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T-rex

Quetzalcoatlus

Gorgonops

something else

I ain't scared of no pterodactyl

purplemonkey dishwasher

[Cornelius]

New strip.

Can robots turn their noses off, or are they stuck with skunk stink?

Probably depends on the model.  Most likely can, but a May or other low-end make might be stuck.

Then again, lower-end chassis might not even have one to begin with.

[Dolphin Jack]

i'm surprised there isn't more votes against the "I ain't scared of no" pterodactyl. Fun fact: it name is from it's catchphrase "I ain't scared of no ..." There are no survivors of "I ain't scared of no" pterodactyls.

for some reason, today's comic (not counting the last panel) makes me *ouch* (sorry if it's incomprehensible, I have weird synesthesia, and bad with word stuff.)

[traroth]

Probably why they said "Pardon my French" 

Afterwards. But appreciated.

I always say "...if you'll pardon my French" whenever I use a phrase such as coup d'etat or raison d'etre.

C'est marrant, je ne fais jamais ça, moi. Il faudrait que je tente "excusez mon anglais" la prochaine fois que je dis qu'on se retrouve pour un brunch

[dreed]

Jeph noted that Elliot actually came close to death when he came up behind Yay in panel 2.

I so don't get the joke. Someone saying hi to you might result in body harm.
And Elliot dialog afterwards seems to imply he was in the wrong?

[Gyrre]

[snip]
Jeph noted that Elliot actually came close to death when he came up behind Yay in panel 2. We know that chassis has electromagnetic inductors in the hands. I wonder what other advanced technology with combat applications are hidden away in that chassis?

[snip]
That said, yes, I can see Roko, with a clothes peg on her nose, helping a couple of Yays and a disappointed-looking Melon to scrub Elliot down with stiff-bristled brushes and several dozen cans of pureed tomato.

1) Electromagnets can do a lot if they're strong enough. Yay is capable of zonking people right out, so who knows?

2) Isn't the trick to use white vinegar?

i'm surprised there isn't more votes against the "I ain't scared of no" pterodactyl. Fun fact: it name is from it's catchphrase "I ain't scared of no ..." There are no survivors of "I ain't scared of no" pterodactyls.

[snip]

.....Also there's a piano arrangement of the Theme of Super Metroid called 'I Ain't Afraid of no Pterodactyl' by Vivi22 on the OCReMix album Reserve Tank:VARIAtions, and I may or may not have misremembered the title.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Mealworms have historically been consumed in many Asian countries, particularly in Southeast Asia. ( wikipedia )

[Raptorofwar]

Those prehistoric creatures are tame. Try Titanoboa, Megapiranha, terror birds, and most of the Paleozoic.

[Cornelius]

Jeph noted that Elliot actually came close to death when he came up behind Yay in panel 2.

I so don't get the joke. Someone saying hi to you might result in body harm.
And Elliot dialog afterwards seems to imply he was in the wrong?

Someone like Elliot will get a lot of reactions from people getting threatened, even if they're just in a corner in the train reading a book. Some of those reactions can be very aggressive.

Aside from that, I think Jeph actually just means to remind us that Yay is very much not a cuddly character, and doesn't like to be accosted.

[Thrudd]

For what it's worth, my school was K-6 elementary school, 7-8 junior high (at the high school but in a separate building), and 9-12 high school.

Mine was similar though the middle block was referred to as Senior Public but Highschool went to 13 - yeah that makes me ancient bu most webizzens standards.

This time it’s more a question of who’s going to be more surprised by the first kiss, Elliot, Clinton, or Brun…

My guess/hope is for something a bit different - all three are sitting down with Brun between the two - the "awkward" intensifies to biblical proportions - Brun is tired - puts arms around both and pulls them close - "I like you both now kiss me" may or may not end with a damnit.

[Theta9]

Jeph noted that Elliot actually came close to death when he came up behind Yay in panel 2.

I so don't get the joke. Someone saying hi to you might result in body harm.
And Elliot dialog afterwards seems to imply he was in the wrong?

I read it as Elliot taking care not to surprise/startle people as he approaches them from behind. A man-mountain like Elliot can be rather imposing, particularly to those unaware that he is a marshmallow.

[Tova]

Jeph noted that Elliot actually came close to death when he came up behind Yay in panel 2.

I so don't get the joke. Someone saying hi to you might result in body harm.

I can see what Jeph was probably going for, but I don't really believe it as it is written.

As far as I can make out, Jeph wants us to believe that Yay is a dreadfully dangerous and almost-omnipotent hive mind with very few ethical boundaries. Even though I don't think we've really seen a hint of them behaving in a way we would find unethical*, except perhaps in torturing Corpse Witch, someone who crossed one of those few ethical boundaries.

Would such a powerful being be startled by someone walking up behind them, even as large as Elliot? Even a being with limitations we can't hope to understand? That seems highly unlikely. And even if they were startled, would Yay wantonly kill? Sure, they've got no ethical boundary to prevent them, but would they be motivated to? The only real motivation we've seen from Yay recently is to be likable.

I just don't buy it. Frankly, I don't see Yay doing anything that might make them dislikable in the eyes of the QC audience.

There is an amusing thought lying underneath it -- Elliot normally startles people, but this time he has unknowingly sneaked up on an ominpotent being. Ha! I think that's what Jeph was getting it.

But I don't believe for a moment that there was any actual danger.

* Unless I've forgotten something. QC archeologists, activate!

[TorporChambre]

Would such a powerful being be startled by someone walking up behind them, even as large as Elliot?

Wouldn't such a gentle being be worried about startling someone by walking up behind them, even as powerful as messieurs?;

for some reason, today's comic (not counting the last panel) makes me *ouch* (sorry if it's incomprehensible, I have weird synesthesia, and bad with word stuff.)

his effecting environ's nightine graity, his curt whimsy.

He, like his father before him, and his father before him, from whom had been inherited, hadn't the training to understand, his raison d'etre, beknownst, now, to only the collectors for his creditors.

awkward intensifying, Brun, tired, arms around ``like you both, kiss me (dammit).''

Clinton's tacit grand-normalcy esteem, tolerately distasting strangeties, cautiously integrative; insisting exclusivity (polyamorwardan reluctance) into that intimate triple.

[jmucchiello]

I just noticed the Chekhov's Skunk tag. Where did we see the skunk before?

Also I stole it ("...if you'll pardon my French") from Neil Gaiman, who used it in the story "Keepsakes and Treasures" (in the collection Fragile Things).

You attribute a saying said for several centuries to Neil Gaiman? He isn't that old.

[Tova]

Wouldn't such a gentle being be worried about startling someone by walking up behind them, even as powerful as messieurs?;

Elliot? Of course, he would.

I just noticed the Chekhov's Skunk tag. Where did we see the skunk before?

We didn't see it before, but it was referenced in an earlier conversation.

Also I stole it ("...if you'll pardon my French") from Neil Gaiman, who used it in the story "Keepsakes and Treasures" (in the collection Fragile Things).

You attribute a saying said for the several centuries to Neil Gaiman? He isn't that old.

The poster was attributing to Gaiman the subversion of the phrase through its literal use, not the phrase itself. Also, he's not saying Gaiman was the first to use the phrase in that way, just that Gaiman was the person the poster stole that specific usage of the phrase from.

*breathes*

[Gyrre]

Jeph noted that Elliot actually came close to death when he came up behind Yay in panel 2.

I so don't get the joke. Someone saying hi to you might result in body harm.

I can see what Jeph was probably going for, but I don't really believe it as it is written.

As far as I can make out, Jeph wants us to believe that Yay is a dreadfully dangerous and almost-omnipotent hive mind with very few ethical boundaries. Even though I don't think we've really seen a hint of them behaving in a way we would find unethical*, except perhaps in torturing Corpse Witch, someone who crossed one of those few ethical boundaries.

Would such a powerful being be startled by someone walking up behind them, even as large as Elliot? Even a being with limitations we can't hope to understand? That seems highly unlikely. And even if they were startled, would Yay wantonly kill? Sure, they've got no ethical boundary to prevent them, but would they be motivated to? The only real motivation we've seen from Yay recently is to be likable.

I just don't buy it. Frankly, I don't see Yay doing anything that might make them dislikable in the eyes of the QC audience.

There is an amusing thought lying underneath it -- Elliot normally startles people, but this time he has unknowingly sneaked up on an ominpotent being. Ha! I think that's what Jeph was getting it.

But I don't believe for a moment that there was any actual danger.

* Unless I've forgotten something. QC archeologists, activate!

But most of that has been very specific to their interactions with Roko, the AI they were explicitly trying to befriend.

When Spookybot/Yay was first introduced, they rendered everyone they deemed unimportant in CoD unconscious.

[Tova]

That is absolutely true.

What that means, then, is that we don't really have anything else to go on in terms of understanding Yay's motivations. We know that Yay will act against people violating any being's sanctity of mind. And we know they want to be friends with Roko.

That's it.

[Mr Intrepid]

Yay and Company aren't omniscient.  Perhaps they were distracted by the mealworms errand.  And input is filtered through the individual node.  That goes aways to explaining how Elliot caught him off guard.

[BenRG]

I've noticed before that Melon craves intense experiences, whether or not that's wise and whether or not the experience could damage her. So, it makes sense that she'd want to sniff skunk as much as possible, a smell so intensely unpleasant that it can give humans traumatic sense memories. So, she's getting as much of this as she can before Elliot burns those clothes!

Meanwhile, it also makes sense that Yay would like cats. On a certain level, I suspect that they think that they need a white cat with a diamond collar to sit on their lap whilst they plot.

[immortalfrieza]

Not even a godlike AI can resist the allure of cats.

[pwhodges]

But Yay has dogs...

[BenRG]

Every person I've ever known who had cats and dogs, the dogs were consistently bullied by the cats. Tom and Jerry lied to us.

[shanejayell]

It's dentirely possible Spooky finds cats too similar to themselves... 

[Is it cold in here?]

* Unless I've forgotten something. QC archeologists, activate!

You mentioned torturing a confession out of Corpse Witch, and I would add paralyzing Faye.

[Theta9]

You attribute a saying said for the several centuries to Neil Gaiman? He isn't that old.

The poster was attributing to Gaiman the subversion of the phrase through its literal use, not the phrase itself. Also, he's not saying Gaiman was the first to use the phrase in that way, just that Gaiman was the person the poster stole that specific usage of the phrase from.

Thank you, Tova. Yes, this.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Sniff, sniff.
"Where have you been? What have you been doing?"
Sniff, sniff, sniff.

That's the routine I get from my cat every time I come home.

[Roborat]

With the way the AIs react to tea, and looking at Melon's reaction to the skunk smell, I wonder what the skunk smell does for them.  Perhaps it is just Melon, she has a history of liking strange smelling things.  Why do I get the feeling Melon is going to either steal the clothes, or go out to try to meet the skunk.  Or better yet, bring it home as a pet.

[Stoutfellow]

Comic's up.

I wonder how Yay would react to Mieville. He seems more their kind of cat, to me.

[shanejayell]

HERCULES!

[Zebediah]

Mieville was seen relatively recently, still living with Dora and having accepted Tai as a member of the household.

[St.Clair]

It's dentirely possible Spooky finds cats too similar to themselves... 

As I said to a friend and fellow reader when yesterday's strip went up,
"One of the few creatures as coolly certain of their superiority as Yay themselves."

[BenRG]

So, it's confirmed that the Spookybot nodes are continually updating each other about what they're doing and thinking. I love how the Yay in Elliot's lounge room remains dryly unimpressed whilst the others are practically dancing with joy at the fluffy furfriend. I'm guessing that they are dumping their excess emotion into the others in order to maintain their image of being the coolly detached super-intelligence!

Taking a look around Elliot's apartment:

• Old-style hi-fi sound system with a turntable; into classic tunes, maybe from the 80s and 90s?
• Certificate framed on the wall: Graduation, probably. I wonder what his major was?
• Small weights on the side table; Elliot's idea of 'relaxation' involves pumping maybe!
• Definitely a cat guy!

I'm interested to see where Jeph may be taking this. Certainly, I think that Yay is going to learn more about the microcosm of human life than they likely ever really understood properly before now!

[hakko504]

Taking a look around Elliot's apartment:

• Old-style hi-fi sound system with a turntable; into classic tunes, maybe from the 80s and 90s?

LPs were almost completely dead in the 90s. AFAIK everything new was almost 100% released on CD only. I'd guess 60s-80s as his main interest in music. It's probably easier to find new music on LP now than in the mid-late 90s.

[Gyrre]

That is absolutely true.

What that means, then, is that we don't really have anything else to go on in terms of understanding Yay's motivations. We know that Yay will act against people violating any being's sanctity of mind. And we know they want to be friends with Roko.

That's it.

And that they adore cats and dogs.

[Gyrre]

Taking a look around Elliot's apartment:

• Old-style hi-fi sound system with a turntable; into classic tunes, maybe from the 80s and 90s?

LPs were almost completely dead in the 90s. AFAIK everything new was almost 100% released on CD only. I'd guess 60s-80s as his main interest in music. It's probably easier to find new music on LP now than in the mid-late 90s.

Hmmmm.....I wonder what he listens to. Maybe early prog-rock?

[pwhodges]

Yay's dog isn't sure about this development...

[Tova]

Taking a look around Elliot's apartment:

• Old-style hi-fi sound system with a turntable; into classic tunes, maybe from the 80s and 90s?

LPs were almost completely dead in the 90s. AFAIK everything new was almost 100% released on CD only. I'd guess 60s-80s as his main interest in music. It's probably easier to find new music on LP now than in the mid-late 90s.

It may be so that vinyl is bigger now than in the 90s, but I don't think it was dead by then. I think I was still buying vinyl in the early 90s at least, maybe even towards the mid 90s.

[Swedish Chef]

Taking a look around Elliot's apartment:

• Old-style hi-fi sound system with a turntable; into classic tunes, maybe from the 80s and 90s?

LPs were almost completely dead in the 90s. AFAIK everything new was almost 100% released on CD only. I'd guess 60s-80s as his main interest in music. It's probably easier to find new music on LP now than in the mid-late 90s.

Hmmmm.....I wonder what he listens to. Maybe early prog-rock?

I peg Elliot as a Steely Dan/Donald Fagen fan.

[NemesisDancer]

I love when pets resemble their owners. Hercules is basically Elliott as a cat (a big tough softy) :3

[Zebediah]

There wasn’t a whole lot of new stuff coming out on vinyl in the 90s (and what there was, was mostly incredibly high-priced collector’s items), but it’s always been possible to get older stuff second-hand. In particular, Newberry Comics on Pleasant Street in Northampton has a pretty impressive collection of vintage vinyl for sale.

If we’re doing a pool, I’ll take Elliot as a Beatles fan.

[Thrudd]

HERCULES!

If there is a Herc then there has to be a NEWTON [stupid centaur]

Please no Tewt, tate small satyr who vocalizes only by playing his syrinx, an abomination spawned from the toddler sidekick phase that all NA cartoon series releases went through.
Bat-mite, scrappy-doo-doo, seven-zark-seven et al deserve to be the smelly sticky grimy footnote in the history of animation.

[jwhouk]

Taking a look around Elliot's apartment:

• Old-style hi-fi sound system with a turntable; into classic tunes, maybe from the 80s and 90s?

LPs were almost completely dead in the 90s. AFAIK everything new was almost 100% released on CD only. I'd guess 60s-80s as his main interest in music. It's probably easier to find new music on LP now than in the mid-late 90s.

Hmmmm.....I wonder what he listens to. Maybe early prog-rock?

Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

[dutchrvl]

Every person I've ever known who had cats and dogs, the dogs were consistently bullied by the cats. Tom and Jerry lied to us.

In my experience, this is mostly true with the larger dog breeds, who get bullied by the cat. Maybe something to do with larger dogs tending to be more gentle souls(?) 
The small, much more energetic dog breeds do tend to harass cats (mostly by continually chasing them).

This is my experience, at least.

[pwhodges]

I have quite a lot of vinyl records.  Why?  Because the recordings on them have never been available in any other form; that's the only rational reason to have them.

And I use contemporary equipment to play them - a turntable from the 1950s and a cartridge and arm from the 1970s:

[zmeiat_joro]

HIgh School, 8th grade through 11th, was quite nice. Everything before that was Hell on Earth, sociologically.

[Gyrre]

Taking a look around Elliot's apartment:

• Old-style hi-fi sound system with a turntable; into classic tunes, maybe from the 80s and 90s?

LPs were almost completely dead in the 90s. AFAIK everything new was almost 100% released on CD only. I'd guess 60s-80s as his main interest in music. It's probably easier to find new music on LP now than in the mid-late 90s.

It may be so that vinyl is bigger now than in the 90s, but I don't think it was dead by then. I think I was still buying vinyl in the early 90s at least, maybe even towards the mid 90s.

As I understand it, 'location location location'. There were diehard hi-fi fans in the 90s, too. The concentration of them just depended on where you happened to be. NYC apparently had a fair few record stores in the 90s that pretty much only sold vinyl.
[Not certain as to the reliability of the source for that last one.]

Hmmm.... considering Elliot works at the Horrible Revelation, I wonder if he knows a guy who makes electro-swing vinyls?

EDIT: Seems my guy was right about vinyls in the 90s, then. (I was just a kid at the time)

Avoiding double posting.

HIgh School, 8th grade through 11th, was quite nice. Everything before that was Hell on Earth, sociologically.

My younger brother and I both got in enough trouble at our Hell middleschool that we both barely graduated to high school one suspension short of expulsion. I was short, fat, and nerodivergent. My brother was who all the wannabe hood rats (Wichita gaddam Kansas) decided they needed to gang up on to prove how badass they were (2 or 3 vs 1 just proves cowardice). The other strike against both of us was that we were white kids at a mostly black school. Though, I was frequently mistaken for Hispanic, so I was targeted for that too.

EDIT 2: We've got a smidgen of Cherokee and Choctaw blood, so I managed to get olive skin. Both of my brothers burn like tomatoes.

[immortalfrieza]

I can see the AIs not minding it, but I'm surprised Elliot's cat can even stand to be in the same building as him much less be held by him after the skunk.

[BenRG]

As Elliot said, Hercules is a lumpus. He probably does not move far or fast ever on solely grounds of principle. If that means having to deal with awful smells... Well, he hangs around when Elliot comes home from the gym, doesn't he (yes, I know, several orders of magnitude difference in 'bad')?

[Tova]

I own two cats, and I can tell you now that not only do they not care about how bad I smell when I get home from a run, some days they positively adore it.

I can also assure you that a human's bad smells do not hold a candle to the smells generated by a cat's bodily functions.

The skunk... well, I've never smelled that thankfully, but I imagine that a cat would be curious about it.

[Is it cold in here?]

I don't know about cats, but a family dog who got sprayed by a skunk screamed.

Then was baffled why he wasn't allowed in the house.

Our late cat would bury her face in anything that smelled like sweaty feet.

[Dolphin Jack]

recordings on them have never been available in any other form

I "never" play my vynil disks from damage. I know computerizing it is something about needle vibrating the magnet to analouge wire to a computer like a microphone, but the physics are donting, and i "can't" unless i understand.