Questionable Content XVIII: "That's only sort of good news"

[Keltest]

Well, if the idea is that this is actually some sort of seastead in international waters just outside of Canada, those roadblocks might not apply.

Maybe not, but I can't imagine that any sort of scientific station, especially an international one, would be particularly happy to have some rando living there as well if they arent a spouse of or one of the workers. Maybe theyll let Martin tag along because authority figures the world over are inexplicably chill in the QC universe, but the most realistic outcome here would be them wanting to see Martin's paperwork to justify his presence.


Although admittedly, Martin and Claire getting married so they could move off shore of canada would indeed be a wild twist.

[Wraith]

Maybe theyll let Martin tag along because authority figures the world over are inexplicably chill in the QC universe

Considering the state of the email sent to Claire, the AI in charge is as hopelessly lolrandom as the rest of them, so it's a fair bet that this is likely.

I'm still holding out for the possibility that Claire gets offered the job because she's worked hard, earned her degree and proven herself a capable academic... And then Marten gets offered the job as her co-worker because, although he doesn't have the qualifications, he has way more experience in the field than her....

[Keltest]

Considering the state of the email sent to Claire, the AI in charge is as hopelessly lolrandom as the rest of them, so it's a fair bet that this is likely.

I'm still holding out for the possibility that Claire gets offered the job because she's worked hard, earned her degree and proven herself a capable academic... And then Marten gets offered the job as her co-worker because, although he doesn't have the qualifications, he has way more experience in the field than her....

Martin does have the ability to follow simple instructions, which is far, far more useful in just about every field that many skills taught at college.

[Mordokai]

All I'm saying is, if the old cast finally gets sidelined(as we've been expecting, I guess), I'm finally giving this webcomic a pass.

This isn't a, "they've changed it, now it sucks" so much as it is, "I really don't care about these people enough to keep investing thirty seconds a day into it".

I'll be sad about it. Not because of the comic itself, I haven't really been invested in it for a while. But this thread is pretty much the last link to GitP I have and you guys are, mostly, fine people. It'll be one more part of my past going away.

Maybe it's for the best Time to move on. Let's see how it turns out, in the next couple of days.

[Daywalker1983]

Also, as someone who really doesn't much like how Dora and Marten's relationship ended, feels like it was really authorial fiat, and has never really felt like Dora and Tai were anything more than a mashed-together couple that didn't really make a whole lot of sense? No, Dora did not single-handedly torpedo her relationship with Marten. Yes, her insecurities and issues were definitely a big dang problem and led to the blow-up, but it was Marten who escalated things and decided to make what was honestly a pretty minor thing into a wedge that ruined their relationship. It was Marten who said that he was sick of her apologies. It was Marten who ultimately kept treating Dora's biggest insecurity that he was only with her because he couldn't be with Faye as an "ugh, are you still on that?" instead of a serious problem.

I wanted to add soemthing, but I don't know that I could put i better than you. The problems in their relationship only seemed to become a thing in the very moment of breakup, there was to me never any indication that they were driving into a wall until they broke up. To this day I sometimes feel like today I will open the comic and it will be rectified, Claire and Thai be damned, and Marten and Dora will be together again.

In other news, I noticed your recent contributions in the goblins Thread and I liked really everything I saw. I wondered where you hid, but then I saw you just joined, altough you obviously know yor history. You are a voice of reeason and deliberation this sort of controversial comics really need.

[Daywalker1983]

All I'm saying is, if the old cast finally gets sidelined(as we've been expecting, I guess), I'm finally giving this webcomic a pass.

This isn't a, "they've changed it, now it sucks" so much as it is, "I really don't care about these people enough to keep investing thirty seconds a day into it".

I'll be sad about it. Not because of the comic itself, I haven't really been invested in it for a while. But this thread is pretty much the last link to GitP I have and you guys are, mostly, fine people. It'll be one more part of my past going away.

Maybe it's for the best Time to move on. Let's see how it turns out, in the next couple of days.

Yeah... I can see how Jeph felt the need for the trigger warning.

Aren't you interested in the conclusion of OoTS? Enough to stay here, anyway?

[Eldan]

I used to come here mostly for OotS, but that's so long ago... I think I last read OotS when the goblins were besieging Saphire city. I think it was called Saphire City. The city of blue samurai paladins.

[Willie the Duck]

Claire, sure you can't cross them unless you come to them, but you also don't have to cross them unless you come to them. That's. The. Point.

Aren't you interested in the conclusion of OoTS? Enough to stay here, anyway?

Oots? Well, for me, I mean I still read it. But, no, not really, there isn't some magical conclusion which will blow my mind. The heroes will save the day, Belkar is fated to die (unless they do some hairbrained fate-screw like make two Belkars). Some others will die (especially the tertiary characters, but maybe more of the main cast. I can see the final panel being Roy playing blocks with his little brother in the afterlife), the rest will live happily ever after. Redcloak may get a last minute heel-face-turn (or at least a 'I was wrong, Dwarf!' moment). Nothing will make the first decade or more of the strip not be wondrous, but at the same time, there's nothing keeping me in the final stretch but inertia and it being easy to check.

[Wraith]

I wonder if, at some point in about 2002, Marten had this same conversation with a girl called Vicky...?

[Ionathus]

Glad to get some vindication for Dora's supposedly "horrible" advice in these last few strips.

I wonder if, at some point in about 2002, Marten had this same conversation with a girl called Vicky...?

Sounds like they never actually HAD this conversation in as much depth: the narrative painted Vicky as the villain, but Marten was definitely ignoring many warning signs. Such as him saying "well, I'll move out to the east coast with you!" and Vicky saying "...yeah...I guess..."

That's a sign that you should be having a deeper conversation if I've ever seen one.

[Mordokai]

Aren't you interested in the conclusion of OoTS? Enough to stay here, anyway?

It's an interesting question. I am still definitely interested in the comic itself, but the speed(or rather, the lack of it) of the updates managed to kill that interest to a point as well. But I can wait. I guess I'll just have to discipline myself to stay away from the forums and check only the comic every once in a blue moon.

The people I used to mingle with seem to have moved on, so yeah, there's not much incentive for me to hang around. It's more of nostalgia than anything else that's keeping me around at this point and I think I would benefit from severing that link.

[Keltest]

It's an interesting question. I am still definitely interested in the comic itself, but the speed(or rather, the lack of it) of the updates managed to kill that interest to a point as well. But I can wait. I guess I'll just have to discipline myself to stay away from the forums and check only the comic every once in a blue moon.

The people I used to mingle with seem to have moved on, so yeah, there's not much incentive for me to hang around. It's more of nostalgia than anything else that's keeping me around at this point and I think I would benefit from severing that link.

I know I am certainly kept here by the community rather than the comic at this point. I can forgive the update schedule even without the medical necessity behind it, the comic just isnt that good anymore IMO.

[Mordokai]

I know I am certainly kept here by the community rather than the comic at this point. I can forgive the update schedule even without the medical necessity behind it, the comic just isnt that good anymore IMO.

And I can certainly see that. Maybe even agree with it. I've discovered the comic back around 100-200 mark.

That's some twenty years ago. Almost half of my life.

Back then, it has been a simple story geared toward making fun of DnD rules. Since then, a lot has changed. Whether for good or bad, I leave it up to you.

But despite it all... I still find myself interested in the story. Nostalgia may have something to do with it. Maybe even most of it.

But... the comic was the start of my interest in this site. The forum/community took over for a large period of time. And now, I find my interests shifting back to the comic again. Cycle of nature, I guess

I had some great times around here. I will always cherish the memories. But I can get behind changing my focus again

[Kish]

Well, I seem to be one of the few people, perhaps the only person, in this thread to have been reading OotS for the story for most of its run, instead of losing interest in it the harder it becomes to ignore the fact that it has a story.

That being the case, I don't think it's a good comparison because, since around comic #13 (the appropriately named "Plot, Ahoy!") OotS has had a story; it's a seven-volume graphic novel series, with a planned overall arc and ending. Questionable Content is something different.

[Traab]

Ive been reading OotS since i think, around the time the first gate blew up and been following since. I ended up reading the webcomics I do because of this forum for the most part. And at this stage I think the only comic ive dropped to date is the latest dominic deegan one. I just couldnt enjoy it anymore. It wasnt even enjoyable to make fun of.

[Dame_Mechanus]

Well, I seem to be one of the few people, perhaps the only person, in this thread to have been reading OotS for the story for most of its run, instead of losing interest in it the harder it becomes to ignore the fact that it has a story.

It wouldn't have kept my interest for nearly this long if it were still basically just "ha ha, sometimes 3.5e rules don't make a whole lot of sense." I find that the most boring part of the comic and the only thing that hooked me in was the promise of the story. Over the years, the more it's become clear that it's a comic that happens to occasionally reference D&D in service to a larger story, the more invested I've gotten in it.

That being the case, I don't think it's a good comparison because, since around comic #13 (the appropriately named "Plot, Ahoy!") OotS has had a story; it's a seven-volume graphic novel series, with a planned overall arc and ending. Questionable Content is something different.

Right. QC has always, for better or worse, been a weird slice-of-life thing following the characters that Jeph finds it interesting to write about. Sometimes he introduces characters who get sidelined pretty quickly (remember Gabby?) and sometimes a new character becomes immensely important. That's just kind of the nature of things. Would I like to see more of, say, Penelope? Yes, actually. But overall it doesn't bother me that he writes the comic he wants to write, and if it does start to bore me, well, so be it. He can't write the comic for me, after all; odds are pretty much nil he knows of my existence in the first place.

[VoxRationis]

The history of offshore communities suggests that it's most likely either some sort of scam or a cult, and the fact that they reached out to a random grad in a field that has more hopefuls than openings to suggest a job with a vague purpose (how does one do librarian work on behalf of someone who can just search through everything in their mind?) reinforces the notion that this is some sort of predatory organization.

That said, I don't think it will be, or at least, it won't be in the most immediately obvious way, for that would make for a less engaging story.

[Cazero]

Guys, the internet isn't magical. Robots can search everything with their mind solely because it is curated. Librarians are good at that.

[Keltest]

Guys, the internet isn't magical. Robots can search everything with their mind solely because it is curated. Librarians are good at that.

Yeah, but they dont own the internet so... what are they curating exactly?

[Mechalich]

The internet is not curated, it is indexed by algorithmic agents, it's far too large to be curated by knowledgeable experts. Nor is it really accurate to say that QC AIs can 'search the internet with their mind' since they do not have search agents of their own. What they actually possess is a direct mind to network interface allowing them to open Google inside their heads using mental commands. This is something a human could also do, hypothetically, with a proper brain-machine interface.

Now, it's entirely possible that a group of AIs could use some serious data curation because they are suffering from information overload or are utilizing certain kinds of data that does not respond well to traditional search algorithms and desire advice from librarians. They might even have produced some class of physical artifacts that they are struggling to organize.

The history of offshore communities suggests that it's most likely either some sort of scam or a cult, and the fact that they reached out to a random grad in a field that has more hopefuls than openings to suggest a job with a vague purpose (how does one do librarian work on behalf of someone who can just search through everything in their mind?) reinforces the notion that this is some sort of predatory organization.

I can think of at least one good reason to put an AI colony offshore: heavy computation creates heat, and the ocean is cool. It's possible Cubetown runs hot enough that if it were located in downtown Halifax it would spontaneously combust and the AIs decided 'let's just use liquid cooling' without properly considering the logistical challenges of building an ocean base.

[Keltest]

I can think of at least one good reason to put an AI colony offshore: heavy computation creates heat, and the ocean is cool. It's possible Cubetown runs hot enough that if it were located in downtown Halifax it would spontaneously combust and the AIs decided 'let's just use liquid cooling' without properly considering the logistical challenges of building an ocean base.

Alternatively, they could be involved in some sort of heavily aquatic study, whether it be some specific flavor of marine biology or a more general "how can we explore the depths of the ocean?" sort of deal, which would of course be difficult to progress with in the middle of the canadian forest.

[Wraith]

Or, probably more likely, it means that Jeph can write a place that is sort-of-kind-of culturally like Nova Scotia, but have "it's also on an island in the ocean" as a plausible get-out-of-writing-into-corners card available whenever he wants it.

Which, frankly, is a smart idea. People have complained that the QC timeline doesn't make sense, or that the geography is weird, or that the tech doesn't make sense. Set a part of the comic on a space station, however, or a floating arcology, and you're free to tie in whatever you want, whenever you want, without the real world getting in the way.

Just... don't make it "Halifax but with even more inane, pastel-coloured people loitering around", is all I ask.

[Mechalich]

Just... don't make it "Halifax but with even more inane, pastel-coloured people loitering around", is all I ask.

I suspect this will depend upon how far off the coast from Halifax it is. The continental shelf extends out from Nova Scotia for nearly 100km, meaning Cubetown could be way out there. On the other hand, it could be just outside the bay from Halifax, no more than a short ferry ride away.

[halfeye]

I suspect this will depend upon how far off the coast from Halifax it is. The continental shelf extends out from Nova Scotia for nearly 100km, meaning Cubetown could be way out there. On the other hand, it could be just outside the bay from Halifax, no more than a short ferry ride away.

Territorial waters is 200 kilometres?

[Mechalich]

Territorial waters is 200 kilometres?

Territorial waters is 12 nautical miles. The contiguous zone extends for the next 12 nautical miles after that. The exclusive economic zone is 200 nautical miles.

But I was thinking less in terms of legality and more of travel convenience. Most offshore island settlements rely primarily on ferry service for access (the super rich may have helicopters, but this is clearly outside the reach of the masses). There's a big difference between a 15 minute ferry ride and a 1 hour ferry ride, especially as larger ferries have longer load/offload times which both lengthens the actual travel time and reduces the frequency of trips. An island that's reachable by a 15-minute ferry journey is just a funky suburb. One that takes an hour is an isolated community with little mainland contact (especially in Nova Scotia, where the North Atlantic is liable to decide 'no ferry for you!' quite a few days of the year).

Of course, AIs have it easier living in quasi-isolation, since many of the tricky aspects of living on an island, like importing food and dealing with waste, are essentially eliminated by their non-biological nature. Hopefully they have considered the complications of adding meatbags to the mix.

[Eldan]

This feels incredibly relateable. I have anxiety, and I've written a lot of job applications. Probably one of my worst phone calls was when I was shopping at a supermarket and someone called me, introduced himself as "Doctor [garbled surname in a loud supermarket]" from "the research institute" (yes, he actually said that) and wanted to ask me when I could come in for an interview. I had nothing to write on me, and didn't know which Doctor he was or which Research Institute he was from, so I think I mostly just stammered around for two minutes and then asked him if I could call him back in half an hour. Almost died of embarassment.

Didn't get the job, either.

[Delicious Taffy]

I appreciate how Dora's only objection so far is that the alley is gross. She doesn't seem like one of those egotistical god-complex bosses who'll basically throw you out on the street for even thinking about seeking other opportunities.

[Wraith]

I have to admit, if I were interviewing someone who appeared to be standing in an alley next to a rat and/or garbage can because they were too shy or scatter-brained to go back indoors, I would have questions as to whether or not they were suitable for a role of authority such as librarian, especially in such a chaotic and unprecedented place as a newly founded city built by AIs and all the wackiness that potentially entails.

That being said; If an employer sends you an email saying that they will call to schedule an interview, and then they schedule that interview for "right now", that's an even bigger red flag. Either they have little respect for their prospective employees' time and priorities, or they're haphazardly skipping parts of their recruitment process out of incompetence or malevolence and both prospects are frightening.

These are, after all, QC AIs - even if Claire had said she was free 'at anytime', there's a 50-50 chance that they would have called her at 3:17am and gone, "But you said you'd be free - what is it with humans and their obsession with unconsciousness?"

[Keltest]

I have to admit, if I were interviewing someone who appeared to be standing in an alley next to a rat and/or garbage can because they were too shy or scatter-brained to go back indoors, I would have questions as to whether or not they were suitable for a role of authority such as librarian, especially in such a chaotic and unprecedented place as a newly founded city built by AIs and all the wackiness that potentially entails.

That being said; If an employer sends you an email saying that they will call to schedule an interview, and then they schedule that interview for "right now", that's an even bigger red flag. Either they have little respect for their prospective employees' time and priorities, or they're haphazardly skipping parts of their recruitment process out of incompetence or malevolence and both prospects are frightening.

These are, after all, QC AIs - even if Claire had said she was free 'at anytime', there's a 50-50 chance that they would have called her at 3:17am and gone, "But you said you'd be free - what is it with humans and their obsession with unconsciousness?"

Lets be fair, sometimes timing just works weirdly. It does seem like they called to ask, rather than tell her it was now, so its entirely possible that if Claire had said she wasnt free right this second they would have said "ok, we can also do 4, 6, 6:30, 7 and 9 PM any day for the next week. Do any of those work for you?" or something to that effect.

[DavidSh]

I suspect this will depend upon how far off the coast from Halifax it is. The continental shelf extends out from Nova Scotia for nearly 100km, meaning Cubetown could be way out there. On the other hand, it could be just outside the bay from Halifax, no more than a short ferry ride away.

I give it a 10% probability of being on Sable Island,, very approximately 300 km from Halifax., and somewhat closer to more easterly parts of mainland Nova Scotia.