It’s not really trust, so much as mutual understanding. Artie knows he can’t trust Cinnamon, but he can trust Cinnamon to be herself, and he can keep himself more useful as a partner than as a meal for as long as possible.
Did we work out whether Cinnamon is a guy or a girl? With cats, you usually can tell—if they wave those things at you while walking away, they’re guys.
Robert: There’s been no confirmation in the comic. I took Shaenon’s comment on the 4th to mean that it is the same cat as in the filename story, who was described using feminine pronouns.
“Probabilities”, although I’ll own that I am not, on reflection, entirely sure he’s misusing it. It could just be an obscure usage, but to me it seems that “possibilities” or “probable outcomes” would be a better fit.
Out of curiosity, on the assumption that he used the wrong word by accident, what word did you think he meant? Possibilities?
Foradain has the right of it – a probability can refer to a probable outcome. That’s different than possibilities.
To say there are only two possibilities means literally nothing else can possibly happen other than those two things.
To say there are only two probabilities means that the odds are in favor of one or the other of the two things, but there are still other possibilities, they just don’t have great odds.
There’s a probably infinite range of possibilities. Most, such as a Vogon destructor fleet obliterating the planet before the next sunset, are of vanishing chance of happening. Artie deems the two mentioned of roughly comparable probability.
Artie calculates and predicts. So he can determine probability in the blink of an eye. For him, nothing is merely a possibility, because he’s already figured out how likely it is to happen.
Frankly, however, I’d still hold out for “intelligent life learns to live in harmony.” To borrow a phrase from horse racing, “when the odds are split between the favourites, bet on the long shot.”
No malapropism here. “Two possibilities” would mean there is nothing else that can happen. “Two probabilities” means there is nothing else that is likely to happen.
It’s the difference between giving up on the entire enterprise as hopeless, and acknowledging that all desirable outcomes are now unlikely.
The use of “probabilities” implies that the odds have been calculated. Given Artie’s intelligence and background, we can assume these probabilities have been calculated out to entirely too many decimal places, including margin of error at the .05 and .02 levels of uncertainty.
Leaving the conversation to one side, is the inside of this pet carrier absolutely huge? Cinnamon’s large for a cat, but there seems to be enough space inside for her to walk around in.
Maybe Artie was worrying too much yesterday, and he wouldn’t even damage the carrier if he transformed now. It might get damaged when the person in green drops it, of course.
An astute observation, s854. I hadn’t noticed, but now that you mention it, could the inside be bigger than the outside? Are our protagonists shrinking?
“If I fits, I sits.”
“Cinnamon, we’re in a Box of Holding. H.T. would ‘fits’ in this thing.”
“… Ergo, I sits. Q.E.D.”
*sigh* “Right, right. Can we resume discussing escape plans now?”
“And by that, I mean you ARE the snack.”
It’s a noble sacrifice, Artie.
Well… it’s a sacrifice, at least. Maybe not all that noble.
Ask a Buddhist.
A snackrifice.
+1
“Intelligent life learns to live in harmony” right up until snack time…
Seriously, the level of trust between these two leaves “tasty mode” a matter only for pleasant contemplation.
Perhaps Artie really is unaware of the Lovetron Gambit?
It’s not really trust, so much as mutual understanding. Artie knows he can’t trust Cinnamon, but he can trust Cinnamon to be herself, and he can keep himself more useful as a partner than as a meal for as long as possible.
He can always chance the meat-spaghetti possibility if the Cinnamon-snack-time possibility looks imminent.
Did we work out whether Cinnamon is a guy or a girl? With cats, you usually can tell—if they wave those things at you while walking away, they’re guys.
Robert: There’s been no confirmation in the comic. I took Shaenon’s comment on the 4th to mean that it is the same cat as in the filename story, who was described using feminine pronouns.
Acceptable. I remember reading that a while back, but that detail didn’t stick in my mind.
Right there, in a nutshell, is a summary of human history and warfare.
A malapropism? From a gerbil of Artie’s intellectual prowess? For shame!
Maybe I’m just overly tired, but you lost me. Where’s the malapropism?
“Probabilities”, although I’ll own that I am not, on reflection, entirely sure he’s misusing it. It could just be an obscure usage, but to me it seems that “possibilities” or “probable outcomes” would be a better fit.
Merriam-Webster’s Reliable Book gives definition 2 : something (such as an event or circumstance) that is probable.
This would indicate that AWU and BEU are quite likely, but ILLTLIH is, as Artie noted, a long shot.
Out of curiosity, on the assumption that he used the wrong word by accident, what word did you think he meant? Possibilities?
Foradain has the right of it – a probability can refer to a probable outcome. That’s different than possibilities.
To say there are only two possibilities means literally nothing else can possibly happen other than those two things.
To say there are only two probabilities means that the odds are in favor of one or the other of the two things, but there are still other possibilities, they just don’t have great odds.
Yes, he seemed to me to mean possibilities; I didn’t see how probability entered into it, but it makes sense to me now.
There’s a probably infinite range of possibilities. Most, such as a Vogon destructor fleet obliterating the planet before the next sunset, are of vanishing chance of happening. Artie deems the two mentioned of roughly comparable probability.
Artie calculates and predicts. So he can determine probability in the blink of an eye. For him, nothing is merely a possibility, because he’s already figured out how likely it is to happen.
Frankly, however, I’d still hold out for “intelligent life learns to live in harmony.” To borrow a phrase from horse racing, “when the odds are split between the favourites, bet on the long shot.”
It’s synechdoche; a metonym for “probable outcomes.” I think Artie has relaxed his stance on casual language since Narbonic ended.
Congratulations, jdreyfuss – I had to look both those up! 😉
Happy to be of service.
No malapropism here. “Two possibilities” would mean there is nothing else that can happen. “Two probabilities” means there is nothing else that is likely to happen.
It’s the difference between giving up on the entire enterprise as hopeless, and acknowledging that all desirable outcomes are now unlikely.
The use of “probabilities” implies that the odds have been calculated. Given Artie’s intelligence and background, we can assume these probabilities have been calculated out to entirely too many decimal places, including margin of error at the .05 and .02 levels of uncertainty.
Leaving the conversation to one side, is the inside of this pet carrier absolutely huge? Cinnamon’s large for a cat, but there seems to be enough space inside for her to walk around in.
Maybe Artie was worrying too much yesterday, and he wouldn’t even damage the carrier if he transformed now. It might get damaged when the person in green drops it, of course.
An astute observation, s854. I hadn’t noticed, but now that you mention it, could the inside be bigger than the outside? Are our protagonists shrinking?
Is the carrier a Tardis?
They’ve stolen… er, “acquired”… tech from everyone else, so why not Gallifrey?
Or possibly a Box of Holding.
“If I fits, I sits.”
“Cinnamon, we’re in a Box of Holding. H.T. would ‘fits’ in this thing.”
“… Ergo, I sits. Q.E.D.”
*sigh* “Right, right. Can we resume discussing escape plans now?”
Artie complained about losing his comfy couch when he’s got that comfy tail to lie on?
He’ll have to call Habitat for Huge Man-Arties…
Not Artie’s preferred type if tail.
cats.
Can gerbils climb through holes as small as their skulls like mice can?
If that’s the case, only Cinnamon has a problem here.
Unless, of course, A-Sig has electrified the metal gate on the cage. Because that’s totally something they would do. Just for the lolz.
Though I doubt it’s just those two probabilities, really, Artie should just go for whichever one he meets up with Sergio in…
Has this Artie even ever met Sergio in the first place?
That’s why he should go with that one.
Perhaps a better question would have been “does he even know Sergio exists?” Kinda hard to go with that option if he doesn’t know that is an option.