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  1. - Top - End - #871
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    This is as close as we're gonna get to seeing Sam's true form, isn't it?

  2. - Top - End - #872
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    Chimera

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    So a quadruped covered in tentacles, bearing little resemblance to Florence except for the voice and face, is able to trigger ship's Florence identity. Oh man, don't set ship's computer up to run any polar research stations...

  3. - Top - End - #873
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Willie the Duck View Post
    So a quadruped covered in tentacles, bearing little resemblance to Florence except for the voice and face, is able to trigger ship's Florence identity. Oh man, don't set ship's computer up to run any polar research stations...
    I approve the reference. That being said, ship's computer most likely knows how Sam looks like, so identifying the tentacle mass would not be much of a problem along with Florence.
    In a war it doesn't matter who's right, only who's left.

  4. - Top - End - #874
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    Chimera

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Radar View Post
    I approve the reference. That being said, ship's computer most likely knows how Sam looks like, so identifying the tentacle mass would not be much of a problem along with Florence.
    Yeah, that's likely, but I'm still awaiting the scenario:

    Florence: Ship, I just heard the cargo bay doors open, who authorized that.
    Ship: Florence did.
    Florence: No I didn't.
    Ship: Yes you did.
    Florence: When?
    Ship: Ten seconds ago.
    Florence: No I didn't.
    Ship: I assure you, you went up to the cargo bay door control panel, and asked me to open the cargo bay doors.
    Florence: I'm in the galley right now, and was at that time as well.
    Ship: Yes, but you are also in the cargo bay, consuming Sam and dismantling Helix. I'd have alerted you, but since it was Sam and Helix, it does not trigger my violence alert protocols. When you get here, perhaps you can ask yourself the meaning of all of this activity.

  5. - Top - End - #875
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    ClericGirl

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    We didn't see Full Frontal Sam, but this is a nice compromise. We get a silhouette of his full tentacly glory, without ruining the eldritch mystique (a la Seinfeld's "nude mystique").

  6. - Top - End - #876
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Ok, new comic, new complication...
    Spoiler: Freefall 3777
    Show
    The robots need Florence to transport them from the bomb factory to the station. So she's not going to be around to assist with any complications of the reactor restart.

    Although, now that she has two jobs (Savage Chicken engineer, Station technician) I wonder if she has to choose where to be?
    I'm pretty much the opposite of concise. If I fail to get to the point, please ask me and I'm happy to (attempt to) clarify.

  7. - Top - End - #877
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by theangelJean View Post
    Ok, new comic, new complication...
    Spoiler: Freefall 3777
    Show
    The robots need Florence to transport them from the bomb factory to the station. So she's not going to be around to assist with any complications of the reactor restart.

    Although, now that she has two jobs (Savage Chicken engineer, Station technician) I wonder if she has to choose where to be?
    Note that Florence isn't worried about the humans: She is worried that the stupid robots are going to fling themselves at the station using nuclear bombs.

    I suspect that Florence could probably negotiate transport and send Sam to get the robots while she goes off and tries to help fix the power. I don't think she will because he would come up with all sorts of ways to add extra fees against the robots, but she could probably convince him to not bilk them for too much. Probably.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wardog View Post
    Rockphed said it well.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Starfall
    When your pants are full of crickets, you don't need mnemonics.
    Dragontar by Serpentine.

    Now offering unsolicited advice.

  8. - Top - End - #878
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Yeah, that's likely, but I'm still awaiting the scenario:

    Florence: Ship, I just heard the cargo bay doors open, who authorized that.
    Your missing the point. The key point is that the ship DID accurately identify Florence on voice alone.
    That means its identification algorithms are accurate, and guaranteed not to make any errors.

    Well also. Being a spaceship its bound to have all manner of sensors. And not rely on visible light.

    Note that Florence isn't worried about the humans: She is worried that the stupid robots are going to fling themselves at the station using nuclear bombs.

    I suspect that Florence could probably negotiate transport and send Sam to get the robots while she goes off and tries to help fix the power. I don't think she will because he would come up with all sorts of ways to add extra fees against the robots, but she could probably convince him to not bilk them for too much. Probably.
    Well. Its not like the humans are in direct danger. So far the light has just gone because the station is at a power conservation state.
    But there is emergency generators. And plenty of skilled technicians. Who by all accounts are better suited for this than a green candidate who dont know the hardware.
    thnx to Starwoof for the fine avatar

  9. - Top - End - #879
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    DwarfClericGuy

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by lord_khaine View Post
    But there is emergency generators. And plenty of skilled technicians. Who by all accounts are better suited for this than a green candidate who dont know the hardware.
    Florence isn't 'green', though. And presumably there's enough similarities between the equipment that she can handle at least some basic tasks.

    Things like watching pressure loads, coolant flow, etc.
    May you get EXACTLY what you wish for.

  10. - Top - End - #880
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Florence isn't 'green', though
    No. Green is putting it to lightly. Super green. She hasnt even completed the introduction.
    She dont know where anything are. Let alone how to navigate the work area. And now the light is off.
    thnx to Starwoof for the fine avatar

  11. - Top - End - #881
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by lord_khaine View Post
    Well. Its not like the humans are in direct danger. So far the light has just gone because the station is at a power conservation state.
    But there is emergency generators. And plenty of skilled technicians. Who by all accounts are better suited for this than a green candidate who dont know the hardware.
    My point was (albeit badly made) that Florence can see all those factors and realize that rushing in isn't going to solve anything; the robots cannot. If there was an air-leak on the station and somebody needed to rush around in a space suit to get all the stranded humans, Florence would brook no opposition to her doing it. If the reactor needed to be tweaked by hand she would probably bite a human to get the tools to go do it herself (although at that point she would be operating so far outside her safeguards that her creators would probably notice). But a nebulous "the lights are out, probably because the reactor experienced an emergency shut-down of some sort" situation doesn't trigger her "protect humans" training.

    Ultimately, I think Florence is a much better made "AI" than the robots. If nothing else, she is more waterproof than most of them.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wardog View Post
    Rockphed said it well.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Starfall
    When your pants are full of crickets, you don't need mnemonics.
    Dragontar by Serpentine.

    Now offering unsolicited advice.

  12. - Top - End - #882
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Rockphed View Post
    Ultimately, I think Florence is a much better made "AI" than the robots. If nothing else, she is more waterproof than most of them.
    I think this is due to Florence having much, much more experience of living alongside humans than robots. Most A.I. rarely get to interact with humans and spend most of their lives fullfilling a specific purpose while she was raised by a human family and had no purpose beyond "proving Bowman's Wolves are allright".
    Forum Wisdom

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  13. - Top - End - #883
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    DwarfClericGuy

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Yep.

    "MUST BE BROUGHT UP TO CODE."

    Now they find the places that robots can't fit because of design...
    May you get EXACTLY what you wish for.

  14. - Top - End - #884
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Rockphed View Post
    My point was (albeit badly made) that Florence can see all those factors and realize that rushing in isn't going to solve anything; the robots cannot. If there was an air-leak on the station and somebody needed to rush around in a space suit to get all the stranded humans, Florence would brook no opposition to her doing it. If the reactor needed to be tweaked by hand she would probably bite a human to get the tools to go do it herself (although at that point she would be operating so far outside her safeguards that her creators would probably notice). But a nebulous "the lights are out, probably because the reactor experienced an emergency shut-down of some sort" situation doesn't trigger her "protect humans" training.

    Ultimately, I think Florence is a much better made "AI" than the robots. If nothing else, she is more waterproof than most of them.
    Well, wolves do make for better starting material than automated machinery, but some of it is just maturity. We have Florence, then mature factory-one robots like Sawtooth, then near-threshold robots like Tangent and the bomb factory, and lastly the three year olds.
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  15. - Top - End - #885
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    Chimera

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Psionic Dog View Post
    Well, wolves do make for better starting material than automated machinery
    This would be a good line for some 'post without context' thread.

  16. - Top - End - #886
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Today on Words you never, ever, ever want in the same sentence:
    "antsy" and "nuclear"!
    Forum Wisdom

    Mage avatar by smutmulch & linklele.

  17. - Top - End - #887
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    Griffon

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Fyraltari View Post
    Today on Words you never, ever, ever want in the same sentence:
    "antsy" and "nuclear"!
    "Orion drive" tops those though, and it's in the same sentence.
    The end of what Son? The story? There is no end. There's just the point where the storytellers stop talking.

  18. - Top - End - #888
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    Rockphed's Avatar

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    I wonder how long it will take the crazy ladies to realize that Sam probably tastes divine.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wardog View Post
    Rockphed said it well.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Starfall
    When your pants are full of crickets, you don't need mnemonics.
    Dragontar by Serpentine.

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  19. - Top - End - #889
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    NecromancerGuy

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Food that talks isn't food.
    On the other hand they used to have long pig flavored food on the menu, so...
    "If it lives it can be killed.
    If it is dead it can be eaten."

    Ronkong Coma "the way of the bookhunter" III Catacombium
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  20. - Top - End - #890
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    Chimera

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Kantaki View Post
    Food that talks isn't food.
    On the other hand they used to have long pig flavored food on the menu, so...
    Because of course they do.

    I get the idea -- a space station, if it has meat at all, is going to have it via some kind of cell-culture process or just use non-meat rather than having meat-producing animals leaving and being butchered on station. Planet Jean and the people eating insects indicate that Stanley wants this society not to be post-scarcity and need to consider these logistic issues as real. Once you do that, you can have the meat be any animal you can culture or flavor you can replicate. Still, really dude? Just a little more sophomoric than I was expecting.

    Anyways... The plot thread of Sam being a delicious prey-species certainly has been part of his story arc since near the beginning. Mostly in terms of emus and small dogs, though. It seems a little odd that these post-humanists are having such an epiphany moment with the realization that 'hey, this biological sophont is made out of meat, huh?' Still, it is an interesting side thing for them to focus on and I like this group, so I'm interested in where they go with this.
    Last edited by Willie the Duck; 2022-08-24 at 09:48 AM.

  21. - Top - End - #891
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    NecromancerGuy

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    They aren't eating meat, they're eating mushrooms*.
    I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse.

    *Mythical Meat flavoured Mycoprotein.
    So many questions.
    "If it lives it can be killed.
    If it is dead it can be eaten."

    Ronkong Coma "the way of the bookhunter" III Catacombium
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  22. - Top - End - #892
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    DwarfClericGuy

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Kantaki View Post
    They aren't eating meat, they're eating mushrooms*.
    I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse.
    Fungus, not necessarily a mushroom. Yeasts and molds are also fungi.

    He's probably referring to a future strain of Fusarium venenatum. A current strain is now being produced commercially.

    It makes sense if your space and power is limited. It's easier to make a single source of protein and flavor it, rather than have multiple cloning facilities for all the meat types.

    And, as it's a simpler genetic structure, it'd be easier to engineer necessary nutrients into it. Various amino acids, enzyme production, etc.
    May you get EXACTLY what you wish for.

  23. - Top - End - #893
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    Jasdoif's Avatar

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Consider that a flavor designer trying to imagine mythical kraken is almost certainly going to think of the more real sorts of giant squid; the idea that sqid smell like squid amuses me. The "u" may not be silent, but it could be olfactory-neutral.

    Quote Originally Posted by sihnfahl View Post
    He's probably referring to a future strain of Fusarium venenatum. A current strain is now being produced commercially.
    I've tried Quorn products a few times, they're pretty good.
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  24. - Top - End - #894
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    NecromancerGuy

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    New comic

    Yeah, they probably should discontinue that flavour.
    Not because it would be awkward, because it would give Sam's people ideas.
    "If it lives it can be killed.
    If it is dead it can be eaten."

    Ronkong Coma "the way of the bookhunter" III Catacombium
    (Walter Moers "Die Stadt der träumenden Bücher")



  25. - Top - End - #895
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Nettie keeps being the sane one that rein in the other two when they go too far.
    Last edited by Gez; 2022-08-26 at 02:19 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Midnight Roamer View Post
    I think he did the only morally acceptable thing by killing everyone.
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  26. - Top - End - #896
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Gez View Post
    Nettie keeps being the sane one that rein in the other two when they go too far.
    So like Sawtooth?

  27. - Top - End - #897
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Rakaydos View Post
    So like Sawtooth?
    Yeah, kind of the same dynamics, except with less destruction of walls.
    Quote Originally Posted by Midnight Roamer View Post
    I think he did the only morally acceptable thing by killing everyone.
    Hark! An avatar drawn by Kate Beaton!

  28. - Top - End - #898
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    DwarfClericGuy

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Gez View Post
    Yeah, kind of the same dynamics, except with less destruction of walls.
    And without the Law of Superior Tonnage.
    May you get EXACTLY what you wish for.

  29. - Top - End - #899
    Barbarian in the Playground
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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    Quote Originally Posted by Kantaki View Post
    New comic

    Yeah, they probably should discontinue that flavour.
    Not because it would be awkward, because it would give Sam's people ideas.
    Sam and an idea. Name a more dangerous combination.

  30. - Top - End - #900
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    Rockphed's Avatar

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    Default Re: Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

    They already discontinued "Long Pig", which is sometimes a euphemism for human meat.
    Quote Originally Posted by Wardog View Post
    Rockphed said it well.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sam Starfall
    When your pants are full of crickets, you don't need mnemonics.
    Dragontar by Serpentine.

    Now offering unsolicited advice.

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