But that was mainly just a matter of reading her emotions at the time. WE could understand her. I have no idea how she would convey the concept of tempting fate to US.
You don’t understand her ingenious native language?
(I did try to assemble some Bubbles-phrases that would get the message across, but mostly they sounded kind of lewd.)
Base 5 instruction set, plus intonations, plus partial/stutter variants. Assuming pre-determined code phrases – a complex symbol/meaning set could be developed fairly quickly, and translated as a simple(?) phrase substitution cypher.
PLUS – depending on how the voice modulator is set up – there could be FAR more complex communications using the voice as a carrier wave. Phase and/or Amplitude modulation like traditional terrestrial radio – with multiple side bands.
A cursory Google search appears to indicate termites cannot “hear” in the traditional sense. Though they do feel vibrations, so it would depend on how they interpret the vibrations of the sound waves…
Ah, where would comedy be without the Law of Unintended Consequences?
Does this mean that the sound pulse has knocked out all organic life in the Annex? So Bubbles and the office supplies are going to have to ride to the rescue. That . . . would be awesome, actually.
The question is whether it’s really “all organic life”, or just, say, the living vertebrates. In particular, if the termites are still going, so is what’s left of Gavotte herself! (Which might be the point….) And of course Unity, despite being flesh, seems fairly immune to the usual weaknesses of the body.
In response to oneuniverse2 [the Reply button still isn’t working for me] I think that if it was the obvious joke, they would have gone for mutant silverfish. I’m not sure that termites are really fond of eating “pre-digested” wood, which is what paper is. It would be a lot like eating their own vomit…possible, but not really enticing.
It seems to me that the problem is, while termites are deaf, bees are NOT. On the other hand, we don’t know how a sonic weapon works on things which are not technically alive…
Termites most definitely eat processed paper! Little bastards destroyed a classic set of 60’s era Golden Book Children’s Encyclopedias that I had in my carport’s overhead storage locker. They mutilated several cardboard boxes and various other contents, but losing those kid’s encyclopedias really hurt.
This is just like St Charlie all over again.
But can Bubbles get through Tip’s defenses?
How did she manage to ask, given her limited vocabulary? Is there some kind of secret non-verbal communication between mechanical life forms?
It was explained before, after all you only need to learn five words to understand her~
But that was mainly just a matter of reading her emotions at the time. WE could understand her. I have no idea how she would convey the concept of tempting fate to US.
Maybe she knows sign language.
You don’t understand her ingenious native language?
(I did try to assemble some Bubbles-phrases that would get the message across, but mostly they sounded kind of lewd.)
Base 5 instruction set, plus intonations, plus partial/stutter variants. Assuming pre-determined code phrases – a complex symbol/meaning set could be developed fairly quickly, and translated as a simple(?) phrase substitution cypher.
PLUS – depending on how the voice modulator is set up – there could be FAR more complex communications using the voice as a carrier wave. Phase and/or Amplitude modulation like traditional terrestrial radio – with multiple side bands.
Service! >.<
Subtext comes from the heart. And from buttsex, if you have an Anagramatron. And from a peer-to-peer wireless network.
If all the organics are taken out, the termites would be too. unless growth meant multiplying and new ones have hatched… after the sound blast thing…
A cursory Google search appears to indicate termites cannot “hear” in the traditional sense. Though they do feel vibrations, so it would depend on how they interpret the vibrations of the sound waves…
Given what I know of how sonic weapons work, it shouldn’t matter if they can hear. The vibrations are what does the damage, not the sound itself.
This was implied to be a brown note, which depends on a feedback response, not a proper sonic weapon.
Doesn’t matter whether they are incapacitated. The problem is that they’re still growing…
and… the are MUTANT termites…
No reason, M.
(By the way, how comes Evil!Moustachio now seems to be more interested in getting a raise than wanton destruction?)
Everybody wants a raise. It’s probably been at least a century since his last one.
Them!
“Them!” were ants. “These!” are termites.
Moustachio doesn’t have to worry about mutant termites. He’s metallic.
And I don’t suppose the termites have great interest in popcorn or the tins it comes in.
Ah. The popcorn, not the tin. Unless they collect, too.
You think, eh? Ordinary termites eat wood. *Mutant* termites eat….
…anyone *named* “Wood”? (And variations thereof…)
Quick! Hide the Quidditch captain!
…the entire report, perhaps?
I believe we are about to find out…
Is the floor underneath him wood-frame or reinforced-concrete? Moustachio may have a trip to the basement in his future.
Ah, where would comedy be without the Law of Unintended Consequences?
Does this mean that the sound pulse has knocked out all organic life in the Annex? So Bubbles and the office supplies are going to have to ride to the rescue. That . . . would be awesome, actually.
Nice Kirby dots there…
The question is whether it’s really “all organic life”, or just, say, the living vertebrates. In particular, if the termites are still going, so is what’s left of Gavotte herself! (Which might be the point….) And of course Unity, despite being flesh, seems fairly immune to the usual weaknesses of the body.
PS: By the Rule of Funny, I’ll offer odds of 3.14159… to 1 that the termites eat the files.
One joke? You’re on. Shaenon and Jeff usually aren’t that obvious.
Oh, I’m sure there’ll be other jokes too!
In response to oneuniverse2 [the Reply button still isn’t working for me] I think that if it was the obvious joke, they would have gone for mutant silverfish. I’m not sure that termites are really fond of eating “pre-digested” wood, which is what paper is. It would be a lot like eating their own vomit…possible, but not really enticing.
It seems to me that the problem is, while termites are deaf, bees are NOT. On the other hand, we don’t know how a sonic weapon works on things which are not technically alive…
Termites most definitely eat processed paper! Little bastards destroyed a classic set of 60’s era Golden Book Children’s Encyclopedias that I had in my carport’s overhead storage locker. They mutilated several cardboard boxes and various other contents, but losing those kid’s encyclopedias really hurt.