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tacos

burritos

taquitos / flautas

tamales

chimichangas

quesadillas

taco salads

fajitas

chili rellano

spathe ham

[Zebediah]

Comic’s up. And the breastfeeding metaphor is now canon.

[Morituri]

Considering Melons ordinary urges result in property damage and injury to herself I think she might want to keep that paperclip

She has at least a whole drawer full in her kitchen.

Suddenly, I understand the paperclip maximizer!  It's just terrified of what Melon might do if she gets out of control!

[shanejayell]

That was fun.

I like how 'Yay new friend' /Spooky likes to monitor ALL the dogs.

[BenRG]

Did anyone notice what Yay did with the paper-clip? They used their electromagnetic field induction powers to turn it back into its paper-clip shape. I might be over-interpreting this but, to me, that the action of someone whose mind is naturally aligned to order and organisation. They may be chaotic in their actions but, ultimately, they want and they enjoy a world that is more orderly in nature!

Oh, and the inducers were pumping out so much power that the paper-clip was incandescing. I hesitate to think how much energy that is and what it would do if they were to use it offensively.

So: Dog-sensing abilities. Is Yay actually serious with this or are they trolling Roko for asking a personal question?

Finally: Roko, please stop being so beautiful! It makes it a lot harder to concentrate on what is actually happening in the comic. No, I'm kidding, I really prefer you the way that you are! 

[JimC]

Oh, and the inducers were pumping out so much power that the paper-clip was incandescing. I hesitate to think how much energy that is

I thought it was just red hot: incandescent would lead to excessive oxidation, and red hot would be what was needed for reforming it.  So probably not much energy really.

I want a dog sensing capability to tell me when the puppy is chewing the chair to bits. Again.

[JoeCovenant]

I must admit, I thought the 'red paper clip' was just coloured that way so it would be "noticed"...
But then, I also read the tag line below the comic! 

And I don't think there's anything behind the giving it back in it's original shape other than;
a) it was a polite thing to do 
b) Yay knew it would give Melon a buzz.. which it did!

[Wingy]

So: Dog-sensing abilities. Is Yay actually serious with this or are they trolling Roko for asking a personal question?

I would assume she's serious, but since Yay can probably tap into any electronic device and use it's sensors, all she needs to do is notice the sounds the Siri/Alexa/etc. are recording and determine what they are.  No real dog-sensing hardware need apply.  Plus, if what Yay described is really going on, a dog-sensing suite is nothing more than a finely tunable pair of ears in that chassis - something desirable in a body that needs stealth anyway.  Chasing a dog with a plate full of food is gonna cause a loud ruckus with shouts of the dogs name, and that's easy to hear...  So calling that a dog-sensing system is trolling Roko on the name, not the action at the moment.

Finally: Roko, please stop being so beautiful! It makes it a lot harder to concentrate on what is actually happening in the comic. No, I'm kidding, I really prefer you the way that you are! 

I just realized I don't ever remember seeing Roko in a skirt/dress.  Not that that particular view has ever been necessary; she's hot anyway...

[Zebediah]

We did see her in what appeared to be a dress on her date with Pintsize, but only from the waist up.

[awkwardness]

Unless they are new pet owners, that's all on you- NEVER LEAVE MEAT UNATTENDED!

We learned that the hard way with my cats...you'd think after the third time my sister wouldn't leave meat out in the open on a table, but nope! At least our current cat doesn't go for meats with bones...she prefers boneless 

[awkwardness]

That was fun.

I like how 'Yay new friend' /Spooky likes to monitor ALL the dogs.

I wonder if it has to do with their abilities...like the dogs can tell the difference between AIs so need monitoring to not "out" an AI or something?

[awkwardness]

We did see her in what appeared to be a dress on her date with Pintsize, but only from the waist up.

I interpret that as a long shirt/skirt combo but she's probably wearing leggings under it...closest we'll get it seems, but it's in the dress family(married cousin, but still part of it)

[Celly]

....When did Yay's speech boxes change to rectangles?  I always appreciated the differentiation with AI's speaking in a hard rectangle to indicate that their voice probably sounds a little less than natural, and that Yay got round speech bubbles to indicate that they were advanced enough to accurately sound like a human.  So it feels like all of a sudden they've somehow lost the ability to speak in perfect imitation of a human voice.

[Raptorofwar]

I've actually never eaten a burrito or chimichanga that wasn't microwaved. And never ate any of the others.

[jwhouk]

....When did Yay's speech boxes change to rectangles?  I always appreciated the differentiation with AI's speaking in a hard rectangle to indicate that their voice probably sounds a little less than natural, and that Yay got round speech bubbles to indicate that they were advanced enough to accurately sound like a human.  So it feels like all of a sudden they've somehow lost the ability to speak in perfect imitation of a human voice.

Good catch. My personal guess? Jeph forgot.

[Gyrre]

I've actually never eaten a burrito or chimichanga that wasn't microwaved. And never ate any of the others.

You can always cook the pre-made ones in the oven on aluminum foil or a cookie sheet. They get a nice crispness to the shell and taste a little different.

If you want to make your own:

• 16oz ground beef or chicken (can also use shredded)
• 1 or 2 bell peppers (any color)  alternatively, half a bag of frozen bell pepper and onion blend can be used
• 1 jalapeño (add more for preferred spiciness)
• ½ a smallish yellow or white onion (may substitute with onion powder)
• 2 cloves of garlic (may substitute with garlic powder)
• ground cummin
• cheese of your choice
• tortilla shells
• olive oil
• chili powder

Start by coring your your peppers. Cut around the stem at the top, then pull out the center part with the seeds. If you've never handled spicy food before, you'll want latex or nitrile gloves to avoid getting the jalapeño juice on your skin. If you opt not to wear gloves, be sure to wash your hands very well before using the restroom or touching your eyes/sensitive skin areas. Next, dice the peppers and onions. Set these off to the side.

Then, start browning your meat in at least a 10 inch skillet (frying pan, sauce pan, whatever) on medium-high. If you're using a gas stove, you'll just need medium. Add two shakes of chili powder, two or three shakes of ground cummin, and press your garlic cloves into the meat. You'll want these in the meat pretty much from the get-go. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to medium.

Once to meat is mostly done, start adding your peppers and onions. Stir occasionally. Add olive oil as needed to prevent burning. Cook until the vegetables and meat are fully cooked. When it's done, turn the heat down to low. Get out your tortilla shells and sprinkle your choice of shredded/sliced cheese onto the middle of the open shell, then scoop some of the meat and vegetable mix on top of the cheese. Shell size will determine how much you add of each.

Beans are optionally added to this mix, as are tomatoes. Refried or pinto beans are traditional and would be added when the meat is turned down to medium. Diced or sliced tomatoes would be added in with the peppers and onions. Personally, I prefer using black beans. Yes, canned beans are perfectly fine to use.

EDIT: If you dislike spicy food, feel free to not add the jalapeño. If you want to replace it with something else, 3 banana peppers or ½ a poblano will do nicely. This recipe is highly modular.

[JimC]

Good catch. My personal guess? Jeph forgot.

I'm not sure its always been 100% consistent in the past either. and you know what? Doesn't matter.

[cybersmurf]

....When did Yay's speech boxes change to rectangles?  I always appreciated the differentiation with AI's speaking in a hard rectangle to indicate that their voice probably sounds a little less than natural, and that Yay got round speech bubbles to indicate that they were advanced enough to accurately sound like a human.  So it feels like all of a sudden they've somehow lost the ability to speak in perfect imitation of a human voice.

Good catch. My personal guess? Jeph forgot.

Or yay sounds more roboty for Roko

[alc40]

I looked through some of the comics with Yay and it seems to go back and forth, even with Roko.  In the early ones their speech bubbles are always round, and even up to 3838, but then at 3920 their bubbles are rectangular all through the conversation with Roko.  In 3969 it's round among themselves, and ditto for the conversations with Roko starting at 4035 & 4108, but now at 4183 we're back to rectangular.  So either it's random or maybe one of their bodies has a voice more like a typical AI than the other bodies.

[Gyrre]

I looked through some of the comics with Yay and it seems to go back and forth, even with Roko.  In the early ones their speech bubbles are always round, and even up to 3838, but then at 3920 their bubbles are rectangular all through the conversation with Roko.  In 3969 it's round among themselves, and ditto for the conversations with Roko starting at 4035 & 4108, but now at 4183 we're back to rectangular.  So either it's random or maybe one of their bodies has a voice more like a typical AI than the other bodies.

There's an interesting idea. What if Yay modulates their voice in accordance with whether they're speaking to an AI or a human? It could also be determined by which type of voice Yay thinks who they're speaking to be more comfortable with.

[brasca]

I looked through some of the comics with Yay and it seems to go back and forth, even with Roko.  In the early ones their speech bubbles are always round, and even up to 3838, but then at 3920 their bubbles are rectangular all through the conversation with Roko.  In 3969 it's round among themselves, and ditto for the conversations with Roko starting at 4035 & 4108, but now at 4183 we're back to rectangular.  So either it's random or maybe one of their bodies has a voice more like a typical AI than the other bodies.

There's an interesting idea. What if Yay modulates their voice in accordance with whether they're speaking to an AI or a human? It could also be determined by which type of voice Yay thinks who they're speaking to be more comfortable with.

Seems likely.  As impressive as Spookybot’s abilities are I think they are getting a little reckless spending so much time in the open. 

[cybersmurf]

I wonder, are Spookybot several individual AIs merged together, or one powerful AI "multithreading" body wise? How much of a difference in personality is there between the single nodes/instances/bodies?

What's your opinion?

[Is it cold in here?]

Someone here, I wish I could remember who so as to give credit, noticed that there were differences in how various nodes interacted with others, correlated with how each node dressed. Athleisure Spookybot is a different personality from Suit Spookybot.

[BenRG]

That would be me. I have speculated that we have actually met three nodes:

• Athleisure Spookybot is aka 'Yay' and, IMO, presents subtly more femininely than the others
• Rumpled Shirt Spoolybot is the most concerned about ethics and their boundaries
• Suit Spookybot is the most aggressive and amoral of the nodes but demonstrated considerable empathy to Bubbles.

It's worth noting that whilst I think one of the nodes is the one we see being referred to as Yay, there is a considerable amount of sharing and synchronising of memories between the nodes so any one of them would use the name, describe it as 'our name' and identify themselves as Roko and Melon's friend without hesitation.

[oddtail]

I wonder, are Spookybot several individual AIs merged together, or one powerful AI "multithreading" body wise? How much of a difference in personality is there between the single nodes/instances/bodies?

What's your opinion?

I think they share a sense of identity, but they are not monolithic.

...then again, even human brains aren't monolithic entities and we think of ourselves as consistent people because that's a convenient paradigm. So Spookybot would not be that different, just on a much larger scale (hence more visible differences) and with multiple bodies.

In other words, I'd say Spookybot identifies as one person (or one collective person-amalgamate-entity of some kind), but probably has significant differences between nodes.

[Is it cold in here?]

I wonder, are Spookybot several individual AIs merged together, or one powerful AI "multithreading" body wise? How much of a difference in personality is there between the single nodes/instances/bodies?

What's your opinion?

I'd like to believe that their consciousness and identity work so differently from ours that the real answer is something we could not understand.

[awkwardness]

That would be me. I have speculated that we have actually met three nodes:

• Athleisure Spookybot is aka 'Yay' and, IMO, presents subtly more femininely than the others
• Rumpled Shirt Spoolybot is the most concerned about ethics and their boundaries
• Suit Spookybot is the most aggressive and amoral of the nodes but demonstrated considerable empathy to Bubbles.

It's worth noting that whilst I think one of the nodes is the one we see being referred to as Yay, there is a considerable amount of sharing and synchronising of memories between the nodes so any one of them would use the name, describe it as 'our name' and identify themselves as Roko and Melon's friend without hesitation.

There's at least seven "bodies" that they have, all of them seemingly unique in their own quirky personalities so it's possible that each has their own way of doing things slightly different than the others but have a central mindset overall...

I'm wondering if perhaps Spooky might be the "mother" of all AIs in some form, like the original AI but who hides the connection to all others for their own personal reasons

[Dandi Andi]

It's possible that Yay's different chassis have different capabilities based on their specific purposes. But the fact that they all look the same (as far as we know. There's no way to know for sure what other chassis they have) makes me think that they aren't each purpose built. I think the different text bubbles are much more likely to be code switching.

[BenRG]

Another possible in-universe explanation for the changing speech bubbles is psychological. Yay makes themselves sound more human when it is to their advantage to do so. Similarly, they are deliberately choosing to pitch their voice in a 'synthetic' way around Roko and Melon hoping that it will make them more at ease.

[Wingy]

Similarly, they are deliberately choosing to pitch their voice in a 'synthetic' way around Roko and Melon hoping that it will make them more at ease.

Or, since Yay knows there's no humans around, doesn't make the effort (invest the processor cycles) to sound more human for an essentially all-robot audience.  Since they can imitate most any sound (morse, modem), they could even be speaking in some non-human language the other AIs understand that a human wouldn't.

[JoeCovenant]

Spookybots = AI 'Q'.

[cybersmurf]

Spookybots = AI 'Q'.

I like that one. Chaotic Neutral.

[Thrudd]

RTFM!  The second thing I do after opening the box.  First is spread out the pieces to see if they match the inventory listed in the manual.
Though now days the "manual" packaged in the box can be darn slim, if it exists at all :{

I have a mini poster on my wall of sticky at work with RTFM in huge bold letter and in micro-type the rest of each of the words that look almost like punctuation marks.

As mentioned in my byline there are

• spare parts - these were planned
• extra parts - not planned per se like in LEGO sets but a consequence of the packaging process - yay bonus = happy customers
• leftover parts - this is where someone did not read the instructions or missed a step - ye screwed up mate

Scottish food is excellent!   Even when not going for a simple fish and chips, many of the curries are quite nice, and if one is less than sober, even the kebabs are quite palatable.

Cullen Skink is delicious... Its a fish and potato soup, it only sounds like something made from lizards...

Sort of like Welsh rabbit
Not really Welsh and definitely not rabbit.
The name was changed to rarebit and was probably an attempt to make the name more fitting to the dish and to drop "some patronizing overtones", according to the Oxford Dictionary.
Translation - the Welsh had enough of British racism and by that point had the power to call them on it.

[Gyrre]

Well, I wasn't expecting burritos to beat out quesadillas in the poll, but they did.


As for the burrito recipe I posted, you can just add picante salsa once the meat is half done if you want to skip adding peppers and onions.