Nice and secluded
There’s not a lot to say about this page, apart from the fact that I turned Photoshop’s AI loose on the top panel a couple of months ago and the result was a real treat.
STEEPLE – A Scary Go Round Comic
by John Allison
There’s not a lot to say about this page, apart from the fact that I turned Photoshop’s AI loose on the top panel a couple of months ago and the result was a real treat.
I’m surprised the robot has forgotten that the far side of the Moon isn’t dark at all! Must be a really long time since he was last there.
Maybe he just likes Pink Floyd?
“There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact, it’s all dark.”
No permanently dark side you mean.. Obviously the Cosmic Conduit is mobile and always moves to stay on the dark side.
No, it’s all dark in the sense that the moon creates no visible light of its own, that’s the meaning of the quote. Why that’s relevant would require you to listen to the whole album quite carefully
You say that is if there are some who do not like Pink Floyd? Their catalog is varied enough that surely anyone can find at least one album that speaks to them :}
“Dark” can also (metaphorically) mean “unseen” or “unknown”, y’know. And I imagine it’s pretty dark when the Earth’s between the Sun and the Moon (which would be when the moon is full, from our perspective), since the Sun would be shining on the near side at that point. The stars must be spectacular, though.
Too many TED talks I guess
Maybe it happened to be the middle of the lunar night the only time he was there, and Gareth just assume it’s always like that because he failed science as a child?
I’m imagining now that when Gareth was a child, he was one of those toddlers’ electric cars.
Wasn’t the dark side of the Moon also where Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix died?
That was the Blue Area of the Moon, which only exists in Marvel comics.
That’s right.
The Photoshop AI has an excellent idea of what the Cornish countryside is like. Big agricultural robots, flying pasties, etc.
I get pretty strong Schlock Mercenary vibes from the top left quadrant; I think it’s the particular colour palette plus the “odd geometry modules stuck together” school of spaceship architecture.
The robot on the right seems like it’s got a bit more Penny Arcade in its training data.
I always found it strange that in the original cartoon ALL Transformers could fly. That one was quickly forgotten.
It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure it was just the Daffodil Haters that could all fly. The Valleymen were stuck with, “Cyber change and roll out!” Or bumming a ride on the one lad on the team who turned into a jet.
At least until the Sauro-Changers came along. One of them was a pterodactyl, as I recall.
Nah, that was a Soup Dragon. Or were you thinking of an Iron Chicken…?
I think I P Freely is referring to “More than Meets the Eye”, the three part episode that started the original animated series. In that, the Autobots could fly around in robot mode. In all the other episodes, it was only the Decepticons who could do that.
Also, Optimus Prime and Megatron could both make solid holographic weapons appear in place of their hands. Those were also never seen again.
All this time I thought the Daffodil Haters were just one of Mr. Allison’s bursts of random fancy. But this discussion makes me suspect DH is a parody of an actual faction in the Transformerverse. I never have seen these animated shows — can someone clue me in?
I’m operating on the assumption that the heroic Valleymen and the evil Daffodil Haters are simple stand-ins for the Autobots and Decepticons, respectively.
If you don’t stripmine and ally with a Carbombian led oil cartel flying is out of the budget.
Gareth has the skills, all he needs is a place to start collecting material. Maybe a link to NASA too
I’m afraid Gareth will be forced to stay on our planet for a VERY long time. But the good thing is that Penrose seems to like his sense of humour.
I’ve built some rockets in my time. A few went up and were never seen again, so for all you know they reached the far side of the moon. But even they probably wouldn’t have been able to haul Gareth there, or indeed off the pad.
Surely the same Top Gear lads who launched a Reliant Robin on a rocket would fancy having a go at launching a faux Hyundai to the moon
In Gareth’s mind, all humans just have access to sick space rockets.
On the contrary. Gareth is distinctly unenamored of the idea of rejoining his countrybots and their unending conflict. He doesn’t think our heroes have the capability to send him there and is rather gleeful about it.
Nature abhors a vacuum, Photoshop AI abhors negative space.
Photoshop AI probably abhors humanity, so we should watch what we say about it.
Oh. Too late.
Spaceport Cornwall is what they need. It has the best motivational slogans including “Bringing Space Closer”.
Nothing is more appealing to people than shortening the distance between themselves and hard vacuum, after all. 😉
It’s why I still have incandescent light bulbs
What the hell did you tell the AI? “Make it look like a 60’s science fiction paperback novel cover”?
You mean, that isn’t a photorealistic representation of the actual Cornish countryside?
How the hell should I know? I’m an American. The closest to Cornwall that I’ve ever been is a pasty.
Steeple-17, by Samuel R. Delany
The Laser of Hyundai, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Robots of Light and Darkness, by Roger Zelazny
War Car of the Witch World, by Andre Norton
I don’t even remember reading any Delany, but it’s possible I have. However the other three are among my favorites.
That is a bit of a deep cut, Zelazny-wise (though The Steel General seems like perhaps the most Tackleford character in all of Zelazny’s oeuvre)
Could have been worse. Could have been Lord of Headlights.
Props for drawing the old-school Wind Energy Group two-bladed wind turbines, even if it is really hard to draw a three-bladed turbine without it looking wonky
Nearly a Garfield cameo in that AI generated sky. Photoshop has your number!
Or do you mean Generic Orange Feline?
John, you simply must stop predicting the future: https://www.metafilter.com/200329/Nobody-drives-in-San-Francisco-theres-too-much-traffic