Questionable Content XVI: Yes, Butt

[Wraith]

Apparently we *are* completely done with the weed thing. No input from Dora, no commentary from anyone else; Everything Tai says should be taken at face value, all criticism is unnecessary, next scene please?

Maybe it's a Rule-of-3 thing and it'll come up one more time making it seem significant before anyone acts on it? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't happen though.

In other news: In my head I know that Beeps just described her morning routine to Roko and we got to see it drawn out because we're the audience and it's a visual medium, but from the dialogue it also kind of looks like Roko and Beeps are living together, and Roko just witnessed all of that with us.

[Eldan]

The first time I noticed this effect was when my mother went back to England for an extended period. She had been back in Manchester for a couple moths and she called me. I was convinced she was one of my aunts when I answered the phone. Despite living in the Southern US for 20 years it took all of a couple months for her Mancunian accent to reassert itself..

I've never even lived in the more western parts of Switzerland, but spending a weekend with my cousins is all it takes for some parts of my grammar to flip.

[Gnoman]

Is there any possibility that "Munroe Robotics" is referencing anybody except Randal Munroe (the XKCD guy)?

[mythmonster2]

Honestly, I think I'd be more surprised if Jeph introduced a well-adjusted, professional character at this point. It seems like a miracle that society still functions when so many characters are wacky and incompetent at their jobs.

[hungrycrow]

Honestly, I think I'd be more surprised if Jeph introduced a well-adjusted, professional character at this point. It seems like a miracle that society still functions when so many characters are wacky and incompetent at their jobs.

That one government official that Roko hates seemed competent. Not polite, but competent.

[Morquard]

I'm sorry, but the only thing I can think of right now is this: She meets with the CEO of a big company to convince them of her "free bodies for convicts" idea, and THIS is what she decides to wear?

[hungrycrow]

I'm sorry, but the only thing I can think of right now is this: She meets with the CEO of a big company to convince them of her "free bodies for convicts" idea, and THIS is what she decides to wear?

It also seems to be a VR call. She could wear literally anything.

[Wraith]

...So.... Roko has a problem with getting AI's access to cheap spare parts, and to resolve that she just goes and asks an in-universe equivalent to Elon Musk in person to deal with it?

There's quite a lot to unpack in that scenario, starting with "that is amazingly convenient" while skipping quickly and without comment through "billionaires are a disease" on route to "rich white guy solves everything for the poor funny-coloured people".

C'mon Jeph; you can do better than that.

[hungrycrow]

I was expecting her to meet with some politicians and instantly sway them with a powerpoint presentation that she spent about two weeks researching for. At least it's more plausible for Roko to convince Not-Elon Musk to help? Still a pretty dumb solution to a complex problem.

[Traab]

She never said she was talking with the ceo, its just "some people" So this guy could be anywhere from middle management to ceo. But I would expect her in that case to phrase it as "Im meeting with the head of the company" rather than "some people" For all we know this is the sales manager for the company who has to approve of an idea before it can be kicked up the chain of command.

[Rodin]

She never said she was talking with the ceo, its just "some people" So this guy could be anywhere from middle management to ceo. But I would expect her in that case to phrase it as "Im meeting with the head of the company" rather than "some people" For all we know this is the sales manager for the company who has to approve of an idea before it can be kicked up the chain of command.

The company is named Munroe Robotics and she's talking to Mr. Munroe. Either there's nepotism going on or he's the CEO/company founder.

[Vinyadan]

The company is named Munroe Robotics and she's talking to Mr. Munroe. Either there's nepotism going on or he's the CEO/company founder.

Will Tilly appear?

[Traab]

Fair point, I missed that part. Still, we do have other interesting issues like, how are they all in cyber space? Did this guy invent a way to basically meet with AI on their turf like its the matrix or something?

[mucat]

Compared to a lot of the outlandish technology that the characters take for granted, Mr. Munroe meeting them in cyberspace is pretty mundane. He gets a VR rig, the AIs do their out-of-body AI thing, and they all have a Zoom call.

[Wraith]

I honestly thought I was being facetious when I suggested that this guy was a stand-in for Elon Musk, but that "let's do the weird thing, what do you mean we've been running at a deficit for along time" thing just made me realise that Jeph Jaques is clearly reading my thoughts and stealing them for his comic. Or something.

[Vinyadan]

I think that there really is an Elon Musk vibe to him -- approaching communication from a somewhat informal, overenthusiastic angle, and an "everything is in our reach" attitude. The "no money" part also fits the bill.

However, if it was Elon Musk, he wouldn't be concerned by the lack of money, since after Paypal he has generally been in deficit and thrived on investors money. He would recapitalise or start a new venture, and people would throw their money at him.

And then there would be a weird tweet sinking the value of his stocks, and that is something that feels like it came directly from QC.

[Traab]

Pretty much any company runs at a deficit for years before they become profitable. Amazon, iirc, was losing money at a ferocious rate for years because it was constantly being expanded. It applies to small businesses too. My dad owned a car stereo shop decades back when that was still a thing, it was years before it turned a profit because dad kept funneling every penny back into it to make it bigger and better. I do agree that this has a strong elon muskish vibe to it, I just wanted to point that out.

[mucat]

...or if "Munroe Robotics" is, at least in part, a tribute to xkcd, then poor Roko has landed a meeting with Beret Guy.

[georgie_leech]

...or if "Munroe Robotics" is, at least in part, a tribute to xkcd, then poor Roko has landed a meeting with Beret Guy.

Here's hoping. Beret Guy may be impossible to work with, but he never lets a little thing like reality stand in the way of what he wants to do.

[The Glyphstone]

At least it wasn't Black Hat.

[tyckspoon]

At least it wasn't Black Hat.

"Body contained frenzied badger. Would not use again. Also, didn't include charging cord compatible with badger."

[Gnoman]

This is kind of dumb. An initiative like the one Roko is proposing would be a huge benefit to any such company. Not only would there be the obvious good PR, but you'd gain a potential source of funding from various NGOs, generate reliable demand for spare parts (there's going to be a solid chunk of the AI populace using YOUR body, so they'll come to you when parts inevitably wear out), and your product will be right in all kinds of spotlights.


Fundamentally, it is the same as Henry Ford making sure his employees could afford a Model T. The fallout benefits far outweighed the initial costs.

[Keltest]

This is kind of dumb. An initiative like the one Roko is proposing would be a huge benefit to any such company. Not only would there be the obvious good PR, but you'd gain a potential source of funding from various NGOs, generate reliable demand for spare parts (there's going to be a solid chunk of the AI populace using YOUR body, so they'll come to you when parts inevitably wear out), and your product will be right in all kinds of spotlights.


Fundamentally, it is the same as Henry Ford making sure his employees could afford a Model T. The fallout benefits far outweighed the initial costs.

I think in this case the problem is the on-hand cash needed to kickstart the process.

[hungrycrow]

I'm not sure it would be that great PR, unless QC world is significantly more progressive than the real one. People in general are pretty biased against convicted criminals. I mean that's the issue Roko is trying to solve in the first place.

[Keltest]

I'm not sure it would be that great PR, unless QC world is significantly more progressive than the real one. People in general are pretty biased against convicted criminals. I mean that's the issue Roko is trying to solve in the first place.

If you play it as an attempt to reduce recidivism then you could probably pull it off.

[BRC]

If you play it as an attempt to reduce recidivism then you could probably pull it off.

Sure, it might play well in the papers, but, like, your brand is going to become associated with ex-cons, which isn't going to help sales. Even if people support the initiative in general (Which is hardly a given), they might not want to buy a chassis that is known for being given to ex-convicts.

[Keltest]

Sure, it might play well in the papers, but, like, your brand is going to become associated with ex-cons, which isn't going to help sales. Even if people support the initiative in general (Which is hardly a given), they might not want to buy a chassis that is known for being given to ex-convicts.

I believe the point is that the ex-cons would be buying parts and support for the chassis.

[Morquard]

I feel this is a giant setup, so that Roko realizes "Humans are to dumb to change things, let's ask Yay to snap their finger and fix it all"

[Vinyadan]

I feel this is a giant setup, so that Roko realizes "Humans are to dumb to change things, let's ask Yay to snap their finger and fix it all"

Well they can change file formats all right!

[Wraith]

I feel this is a giant setup, so that Roko realizes "Humans are to dumb to change things, let's ask Yay to snap their finger and fix it all"

If only Yay hadn't given away all of their money and were still a billionaire, they could front the cash right away and it would still count as charitable donations to support AI ex-cons in need just like Roko asked them to do....

I'm honestly quite confused as to the message that Jeph is conveying in this recent arc, or where he's going with it.
On the one hand, he's pretty consistent with rhetoric like "Billionaires are criminals" and "capitalism is a crime", but this arc almost feels like it's apologetic to Elon Musk-esque factory owners, explaining how they are innocently naive to the world's problems but when brought to their attention they have many financial commitments and can't be expected to have piles of cash on hand in order to solve the world's problems even though they want to.

Then again, he's always shown Hannelore and her dad sympathetically, so maybe Jeph's billionaires just happen to be the nice kind... That he has previously insisted don't exist....