Being sick on your birthday’s not breezy, all fevered and rotten and queasy. As long as seems best, take time off to rest, and above everything—take it easy.;
Dagnabbit! Covid, you’ve nailed me twice (month-long colds) but now you’ve gone too far!
My doctor agrees what I had was covid; mostly it was being as creaky and stiff as the Tin Woodsman. I hope yours is much faster and easier on you!
“I think I’ll go on a little walk… I feel happy, I feel happy… I don’t want to go on the cart!”
I like the Official Birthday idea!
Interesting, he apparently didn’t create the organization, it’s more specifically a company, this wasn’t it’s original purpose, and there’s many more reality sight humans besides the underlings and mister green himself. And he’s head on on that “genocide is salvation” bit isn’t he?
There’s also the homicidal aspect of Anasigma. Or did someone forget that humans were also killed and maimed as part of Green’s company policy?
Not to mention all the humans who were debrained against their will and their bodies destroyed and their naked brains put into helicopters or into a walnut VR, or whatever. I don’t even know what legal term(s) would describe that sort of thing.
I have to wonder how much the surgical teams and bleeding edge life-support systems and whatnot all cost.
Like jdeyfruss says above, Mr Green was running the Shadow Government on behalf of A-Sig and was fired from that. It’s a bit confusing because the Persons In Black didn’t seem to be clear on the difference, which was probably intentional on his part.
There people go again, supposing for other people without consulting them…
Tell me, Mr. Green, why did you suppose that Mr. Zerhakker would only blow up some of the drones? Maxim 37, sir!
He probably didn’t figure Nick into the equation at all. He probably figured what few drones would be destroyed would have been from conventional weapons.
Who said they’re placing money above coolness? They’re just placing money above Mr. Green’s idea of “saving humanity” – and genocide is decidedly UN-cool.
I had the same thought, Sean K. And I noticed that, if you assume none of them change seats between the first and fourth panels, there are five shadowy figures visible in today’s strip.
jdreyfuss: I don’t know when this strip was first conceived of, but I’m fairly sure there were at least a few wars going on then, too. What’s unusual about the “new war” is how brief it was. Short conflicts happen in our world (the last war in Nagorno-Karabakh only lasted a few months), but they usually last for years.
It’s the campaign of genocide that lost money part that seems particularly relevant though. And the purging of the military leader by the civilian leadership as a scapegoat to try to hold off their own inevitable demise.
Green’s genocide moves proved too failable. It wasn’t at all unassailable. Now that he lost to Skin-Horse his ouster has been forced. Is his old job at Skin-Horse available?
In the general sense, of course, that’s very true. It’s still a bit of a platitude, though – in the individual sense, wars can be very, very profitable. I don’t think I make a politically overly sensitive statement if I say that practically every war, there have been actors who’ve gotten (sometimes exceedingly) rich off of them. War profiteering has a specific term for a reason, but it doesn’t even have to be nefarious or Evil (selling weapons to both sides, hoarding and selling necessities at huge margins) – someone has to make the uniforms and boots for the troops, after all.
For a specific company, war can be very interesting.
Just think of all that dated inventory being shoveled into Ukraine at this very moment! It has to be replaced by new and improved (and expensive) inventory!
Yes, for whoever is supplying everything, war can be very lucrative. The war itself, however, will always lose money, simply because war spends money, but doesn’t make any back.
Oh, you can be sure that they did. (Mind you, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a competent company.) But they lost money, which means their year-end bonuses are what is really suffering here.
Huh, somehow I’d forgotten that Anasigma was a corporation and not a government organization (Tip’s climb up the labrynthine power structure by favor trading would work in either).
PRIORITIES!
Beat me to it
…You know what? I’ll take it.
Happy Birthday to youuuuu….!
And Happy Star Wars Day toooo….!
(And Many Moooorrrre…!)
Three cheers for Shaenon!
Hurray! Hurray! HUZZAH!
Yes. May the Fourth be with you.
May the Fourth be with Shaenon, always.
A happy birthday you will have!
Bon anniversaire, Shaenon!
Twenty-one again!
May the fourth (wall) be with you ……always
Thanks, everybody! I have Covid right now, so this is kind of not my ideal birthday. But I’m vaxxed up and getting better!
And let’s all add “Get Well Soon.” Get well soon, Ms. Garrity.
Happy birthday! And also happy birthday (observed) for when you feel well enough to actually celebrate! (May it be soon!)
Being sick on your birthday’s not breezy, all fevered and rotten and queasy. As long as seems best, take time off to rest, and above everything—take it easy.;
You should be like the Queen and have an Official Birthday that you can celebrate when you feel better.
Dagnabbit! Covid, you’ve nailed me twice (month-long colds) but now you’ve gone too far!
My doctor agrees what I had was covid; mostly it was being as creaky and stiff as the Tin Woodsman. I hope yours is much faster and easier on you!
“I think I’ll go on a little walk… I feel happy, I feel happy… I don’t want to go on the cart!”
I like the Official Birthday idea!
No business plan survives contact with the enemy.
I wonder if the Board knows of the new org chart.
So they’re gonna fire Tip?
Interesting, he apparently didn’t create the organization, it’s more specifically a company, this wasn’t it’s original purpose, and there’s many more reality sight humans besides the underlings and mister green himself. And he’s head on on that “genocide is salvation” bit isn’t he?
There’s also the homicidal aspect of Anasigma. Or did someone forget that humans were also killed and maimed as part of Green’s company policy?
Not to mention all the humans who were debrained against their will and their bodies destroyed and their naked brains put into helicopters or into a walnut VR, or whatever. I don’t even know what legal term(s) would describe that sort of thing.
I have to wonder how much the surgical teams and bleeding edge life-support systems and whatnot all cost.
Extirpation has to make money somehow. Maybe walnut harvesting generates bitcoin?
ah yes, “for all mankind”
Technically, Tip was Mr. Green’s boss when everything went south for A-Sig, so really it’s his fault.
Only within the shadow government, not at Anasigma.
How can he resign wasn’t he already fired by Tip?
That was my understanding. I thought he had already been upended just before Tip hastily resigned.
Like jdeyfruss says above, Mr Green was running the Shadow Government on behalf of A-Sig and was fired from that. It’s a bit confusing because the Persons In Black didn’t seem to be clear on the difference, which was probably intentional on his part.
Prediction! I think the “board” is about to find out who’s really in charge.
They are. That’s how corporations work.
Touché 😀
Happy birthday Shaenon!!
All this time, there was somebody they could have gone to, who was over Ira?
They still needed to infiltrate to get to the org chart to find out who they were in the first place.
There people go again, supposing for other people without consulting them…
Tell me, Mr. Green, why did you suppose that Mr. Zerhakker would only blow up some of the drones? Maxim 37, sir!
He probably didn’t figure Nick into the equation at all. He probably figured what few drones would be destroyed would have been from conventional weapons.
Nor did Mr. Green/Ira realize just how profoundly … inspiring … Dr. Lee can be. (Though I’m sure he had some ideas in that direction….)
Hmm, I wonder if these shadowy board members all have the same first name…
No, placing money above coolness would be very un-Dave of them.
Who said they’re placing money above coolness? They’re just placing money above Mr. Green’s idea of “saving humanity” – and genocide is decidedly UN-cool.
But they’re only objecting to the genocide because it didn’t make money…
Exactly. Coolness isn’t even part of the equation.
I had the same thought, Sean K. And I noticed that, if you assume none of them change seats between the first and fourth panels, there are five shadowy figures visible in today’s strip.
Happy Birthday!
Amazing how something probably written years ago is relevant to a current world event.
My thought exactly. Seems like Shaenon did this in Narbonic also..? Who really has the time travel machine?
jdreyfuss: I don’t know when this strip was first conceived of, but I’m fairly sure there were at least a few wars going on then, too. What’s unusual about the “new war” is how brief it was. Short conflicts happen in our world (the last war in Nagorno-Karabakh only lasted a few months), but they usually last for years.
It’s the campaign of genocide that lost money part that seems particularly relevant though. And the purging of the military leader by the civilian leadership as a scapegoat to try to hold off their own inevitable demise.
Green’s genocide moves proved too failable. It wasn’t at all unassailable. Now that he lost to Skin-Horse his ouster has been forced. Is his old job at Skin-Horse available?
There’s no such thing as a war that doesn’t lose money.
In the general sense, of course, that’s very true. It’s still a bit of a platitude, though – in the individual sense, wars can be very, very profitable. I don’t think I make a politically overly sensitive statement if I say that practically every war, there have been actors who’ve gotten (sometimes exceedingly) rich off of them. War profiteering has a specific term for a reason, but it doesn’t even have to be nefarious or Evil (selling weapons to both sides, hoarding and selling necessities at huge margins) – someone has to make the uniforms and boots for the troops, after all.
For a specific company, war can be very interesting.
Just think of all that dated inventory being shoveled into Ukraine at this very moment! It has to be replaced by new and improved (and expensive) inventory!
But.. but Daddy Warbucks was such a nice man! 😉
Yes, for whoever is supplying everything, war can be very lucrative. The war itself, however, will always lose money, simply because war spends money, but doesn’t make any back.
Happy (shared) birthday, Shaenon!
Blow up all you want. We’ll make more.
Does this mean the Wizard isn’t going to leave by a green balloon, but by a golden parachute?
I was thinking more along the lines of cement shoes.
I was hopping for a combination oubliette / composting toilet.
Hopping for a toilet? Well, hurry on.
I was trying to reply to “Shadowmehr’s” comment about Mr. Greens. green balloon or golden parachute exit from A-sig.
An oubiliette is a top loading dungeon in which I wanted to place Mr. Green
The Force? No, this is Dave Brubeck Day, memorializing the 5/4 time in Take Five!
They’re really not a very competent evil company if they can’t pass along the cost of the war to the American taxpayer.
Oh, you can be sure that they did. (Mind you, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a competent company.) But they lost money, which means their year-end bonuses are what is really suffering here.
Birthday. Yay. Shaenon. Happy.
in some order.
Huh, somehow I’d forgotten that Anasigma was a corporation and not a government organization (Tip’s climb up the labrynthine power structure by favor trading would work in either).
Concerned about hemorrhaging money?
That’s not the DoD that *I* know!