Questionable Content XV: I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS! I Told You This Thread Was Weird

[Traab]

Its probably too small for anyone but half grown kids to fit through.

[Wraith]

About 20 years go, when I still lived with my parents, one time in the dead of night a truck pulled up on the road beside the house and stole the decorative wooden lattice off the top of the garden fence. Like, 8 or 9 sheets, each some 6ft wide by 3ft tall, all in one night. They left the fence itself, and as far as we know they never, ever came back to try and break into the house or garage where we kept actual things of value or use.

"Why would kids break in and steal manufacturing/engineering equipment?" doesn't even need answering in my mind, even before you make up a scenario for adult burglars using kids/small teens to sneak in and open the door from the inside a la Oliver Twist.

[Rodin]

They were still pretty safe I would say. The window wasn't open - it just wasn't locked.

This means that to get robbed would require a bunch of burglars with a kid capable of parkouring up to a window 8 feet up...who are also gambling that said window is unlocked.

That's a pretty unlikely scenario compared to leaving a ground floor window unlocked and someone just walking by and testing the window (or a door handle).

Locking it is still sensible, of course.

[Gez]

About 20 years go, when I still lived with my parents, one time in the dead of night a truck pulled up on the road beside the house and stole the decorative wooden lattice off the top of the garden fence. Like, 8 or 9 sheets, each some 6ft wide by 3ft tall, all in one night. They left the fence itself, and as far as we know they never, ever came back to try and break into the house or garage where we kept actual things of value or use.

One time I made a sort of small bench at the edge of the driveway to my house, to get somewhere to sit when waiting for my friends. It was literally just two planks nailed on two logs (of uneven lengths, since the ground where it was placed isn't flat). It was stolen during the night two days after.

Who the heck would want to steal such a low-effort thing still puzzles me. It wasn't beautiful, it wasn't precious, it wasn't especially comfortable...

Some years later we found the pole on which the mailbox is placed half-sawed. People had tried to steal an old rusty mailbox with a wasp's nest inside.

[Willie the Duck]

Is everyone else still seeing the 10/30/19 comic, and if so, was there a notice about late uploads?

[Gez]

It updated later than usual, but it did update.

30 was this: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4123
Today is this: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4124

[Vinyadan]

They were still pretty safe I would say. The window wasn't open - it just wasn't locked.

This means that to get robbed would require a bunch of burglars with a kid capable of parkouring up to a window 8 feet up...who are also gambling that said window is unlocked.

That's a pretty unlikely scenario compared to leaving a ground floor window unlocked and someone just walking by and testing the window (or a door handle).

Locking it is still sensible, of course.

Don't they have an alarm system? I understand that they have a robosoldier with robosenses who could robopunch the intruders and recover the stolen robogoods, but IIRC she isn't there at night. Couldn't a thief just break in?

Some years later we found the pole on which the mailbox is placed half-sawed. People had tried to steal an old rusty mailbox with a wasp's nest inside.

Spoiler: I can imagine how well that went...

Show

[Max_Killjoy]

Is everyone else still seeing the 10/30/19 comic, and if so, was there a notice about late uploads?

I think I'm seeing today's.

[mucat]

Don't they have an alarm system? I understand that they have a robosoldier with robosenses who could robopunch the intruders and recover the stolen robogoods, but IIRC she isn't there at night. Couldn't a thief just break in?

Possible that Sam has the alarm codes but not the keys. I've been in that situation before for various reasons, all of which kind of made sense at the time.

I wouldn't trust Sam with alarm codes, though. While she is never malicious, she is often Sam.

[Willie the Duck]

I think I'm seeing today's.

I am too now, but when I asked, it still looked like the previous one. Strange.

Don't they have an alarm system? I understand that they have a robosoldier with robosenses who could robopunch the intruders and recover the stolen robogoods, but IIRC she isn't there at night. Couldn't a thief just break in?

It would be vaguely unrealistic for a business (where everyone leaves for the night) not to have an alarm, but perhaps Jeph is telegraphing how much of a shoestring-budget amateur affair this is. Even though Bubbles is probably the most adult and generally responsible of the main cast, running a business is clearly just as new and unfamiliar to her as it is for Faye.

[masterjoda99]

And if you have a mechanics' workshop, a place where you're going to be soldering things, mixing chemicals, running engines, and doing a lot of other fume-generating activities, you want good ventilation.

I somehoe misread "fume-generating activities" as "fun-generating activities"

[Vinyadan]

I somehoe misread "fume-generating activities" as "fun-generating activities"

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0094.html

[Cikomyr]

Okay..

I guess if the artist is actually raking real money, she might be requested to pay a part of the rent?

They should really showcase their metalwork skills to al these client robots.

[VoxRationis]

I was thinking that very thing. This is when Faye transitions from being a struggling small business owner to being a landlady.

Edit: Of course, the main problem is that there's nothing really stopping Sam from moving to a different venue. As far as we've seen, her only resource is Sharpies of various colors and all she needs is a reasonably comfortable room of no particular size in which to draw. If Faye were to ask for rent, Sam could very easily move to just about any other location in town and ply her trade there.

[Morquard]

Well she's an intern at the moment, and the money she gets for Sprays is basically her payment for it: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4077

It's just a slow day, there's been other days where Sam was the one running around town.

[Cikomyr]

Well she's an intern at the moment, and the money she gets for Sprays is basically her payment for it: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4077

It's just a slow day, there's been other days where Sam was the one running around town.

That's fair.

They should still try to find a way to synergises their businesses

[Max_Killjoy]

There's Calder stuff in several museums and parks around my region... funny.

The most iconic and historical would be La Grande Vitesse:

Spoiler

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[Morquard]

They should still try to find a way to synergises their businesses

I'm not disagreeing. Maybe once the internship is over they can start on some more formalized agreement.

There is definitely a long-term benefit for them in it. If those robots getting the Sprays are ever in need of repair work, their first address is likely going to be Union Robotics. And they'll tell others about it. It's essentially free advertisement.

Yes, I know that sounds a lot like "do it for free, for the exposure" but its not really. It's not Faye's or Bubble's work that's done free here. It's giving Sam a safe place to work from, and considering Sam doesn't take up a lot of space for her work, or need expensive materials or tools, I think its a good investment.

[tyckspoon]

Okay..

I guess if the artist is actually raking real money, she might be requested to pay a part of the rent?

They should really showcase their metalwork skills to al these client robots.

Yup. They might not be proud of the giant metal penis they're making (already made?) for Pintsize, but it suggests a line of business doing elective body-mods and other cosmetic work (changing out dermal coverings, repainting/decal-ing metal-shelled bots, crafting custom tool-attachments or just differently designed limbs?) for robots that might be both more lucrative and more reliable business than hoping for repair work to continue literally falling into them. Just need to market it, and word of mouth among the AI community already has them coming there for Sam to do her sprays.

[Willie the Duck]

There's Calder stuff in several museums and parks around my region... funny.

The most iconic and historical would be La Grande Vitesse:

Spoiler

Show

I kind of got the impression that every 'modern' art museum in America had a Calder piece. About 20 years ago I took an improv comedy class on a lark. Greatest laugh I got was during a game called 'unlikely superheroes' where me and another student were 'Art Man and Docent' (an audience suggestion). When we had to rush out and stop the bad guys, I said, 'Quick, to the Caldermobile!' <cue us pantomiming hanging from large art installation>. Not sure if it they were 'that's funny' laughs or 'so bad it's admirable' laughs, but it was memorable.

[Max_Killjoy]

I kind of got the impression that every 'modern' art museum in America had a Calder piece. About 20 years ago I took an improv comedy class on a lark. Greatest laugh I got was during a game called 'unlikely superheroes' where me and another student were 'Art Man and Docent' (an audience suggestion). When we had to rush out and stop the bad guys, I said, 'Quick, to the Caldermobile!' <cue us pantomiming hanging from large art installation>. Not sure if it they were 'that's funny' laughs or 'so bad it's admirable' laughs, but it was memorable.

That actually is funny -- I can see the improv group I go see on a regular basis doing something like that.

But maybe that's because I know a bit about Calder's work... I'm betting a lot of readers had to look up "Calder" to really get today's strip.

Now I want to see a bot casually walking out of the shop in the background of a future strip, wearing a hat that looks like La Grande Vitesse.

[Mechalich]

Yup. They might not be proud of the giant metal penis they're making (already made?) for Pintsize, but it suggests a line of business doing elective body-mods and other cosmetic work (changing out dermal coverings, repainting/decal-ing metal-shelled bots, crafting custom tool-attachments or just differently designed limbs?) for robots that might be both more lucrative and more reliable business than hoping for repair work to continue literally falling into them. Just need to market it, and word of mouth among the AI community already has them coming there for Sam to do her sprays.

If there are enough AIs that the fraction of them interested in 'sprays' is sufficient to keep Sam busy then repair work ought to be abundant. The problem seems to be that Jeph has established the average QC AI body as remarkably, even unreasonably, durable. With the noted exception of May none of the other embodied AIs appears to need any significant regular maintenance. Roko's ankle damage accumulated over months or even years, as did the degradation Clinton's hand and both were relatively minor repairs. Momo has never appeared to need any significant repairs at all (to say nothing of Pintsize who appears to be almost complete indestructible). Unless the bots are deliberately damaging themselves like they did in the fighting ring they just don't seem to need a lot of repairs. There's no equivalent of the 'change your car's oil every 3000 miles' to provide Faye and Bubbles with a bread and butter option.

[Eurus]

If there are enough AIs that the fraction of them interested in 'sprays' is sufficient to keep Sam busy then repair work ought to be abundant. The problem seems to be that Jeph has established the average QC AI body as remarkably, even unreasonably, durable. With the noted exception of May none of the other embodied AIs appears to need any significant regular maintenance. Roko's ankle damage accumulated over months or even years, as did the degradation Clinton's hand and both were relatively minor repairs. Momo has never appeared to need any significant repairs at all (to say nothing of Pintsize who appears to be almost complete indestructible). Unless the bots are deliberately damaging themselves like they did in the fighting ring they just don't seem to need a lot of repairs. There's no equivalent of the 'change your car's oil every 3000 miles' to provide Faye and Bubbles with a bread and butter option.

That was my thought as well, tbh. Robotic bodies seem to only require maintenance in an exceptional circumstance, for whatever reason.

[Vinyadan]

I personally wouldn't try to look too much into Sam's business model. It is the sort of thing that only works because the author said so. Zero preparation, zero equipment, zero effort, sudden success.

There are two options: maybe no one ever thought of using a sharpie on a bot. But, by now, I would expect indiebots to start drawing on each other as a pastime, rather than paying for a someone to do it. Or maybe Sam for some odd reason draws in a way that is exceptionally appealing to robots (which would still face competition and shifts in fashion, unless it's hard-wired).

[sleepy hedgehog]

That was my thought as well, tbh. Robotic bodies seem to only require maintenance in an exceptional circumstance, for whatever reason.

I wouldn't read too much into that.
It's just not particularly interesting, so it wouldn't be focused on. Until it is.

Just like, how none of the main characters have had regular doctor/dentist/optometrist visits.
(Normally I'd use going to the bathroom, but I feel like a unusually large portion of this comic has happened in one.)

[Gnoman]

The easy assumption is that basic maintenace is something that AnthroPCs habitually take care of themselves, at least at the "oil and tire change" equivalent levels. This would explain why the only time we see repairs needed is on units that go through uncommon levels of strain.

[Vinyadan]

I seem to remember Pintsize maintenance from the early strips, with some problems being software, but I think that there was some hardware ones, too.

[tyckspoon]

I seem to remember Pintsize maintenance from the early strips, with some problems being software, but I think that there was some hardware ones, too.

Pintsize somewhat regularly gets/got himself hit by other characters/thrown into walls/frozen as humorous comeuppance for his behavior; he presumably has more intense maintenance needs than bots that don't find amusement in provoking other people into attacking them.

[Gnoman]

I count "had to be cleaned because he filled himself with cake batter" and "had head caved in" as "uncommon levels of strain".

[SaintRidley]

Having taught a translation of the Old English Judith this semester, I'm happy to see Gentileschi's painting referenced today.