I’m pretty sure the work order wasn’t to open the room to put GODOT in, it was to put GODOT where the room was being built. Is the room really penetrable if you have to come at it from a particular direction in The Fourth Dimension?
Next question is: What’s GODOT’s power supply? Does he have one inside the impenetrable room? And if not, what will he do for a power supply once St. Charlie’s power supply blows all of St.Charlie outside the impenetrable room to em cee squared?
I think it’s safe to say that either GODOT is suicidal, due to his acronym failure, and wants to take out all of St. Charlie with him, or he’s mad and hasn’t thought that far ahead.
This is St. Charlie. The coffeepot probably has a fusion reactor. GODOT undoubtedly has something more interesting, like a dark matter/dark antimatter conversion flow system, augmented by a little neutrino absorber, just in case it needs a jump start.
Does anyone else get spam from people wanting to patent perpetual motion machines? Or is it just me?
(TUNE: “Where Do I Begin?” (theme from Love Story), Francis Lai & Carl Sigman)
How did he get in?
Into the room where no one’s gotten in before?
There are no windows, and there’s just the single door
That now is closed and can’t be opened anymore …
We’re stuck out here …
Time is running out!
GODOT has locked the door, and now he’ll sit and pout!
It does no good to panic, run around, and shout!
You’ve got to save us, that’s what this is all about!
We’re filled with fear …
We’re filled with fear!
The clock is running down!
You’ve got to save
Our super-secret town!
Our science fails!
We’re off the rails!
We’ve sixty minutes left!
(Or maybe fifty-nine)
It makes no diff,
’Cause here’s the bottom line —
The Bringer of Doom
Is in that room!
How can we get in?
Skin Horse and Anasigma both are full of fail!
They did their best, but it was all to no avail!
The only question left, which woman will Tip nail?
The End Is Near!
Sure. All they have to do is follow the WRITTEN directions as to which power lines can be safely cut…
And they said there was no market for audiobook versions of technical manuals…
This is St. Charlie…what makes you think that it’s safe to turn off the main? That also turns off the lights, the coolant pump and the electrically-powered momentum dampers for the labs…you know, to keep everything from blowing up every time the train speeds up, slows down or goes around a curve? That’s what I meant by safe…
While a fire axe is a solution which might allow the wielder to survive, it is not always the best solution for the surrounding countryside…
Thats exactly WHY there would be a main to that section/room.
Damage control purposes in case of fire or mad-incident.
Properly – if its a lab There should be a ‘kill switch’ just outside the protective area, as well as one INSIDE. Much like the kill switches at a gas station – allows shutoff to the pump area in case of fire.
Machine shops have them for the more dangerous machines – so bystanders can shut down in case of an accident.
Elec labs have them for emergency de-energization in case of electric shock.
Being MAD does not require ignoring safety protocols after all.
I fail to see the problem here. If a work order can penetrate an impenetrable room once, it can do it again. Unity has notary powers, she can make one.
One shouldn’t throw rocks at the messenger, no matter what the message or how satisfying it might feel at the time. It just leads to lack of important messages later.
And didn’t the techs responsible for making the door make a back-door password for maintenance? Did anyone think to ask? Or would that simply make too much sense?
Sure. The techs probably put in a back door password, and wrote it down so they wouldn’t forget it…and being clever, probably emailed it to themselves for backup. Nobody ever thinks to save passwords in an audio file…
Even if one of the techs memorized the password, what happens when they start entering it into one of the computer systems. I mean, if you start typing “MarathonIsOurs” and what you see on the screen is “Stop Typing or Die,” isn’t that a little distracting?
That’s why everybody should learn to touch type. It used to be that you did that so you could read the original while typing the copy on the MANUAL typewriter. Now you should learn to do it so that you can type while the monitor’s gone screwy.
(typed with my eyes closed. Just so that I could say that I did it.)
In what world does touch-typing involve not looking at the screen? I always thought it meant not looking at your hands. (Not that passwords you type in show up on the screen anyway…)
Or how do you get Godot to want you inside the room? Godot does seem to have a dramatic side (hence all the monologuing to Tip), so maybe they should try loudly declaring:
“Even though we’ve been thoroughly trounced by Godot’s pure genuis, at least it hasn’t captured and imprisoned us inside the impenetrable room. It’s just a robot after all.”
The room is not truly impenetrable (typical mad scientist sloppiness) since electromagnetic radiation can get in and out. Probably also sound, unless GODOT is reading everyone’s lips. So they can threaten to set up a fusion-powered sound system right outside the door, playing ‘M is for the million things she gave me…’ at 200 decibels forever, unless GODOT plays nice. Though this doesn’t work if GODOT plans to annihilate St. Charlie rather than just kill everyone.
Another thought: the room probably isn’t designed to be permanently impenetrable, or it wouldn’t have a door. If it’s just a matter of proof of concept, an impenetrable shield would do as well as an impenetrable room. (Though who can predict what mads will do?) If it can’t be opened from the outside (it’s to shelter something rather than lock it in), there must be a way to open it from the inside. If that method is an electronic lock, see previous paragraph. If not, um, well….
OK, back to KeeCoyote’s comment. Unleash Tip again! What have you got to lose?
My question is: How did GODOT become mobile enough to get into the room in the first place?
It seems to me that the real answer is that GODOT is in hiding outside, perhaps even having never moved at all, and has deceived everyone into believing it has penetrated the impenetrable room.
I figured the faked work order said to move GODOT into the room, probably when it was first built. Even if GODOT is immobile, the work order could have involved a latch on the door that clicked shut when the door was closed–which would mean that even GODOT can’t open it.
But are we sure GODOT has no effectors? For all we know, it could have trundled in and shut the door, with the faked work order simply stating that the door should be propped open.
Insufficient information. Let’s hope Ruby will be more forthcoming now.
Well, we know that the G.O. in GODOT stands for “Genetic Organism,” that it’s an AI, and that Ruby calls it “he,” so maybe he looks human. He could have put on a tech uniform, doctored the work order and walked into the room.
In case you have another reread after all this time: What’s your deal with Shaenon and Oxford commas? Was there a friendly or not-so-friendly argument among the comments that have disappeared over the years?
See, that was their first mistake. GODOT wanted in so he could shield himself from the carnage he plans on doing.
But wouldn’t his getting in mean that the room had been prenetrated and was therefore no longer inpenetrable? @_@
Tip is good at penetration, maybe he can penetrate the impenetrable?
I’m pretty sure the work order wasn’t to open the room to put GODOT in, it was to put GODOT where the room was being built. Is the room really penetrable if you have to come at it from a particular direction in The Fourth Dimension?
Next question is: What’s GODOT’s power supply? Does he have one inside the impenetrable room? And if not, what will he do for a power supply once St. Charlie’s power supply blows all of St.Charlie outside the impenetrable room to em cee squared?
I think it’s safe to say that either GODOT is suicidal, due to his acronym failure, and wants to take out all of St. Charlie with him, or he’s mad and hasn’t thought that far ahead.
Or this is mad science, and he has a fusion reactor in there.
This is St. Charlie. The coffeepot probably has a fusion reactor. GODOT undoubtedly has something more interesting, like a dark matter/dark antimatter conversion flow system, augmented by a little neutrino absorber, just in case it needs a jump start.
Does anyone else get spam from people wanting to patent perpetual motion machines? Or is it just me?
Spam *is* a perpetual motion machine.
Does that mean we can ban it on the principle it violates the laws of thermodynamics?
I was going to suggest cutting the power to the room and interferance to signals, unless he has the reactor in the room, he’ll run out of bateries.
“SQUONK!”
SKRONK!
Frink?
(TUNE: “Where Do I Begin?” (theme from Love Story), Francis Lai & Carl Sigman)
How did he get in?
Into the room where no one’s gotten in before?
There are no windows, and there’s just the single door
That now is closed and can’t be opened anymore …
We’re stuck out here …
Time is running out!
GODOT has locked the door, and now he’ll sit and pout!
It does no good to panic, run around, and shout!
You’ve got to save us, that’s what this is all about!
We’re filled with fear …
We’re filled with fear!
The clock is running down!
You’ve got to save
Our super-secret town!
Our science fails!
We’re off the rails!
We’ve sixty minutes left!
(Or maybe fifty-nine)
It makes no diff,
’Cause here’s the bottom line —
The Bringer of Doom
Is in that room!
How can we get in?
Skin Horse and Anasigma both are full of fail!
They did their best, but it was all to no avail!
The only question left, which woman will Tip nail?
The End Is Near!
I suspected this misdirection was in place.
I don’t suppose they’ve tried cutting power/com lines?
Or do they fear AI+Sensory deprivation = bad kind of insane?
Sure. All they have to do is follow the WRITTEN directions as to which power lines can be safely cut…
And they said there was no market for audiobook versions of technical manuals…
Fire axe handles are non-conductive on purpose.
When in doubt – take them ALL out.
Also applies to breaker boxes (home elec work) when in ANY doubt – turn off the main.
This is St. Charlie…what makes you think that it’s safe to turn off the main? That also turns off the lights, the coolant pump and the electrically-powered momentum dampers for the labs…you know, to keep everything from blowing up every time the train speeds up, slows down or goes around a curve? That’s what I meant by safe…
While a fire axe is a solution which might allow the wielder to survive, it is not always the best solution for the surrounding countryside…
Thats exactly WHY there would be a main to that section/room.
Damage control purposes in case of fire or mad-incident.
Properly – if its a lab There should be a ‘kill switch’ just outside the protective area, as well as one INSIDE. Much like the kill switches at a gas station – allows shutoff to the pump area in case of fire.
Machine shops have them for the more dangerous machines – so bystanders can shut down in case of an accident.
Elec labs have them for emergency de-energization in case of electric shock.
Being MAD does not require ignoring safety protocols after all.
Robert The Addled: “Being MAD does not require ignoring safety protocols after all.”
Oh, but it does, it really, really does.
I fail to see the problem here. If a work order can penetrate an impenetrable room once, it can do it again. Unity has notary powers, she can make one.
“Sorry, this isn’t a work order to get into the impenetrable room, it’s a confession that you’ve been plotting with Ms Bee. Guards!”
One shouldn’t throw rocks at the messenger, no matter what the message or how satisfying it might feel at the time. It just leads to lack of important messages later.
And didn’t the techs responsible for making the door make a back-door password for maintenance? Did anyone think to ask? Or would that simply make too much sense?
Sure. The techs probably put in a back door password, and wrote it down so they wouldn’t forget it…and being clever, probably emailed it to themselves for backup. Nobody ever thinks to save passwords in an audio file…
Even if one of the techs memorized the password, what happens when they start entering it into one of the computer systems. I mean, if you start typing “MarathonIsOurs” and what you see on the screen is “Stop Typing or Die,” isn’t that a little distracting?
That’s why everybody should learn to touch type. It used to be that you did that so you could read the original while typing the copy on the MANUAL typewriter. Now you should learn to do it so that you can type while the monitor’s gone screwy.
(typed with my eyes closed. Just so that I could say that I did it.)
In what world does touch-typing involve not looking at the screen? I always thought it meant not looking at your hands. (Not that passwords you type in show up on the screen anyway…)
Those techs are probably zombie food by now.
The task is wrong. They should know it is not how to get in to stop him. The question is how do you make Godot want to get out of the room.
So, in other words, Tip has to seduce GODOT?
Or how do you get Godot to want you inside the room? Godot does seem to have a dramatic side (hence all the monologuing to Tip), so maybe they should try loudly declaring:
“Even though we’ve been thoroughly trounced by Godot’s pure genuis, at least it hasn’t captured and imprisoned us inside the impenetrable room. It’s just a robot after all.”
Doesn’t that always work?
That’s a plan that’s just crazy enough to fail.
The room is not truly impenetrable (typical mad scientist sloppiness) since electromagnetic radiation can get in and out. Probably also sound, unless GODOT is reading everyone’s lips. So they can threaten to set up a fusion-powered sound system right outside the door, playing ‘M is for the million things she gave me…’ at 200 decibels forever, unless GODOT plays nice. Though this doesn’t work if GODOT plans to annihilate St. Charlie rather than just kill everyone.
Another thought: the room probably isn’t designed to be permanently impenetrable, or it wouldn’t have a door. If it’s just a matter of proof of concept, an impenetrable shield would do as well as an impenetrable room. (Though who can predict what mads will do?) If it can’t be opened from the outside (it’s to shelter something rather than lock it in), there must be a way to open it from the inside. If that method is an electronic lock, see previous paragraph. If not, um, well….
OK, back to KeeCoyote’s comment. Unleash Tip again! What have you got to lose?
Even a faraday cage shielding has the weakness of power/com lines that penetrate the shield.
BIG weakness of doomsday bunkers.
My question is: How did GODOT become mobile enough to get into the room in the first place?
It seems to me that the real answer is that GODOT is in hiding outside, perhaps even having never moved at all, and has deceived everyone into believing it has penetrated the impenetrable room.
That part is actually simple. He faked a work order: they put him there.
I figured the faked work order said to move GODOT into the room, probably when it was first built. Even if GODOT is immobile, the work order could have involved a latch on the door that clicked shut when the door was closed–which would mean that even GODOT can’t open it.
But are we sure GODOT has no effectors? For all we know, it could have trundled in and shut the door, with the faked work order simply stating that the door should be propped open.
Insufficient information. Let’s hope Ruby will be more forthcoming now.
Well, we know that the G.O. in GODOT stands for “Genetic Organism,” that it’s an AI, and that Ruby calls it “he,” so maybe he looks human. He could have put on a tech uniform, doctored the work order and walked into the room.
Oh, and Shaenon? I left the Oxford comma out of that last sentence to indicate the speed with which GODOT would have to have worked.
In case you have another reread after all this time: What’s your deal with Shaenon and Oxford commas? Was there a friendly or not-so-friendly argument among the comments that have disappeared over the years?
I’d prefer heavy metal myself.