Questionable Content 11: It's Like Seeing a Unicorn

[Wraith]

This is unexpected. By Hanners, as well as us. Why does she need a personal assistant, anyway?

Her mother probably would have told her about Tilly. Should have, anyway. Her father might not have remembered to. Station probably would have preferred it to be a surprise. I think she should ask Tilly why she's there and who hired her, first. That might save time.

Hannelore's parents are divorced; her Dad is a very chilled out engineer who lives on the Space Station, and her mother is a megalomaniacal CEO-stroke-Tyrant. It is entirely within what is known of her character to one day decide that Hannelore now has an executive job at her company, and thus she WILL have a PA sent out to her immediately.

[eee]

Hannelore's parents are divorced;

This is true. You have to wonder how they got together in the first place, but they're apart, now.

her Dad is a very chilled out engineer who lives on the Space Station,

Not sure I'd say 'chilled out'. More 'so focused on meta he doesn't even remember how old he is until he's reminded'. A person like that might look at the science, decide Hannelore needs a PA, and send one, but forget to tell Hanners she's coming.

and her mother is a megalomaniacal CEO-stroke-Tyrant. It is entirely within what is known of her character to one day decide that Hannelore now has an executive job at her company, and thus she WILL have a PA sent out to her immediately.

Part of Mom's character seems to be cold blooded assessment. "Hannelore's emotional and psychological problems mean she will probably never be able to run this company as I do, or even be an effective part of it. I must, therefore, accept that. And extend my lifetime to near immortality, both to protect her and my business. Perhaps I should have myself cloned..." It might well be Mom behind this, but we'll have to wait and see why Tilly's there to find out who sent her.

There's also the problem that, sending someone new into Hanners life (and apartment) may set off problems. Hannelore has made great strides in learning to withstand stress, grime, and the bodily substances of others, but someone strange and possibly unhygienic actually IN her apartment might be too much.

[Cikomyr]

Maybe its a challenge/test meant to determine Hannelore's progress

[halfeye]

Maybe it's May in disguise (with only bullshine for backup).

Either/whichever way up, I think May would be entirely compatible given both of them dislike hugs and authority.

[georgie_leech]

This is true. You have to wonder how they got together in the first place, but they're apart, now.



Not sure I'd say 'chilled out'. More 'so focused on meta he doesn't even remember how old he is until he's reminded'. A person like that might look at the science, decide Hannelore needs a PA, and send one, but forget to tell Hanners she's coming.



Part of Mom's character seems to be cold blooded assessment. "Hannelore's emotional and psychological problems mean she will probably never be able to run this company as I do, or even be an effective part of it. I must, therefore, accept that. And extend my lifetime to near immortality, both to protect her and my business. Perhaps I should have myself cloned..." It might well be Mom behind this, but we'll have to wait and see why Tilly's there to find out who sent her.

There's also the problem that, sending someone new into Hanners life (and apartment) may set off problems. Hannelore has made great strides in learning to withstand stress, grime, and the bodily substances of others, but someone strange and possibly unhygienic actually IN her apartment might be too much.

Eh, I've met far too many people who went for the cold blooded assessment thing, without realizing that doesn't automatically free them of bias. Often, they have some variation of The Plan^TM that involves people around them; if they don't match the plan, they should be forced to fit. With varying degrees of brute force vs shaping indirectly depending on how blunt/jerkish they are.

[Max_Killjoy]

This is true. You have to wonder how they got together in the first place, but they're apart, now.

It has been my observation that many people go through a phase in their life (around the "college years") when deeper compatibility takes a back seat to other considerations of attraction.

[Honest Tiefling]

It has been my observation that many people go through a phase in their life (around the "college years") when deeper compatibility takes a back seat to other considerations of attraction.

ONLY at the college age years? Yeah, I think that's not a very accurate assessment...

[Wraith]

Part of Mom's character seems to be cold blooded assessment. "Hannelore's emotional and psychological problems mean she will probably never be able to run this company as I do, or even be an effective part of it. I must, therefore, accept that. And extend my lifetime to near immortality, both to protect her and my business. Perhaps I should have myself cloned..." It might well be Mom behind this, but we'll have to wait and see why Tilly's there to find out who sent her.

Maybe. When I last saw Hannelore's Mom, she put me more in mind of a typically arrogant CEO; not that she doesn't love her daughter, but her primary concern is to do what she thinks is best by "whipping (Hannelore) into shape", even if that means an invasion of her privacy and hijacking of her schedule.

Again, not out of malice in any way, just because she's used to getting her own way and it doesn't occur to her to ask first any more. That we haven't seen anything of her for quite a long time, works into the theory that she doesn't necessarily know how well Hannelore has been doing lately and has assumed the worst.

As you said, we'll see; Hannelore's instincts for her Mom's interference is usually pretty accurate though, and her Dad usually has his worse ideas filtered by Station first

[Hackman]

This is unexpected. By Hanners, as well as us. Why does she need a personal assistant, anyway?

Her mother probably would have told her about Tilly. Should have, anyway. Her father might not have remembered to. Station probably would have preferred it to be a surprise. I think she should ask Tilly why she's there and who hired her, first. That might save time.

Are those books on the shelves in Hanner's bedroom? Videotapes out be out of date. Bottles of cleaning solution?

Hannelore's dad would have probably sent a robot though, like he already did once.

Also, taking bets: will Tilly have mysteriously vanished by the end of this month?

[dps]

I predict that Magdeburg will be sacked.

[Windscion]

Ah, relatives. Can't live with them, and shooting them is still illegal.
That said, Tilly has been placed in a bad position. I can totes see Miz Chatham blacklisting Tilly forever when this blows up. Hopefully Hanners will make her promise not to do so.
Finally, this kind of move makes me wonder if Hanners Mom is worrying about her mortality? Some diseases are incurable

[Cikomyr]

Ah, relatives. Can't live with them, and shooting them is still illegal.
That said, Tilly has been placed in a bad position.

A.k.a. the natural position of every single P.A. in existence?

[eee]

Ah, so I was wrong (sort of) about Mother being behind Tilly, and also about her having concluded Hanners is not executive material. What a surprise.

Although I don't recall Mother attempting to overwhelm Hanners like this before.

What is up with the horse? Why is the robot horse doing that? O_O

[Honest Tiefling]

What is up with the horse? Why is the robot horse doing that? O_O

I was willing to accept that HannersMom was perhaps well-intentioned but misguided until I saw that. I think she might just be crazy.

[Shadow of the Sun]

I mean, we've established that it runs in the family.

[Max_Killjoy]

Ugh. BadMom.

[Honest Tiefling]

I mean, we've established that it runs in the family.

There's adorable, quirky (if troublesome) behavior and then there's 'So how close is this act to torturing an animal?'!

[Max_Killjoy]

There's adorable, quirky (if troublesome) behavior and then there's 'So how close is this act to torturing an animal?'!

Hanners has mental difficulties that she's working through.

Her mother has moral deficiencies.

[Kato]

Hanners has mental difficulties that she's working through.

Her mother has moral deficiencies.

I was about to start something there.. But I think it's better I don't.

Not to say I'm entirely on mom's side here but considering we've only seen sentient AI so far and assuming the horse is one too, it just decided to be an annoying ****. Tasing it is still a bit over the line but.. It kind of deserves a punishment if we assume that.

[VoxRationis]

It certainly is a question, whether that robot horse is sentient or not, or can even really feel pain. Certainly the presence of sentient AI doesn't mean humanity forgot how to make non-sentient computerized gadgets. On the other hand, Hannelore's mother is a ruthless and sadistic person who only was prevented from killing one of her employees Bond villain-style because her knowledge of sharks was much less than her ability to acquire them and her shark tank was therefore full of plankton-eaters. I could easily see this horse body being a prison for some AI who tried to do to Ms. Ellicott-Chatham what May tried to do to her unnamed victims. Undoubtedly, it's illegal in many ways, but I'm sure the stuff Hannelore's father does with US airspace and various forms of re-entry isn't above-board either. Clearly, there's a hidden cynicism to QC wherein you can get away with pretty much anything with enough money.

[Shadow of the Sun]

There's adorable, quirky (if troublesome) behavior and then there's 'So how close is this act to torturing an animal?'!

OCD is not adorable, or quirky. Jeph may portray it that way, but it's not the essence of the illness, which most people completely misunderstand.

[Iruka]

I predict that Magdeburg will be sacked.

Took me a while to get that one. Well played.

[Fawkes]

Maybe the horse likes being tased.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Maybe the horse likes being tased.

Maybe the robo-horse is currently in alpha, and it is quite buggy, and that's how you reboot it on the field.

GW

[Traab]

Maybe thats the only thing that will work. Its a metal body, I doubt spurs are all that useful. Or really, any other standard horse training tools.

[Keltest]

Or maybe she's just being mean to it because its weird. Lets not overcomplicate things here.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Or maybe she's just being mean to it because its weird. Lets not overcomplicate things here.

I think that assuming malice and pain and sentience is overcomplicating it. I think "it's a reboot" is the simplest explanation.

GW

[The Glyphstone]

Hannelore's dad would have probably sent a robot though, like he already did once.

Also, taking bets: will Tilly have mysteriously vanished by the end of this month?

I predict that Magdeburg will be sacked.

Took me a while to get that one. Well played.

It took me a second too, mostly to confirm I was actually reading it correctly. Not at all the sort of reference you expect to pop up from nowhere.

[Wraith]

I think that assuming malice and pain and sentience is overcomplicating it. I think "it's a reboot" is the simplest explanation.

Have we met any non-sentient robots in QC yet? Even the neon-pink spider-thing has a consciousness. The simplest explanation is not, therefore, that "all of them are sentient except for this one in particular, for unobserved reasons".

More likely, I think it's not meant to be thought about too much, just a visual gag that Jeph hasn't really considered.

Case in point; if it's a metal robot, and she's sat on it, then tazing it would not end well for her. If it's not a metal (or at least, a non-conductive) material... then tazing it would have almost not effect on it at all. So... she's doing it because Jeph thinks that it's funny; anything else is unnecessary.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Have we met any non-sentient robots in QC yet? Even the neon-pink spider-thing has a consciousness. The simplest explanation is not, therefore, that "all of them are sentient except for this one in particular, for unobserved reasons".

I'd say it is an observable reason: its head snapped back, and it started making a weird noise. That's not what a sentient AI does in QC.

More likely, I think it's not meant to be thought about too much, just a visual gag that Jeph hasn't really considered.

Case in point; if it's a metal robot, and she's sat on it, then tazing it would not end well for her. If it's not a metal (or at least, a non-conductive) material... then tazing it would have almost not effect on it at all. So... she's doing it because Jeph thinks that it's funny; anything else is unnecessary.

Yes, I agree. Which is why I think that extrapolating this gag to some grand theory on mom being some cruel torturer of AIs seems a bit overmuch. She's on a robo-horse, which was acting as a horse, then suddenly went a bit bonkers and she used some electrical device to get it under control - i.e. a reboot. If it had been a living horse that started to buckle her and she'd pulled on the reins or pricked it with spurs no-one would bat an eye. This is the robotic equivalent in QC.

(Although if this were a harder sci-fi story, I'd imagine that the robo-horse is partially conductive: head and neck can be hit with the taser, but the body where you sit would be insulated for the protection of the rider)

Grey Wolf