Schlock Mercenary VII: A T.A.D. Too Much Dialogue These Days

[eschmenk]

Can someone explain the joke to me?
I don't get it.

What about the brain of a young mother?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrioshka_brain

[2xMachina]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrioshka_brain

Actually, I know what's that. What I don't get is, How it makes perfect sense, and why it's funny.

[Narkis]

Actually, I know what's that. What I don't get is, How it makes perfect sense, and why it's funny.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll

[eschmenk]

Actually, I know what's that. What I don't get is, How it makes perfect sense, and why it's funny.

I don't think that was supposed to be funny. Apparently she was just being sarcastic. The only joke in that strip was what Liz said in the last panel, not that it was very funny, either.

[2xMachina]

I don't think that was supposed to be funny. Apparently she was just being sarcastic. The only joke in that strip was what Liz said in the last panel, not that it was very funny, either.

Ah, sarcasm.

It was meant that it Makes no sense.

[eschmenk]

To be honest, I wasn't sure until I read the next day's comic where it was obvious that she didn't know anything. Sometimes Flinders just knows things or make leaps of logic, so it's hard to know what to expect. It would have helped if she had rolled her eyes.

[Kantaki]

„They told me I could paint on the hulls”

Truly the best reason to fly a freighter.

[tonberrian]

I like the Everness.

[EnragedFilia]

I think the Everness needs to work on its translation a bit. Perhaps something like "omni-star" would work better in Galstandard West?

[keybounce]

So a look back over the story so far.

The "bank heist" plot thread is outstanding; there has been no information on it.

So ... Howard isn't one to toss something like that out for no reason. Any speculation on what it will turn out to be in act 3?

[eschmenk]

The obvious, but vague, possibility is that has to do with what we already know: the star brain wants to destroy the information Urtheep Industries knows about it. I certainly hope we don't have to wait until Act III to find out how Object 4118-6 is going about doing that.

I don't know about the specifics about how Object 4118-6's agents are going about their tasks. Perhaps they moved money around while they stole some in order to bribe or hire someone (mercenaries?) to destroy the icebox computer that contains the location information? Granted, the bank executive said all of the money was returned, but perhaps the bank missed some discrepancies? Maybe the agents were looking at the cash flows, found evidence of criminal activity, and will use that information to blackmail people into helping them? Maybe the agents were hacking into the bank's system and hacked from there into Urtheep Industries's computers? Granted, that wouldn't take them all the way to the icebox computer, but it might have allowed the agents to learn about some vulnerabilities to exploit.

[NEO|Phyte]

So a look back over the story so far.

The "bank heist" plot thread is outstanding; there has been no information on it.

So ... Howard isn't one to toss something like that out for no reason. Any speculation on what it will turn out to be in act 3?

I thought the bank heist turned out to have been a smokescreen, with the 'stolen' money not actually gone, just stuck in accounting limbo for a bit before popping right back where it belongs.
:edit: found the strip, that is exactly what happened.

[eschmenk]

I thought the bank heist turned out to have been a smokescreen, with the 'stolen' money not actually gone, just stuck in accounting limbo for a bit before popping right back where it belongs.
:edit: found the strip, that is exactly what happened.

Yes, I think everyone understands that. I hope so, anyway. I'm pretty sure the question keybounce wanted answered was: what was it a smokescreen for? Added: In other words, what was going on that the smokescreen was intended to hide?

[factotum]

So, what's the Ganni Project? Is it the bu'uthandi, the Archive, the wormgates, the core generator, or something else we've not encountered before?

[memnarch]

So, what's the Ganni Project? Is it the bu'uthandi, the Archive, the wormgates, the core generator, or something else we've not encountered before?

I don't believe we've heard the name Ganni Project before, but I'm guessing it's referring to the star forge that was destroyed from the inside out by a DME.

[Gez]

So, what's the Ganni Project? Is it the bu'uthandi, the Archive, the wormgates, the core generator, or something else we've not encountered before?

We haven't seen anything called "Ganni Project", but we have seen people called F'Sherl-Ganni, and it's quite obvious that they're talking about the wormgate network, and more precisely the hidden motive behind it (i.e. the compromise with the dark matter entities to allow interstellar civilization to develop without hurting the DMEs).

[eschmenk]

So, what's the Ganni Project? Is it the bu'uthandi, the Archive, the wormgates, the core generator, or something else we've not encountered before?

They seem to be talking about the wormgates. The species that were the gatekeepers were called F'sherl-Ganni, so calling it the "Ganni project" makes sense. "Connect but constrain" was what the gatekeepers were trying to do and whoever is talking even said that the "gatekeeper network" was what fell apart. It seems very unlikely that there could be another network other than the wormgate network that would be called the gatekeeper network. We were told there were previous gatekeeper wormgate networks, which is consistent with the latest being the third Ganni project. All together, it seem pretty clear that it's the wormgate network that they are talking about.

Added: Huh, I didn't see Gez's post. I guess I loaded this page a while before reading it. Also, I missed the last speech bubble on the comic. I have no idea what the probe is doing. Is it coming or going? Is probe going to find out more about the Urtheep Industries fat lizard people? (I forget the species name.)

[halfeye]

Now that's what I call filler.

[eschmenk]

Now that's what I call filler.

Yes, I think it actually could just be filler. Apparently, HT screwed up, so then he inserted a couple of unplanned strips to correct his mistake, but now he may need to insert additional filler updates just to get a Sunday strip to fall where it needs to fall.

Apparently, his original mistake was having Liz call Robert Bradbury "Ray Bradbury." (The added text on that page about Liz's mistake wasn't there originally, was it?) I assume that mistake was pointed out to him after the fact, and therefore he inserted Monday's and Tuesday's strips to correct his mistake. But that may mean that he has to add a full week of strips this week if he has something that needs to fit on a large Sunday page. He might just be pushing strips that were already completed back one week, given that he normally has a multiple-week buffer. Even if not, it seems as if he's not advancing the story at all so far this week.

I haven't been following HT's twitter. Did anyone see anything about his mistake there?

BTW, I think Monday's strip is pretty funny now. You've got Liz officially justifying that it was an easy mistake to make and also officially saying that you don't get a [only get one extra] cookie even if you caught the mistake. Hmm.

[guttering flame]

Even if that's true, I don't see a problem with this (filler) strip. Food is an important theme in the comic. It's one of the most important things in the life of the eponymous protagonist. On reflection, Schlock's whining over the bare-bones kitchen is more interesting than the Matryoshka civilization and the scummy alien clients plot-lines.

[Cikomyr]

So if Haban was a member of Breya's bodyguard corp, would he be member of.. the Secrete Service?

[HandofShadows]

Even if that's true, I don't see a problem with this (filler) strip. Food is an important theme in the comic. It's one of the most important things in the life of the eponymous protagonist. On reflection, Schlock's whining over the bare-bones kitchen is more interesting than the Matryoshka civilization and the scummy alien clients plot-lines.

Actually this was a demonstration that societies are always going to want more of somethings than is available. Even in in Post Sacristy ones.

[eschmenk]

But that may mean that he has to add a full week of strips this week if he has something that needs to fit on a large Sunday page. He might just be pushing strips that were already completed back one week, given that he normally has a multiple-week buffer.

Yeah, it looks like that was pretty close to what happened. The strips that would have originally run Tuesday through Sunday were probably pushed back into this week. The one originally for Monday probably was moved to Saturday instead of being pushed back a full week, though. That way, HT was able to create two new pages featuring Petely lecturing the UNS admirals and UNS government (Sunday's and today's pages). They will make the meeting last a couple of days longer than it originally would have. At least that's what appears to have happened.

[Knaight]

Actually this was a demonstration that societies are always going to want more of somethings than is available. Even in in Post Sacristy ones.

The idea is that they're not actually post scarcity at all - once you solve all your current bottlenecks and crank up production you'll find a new bottleneck.

[Drascin]

Ain't that the truth, Petey.

[factotum]

I'm a little confused here. I thought these avatars the AIs use are holograms of some sort--how can Petey actually pick up and look at a real, physical object? Have we ever seen that happen before?

[tonberrian]

I'm a little confused here. I thought these avatars the AIs use are holograms of some sort--how can Petey actually pick up and look at a real, physical object? Have we ever seen that happen before?

My understanding is that while the main body is a hologram, the fiddly bit beneath is a real object (that Petey teraports in through teraport denial through massive amounts of energy). My guess is that, like Ennesby, there's a some personal gravity manipulation in it that allows him to move stuff and appear like he's actually holding it.

Mostly it's a joke, though. Since Petey can't actually see what's on the datapad through holographic eyes, the whole thing is just silliness.

[Windscion]

What I find interesting is the implication that in the PD, schoolteachers get paid more. That ... actually makes some sense. Our society basically treats school as a form of day-care. Petey is more likely to want them to actually be, y'know, edumacated or somefing.

[factotum]

What I find interesting is the implication that in the PD, schoolteachers get paid more.

Or that the leaders are paid less, it works either way.

[sihnfahl]

Mostly it's a joke, though. Since Petey can't actually see what's on the datapad through holographic eyes, the whole thing is just silliness.

Course, he COULD hack the pad just to make a point...