If it were an isolated incident it would probably be a coincidence. Dave was in the background at Whimsy world just a short while ago, however: http://skin-horse.com/comic/there-was-plenty/
Could be foreshadowing, but we know Mel went into politics, and they ARE in the shadow government district of D.C.; she might just work near by and be getting a coffee.
If that is Mell, she won’t be much use. She’s a lawyer, not a computer expert. I doubt that a wax cylinder that size will play on an Edison phonograph, either. I really don’t see why they can’t contact SH.
I don’t think it’s what Collodi said in and of itself, but that what Collodi said is yet another indication that there’s a lot more going on than is readily apparent, and the Skin Horse team is in the middle of it, and they don’t know what they’re actually doing or whose interests they’re serving. And that it might be a good idea to figure that out before they go distributing information willy-nilly.
Memory drums are a real technology created in the ’50s, but they’re not wax cylinders. They stored data magnetically, just like tape drives and hard discs. Nick was simply exaggerating the age of memory drums by comparing them to a much older technology.
Seconded. Phil’s very good for support and will answer just about any tech question put to his forum http://forum.frumph.net/ and I’m pretty sure he takes commissions too.
I could see Tigerlily having the proper equipment to read the drum. And things may go back to black and white, at least for Tip, when she disappears again.
Seeing them all still out of the office and talking about Moustachio made me wonder about something – who winds M when Tip’s out of the office for multiple days? Do they get someone from one of the other Annex one departments to do it? Does the cleaning crew? Does M just wind down and they ‘restart’ him when they get back?
It’s too bad Tigerlily didn’t make him self-winding instead of giving him impractically short arms.
(TUNE: “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That), Meat Loaf)
See, I can play anything high-tech,
I’m giving you the straight-up facts …
I can play anything high-tech,
I’ll play your fav’rite music tracks …
And I’ll never eat another danish again,
Oh no, help no …
And I can play anything high-tech,
Check any file you want to check,
Yes, I can play anything high-tech,
But I can’t play wax!
Oh, no … I can’t play wax!
I will play anything high-tech,
Check anything you want to check,
But I just can’t … play … wax!
See, I can play stuff in Quicktime,
And I can play MP3’s,
And I play older stuff like 8-track tapes and old LP’s!
And I can play cable TV,
Bandwidth I’ve got, to spare,
And I can play anything that … hey, that’s Mell at that table there!
But I’m just saying, there are some things this drone lacks …
Things I’m not playing, like a tin can full of wax!
The details, I’m sure, would bore yinz,
But seems that those damp Victorians
Had skills that are lost to historians!
You gotta believe me,
That I can play anything high-tech,
Yeah, I can even send a fax …
I can play anything high-tech,
I know all these decoding hacks …
But it turns out this drone don’t have no parts to bone
Or no digestive tracts …
And I can play anything high-tech,
Kinda like “Data” on Star Trek,
Yes, I can play anything high-tech,
But I can’t play wax!
Hurrah for cameos! I’m amazed that the sheer awesomeness of Unity and Mell being in the same room hasn’t caused it to explode yet. And that Mell and Unity haven’t caused it to explode yet.
If there isn’t a cellphone app for decoding wax cylinders available somewhere on the internet, I will be at least mildly surprised.
I doubt any phone camera is fine enough, but it’s plenty possible to read grooved recordings visually with enough resolution. (There are actually “laser turntables” that do exactly this to recover sound from poorly-kept vinyl records.) But there’s a big difference between recording raw data and interpreting the information encoded within – you could open up your web browser in a hex editor and see the same kind of thing, but without references as to what the numbers mean (CPU opcode lists, an ASCII text encoding chart, etc.) you wouldn’t have the faintest idea what it was. And given that Moustachio is a product of Mad Science, it’s doubtful that any sane hacker could quite penetrate this barrier. Hence, as people have said, the dire need for the return of Tigerlily Jones.
Why would Nick even bother eating a Danish in the new rig? He knows that he’s piloting a robot drone. Did he think it came with a Mr. Fusion to process any random banana peel and beer can he came across?
Hi, Mell!
Fun cameo or foreshadowing for some political intrigue/ stabby times?
She’s probably just waiting for Caliban to get off work.
Izzat Cal, beyond her?
If it were an isolated incident it would probably be a coincidence. Dave was in the background at Whimsy world just a short while ago, however: http://skin-horse.com/comic/there-was-plenty/
I’m not too certain of that person’s Daveness.
We need to get another Dave to smell him.
In short, is that just a Mell, or is it a Chekhov’s Mell?
Could be foreshadowing, but we know Mel went into politics, and they ARE in the shadow government district of D.C.; she might just work near by and be getting a coffee.
It could be both…
Or maybe it’s just Schroedinger’s Narbonic–it could be there, or it could not be…
I just asked Shaenon and Jeff to give Mell a cameo a few strips ago. Such service!
If that is Mell, she won’t be much use. She’s a lawyer, not a computer expert. I doubt that a wax cylinder that size will play on an Edison phonograph, either. I really don’t see why they can’t contact SH.
You and me both. I feel like I’m missing something major. Is this just based on what Collodi said about Skin Horse? ‘Cuz he crazy!
I don’t think it’s what Collodi said in and of itself, but that what Collodi said is yet another indication that there’s a lot more going on than is readily apparent, and the Skin Horse team is in the middle of it, and they don’t know what they’re actually doing or whose interests they’re serving. And that it might be a good idea to figure that out before they go distributing information willy-nilly.
The question isn’t what use Mell could be… the question is how much MORE trouble Mell could get the field team into.
Memory drums are a real technology created in the ’50s, but they’re not wax cylinders. They stored data magnetically, just like tape drives and hard discs. Nick was simply exaggerating the age of memory drums by comparing them to a much older technology.
Except that Moustachio is from the 1850s, not the 1950s. His memory drums are not going to be those.
Okay, I need to hire someone to fix this website’s problems. If you’re VERY proficient in ComicPress and want to save me from myself, please email me.
Try Phil Hofer; he’s generous with knowledge and time, and he wrote CP in the first place. @frumph on Twitter.
Seconded. Phil’s very good for support and will answer just about any tech question put to his forum http://forum.frumph.net/ and I’m pretty sure he takes commissions too.
I see a need for Tigerlily Jones.
I could see Tigerlily having the proper equipment to read the drum. And things may go back to black and white, at least for Tip, when she disappears again.
Oh, HELP yeah!
Seeing them all still out of the office and talking about Moustachio made me wonder about something – who winds M when Tip’s out of the office for multiple days? Do they get someone from one of the other Annex one departments to do it? Does the cleaning crew? Does M just wind down and they ‘restart’ him when they get back?
It’s too bad Tigerlily didn’t make him self-winding instead of giving him impractically short arms.
(TUNE: “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That), Meat Loaf)
See, I can play anything high-tech,
I’m giving you the straight-up facts …
I can play anything high-tech,
I’ll play your fav’rite music tracks …
And I’ll never eat another danish again,
Oh no, help no …
And I can play anything high-tech,
Check any file you want to check,
Yes, I can play anything high-tech,
But I can’t play wax!
Oh, no … I can’t play wax!
I will play anything high-tech,
Check anything you want to check,
But I just can’t … play … wax!
See, I can play stuff in Quicktime,
And I can play MP3’s,
And I play older stuff like 8-track tapes and old LP’s!
And I can play cable TV,
Bandwidth I’ve got, to spare,
And I can play anything that … hey, that’s Mell at that table there!
But I’m just saying, there are some things this drone lacks …
Things I’m not playing, like a tin can full of wax!
The details, I’m sure, would bore yinz,
But seems that those damp Victorians
Had skills that are lost to historians!
You gotta believe me,
That I can play anything high-tech,
Yeah, I can even send a fax …
I can play anything high-tech,
I know all these decoding hacks …
But it turns out this drone don’t have no parts to bone
Or no digestive tracts …
And I can play anything high-tech,
Kinda like “Data” on Star Trek,
Yes, I can play anything high-tech,
But I can’t play wax!
Damn you Ed! Now I have that song in my head! *SOB*
Barking Monkey: Given what happened when he got overwound, I don’t think they want him to be self-winding…
Could it be? Could this mean the return of. … Tigerliliy Jones?
Hurrah for cameos! I’m amazed that the sheer awesomeness of Unity and Mell being in the same room hasn’t caused it to explode yet. And that Mell and Unity haven’t caused it to explode yet.
If there isn’t a cellphone app for decoding wax cylinders available somewhere on the internet, I will be at least mildly surprised.
I doubt any phone camera is fine enough, but it’s plenty possible to read grooved recordings visually with enough resolution. (There are actually “laser turntables” that do exactly this to recover sound from poorly-kept vinyl records.) But there’s a big difference between recording raw data and interpreting the information encoded within – you could open up your web browser in a hex editor and see the same kind of thing, but without references as to what the numbers mean (CPU opcode lists, an ASCII text encoding chart, etc.) you wouldn’t have the faintest idea what it was. And given that Moustachio is a product of Mad Science, it’s doubtful that any sane hacker could quite penetrate this barrier. Hence, as people have said, the dire need for the return of Tigerlily Jones.
(C’mon prison break story…c’mon prison break story…)
I like that “Mell” has now officially become synonymous with “gun”.
“This is my Mell. There are many like it, but this one is mine…”
(Hmmm… That doesn’t have quite the same “ring” as the original.)
Or…
“This is my rifle, this is my Mell! This is for fightin’, this raises Hell…”
But… what if it’s a Mell AND TLJ story arc?!?!?
Are we ready for that much concentrated mayhem?
Is the WORLD?!?!?
mnem
When I was young I wanted to play bass in a band called Electric Mayhem… but well, you know. Now I want to even more…
Isn’t that the name of the Muppet band? “Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem”?
Ah, should’ve scrolled down.
Why would Nick even bother eating a Danish in the new rig? He knows that he’s piloting a robot drone. Did he think it came with a Mr. Fusion to process any random banana peel and beer can he came across?
@mnementh, Electric Mayhem was the house band for the Muppet Show
Ummm… yeah. That was the joke. :-/ At times in my life, I have identified with every member of the band, even ANIMAL & occasionally Janice.
mnem
Of course… who HASN’T identified with ANIMAL at one time or another?