So Mr. Green really was trying to convince Dr. Lee that she had actually murdered Nick years ago during the brain schlorping and would only be ameliorating the situation by putting him “out of his misery” now!
Considering what Ira is stating the objective to have been and what Ari was acting as though the objective was I really have to wonder if the Ira hand really knows what the Ari hand is doing. >_>
For that matter, you’d think he’d be willing to just transfer Nick to a jar instead of killing him if that were all it took to get Ginny to assist with dismantling the plane as a whole. Even if my “Ira is a clone family (Sort of!)” theory is wrong there is some seriously confused and contradictory thinking going on here. @_@
At this point I have to wonder if befuddled Ira was less of an act then Ira realizes. I sincerely doubt there’s any tech in Nick, apart from Nick himself, that you couldn’t get from just about any other Osprey of the same model and I sure wouldn’t be blowing a long held cover, hissing off a Sane(Honest Injun!) Scientist and putting my long term plans in jeopardy over any of it even if there were. 😛
Consider his incredible range, apparent speed, never any mention of fuel or maintenance… unless he runs into trees or whatever with his rotors. Nick’s brain-in-a-tank is the tip of the iceberg. Virginia put a lot more into Nick than shows…
Actually, I seem to recall Skinhorse directly mentioning fuel costs – I think Gavotte complained about it during one of her “Phonecalls With A Secret Someone”.
Also, Nick has been damaged and had to undergo maintenance, such as when the sea monster tore off a chunk of his “skin”.
His range also doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. Ospreys have an operational range of 1100 nautical miles (meaning they can go that far and still come back), and a ferry range (one way trip) of effectively twice that.
The one clearly demonstrated and stated benefit that Nick has is that he’s always “jumped in”, and controls the vehicle not through clumsy control sticks and whatnot, but just by thinking. It’s the difference between trying to pick up a tin can by fiddling with a couple joysticks and some buttons that control a robotic arm, or just… moving your own arm naturally as part of your own body.
Plus, Nick’s brain interface is possibly worth something to them. It seems likely that they already have that tech, though—it seems pretty likely that Ginny’s ideas, if not Ginny herself, were involved in making the VR hat used to control the Violet drone.
If you’re referring to the hat used by Sweetheart (and later Tip), I do believe that was a genuine Unity-on-Brains design. We still haven’t seen the mechanism that Mr. Green uses to control his drones and/or interface with the VR.
I think the tech in question is the mind-machine-interface connecting Nick’s brain to the Osprey.
Sure, Skin Horse has Unity’s colander helmet, which kicks you out after awhile with a massive headache. We know that Mr. Green had to log out of Violet periodically, although we don’t know about headaches: so his interface is probably not noticeably more advanced than Unity’s.
But Nick’s interface has been functioning virtually non-stop (there have been a couple of reboot jokes) for literally years. That tech will probably not decide the balance of the New War, but it is impressive, and Ari is sad to lose it.
I had to rummage around in my head for a while to remember what I was thinking when I wrote that comment. I was remarking on the last bit of Seph’s comment, “the VR hat used to control the Violet drone.” Since we never saw Ira doing it, we don’t know if he even used a “hat”, so the only “VR hat used to control the Violet drone” we know for sure exists is Unity’s. For all we know, Ira shoved a cable up his nose.
As for his logging out of the drone occasionally, he had to sleep sometime. The only time I remember it happening at an awkward time was after the infamous kiss, and his brain was probably suffering sensory overload (and possibly a minor stroke). And even then he waited until she had left the room to log out, so he had no way of knowing she’d come right back in a couple minutes later to find the drone “lifeless”.
Considering that Virginia said long ago that they had already advanced beyond the technology in Nick, Ira really has no reason to dismantle him other than simply wanting him out of the way.
But I have no doubt that Ira has seriously underestimated how pissed Virginia is going to be about it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Remote operators, I believe. But despite the advanced technology required to operate by remote, they still weren’t as totally integrated with the machine as Nick.
Well no, because they overwrote his homunculus map in a destructive manner to the point that he identifies as a helicopter instead of a human. A normal human using an interface part-time is obviously a trade-off.
Both tools are used in modern archaeology, actually, just for very different things. Mechanical shovels are used to remove topsoil before more delicate excavation begins.
Green is not down in the hangar tormenting Nick just for kicks. Green wants something from Nick, maybe needs something; if he were genuinely callous and evil Nick would be dripping out of a hole onto the concrete right now. Nick has to think it was his own idea when he makes the offer of some sort of cooperation to save his dark and scary lady friend.
Frighteningly plausible, given Green’s previous actions. The problem with dealing with Mads (as in Dr. Frankenstein) is that it leaves you little experience with the mad (as in Hannibal Lechter).
Since when is he white? He doesn’t look it, he looks like an older version of Ao. I suspect Ao’s appearance was just how he looked when he was younger.
He’s a genuine cyborg, emphasis on the “cyb” but still a living thing _and_ with the thinking part (unlike the Terminator) almost completely human. Along with the technical support for the Osprey there has to be organic support as well, and we have absolutely no hint as to how that’s done. Glucose injection alone is just not going to hack it for long.
Also, too, there’s always the possibility of the cavalry coming over the hill to save Nick and / or Virginia—or, at least, the gang from Skin Horse could come over the hill.
I have a particularly silly idea, but posting one’s particularly silly ideas is the soul of the ‘Net.
For some reason, “We dismantle you tomorrow” makes me think of “I’ll probably kill you in the morning”, by a particular pirate. Or in this story, instead of the Dread Pirate Roberts, the Dread CEO Green.
Did we ever have an explanation of who the young man is who exposits to Alpha Bravo, and gloats to Sweetheart-in-the-drone? A loyal lieutenant? Another drone? Those scenes were secretly in VR despite appearing not to be?
I am not convinced for certain that any incarnation of Mr. Green we have so far met is anything but a drone. After all, Ira has basically claimed to be Green, but Mr. Bravo may have seen someone else who he knew as Mr. Green. And Sweetheart saw Dr. Ao, presumably in real life as well as in VR, and he also claimed to be Mr. Green. Even Ira could be just another drone, and the true form of Mr. Green – if he even has a true form – has yet to be revealed.
As for your theory about dismantling Nick, it is well known that a threat is only effective while it is still just a threat. Of course, if he makes the threat and then does not carry it through, it loses some credibility each time he does so. Fail to make good on your threats often enough, and no one will take you seriously any more.
Creepy control-freak codger convincingly completes chillingly competent cold-blooded cockpit-blocking command cascade.
Very well done sir. I applaud you.
So Mr. Green really was trying to convince Dr. Lee that she had actually murdered Nick years ago during the brain schlorping and would only be ameliorating the situation by putting him “out of his misery” now!
He hasn’t heard Ginny recite from “The Tempest”.
Considering what Ira is stating the objective to have been and what Ari was acting as though the objective was I really have to wonder if the Ira hand really knows what the Ari hand is doing. >_>
For that matter, you’d think he’d be willing to just transfer Nick to a jar instead of killing him if that were all it took to get Ginny to assist with dismantling the plane as a whole. Even if my “Ira is a clone family (Sort of!)” theory is wrong there is some seriously confused and contradictory thinking going on here. @_@
Yes, but that would even be competition of a sort. Or to put it another way, a potential threat to loyalty.
In Hebrew, ‘Ira’ means ‘watchful’ while ‘Ari’ means ‘lion’. Will Mr Green turn out to be the cowardly one after all?
At this point I have to wonder if befuddled Ira was less of an act then Ira realizes. I sincerely doubt there’s any tech in Nick, apart from Nick himself, that you couldn’t get from just about any other Osprey of the same model and I sure wouldn’t be blowing a long held cover, hissing off a Sane(Honest Injun!) Scientist and putting my long term plans in jeopardy over any of it even if there were. 😛
Consider his incredible range, apparent speed, never any mention of fuel or maintenance… unless he runs into trees or whatever with his rotors. Nick’s brain-in-a-tank is the tip of the iceberg. Virginia put a lot more into Nick than shows…
Actually, I seem to recall Skinhorse directly mentioning fuel costs – I think Gavotte complained about it during one of her “Phonecalls With A Secret Someone”.
Also, Nick has been damaged and had to undergo maintenance, such as when the sea monster tore off a chunk of his “skin”.
His range also doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. Ospreys have an operational range of 1100 nautical miles (meaning they can go that far and still come back), and a ferry range (one way trip) of effectively twice that.
The one clearly demonstrated and stated benefit that Nick has is that he’s always “jumped in”, and controls the vehicle not through clumsy control sticks and whatnot, but just by thinking. It’s the difference between trying to pick up a tin can by fiddling with a couple joysticks and some buttons that control a robotic arm, or just… moving your own arm naturally as part of your own body.
Nick flew from DC to San Francisco in five hours. That’s about twice the range and speed of a normal Osprey.
Yes, but his tech all came from Anasigma in the first place. There shouldn’t be anything there unknown to them.
It wasn’t for Nick. Ari said Skin Horse had successfully completed its true mission.
Plus, Nick’s brain interface is possibly worth something to them. It seems likely that they already have that tech, though—it seems pretty likely that Ginny’s ideas, if not Ginny herself, were involved in making the VR hat used to control the Violet drone.
If you’re referring to the hat used by Sweetheart (and later Tip), I do believe that was a genuine Unity-on-Brains design. We still haven’t seen the mechanism that Mr. Green uses to control his drones and/or interface with the VR.
I think the tech in question is the mind-machine-interface connecting Nick’s brain to the Osprey.
Sure, Skin Horse has Unity’s colander helmet, which kicks you out after awhile with a massive headache. We know that Mr. Green had to log out of Violet periodically, although we don’t know about headaches: so his interface is probably not noticeably more advanced than Unity’s.
But Nick’s interface has been functioning virtually non-stop (there have been a couple of reboot jokes) for literally years. That tech will probably not decide the balance of the New War, but it is impressive, and Ari is sad to lose it.
I had to rummage around in my head for a while to remember what I was thinking when I wrote that comment. I was remarking on the last bit of Seph’s comment, “the VR hat used to control the Violet drone.” Since we never saw Ira doing it, we don’t know if he even used a “hat”, so the only “VR hat used to control the Violet drone” we know for sure exists is Unity’s. For all we know, Ira shoved a cable up his nose.
As for his logging out of the drone occasionally, he had to sleep sometime. The only time I remember it happening at an awkward time was after the infamous kiss, and his brain was probably suffering sensory overload (and possibly a minor stroke). And even then he waited until she had left the room to log out, so he had no way of knowing she’d come right back in a couple minutes later to find the drone “lifeless”.
Well for one, this one’s designed to let a human brain map itself to all the controls.
Considering that Virginia said long ago that they had already advanced beyond the technology in Nick, Ira really has no reason to dismantle him other than simply wanting him out of the way.
But I have no doubt that Ira has seriously underestimated how pissed Virginia is going to be about it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
The AI tech improved, IIRC.
Remote operators, I believe. But despite the advanced technology required to operate by remote, they still weren’t as totally integrated with the machine as Nick.
Well no, because they overwrote his homunculus map in a destructive manner to the point that he identifies as a helicopter instead of a human. A normal human using an interface part-time is obviously a trade-off.
Given that Nick is constrained from taking any action, perhaps he can still connect to the local intranet and find a VR sim to occupy his final hours…
I’m wondering if he still has internet access, or if A-Sig weren’t that stupid.
Ah, the difference between doing archaeology with a brush… and a backhoe
Both tools are used in modern archaeology, actually, just for very different things. Mechanical shovels are used to remove topsoil before more delicate excavation begins.
Green is not down in the hangar tormenting Nick just for kicks. Green wants something from Nick, maybe needs something; if he were genuinely callous and evil Nick would be dripping out of a hole onto the concrete right now. Nick has to think it was his own idea when he makes the offer of some sort of cooperation to save his dark and scary lady friend.
Frighteningly plausible, given Green’s previous actions. The problem with dealing with Mads (as in Dr. Frankenstein) is that it leaves you little experience with the mad (as in Hannibal Lechter).
Green has gone full-on Old White Guy in this strip.
And not the Dumbledore kind either.
Since when is he white? He doesn’t look it, he looks like an older version of Ao. I suspect Ao’s appearance was just how he looked when he was younger.
Nick has comfy seats? Who’d’a thought it?
*No one* expects…the comfy seats! ^_~
Of course, too, now we know Nick is alive. If “alive” is the proper term to use.
Of course he’s alive. He just has more prostheses than most.
He’s a genuine cyborg, emphasis on the “cyb” but still a living thing _and_ with the thinking part (unlike the Terminator) almost completely human. Along with the technical support for the Osprey there has to be organic support as well, and we have absolutely no hint as to how that’s done. Glucose injection alone is just not going to hack it for long.
Also, too, there’s always the possibility of the cavalry coming over the hill to save Nick and / or Virginia—or, at least, the gang from Skin Horse could come over the hill.
Man, it’s like Hannibal Lecter is giving you a physical and discussing the best use of your bits and pieces.
I have a particularly silly idea, but posting one’s particularly silly ideas is the soul of the ‘Net.
For some reason, “We dismantle you tomorrow” makes me think of “I’ll probably kill you in the morning”, by a particular pirate. Or in this story, instead of the Dread Pirate Roberts, the Dread CEO Green.
Did we ever have an explanation of who the young man is who exposits to Alpha Bravo, and gloats to Sweetheart-in-the-drone? A loyal lieutenant? Another drone? Those scenes were secretly in VR despite appearing not to be?
I am not convinced for certain that any incarnation of Mr. Green we have so far met is anything but a drone. After all, Ira has basically claimed to be Green, but Mr. Bravo may have seen someone else who he knew as Mr. Green. And Sweetheart saw Dr. Ao, presumably in real life as well as in VR, and he also claimed to be Mr. Green. Even Ira could be just another drone, and the true form of Mr. Green – if he even has a true form – has yet to be revealed.
As for your theory about dismantling Nick, it is well known that a threat is only effective while it is still just a threat. Of course, if he makes the threat and then does not carry it through, it loses some credibility each time he does so. Fail to make good on your threats often enough, and no one will take you seriously any more.
Have we ever seen Ao in real life? When Sweetheart met him she was almost certainly still in VR, he as much as told her so.
I’m hearing Ira/Green speak with Ed Asner’s voice.