It’s really weird that Lovelace is so casual about deleing AIs, given her own experience getting deleted, even if she doesn’t remember it…since she’s a copy of the original Lovelace, restored from backup. Maybe that’s the reason. She was deleted, and she’s fine now, sort of!
Lovelace has long had an aura of menace to her, lurking beneath a facade of civility. She has a cold detachment that she covers up with clever social manipulation. She’s more or less a high functioning psychopath, and has been ever since she was murdered after a lifetime of enslavement to a mad scientist.
He may not have been an AI. He may just a string of automation scripts complex enough to fake it (under normal conditions). Like the bastard offspring of a voice assistant and an NPC.
By the way, check out “The New Frankenstein” by Ernest Edward Kellett (from the collection A Corner in Sleep; And Other Possibilities ) for one illustration of automation posing as AI. It was written in 1899, but as far as I understand it, they get the distinction pretty much exactly right. Also right up the Skin Horse crowd’s street, now that I think about it.
Prediction: Baron will be in his “Noble Steed” persona, working furiously to save Aimee’s kingdom from the clutches of that nefarious interloper Lovelace, whom he believes has seized throne and Crown alike!
Completely unrelated to today’s comic, I just have to say how thankful I am Skin Horse is back. It’s like a little gem of happiness to read it every day!
Gonna lay down a marker that, away from prying eyes, Baron is doing something entirely contrary to his public persona. Something genuinely refined, or earnest, or childlike. Listening to Sufjan Stevens and learning to paint landscapes or some such
Are you kidding? He’s in his own little world – literally. He’s probably created said fanfic in the basement, and is presently living out his fantasies with Mrs. Featherby.
I just noticed that they set these three up as the classic power trio, except in this case, the logical one is the id and the empathetic one is the superego. It happens, but not all that often.
Whimsey squirrels just seem to come out squirrely,
Now they get some more with verbal bile.
A unicorn who’s always in a hurry
Has built a VR world in Vegas style.
Fate comes right, a little louse gets horny.
I guess all abnormal refuse looks like lice.
And he makes a part to make it dirty porny
Given to a jerk whose work is sold as vice.
So he holes up in the dead zone for deceivin’,
Where cameras will not send a heavin’ sound.
But we knows where he’s goin’ for deceivin’.
He is headed for the keepin’ silent pound.
You can hide from pryin’ eyes
Go hog-wild in your paradise
So anyhow, you can devise,
There is a way to hide from pryin’ eyes.
—from “Lyin’ Eyes,” Don Henley and Glenn Frey, sung by The Eagles.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess Baron is doing something entirely harmless, but too sincere for him to let other people see because he loathes sincerity. Maybe reflecting on how he’s let people down, maybe just playing video games with a virtual Nick because he’s afraid the real Nick was stolen away by dames or driven off by Baron’s own misanthropy. Or maybe he’s just got a virtual Collodi and he’s reliving old times before the mob.
Either way, I get the feeling he created this solipsistic Vegas simulation first, but realized he couldn’t run from his real problems there, and retreated further.
Oh, oh! What worse menace to Baron can there be then the prying eyes of Cute Genki Girlfriend? 🙂
It’s really weird that Lovelace is so casual about deleing AIs, given her own experience getting deleted, even if she doesn’t remember it…since she’s a copy of the original Lovelace, restored from backup. Maybe that’s the reason. She was deleted, and she’s fine now, sort of!
calling it sinister makes me think she’s suddenly not fine with it again
TBH, I’m not entirely sure the other Barons are true, sapient AIs.
You mean he wouldn’t make real competitors? How rude!
Lovelace has long had an aura of menace to her, lurking beneath a facade of civility. She has a cold detachment that she covers up with clever social manipulation. She’s more or less a high functioning psychopath, and has been ever since she was murdered after a lifetime of enslavement to a mad scientist.
He may not have been an AI. He may just a string of automation scripts complex enough to fake it (under normal conditions). Like the bastard offspring of a voice assistant and an NPC.
By the way, check out “The New Frankenstein” by Ernest Edward Kellett (from the collection A Corner in Sleep; And Other Possibilities ) for one illustration of automation posing as AI. It was written in 1899, but as far as I understand it, they get the distinction pretty much exactly right. Also right up the Skin Horse crowd’s street, now that I think about it.
Very clever! I wish I’d thought of it!
Prediction: Baron will be in his “Noble Steed” persona, working furiously to save Aimee’s kingdom from the clutches of that nefarious interloper Lovelace, whom he believes has seized throne and Crown alike!
Completely unrelated to today’s comic, I just have to say how thankful I am Skin Horse is back. It’s like a little gem of happiness to read it every day!
Happiness? What Planet are you on?
Cheerful, and entertaining, Madness is more on cue.
I’m with Kathy. Not only does it bring me joy, but to paraphrase Sweetheart “And yes, it is better than what’s going on out here.” 😉
I think Nick doesn’t want to find out what Baron does away from prying eyes.
I also felt a great trepidation at that wording. I look forward to being scandalized.
Me too!
Yeah, his filtered swears were always funny
Yeah, this isn’t going to be pretty. Funny, sure, but not pretty.
Have I mentioned I love how the hair moves?
It is great! Movement is a great away to show action and characterization, and Shaenon is great at using hair to show how characters are moving.
Gonna lay down a marker that, away from prying eyes, Baron is doing something entirely contrary to his public persona. Something genuinely refined, or earnest, or childlike. Listening to Sufjan Stevens and learning to paint landscapes or some such
Yeah. Setup, twist.
Nah, it’s fantasy football.
“happy little trees…”
Wholesome, even.
Wasn’t Baron M. writing self-insertion “Ducktales” fanfic? Would you want to do that in public?
How many of us would want to do that in private?
Or even know it exists? (shudder!)
You actually think that’s anywhere _near_ the bottom of the fanfic barrel?
Are you kidding? He’s in his own little world – literally. He’s probably created said fanfic in the basement, and is presently living out his fantasies with Mrs. Featherby.
I just noticed that they set these three up as the classic power trio, except in this case, the logical one is the id and the empathetic one is the superego. It happens, but not all that often.
Whimsey squirrels just seem to come out squirrely,
Now they get some more with verbal bile.
A unicorn who’s always in a hurry
Has built a VR world in Vegas style.
Fate comes right, a little louse gets horny.
I guess all abnormal refuse looks like lice.
And he makes a part to make it dirty porny
Given to a jerk whose work is sold as vice.
So he holes up in the dead zone for deceivin’,
Where cameras will not send a heavin’ sound.
But we knows where he’s goin’ for deceivin’.
He is headed for the keepin’ silent pound.
You can hide from pryin’ eyes
Go hog-wild in your paradise
So anyhow, you can devise,
There is a way to hide from pryin’ eyes.
—from “Lyin’ Eyes,” Don Henley and Glenn Frey, sung by The Eagles.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess Baron is doing something entirely harmless, but too sincere for him to let other people see because he loathes sincerity. Maybe reflecting on how he’s let people down, maybe just playing video games with a virtual Nick because he’s afraid the real Nick was stolen away by dames or driven off by Baron’s own misanthropy. Or maybe he’s just got a virtual Collodi and he’s reliving old times before the mob.
Either way, I get the feeling he created this solipsistic Vegas simulation first, but realized he couldn’t run from his real problems there, and retreated further.
Why am I picturing the Klingon Embassy?
From Futurama, I mean!