“Lead on McDuff”? Either Gavotte was very brave (Gambled that she could survive what happened and could rely on her staff to revive her!) or very stupid (i.e. she’s stopped thinking of herself as “bugs” as well!). @_@
In response to Guesticus on Sunday, Nuku Nuku is a character from an anime (late response I know, but anime!) You could read the Wikipedia summary, or but I would recommend watching the trailer, as it will sum things up in a much more entertaining, albiet more befuddling manner. I haven’t seen it myself, it looks to be loads of potential fun.
Ah, the mission report will be highly sanitized for readers at the ultra-violet level. Something along the lines of: Today’s activities included reviewing files, catching up on paperwork, equipment maintenance, team-building exercise…
Somehow, I get the feeling that kind of “sanitization” comprises most of their reports to the higher-ups. They probably don’t want to admit to most of what they have to/need to/get up to in the field, and the brass probably appreciates that fact.
It would make virtually no ecological or economic sense. As monkey said, if it’s too broad, species-wise, you’d do irreparable damage to the local ecosystem. It would also wipe out the pollinating species alongside the pest species for your crops if you tried to use it as a pesticide.
Even if you managed to confine it to a single species, how would you focus the sound on a single area without doing the kind of massive soil damage that would both cause landslides and ruin your crops?
Finally, if you wanted to use it to reduce malaria and yellow fever, you’d have to penetrate water and swampy soil, so you’d have to either make it extremely loud, in which case it would do the kind of indiscriminate damage noted above, or focused to the point of being basically a sonic laser, in which case you’d boil the swamp like you were shooting microwaves at it.
Note that I said you’d have to focus the sound with a parabolic resonator until it was essentially a sonic laser and that would boil the swamp, not that the weapon in its current state would. I said that in its current state it would be too indiscriminate to be effective without destroying the ecosystem.
It’s a subtle clue — apparent confirmation that Nick is bugged and Gavotte listened in.
Now I’m split between two theories — the original one, that the team was attacked by a godlike intelligence higher up in the bureaucracy while Gavotte was handicapped, or that it’s a regular comedy of errors and the only invisible enemy is the writers.
Maybe Unity insisted that the mission report include the name “Biscuit”. I hadn’t even thought that Gavotte might bug Nick. Now that ackthp mentions it, the idea does seem in-character!
I notice that all of the “nice names” Unity comes up with are food related. Maybe she got that tendency from her creator…
(TUNE: “A Bushel And A Peck” from Guys And Dolls, Frank Loesser)
I forgot,
My boss is made of bug!
My boss is made of bug, and the noise is like a drug,
Noise is like a drug, she was flattened by the sound!
Flattened by the sound, though she’s wig-gl-ing around,
She’ll come to … (She’ll come to-oo …)
‘Cause I forgot,
My boss is made of bug!
I’d give her such a hug or two!
If I do, a sting’ll
Hurt, it wouldn’t tingle!
That is not a thing I’ll
Do!
Random thought: sweethearts voice. I’ve always pictured (heard? ) her with the highest voice of the three, like how Japanese women talk. Unity with a lower voice. What does anyone else think?
I’ve always heard her in my mind more as a very formal librarian; highly educated, precisely intoned, and trying very hard to suppress her native accent. The Canadian probably slips out during stressful moments (like when yelling at U.N.I.T.Y.)
«”Captain Wilkin,” said the dog. It had a rough but unmistakably feminine voice.» From the filename story.
There’s also a description of Tip’s voice:
«And then a new voice, low and musical like a clarinet that would rather be off getting a fancy drink, […]»
But there isn’t a description of Unity’s (yet).
I doubt she planed for this
Another assault on our dwindling bee population by an aircraft!
A high-pitched sonic weapon really would do a number on bugs. Now they just have to scoop her up and put her back in her chair or something.
Smelling salts?
Does Gavotte understand Biscuit’s thought processes?
Sweetheart’s face in panel three is what really sells it.
“Lead on McDuff”? Either Gavotte was very brave (Gambled that she could survive what happened and could rely on her staff to revive her!) or very stupid (i.e. she’s stopped thinking of herself as “bugs” as well!). @_@
The sonic weapon did nothing to her. She was critically embarrassed that she misquoted Shakespeare. ^_^
or she’s so bestupefied she was wondering “Reconfig? Sonic weapon? Take out? Cilantro? That must be soemthing good, let’s go for it!”
In response to Guesticus on Sunday, Nuku Nuku is a character from an anime (late response I know, but anime!) You could read the Wikipedia summary, or but I would recommend watching the trailer, as it will sum things up in a much more entertaining, albiet more befuddling manner. I haven’t seen it myself, it looks to be loads of potential fun.
That’s gonna look real good on the mission report.
Ah, the mission report will be highly sanitized for readers at the ultra-violet level. Something along the lines of: Today’s activities included reviewing files, catching up on paperwork, equipment maintenance, team-building exercise…
And a highly-realistic fire drill!
Somehow, I get the feeling that kind of “sanitization” comprises most of their reports to the higher-ups. They probably don’t want to admit to most of what they have to/need to/get up to in the field, and the brass probably appreciates that fact.
A remotely deployable sonic weapon against bugs would save a million of lives per year.
Malaria, crop damage (no pesticides!), mosquitoes, whoa.
Malaria is spread by mosquitoes, which are the polinizers in areas where bees… er… didn’t evolve
But if it affects termites and other bugs…
I suspect indiscriminately wiping out a massive, basal, level of the ecosystem, even locally, would have pretty bad consequences for the human race.
It would make virtually no ecological or economic sense. As monkey said, if it’s too broad, species-wise, you’d do irreparable damage to the local ecosystem. It would also wipe out the pollinating species alongside the pest species for your crops if you tried to use it as a pesticide.
Even if you managed to confine it to a single species, how would you focus the sound on a single area without doing the kind of massive soil damage that would both cause landslides and ruin your crops?
Finally, if you wanted to use it to reduce malaria and yellow fever, you’d have to penetrate water and swampy soil, so you’d have to either make it extremely loud, in which case it would do the kind of indiscriminate damage noted above, or focused to the point of being basically a sonic laser, in which case you’d boil the swamp like you were shooting microwaves at it.
For malaria and yellow fever just use it in houses and buildings or for personal protection.
Boil swamp? This weapon doesn’t look like it’s boiling anything.
Note that I said you’d have to focus the sound with a parabolic resonator until it was essentially a sonic laser and that would boil the swamp, not that the weapon in its current state would. I said that in its current state it would be too indiscriminate to be effective without destroying the ecosystem.
panel 3 is brilliant. brava pancha!
ok. I’ll bite (or nibble)
When did Nick get the nickname ‘Biscuit’?
Unity called him that for a while when they first met.
OK, next question: When did Gavotte find out Nick’s nick(ha!)name was “Biscuit”?
I’m guessing she read Biscuit is Cross and decided to give her a nickname of her own, oblivious to whether unity had done it
…then again this is Gavotte we’re talking about
It’s a subtle clue — apparent confirmation that Nick is bugged and Gavotte listened in.
Now I’m split between two theories — the original one, that the team was attacked by a godlike intelligence higher up in the bureaucracy while Gavotte was handicapped, or that it’s a regular comedy of errors and the only invisible enemy is the writers.
Link to the “Biscuit” strips: http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/skinhorse/series.php?view=archive&chapter=33572
Maybe Unity insisted that the mission report include the name “Biscuit”. I hadn’t even thought that Gavotte might bug Nick. Now that ackthp mentions it, the idea does seem in-character!
I notice that all of the “nice names” Unity comes up with are food related. Maybe she got that tendency from her creator…
Nick’s first appearance
also c.f. Biscuit
Under the circumstances, this seems like it might be a feature, not a… bug.
Ghod, I didn’t even plan that.
It’s a Bug with features!
Pretty much as soon as Unity met him, in the original “I Can Fly” storyline.
Oops, that’s a reply to GrantWhy.
(TUNE: “A Bushel And A Peck” from Guys And Dolls, Frank Loesser)
I forgot,
My boss is made of bug!
My boss is made of bug, and the noise is like a drug,
Noise is like a drug, she was flattened by the sound!
Flattened by the sound, though she’s wig-gl-ing around,
She’ll come to … (She’ll come to-oo …)
‘Cause I forgot,
My boss is made of bug!
I’d give her such a hug or two!
If I do, a sting’ll
Hurt, it wouldn’t tingle!
That is not a thing I’ll
Do!
I don’t know how you think of these things, Ed!
I also re-posted yesterday’s filk, which for some reason didn’t show up.
Random thought: sweethearts voice. I’ve always pictured (heard? ) her with the highest voice of the three, like how Japanese women talk. Unity with a lower voice. What does anyone else think?
Funny. I’ve always imagined it more as “jazz singer with canadian accent”
I’ve always heard her in my mind more as a very formal librarian; highly educated, precisely intoned, and trying very hard to suppress her native accent. The Canadian probably slips out during stressful moments (like when yelling at U.N.I.T.Y.)
Eddddd: just remember, Sweetie is a Canucklehead
Gavotte finally gets taken down a peg.
One would have thought Gavotte knew better than to misquote Shakespeare.
See Nick? This is what happens when you’re not speciest!
«”Captain Wilkin,” said the dog. It had a rough but unmistakably feminine voice.» From the filename story.
There’s also a description of Tip’s voice:
«And then a new voice, low and musical like a clarinet that would rather be off getting a fancy drink, […]»
But there isn’t a description of Unity’s (yet).
crap, that was a response to Eddddd.
Well now I know.
Hm well that’s what I thought for tip, but I guess not on sweetheart
Oh hell, the silverfish and the centipedes. The Crystal Entities are going to take this as an act of war, aren’t they?
But centipedes aren’t insects. They’re different enough that they might be unaffected by things that would take out insects like silverfish and bees.
Or maybe not.
I am one of those to whom Cilantro will aways be a curse. Bhlaah.