Questionable Content 12: Artificial Unintelligence

[Max_Killjoy]

May... giving solid advice with maximal cuss.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Momo is being less crass than May, but her points are just as good.

[Kato]

Well.. I know I would pick my SO over a Gundam.. I mean, it would be a close call but still.
I get the point of the argument but to me it suggests Marigold and Dale do have some serious issues if both would seriously consider exchanging their partner for an "upgrade".
I feel the point rather should be that a relationship is not merely based on how pretty / smart /??? the other is but on, you know, your feelings for your partner.

[The Glyphstone]

That's just Marigold's insecurity talking ,though. Dale gave no indication he wanted to 'upgrade' Marigold to Emily, and his conversation with May indicated the exact opposite despite his utter failure to communicate that.

[Eldan]

Nah, I wouldn't take a gundam. Impractical design.

[memnarch]

I know Marigold (and pretty much everyone else) has gotten newer art, but the way she currently looks... Does it look like she's biting the lower outside of her lip to anyone else?

[Wraith]

And thus Dale and Marigold reach the end of the Honeymoon Phase - the part of their relationship where they start to realise that they do not necessarily need to be plugged into each other 24/7 and can have interests, friends and activities apart and still be a couple.

It can be a test of commitment when a couple reach this phase, as a lot of people seem to think that being interested in other things automatically means that they are less interested in their partner, and vice versa. See also: Dale and Marigold.

It's not a bad thing. If anything, it's healthy to do things and know people different to those of your partner, if only because it gives you something new to talk about when you return to each others' presence.

I know Marigold (and pretty much everyone else) has gotten newer art, but the way she currently looks... Does it look like she's biting the lower outside of her lip to anyone else?

I was thinking the same thing. She's suddenly looking a lot younger than she used to, now including what appears to be an adolescent-style overbite. Dale does too; aside from his shaving, everything is much rounder and softer than before.

[Shogo]

If you have the opportunity to get in a Gundam, you take it. It's the only safe option.

If you don't get in the Gundam, you're probably going to die horribly. If you do get in the Gundam, you're going to have to go through a lot of horrible stuff but you might get to live.

Gundam is not kind.

[Kato]

If you have the opportunity to get in a Gundam, you take it. It's the only safe option.

If you don't get in the Gundam, you're probably going to die horribly. If you do get in the Gundam, you're going to have to go through a lot of horrible stuff but you might get to live.

Gundam is not kind.

"Get in the damn MS, Marbear !"
Oh, wait, that's the far more traumatic show with giant robots. (probably a higher survival rate, though)

I thought something was weird with the art... Yeah, those teeth do look off. Not sure what Jeph was trying to do.

[Vinyadan]

It's simple, they all look like the human equivalent of balloon swans.

[eee]

If you have the opportunity to get in a Gundam, you take it. It's the only safe option.

If you don't get in the Gundam, you're probably going to die horribly. If you do get in the Gundam, you're going to have to go through a lot of horrible stuff but you might get to live.

Gundam is not kind.

If you have the opportunity to get in an Evangelion, on the other hand... you should probably consider just cutting your throat, you're in a REALLY bad place.

[Eldan]

(probably a higher survival rate, though)

Depends on whether you count the movies and your definition of "survive".

[Morquard]

Is that a knife may is handling there?

[truemane]

Well.. I know I would pick my SO over a Gundam.. I mean, it would be a close call but still.
I get the point of the argument but to me it suggests Marigold and Dale do have some serious issues if both would seriously consider exchanging their partner for an "upgrade".
I feel the point rather should be that a relationship is not merely based on how pretty / smart /??? the other is but on, you know, your feelings for your partner.

I don't think they were saying they'd choose Emily/Gundam over the other now, I think what Marigold was saying was that, if Dale was just shown a picture of the two of them, without context or emotions, before they were dating, he'd have 'chosen' Emily.

And, in an equally hypothetical situation, if Marigold were shown Dale and a Gundam, pre-relationship, she'd have gone for the Gundam.

Thereby making the exact point you wished they would make: feelings matter.

[Keltest]

Is that a knife may is handling there?

I think its a tanto, ie a Japanese dagger. Its probably Dale's.

[Wraith]

While I broadly agree with May's methodology here, I disagree that "fairness" isn't important in this situation.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Dale needs to point a finger at Marigold and demand an equal amount of contrition from her for what he is expected to provide; that's only going to make things worse and cause resentment later on.

At the same time though, Marigold set a trap for Dale; she feels inadequate around Emily, and instead of explaining that to Dale she steered him into a situation that he handled poorly without realising he was being judged. That did ought to be addressed and resolved - it's exactly what Dora was doing to Marten for similar reasons, and look how it affected them?

If only everyone else was as intelligent, eloquent and self-aware as I am....

[Vinyadan]

I think its a tanto, ie a Japanese dagger. Its probably Dale's.

Looks like a non-verbal seppuku joke to me.

[AuthorGirl]

Looks like a non-verbal seppuku joke to me.

And here I thought she was just casually threatening Dale with a knife. Jokingly, of course.

[Morquard]

While I broadly agree with May's methodology here, I disagree that "fairness" isn't important in this situation.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Dale needs to point a finger at Marigold and demand an equal amount of contrition from her for what he is expected to provide; that's only going to make things worse and cause resentment later on.

At the same time though, Marigold set a trap for Dale; she feels inadequate around Emily, and instead of explaining that to Dale she steered him into a situation that he handled poorly without realising he was being judged. That did ought to be addressed and resolved - it's exactly what Dora was doing to Marten for similar reasons, and look how it affected them?

If only everyone else was as intelligent, eloquent and self-aware as I am....

I agree with you. But him going there and saying "Ok, listen, I was wrong, but you screwed up to" won't go over well.
First you say "Sorry, I screwed up, I'm sorry." THEN, if the other brings up "Ok, I might not have been fair either" you go with "Lets just agree we both reacted wrong, lets do better next time." If she doesn't bring it up, then you don't. Not now at least. It does need adressing though, so yes eventually it needs to be talked about.

But timing matters

[Eurus]

So who thinks this is setting up the May/Momo ship?

[Max_Killjoy]

So who thinks this is setting up the May/Momo ship?

An awkward mismatched relationship between two characters who aggravate each other more than anything else?

Nah, no one will ever ship that.

[Traab]

I agree with you. But him going there and saying "Ok, listen, I was wrong, but you screwed up to" won't go over well.
First you say "Sorry, I screwed up, I'm sorry." THEN, if the other brings up "Ok, I might not have been fair either" you go with "Lets just agree we both reacted wrong, lets do better next time." If she doesn't bring it up, then you don't. Not now at least. It does need adressing though, so yes eventually it needs to be talked about.

But timing matters

Agreed, if he "attacks" her with the "you were wrong too" stance, then things will escalate even though he is correct. If he apologizes for how he screwed up and she doesnt follow up with her own apology then thats something dale has to keep in mind for future decisions about the relationship. Namely, "Do I want to be with someone who cant admit they screwed up and apologize?" Everyone screws up, but for a relationship to work, you have to own up to it and at least try to do better in the future.

[Kato]

Well, that is kind of cute. Also, I would like to know where May gets her information from. For a... friend

[Vinyadan]

Remember that thing about Portland and hipsters? http://gunshowcomic.com/304

[Shadow of the Sun]

This is making me more and more support the MayMo ship.

[Max_Killjoy]

That last line is a perfect snark for AIs in the QC-verse.

[Kato]

If I was prone to insulting people that last word would probably be among my new favorite words... Sadly I usually don't say such things.
But this strip makes me wonder if all AIs are constantly chatting while their humans talk about boring stuff.

[Wraith]

Is it any different to WhatsApp, I wonder? Humans with a 'phone and an internet connection are pretty much in constant textual communication with anyone else, often while holding another conversation with someone in the same room; it'd be impolite to divert all of your attention to the former, but that doesn't seem to stop most people.

AI platforms like May and Momo just have the advantage of being able to cut out the middle man and have wifi receivers built into their skulls rather than held in their hands.

[truemane]

If I was prone to insulting people that last word would probably be among my new favorite words... Sadly I usually don't say such things.
But this strip makes me wonder if all AIs are constantly chatting while their humans talk about boring stuff.

There was that wondrous and terrifying moment in the film Her (where a man falls in love with an AI) that he finds out she's been having several thousand simultaneous conversations the entire time they've been together (and was, in fact, having several hundred conversations while they fought about this exact thing).

QC AI's don't seem to think any faster or better than humans, though, so maybe not.

[geoduck]

There was that wondrous and terrifying moment in the film Her (where a man falls in love with an AI) that he finds out she's been having several thousand simultaneous conversations the entire time they've been together (and was, in fact, having several hundred conversations while they fought about this exact thing).

QC AI's don't seem to think any faster or better than humans, though, so maybe not.

It's said at one point that much of an AI's processing power is spent maintaining sapience, not on thinking. But it's also been shown with "Spookybot" that more powerful AIs do exist.