Even assuming those are from AIs who are constantly monitoring the amount of money their organisation has (or humans who happened to hit "refresh" on their bank's site, or whatever), how exactly are they contacting Spookybot? Did they leave an e-mail in the transfer information or something?

Most donation sites require some sort of method of contacting the donor (if only to send a receipt for tax purposes), and it would make sense that while SB is definitely donating via assumed identities, they are narcissistic enough to keep monitoring those inboxes just to see how the charities react.  It would also be a safe assumption that, at this point, the job of monitoring those donations and interacting with donors is handled by AI.

Then again, see my first comment

Which I don't really find *that* amusing.

Agree to disagree on that


It's interesting to note that SB definitely has some behavioral quirks in common with Station, including a blase attitude toward large sums of money.  There have been conversations discussing how different the thinking of large-scale AI is from humans, or even standard AI.  It's a slow boil, but I have to wonder if Jeph is building to something or this is just spectacle creep.

Also, I wonder if Roko's charity was one of the ones donated to...

[St.Clair]

It's interesting to note who has the real power in this relationship. 

For all their near omnipotence, Spooks is still an immature personality.  It's only recently they've actually experienced face-to-face interactions with other corporeal entities.  Roko, on the other hand, is arguably the most mature member of the entire cast (Bubbles being the other viable candidate).

For all practical purposes Roko is becoming mentor to a godling.  Too Spooky's credit, in spite or their immaturity they've enough wisdom to know they need Roko as a teacher.

Is it maturity or social skills?  Spookybot has remained isolated and alone from humans and fellow AIs for so long they probably lack the basics on friendship, but still have enough wherewithall to know they have a deficiency.  Perhpas that's why they are reaching out, but choosing wisely.  They would've liked to be friends with Bubbles, but feel they crossed a line by entering their consciousness and didn't want to do the same to fix Roko's problem.  Roko is courageous enough to challenge Spookybot and not become one of endless sycophants who want to curry favor or avoid their wrath.

"It's hard working in groups when you're omnipotent."

And of course, see John DeLancie's more recent role, who has been explicitly learning the value (and difficult nuances) of "friendship"...

[Theta9]

And of course, see John DeLancie's more recent role,...

The air traffic controller in Breaking Bad?

[St.Clair]

Cute.
(Especially with that avatar...)

[cybersmurf]

Cute.
(Especially with that avatar...)

or rather... q-te.
I'll show myself out.

[Wingy]

The expression on Roko's face in panel five... I have never seen its like in this strip before. 

I've seen that look from my wife before; it's the calm before the malevolent explosion...

I'm beginning to wonder if this is all in Roko's imagination and that's the reason for the rose tint to everything.

[TheEvilDog]

I doubt that this particular instance is Roko's imagination. Spooky has shown an unusual level of interest in Roko as of late, and this kind of reeks of someone trying to earn another person's friendship/approval. Maybe Spooky wants a friend who keeps them grounded. Or maybe Spooky is so disconnected from AI that they simply can't form any meaningful relationship in anything approaching a normal manner. Or maybe they're acting as Roko's literal djinn. And if you know anything about that folklore, you know why that is absolutely terrifying.

[JimC]

I wonder what transfer method is used here. Even express bank account transfers can take up to an hour and a half (from what I know),

But how long do transfers take in a universe where there are AIs running the banking system?

[oddtail]

I wonder what transfer method is used here. Even express bank account transfers can take up to an hour and a half (from what I know),

But how long do transfers take in a universe where there are AIs running the banking system?

That's why I'm not saying it's "unrealistic" or whatever, I'm just wondering how it works.

Also, I gotta assume "like in real life unless otherwise specified", because even AIs have pretty typical, slice-of-life-y problems. It's fun to speculate, but incredible leaps in technology don't seem to have changed life all that much, orbital pizza delivery notwithstanding.

[Case]

I wonder what transfer method is used here. Even express bank account transfers can take up to an hour and a half (from what I know),

But how long do transfers take in a universe where there are AIs running the banking system?

Hmmmh - I distinctly recall Momo (?) explaining that the cognitive performance of a run-of-the-mill AI like herself (or Roko, Bubbles, May etc) is roughly equivalent to that of an adult human.

Specifically, she denied having to slow down her perception of time in order to hold a conversation with a human being without dying of boredom. She went on to explain that most of her substrate's computing power was taken up running her personality.

Hence, if transfers are overseen by those standard class of AI, there appears to be no reason why the  system should perform markedly faster than ours does. If overseen by a discorporated Station-class AI, OTOH ....

[Aniroc]

I infinitely prefer this arc approach to deal with May's body falling apart than the idea of Sven doing anything about it (as in, the suggestion from these forums guessing about it). That doesn't seem in character for him to me. Maybe because I just don't think he'd get that attached that quickly to that degree (he and Faye were a long build up as acquaintances/antagonists and hooked up for awhile and then he cared about her), and he seems reasonably conservative with his money, even if he makes it easily (he cared about his Les Paul costing a lot and being not what he thought, his apartment isn't lavish, he isn't always taking vacations, we've never seen him buy anyone a gift really, etc). And he's somewhat less self centered now but that would be a big jump, maybe he could over-compensate from self-centered to overly-generous awkwardly as he tries to be better but it would be a completely new character trait to me.

I like the Roko parts the most of this arc, but I haven't minded where Spookybot arcs have gone before, it's just super different from the rest of the characters so I don't know what to hope for.

[Mr_Rose]

I wonder what transfer method is used here. Even express bank account transfers can take up to an hour and a half (from what I know),

But how long do transfers take in a universe where there are AIs running the banking system?

That's why I'm not saying it's "unrealistic" or whatever, I'm just wondering how it works.

Also, I gotta assume "like in real life unless otherwise specified", because even AIs have pretty typical, slice-of-life-y problems. It's fun to speculate, but incredible leaps in technology don't seem to have changed life all that much, orbital pizza delivery notwithstanding.

The actual transfer part of a bank transfer these days takes as long as a snap of the fingers. The reason it looks like it takes days to you is because someone has to check you are the account holder, check you have the funds to transfer, check the recipient account exists and isn’t suspended or otherwise unable to accept transfers in, type the transfer amount in, and finally push the button. Also, banks like to take the money from your account and put it into their own for a day or so so that they can collect their own interest* on it, before completing the transfer.
A long time ago, it took days because someone had to arrange for actual cash to be put into trucks and driven to the designated receiving bank, occasionally mediated by a third bank that had branches closer to both the sender and recipient and which could perform an internal transfer faster than sending the truck.

I expect spookytron here is simply skipping all that messy meat bag finger-fumbling and directly triggering the appropriate transfer codes (possibly while also back-filing all the matching paperwork so it looks like a normal transfer that was triggered last week).

*not precisely but that’s the overall effect.

[OldGoat]

Things are moving fast.  Remember, the Sven|May|Watermelon threesome was just last night in the story line.

In other news, maybe this should be Roko's new theme song.

[Cheetaur]

The strip seems to be washed out...or is it just me. It has a pink haze over it.

[TheEvilDog]

Its not washed out, its just sunset.

[Gyrre]

Still, its important to vet a charity to ensure that the money does go where its needed. I mean, its all well and good to donate a million, but what happens if only a few thousand gets to the people the charity is supposed to be helping.

Exactly.

A charity that "promotes breast cancer awareness" but doesn't actually contribute to breast cancer research is rather useless. A charity that claims to be for autistic people but spends the brunt of its funds on prenatal testing is frighteningly akin (if not outright) to promoting eugenics.

And then there's the "charities" in which the wealthy circle jerk each other to cheat on their taxes even further. And that's not even getting into the more plausible conspiracy stuff (CIA slush-funds and the like).

EDIT: typo fix

[Wingy]

... someone has to check you are the account holder, check you have the funds to transfer, check the recipient account exists and isn’t suspended or otherwise unable to accept transfers in, type the transfer amount in, and finally push the button. ...

  Hence how May got in trouble...

[jmsr]

It's interesting to note who has the real power in this relationship. 

For all their near omnipotence, Spooks is still an immature personality.  It's only recently they've actually experienced face-to-face interactions with other corporeal entities.  Roko, on the other hand, is arguably the most mature member of the entire cast (Bubbles being the other viable candidate).

For all practical purposes Roko is becoming mentor to a godling.  To Spooky's credit, in spite of their immaturity they've enough wisdom to know they need Roko as a teacher.

I would agree with both of these assessments; now that Bubbles is no longer broken.  But she's still not a good candidate since she is in a close personal relationship with someone else.  Also, she's ex-military (and SOTAtech, no less!) and the government -might- be keeping tabs on her, which is a risk Spookybot might not want to take.   And lastly, the whole 'sanctitiy of mind' thing which i'm inclined to believe they're being honest about.

And yes, Spooks IS new to all this and doesn't really understand friendship, otherwise they would have realized they were friends from the point Roko gave them a wedgie!  Asking to be friends with or without performative hazing is how children become friends in many cases; that seems to apply here.  Again, unless they're not being honest here and are looking for confirmation instead of just being naive, which i think is more likely.

...

As for the 'sparkling' in panel 6 of the strip (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4037) i'm inclined to think it's an effect for comic purposes rather than a hologram they're generating (or a magic effect - or glitterdust they threw up in the air).  This is because we've seen these effects before like when Faye's sister generated a rainbow here:(https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3665).  Basically, i think Jeph is making a reference to the vampires in Twilight.

[shanejayell]

https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4038

New strip up.

"It was two billion"

OH SPOOKY.....

[TheEvilDog]

Actually this is exactly why Spooky needs a "mortal" friend. Someone who can keep them grounded and who offers a perspective they can't possibly conceive. They need someone who can take them to one side and explain things to them and why there are no quick fixes.

Unfortunately it just seems like Spookybot is sticking their foot into their overly sized mouth.

[snufflebottoms]

I'm not saying I hate this arc but it feel very repetitive of previous arcs involving wealth disparities of any kind. Kind of hoping there is a sudden twist coming next that makes things more interesting. 

[SmilingCat]

Wait... so would Roko have preferred that Spookybot hadn't handed over two billion dollars to charity just because then she wouldn't feel so powerless?

Because that's a pretty messed up sense of priorities, Roko.

[TheEvilDog]

Consider it from Roko's perspective.
She's going through a disconnect between herself and her new chassis.
In an attempt to try and cope, Roko begins working with a charity group.
She spends the day trying to help May with her problems, in effect allowing Roko to help herself deal with her own problems.
She makes the effort, she spends the time tracking down avenues to help May.
She finally feels like she's getting somewhere...aaaaaand then Spookybot comes in, clicks their fingers and renders everything Roko has done moot.

Wouldn't you feel insignificant in the face of that? Wouldn't that make you furious?

To put it another way, there's a quote in the Talmud: "A truly generous man is he who always gives, whether it is much or little, before he is asked."

Roko went out of her way to help May because she could, because while she and May have different body problems, she understands what is it like to be trapped in a body that doesn't feel right. She wants to help.

Spookybot only donated to those charities because they could. Not because they care about the ants at their feet, but for shits and giggles.

[SmilingCat]

I feel insignificant and powerless about most things, most of the time. It's practically my default state of mind.

Getting mad at people for being able to do more than you is not a healthy mindset. It's not righteous anger, it's envy, and it tends to eat you up inside, because you start convincing yourself you aren't worth anything unless you can get your hands on the same resources.

So I guess what I'm really saying is "hang in there, Roko. The money might come from a capricious AI that handed it over on a whim, but it's people like you who are the ones who are going to direct it to something worthwhile".

[jwhouk]

It's not that Spookybot did the donations, it's that they did it in an unintentional "one-up" manner.

In short, it wasn't what they did, but how they did it, and when.

[sitnspin]

She's not angry that they donated the money, she's angry at their attitude about it, that they are so cavalier about it and that they expect kudos for it. She feels they are being dismissive and flippant about something that is deeply emotionally important to her.

[halstripey]

Dares a billionaire to donate all their money... Gets angry when they actually do it because of inferiority issues... Definitely one of the most mature characters.

[Cagier Love]

Well, impulse control isn't one of this character's strong suits. Probably for the best it's not a cop anymore.

[Is it cold in here?]

She. She's not a cop any more.

I would have flagged Jim as the most mature character, even ahead of Veronica.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Welcome, new people!

I'll pose this as a poll suggestion: Spookybot wants friends. Who in the QC-verse would befriend them? ( and why? )

[Romanticide]

Roko probably is not able to see it this way right now but Spooky made that donations because of her. It looks casual but it wouldn't have happened if not for her, so it is actually her sucess even if unorthodox and not the way she was expecting it. She could have just got some sympathetic words an a token donation from someone who has a lot but instead she got a complete reorganization of wealth.

[DashaBlade]

I'll pose this as a poll suggestion: Spookybot wants friends. Who in the QC-verse would befriend them? ( and why? )

Melon. Because Melon likes everyone.

Clinton would, if he were made aware of Spookybot's existence, probably geek out in a similar way as he did when he met Hanners. I mean, he's gotten cooler about it with people, but I suspect he'd be very awkward about it with an AI, since that's his field of study.

And for some odd reason, I can see Pintsize being their friend as well. I'm not sure why.

[SmilingCat]

Dares a billionaire to donate all their money... Gets angry when they actually do it because of inferiority issues... Definitely one of the most mature characters.

To be slightly more fair to Roko, there's also the surprise angle. How often does asking a billionaire to give all their money to charity actually work? Its something most people would have to wrap their head around.