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Yes

7 (21.9%)

No

1 (3.1%)

Depends - is the poll question really funny?

11 (34.4%)

Spathe ham

9 (28.1%)

Other - please specify in comments

4 (12.5%)

Total Members Voted: 31

[Farideh]

New thread.


Do we still want polls? I personally enjoy them, but have a heck of a time coming up with a good question to ask, let alone relevant/funny answers.

[Farideh]

Also: comic up!

"I'm sorry for keeping you up!" Hur, hur, hur 

[Gnabberwocky]

I've noticed Roko has recently shrunk into a role of following Yay around, reprimanding them when they do something out of line. Similarly, Yay spends most of their time spying on others and petting various animals. I hope Jeph does more with both of them and their relationship, because they're both intriguing characters with plenty of potential storyline.

The concept of Yay especially fascinates me. Imagine they end up at a casino. Would they be drawn to games of chance in particular, because they enjoy the peculiarity of not knowing something for once, or would they be repelled by them for the same reason? Would they use their computer skills to cheat at something like roulette by predicting where the ball will land, or would they prefer to leave it up to a wild guess? I picked "casino" out of thin air here, but the same idea can be applied to any other common human situation.

Roko's relationship with them is also interesting, because while they're members of the same species, their experiences are so wildly different that they have almost no common ground. Is that a sustainable friendship? Why did Yay become friends with Roko in particular?

TLDR: I am a nerd

[Farideh]

I think it's more that Yay follows Roko around. With the power outage, Roko decided to go out and help out with her battery pack, and Yay trundled off after her because they were bored.

It would be good if they (Roko and/or Yay) get their own arc soon. They're not doing much at the moment because they're side characters in the Clintelliot arc. I wonder how Roko's disassociation issues are going?

[DaiJB]

To be fair, this is all totally new to both of them - I think "awkward" is to be expected.

Regarding the poll:  "Other" - If a poll is there, I do it, Pavlovian-style. 
It gives me something else to think about, but I guess I wouldn't miss it if it was gone.

[shanejayell]

That was cute.

I don't mind polls, but yeah I don't think they should be required.....

[BenRG]

I've decided that Yay's animal self would be a cat. Like a cat, Yay ultimately cannot understand why anyone would pay attention to anyone except they themselves.

[traroth]

Yay is kind of a jerk, actually...

[Perfectly Reasonable]

See how powerful I am! Admire my restraint!

( yay is like that too )

[Wingy]

Yay is kind of a jerk, actually...

Kind of?!?  With Roko calling them on their jerkiness regularly?

[Farideh]

New comic.

I had to think for a bit about when Roko met Clinton. They bumped into each other at some point, and Roko had a fantasy about him ('human abs' ). Is Clinton now 'the one that got away'?

[sitnspin]

I think it's more general than that. I think Roko is looking at how easily others are finding relationships while she continues to struggle, not only in finding someone she connects with, but even to connect with herself.

[Boxer]

Is Clinton now 'the one that got away'?

It may not be Clinton alone, she may of had fantasies of Elliot... He would smell like bread

Or we can just give Roko a break she has had enough existential crises of late. It was one drunken fantasy for a brief moment when she was feeling lonely.

[shanejayell]

Aww. I liked how Christopher is randomly carrying Melon around.

[Mr_Rose]

Oh, there’s a thing… I wonder what the statistics are on robots approaching humans for romantic relationships vs. humans approaching robots? Is there some unstated social rule preventing Roko from just telling either of them that she likes them? Or just regular emotional baggage?

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Don't strain to make a poll if you can't find a good topic.

Roko has an active subconscious. We've seen her dreams.

Wait, is Yay supposed to be ME?

[Farideh]

New comic.

I like Yay's self reflection. They can analyze themselves pretty well. Now they just need to work on that arrogance. It's not an attractive trait, no matter how long your tentacles are.

[shanejayell]

Now, will Yay randomly knock... or pick the lock and just go right in?

[baronvonfritz]

No Yay! Don't invade someone's personal space! Not after I talked you up to everyone, and praised your respect for established physical boundaries!

Polls: Tough to come up with a relevant topic at the beginning of the week, I understand; maybe a post week question to posit? Maybe a standard question, but wrong answers only?

[Farideh]

Depending on whether Cosmo has a doggy door, Yay could just stand outside and wave a box of treats.

[John Allenson]

Have we seen evidence before that Yay has a subconscious?  It's scarier to think that something that powerful and/or connected has urges hidden from themselves that can take over their behaviour.

I do think that Yay's preservation instincts prevent them from committing crimes on a whim.

While Christopher AKA Brobot is not the most annoying character ever introduced, I'm hoping this is his last appearance.

[Gyrre]

Oh wow.
Yay needs to learn when to let up and back off. At least they didn't immediately jump to an erroneous conclusion and then get dead set on not changing they're mind.

[BenRG]

Yeah, I called it. Yay is going to meet MommyMilkers420 (likely quite literally, as they are an AI and able to operate entirely on the virtual plane). The only question is what mischief they will get up to. Maybe give the avatar its own limited virtual near-intelligence and set it loose on the Internet?

Meanwhile, Yay doth protest too much. They really are putting a lot of themselves into their friendship with Roko to the point where, when their snide attitude blows up in their faces, it actually does hurt. Maybe you should drop the condescending and smug attitude there friend?

Regarding the poll, the key question should be: "Is the poll relevant to QC?" If not, then it isn't the right poll for the thread.

[jesslc]

I've noticed Roko has recently shrunk into a role of following Yay around, reprimanding them when they do something out of line. Similarly, Yay spends most of their time spying on others and petting various animals. I hope Jeph does more with both of them and their relationship, because they're both intriguing characters with plenty of potential storyline.

The concept of Yay especially fascinates me. Imagine they end up at a casino. Would they be drawn to games of chance in particular, because they enjoy the peculiarity of not knowing something for once, or would they be repelled by them for the same reason? Would they use their computer skills to cheat at something like roulette by predicting where the ball will land, or would they prefer to leave it up to a wild guess? I picked "casino" out of thin air here, but the same idea can be applied to any other common human situation.

Roko's relationship with them is also interesting, because while they're members of the same species, their experiences are so wildly different that they have almost no common ground. Is that a sustainable friendship? Why did Yay become friends with Roko in particular?

TLDR: I am a nerd

https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3924

I have long wondered what Yay was starting to say in panel 1 of comic 3924. There's definitely something that Yay didn't get to say because Roko jumped straight into teasing them about friendship and who know what it might have been... (apart from Jeph, obviously)

I thought at the time that the most likely explanation is that they were going to admit to a crush or being attracted to Roko or something like that. That could be completely off base though, of course.

But there have been a few moments in the comic since that point where Yay's behaviour has seemed (to me, at least) a bit like a child or young teen who has a crush but no idea how to handle it. Eg. Behaving in ways that try to get someone's attention or impress them - hoping they'll notice you, but never actually asking them out. I feel like the recent comics could possibly count toward this. (Yay definitely seems like they're trying to convince themselves that they're not bothered by Roko being mad at them today). A better example though, would be the time Yay came to show off their new skirt and take over some Roko's wardrobe space. And in 3924, Yay also says they've spent the entirety of their existence in hiding. So it kind of makes sense that their social skills might not be any better than that of a child/teen.

The other thing I wonder about with regards to Yay is what they are hiding from, and what might happen if they're discovered. I wonder if that's something Jeph might explore at some point.

[Tova]

I have long wondered what Yay was starting to say in panel 1 of comic 3924. There's definitely something that Yay didn't get to say because Roko jumped straight into teasing them about friendship and who know what it might have been... (apart from Jeph, obviously)

Who wouldn't necessarily have had any specific thing in mind, actually.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Yay demonstrates Random Walk. While their head process was rambling, their foot process was ambling.

We've had a glimpse into Roko's subconscious. (Thanks for the links, Farideh.) But other AI's? I don't recall any. (Though Momo did once fantasize about Sven.)

[Gyrre]

I've noticed Roko has recently shrunk into a role of following Yay around, reprimanding them when they do something out of line. Similarly, Yay spends most of their time spying on others and petting various animals. I hope Jeph does more with both of them and their relationship, because they're both intriguing characters with plenty of potential storyline.

The concept of Yay especially fascinates me. Imagine they end up at a casino. Would they be drawn to games of chance in particular, because they enjoy the peculiarity of not knowing something for once, or would they be repelled by them for the same reason? Would they use their computer skills to cheat at something like roulette by predicting where the ball will land, or would they prefer to leave it up to a wild guess? I picked "casino" out of thin air here, but the same idea can be applied to any other common human situation.

Roko's relationship with them is also interesting, because while they're members of the same species, their experiences are so wildly different that they have almost no common ground. Is that a sustainable friendship? Why did Yay become friends with Roko in particular?

TLDR: I am a nerd

https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3924

I have long wondered what Yay was starting to say in panel 1 of comic 3924. There's definitely something that Yay didn't get to say because Roko jumped straight into teasing them about friendship and who know what it might have been... (apart from Jeph, obviously)

I thought at the time that the most likely explanation is that they were going to admit to a crush or being attracted to Roko or something like that. That could be completely off base though, of course.

But there have been a few moments in the comic since that point where Yay's behaviour has seemed (to me, at least) a bit like a child or young teen who has a crush but no idea how to handle it. Eg. Behaving in ways that try to get someone's attention or impress them - hoping they'll notice you, but never actually asking them out. I feel like the recent comics could possibly count toward this. (Yay definitely seems like they're trying to convince themselves that they're not bothered by Roko being mad at them today). A better example though, would be the time Yay came to show off their new skirt and take over some Roko's wardrobe space. And in 3924, Yay also says they've spent the entirety of their existence in hiding. So it kind of makes sense that their social skills might not be any better than that of a child/teen.

The other thing I wonder about with regards to Yay is what they are hiding from, and what might happen if they're discovered. I wonder if that's something Jeph might explore at some point.

Yay has been compared to a giant squid, so perhaps whatever that A.I. analogy's version of a sperm whale is?

[Wingy]

Yeah, I called it. Yay is going to meet MommyMilkers420...

The problem is Ms. Augustus keeps a baseball bat in the front entry for anyone trying to mess with Cosmo.  I wonder how Yay will do against a riled Mommy intent on physical assault...

[JimC]

Roko's relationship with them is also interesting, because while they're members of the same species,

Do you think so? I submit that a multi body distributed consciousness with extreme sensory apparatus is an entirely different order of creature to the majority of AIs who are arguably much more like their human contemporaries than their human contemporaries are like hunter gatherers in the Amazon jungle?

[Is it cold in here?]

Yay can paralyze with a touch but I hope they'll simply ask to come in and pet Cosmo.

[Oenone]

Roko's relationship with them is also interesting, because while they're members of the same species,

Do you think so? I submit that a multi body distributed consciousness with extreme sensory apparatus is an entirely different order of creature to the majority of AIs who are arguably much more like their human contemporaries than their human contemporaries are like hunter gatherers in the Amazon jungle?

The indigenous people of the Amazon are both human and contemporary, and many do still engage in hunting/gathering…I’m not sure I understand your analogy?

[JimC]

The intended point was that the QC embodied AIs appear to live a lifestyle/culture that isn't that unlike their human contemporaries, and I believe its established that their mental speed and processing is much the same. What's more I submit both would have about the same level of incompetence and life expectancy if parachuted into a jungle hunter gatherer lifestyle/culture.

[Oenone]

But you’re still human whether you live in a city or a forest. Yay is fundamentally different from other AI in terms of hardware, but indigenous people and people who live in a city are both human. Plus, it seems like the “order of creature” line has some weird evolution aspects to it, especially since Yay is more advanced technologically than other AI.

I just feel like it’s possible to talk about characters in a comic strip without dipping a toe into scientific racism.

[shanejayell]

Comic's up.

Yay, if you're gonna debate yourself, do it quietly....

[Farideh]

It's not much of a debate if all the parts agree with each other, but still.

Aurelia is a sweetheart. Most people back away if someone is talking loudly to themselves in public.

[_Islanio]

I think we can forget the possibility of Cosmo belonging to Yay previously

[shanejayell]

I think we can forget the possibility of Cosmo belonging to Yay previously

What made you think that...?

[John Allenson]

It's not much of a debate if all the parts agree with each other, but still.

While we're seeing bodies that are trying to self-justify Yay's poor behaviour, they're also putting up the arguments that Yay is falling into bad past habits to avoid dealing with the knowledge that Yay just hurt a friend's feelings.

I'd love to see an AI built like a cricket just about now.

[Gyrre]

Dang, I don't recall the last time I saw the word 'parochial' used in a sentence.

EDIT: Avoiding a double post.

It's not much of a debate if all the parts agree with each other, but still.

While we're seeing bodies that are trying to self-justify Yay's poor behaviour, they're also putting up the arguments that Yay is falling into bad past habits to avoid dealing with the knowledge that Yay just hurt a friend's feelings.

I'd love to see an AI built like a cricket just about now.

But the poor thing might get stomped flat during a fit.

[_Islanio]

I think we can forget the possibility of Cosmo belonging to Yay previously

What made you think that...?

Their overreaction after learning about Cosmo and subsequent rush to seeing him. To me, it could mean that Cosmo would belong to Yay before. Maybe I was just overthinking tho

[St.Clair]

I think we can forget the possibility of Cosmo belonging to Yay previously

What made you think that...?

Their overreaction after learning about Cosmo and his subsequent rush to seeing him. To me, it could mean that Cosmo would belong to Yay before. Maybe I was just overthinking tho

Yay never overreacts.  Yay's reactions are precisely as strong as warranted by the true significance of the thing; that your primitive meat-monkey brain is incapable of grasping this is merely one more indicator of how small and ignorant

(2.4 Mp deleted by SysOp)

[ZoeB]

She has no need of friendship.

[BenRG]

There is a limit to one's ability to stealthily intrude into others' lives when you're loudly debating with your other instances about morality!

So, there are two possibilities that that this strip raises for me. The first is that this confirms the various Yay instances are not precise duplicates and each have their own perspectives. Might this Yay be about to be tossed out for becoming too attached to lesser beings? The second possibility is that Yay is a true distributed sentience. Literally all the instances are processing what to do about going in to see Cosmo and maybe snoop on Aurelia's computer simultaneously and in parallel.

The latter is interesting as it implies that I was right to suspect that the Yay instances communicate instantaneously irrespective of spacial distance thanks to quantum entanglement.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

A quick look at the Wiki reminded me that Cosmo wandered in from the street. A week passed without the original owner appearing to claim her. Yay claims to have dog sensing abilities. So Yay is not Cosmo's original owner.

Yes, this tells us that Yay's instances retain individuality while sharing basics. What puzzles me is why Yay is having this debate audibly. And loudly.

[Is it cold in here?]

But you’re still human whether you live in a city or a forest. Yay is fundamentally different from other AI in terms of hardware, but indigenous people and people who live in a city are both human. Plus, it seems like the “order of creature” line has some weird evolution aspects to it, especially since Yay is more advanced technologically than other AI.

I just feel like it’s possible to talk about characters in a comic strip without dipping a toe into scientific racism.

I had read it differently, though I admit to incomplete understanding. Gulfs of incomprehension within the same species are an everyday phenomenon.

[Wingy]

What puzzles me is why Yay is having this debate audibly. And loudly.

All the better to get Ms. Augustus to show up without having to trespass.  Even better if Cosmo comes along for the sniff.

Note however that Yay is regressing to their pre-Roko self-delusional state.  I have a bad feeling about this.

[hedgie]

I had read it differently, though I admit to incomplete understanding. Gulfs of incomprehension within the same species are an everyday phenomenon.

It seems also that (or maybe I'm just being hopeful for once) that those posts were poorly/awkwardly expressed rather than made out of awfulness.

[_Islanio]

I have a bad feeling about this.

I've read this in Barney's (half life) voice.


Also, prepare for unforeseen consequences.

[Is it cold in here?]

Self-delusion in someone with Yay's powers could lead to seriously bad outcomes.

[_Islanio]

Comics up.
Nothing more friendly than a baseball bat. She's in the right, tho