02/05/10 [PF#100] - Going right through the references

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

900 million gold dollars? I guess they're still not as advanced as things are on earth, if they're still tying their currency to metals.


I dunno, something about the phrasing in the far-future setting made me chuckle.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Excellent!

[Tapewolf]

900 million gold dollars? I guess they're still not as advanced as things are on earth, if they're still tying their currency to metals.

Furrae has various settlements with radically different levels of technological and social advance.  Gold coins won't work so well in a modern area, dollars (see DMFA #630) won't work in a medieval area.  So I hedged my bets  

**EDIT**

I forgot to mention that while I was colouring the comic I was listening to Threshold's "Psychedelicatessen" album, with the bonus track "Intervention".
So while listening to a harrowing song about the atrocities carried out during the war in Bosnia, I was giggling like an idiot about this expression:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/projectfuture/pf100-6.png

[Zedd]

That's a heavy price to pay,but I am sure in someones checkbook that be like easy money...Savings are good to have

[Ren Gaulen]

"..Another nine hundred million dollars down the drain."

[Gabi]

Funny that they should be called 'dollars'.

[SpottedKitty]

I was giggling like an idiot about this expression:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/projectfuture/pf100-6.png

Beware grinning jackals. They're up to something.   

[Zedd]

I was giggling like an idiot about this expression:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/projectfuture/pf100-6.png

Beware grinning jackals. They're up to something.  

OF COURSE!

[Madmann135]

Why be evil... when you can take them to court. 

[Ren Gaulen]

Why be evil... when you can take them to court. 

For Great Justice!

[Chakat Blackspots]

900 million gold dollars? I guess they're still not as advanced as things are on earth, if they're still tying their currency to metals.


I dunno, something about the phrasing in the far-future setting made me chuckle.

I guess you don't realize that not tying ones currency to metals allows a gov't to print money without limit, intentionally deflating the value of the currency (makes it easier for the gov't to pay back debt).

I guess Joshua probably cost that much because of the state of the art tech used in him.  Though its probably more hush money than anything else.

[Tapewolf]

I guess Joshua probably cost that much because of the state of the art tech used in him.  Though its probably more hush money than anything else.

Jakob is thinking in terms of punitive damages rather than Joshua's net worth, because if Joshua had been killed it would still have been murder in Jakob's eyes even if Josh hadn't been legally recognised as alive.

[AmigaDragon]

Funny that they should be called 'dollars'.

I'm guessing it's just a convenience for the author(s), instead of making up one or more currency names.

Stepping away from Furrae, you might find this of interest.

[Gabi]

Curious.

Our local currency is the peso, which literally means "weight".

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

... what were you waiting for? ;-]

[Tapewolf]

Ren was hoping to have the comic inked tonight, unfortunately it looks like his 'net connection went down instead.  If he's out for an extended period I do have some filler, but it doesn't look like we'll be updating tonight at this rate.

[ChaosMageX]

Ren was hoping to have the comic inked tonight, unfortunately it looks like his 'net connection went down instead.  If he's out for an extended period I do have some filler, but it doesn't look like we'll be updating tonight at this rate.

Speaking of filler, I need to finish that other filler of the Ja'Fell family tree/portrait.  Unfortunately, college has kept me super busy lately.

I need to make those fixes to the sketch of Mordrith, Julei, and Salomere, ink each of them, and get them to you.

...And then draw Dorcan, Linda, and Sydney and ink them too.

[Turnsky]

Ren was hoping to have the comic inked tonight, unfortunately it looks like his 'net connection went down instead.  If he's out for an extended period I do have some filler, but it doesn't look like we'll be updating tonight at this rate.

y'know, we can one day hope that Ren has a better 'net connect than two cans and a piece of string. 

[ChaosMageX]

Ren was hoping to have the comic inked tonight, unfortunately it looks like his 'net connection went down instead.  If he's out for an extended period I do have some filler, but it doesn't look like we'll be updating tonight at this rate.

y'know, we can one day hope that Ren has a better 'net connect than two cans and a piece of string.  

Yeah.  I mean, there are so many options out there now.  Even satellite connections, including HughesNet, seem to be more reliable than whatever connection Ren has now, to say nothing of DSL and cable, which he should go for first if either are already available where he lives.

Hey, maybe he should get a 3G smart phone and transfer the line-art files to it before sending them to Tapewolf.  Even that would be more reliable than what he does now, especially on Verizon.
From how often his connection fails, even AT&T's horribly spotty 3G network would be more reliable.

If he does get a smart phone, then it really should be from Verizon, since they definitely get 3G service in more places and regular service in even more places, including near dead-zone that is the Texas hill country.

[Tapewolf]

Yeah.  I mean, there are so many options out there now.  Even satellite connections, including HughesNet, seem to be more reliable than whatever connection Ren has now, to has nothing of DSL and cable.

It's an ADSL line.  Do remember that he's living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, though - a better link is probably somewhat beyond his means.

Hey, maybe he should get a 3G smart phone and transfer the line-art files to it before sending them to Tapewolf.  Even that would be more reliable than what he does now, especially on Verizon.

I dread to think how much it would cost.  I'm paying £15/mo for a 3G data link that I use as a backup, when I'm travelling or occasionally to check my messages on FA while at work.
While they do seem to have set up a 3G network (last year!) I doubt it would be cheap.  It would be handy for him to have as a backup plan, though.

From how often his connection fails, even AT&T's horribly spotty 3G network would be more reliable.

Also, mobile operators in the UK tend to compress image data.  He'd have to zip it up first or something to prevent the line-art dissolving into JPEG artifacts.

If he does get a smart phone, then it really should be from Verizon, since they definitely get 3G service in more places and regular service in even more places, including near dead-zone that is the Texas hill country.

Are you sure that would work in the Russian Federation?

[ChaosMageX]

Yeah.  I mean, there are so many options out there now.  Even satellite connections, including HughesNet, seem to be more reliable than whatever connection Ren has now, to has nothing of DSL and cable.

It's an ADSL line.  Do remember that he's living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, though - a better link is probably somewhat beyond his means.

And what city would that be?

Hey, maybe he should get a 3G smart phone and transfer the line-art files to it before sending them to Tapewolf.  Even that would be more reliable than what he does now, especially on Verizon.

I dread to think how much it would cost.  I'm paying £15/mo for a 3G data link that I use as a backup, when I'm travelling or occasionally to check my messages on FA while at work.
While they do seem to have set up a 3G network (last year!) I doubt it would be cheap.  It would be handy for him to have as a backup plan, though.

Wow, at current exchange rates, that's about $23.50, which is cheaper than my phone service.
My service costs about $30/month, but it's worth it for the wide range of service coverage I get, and for someone who's lived with dial-up most of his life, even Verizon's 3G seems quite fast to me.

From how often his connection fails, even AT&T's horribly spotty 3G network would be more reliable.

Also, mobile operators in the UK tend to compress image data.  He'd have to zip it up first or something to prevent the line-art dissolving into JPEG artifacts.

That would probably make it smaller and easier to transmit anyway.

If he does get a smart phone, then it really should be from Verizon, since they definitely get 3G service in more places and regular service in even more places, including near dead-zone that is the Texas hill country.

Are you sure that would work in the Russian Federation?

I'm not sure if Russia has 3G, and if it does, the roaming charges would be ENORMOUS.  That's why I'd just turn my phone off completely when visiting a foreign country, unless I was expecting some important business calls, in which case I would try my best to keep them brief.

[Tapewolf]

And what city would that be?

Central Moscow.

That would probably make it smaller and easier to transmit anyway.

Yes, and that's why they do it.  However, you can barely make out the thumbnails on FA - the end result would not be usable for a comic.

Look at the bottom-left panel of this:
http://www.project-future.org/strip.php?strip=77
...that's the sort of quality we're talking, minus the bit where the datastream breaks.

I'm not sure if Russia has 3G, and if it does, the roaming charges would be ENORMOUS.  That's why I'd just turn my phone off completely when visiting a foreign country, unless I was expecting some important business calls, in which case I would try my best to keep them brief.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do about phone connectivity for Anthrocon.  However, the mobile broadband SIM card is definitely staying at home, since the roaming charge outside the UK is £5/megabyte.  Anyway, that's another story.

[ChaosMageX]

And what city would that be?

Central Moscow.

OMG!  Ren is Russian?!  That's so awesome!  Now I wonder if they really have 3G in Russia...

...According to Google, Russia has Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), which has 3G capability.
Another article says that Moscow even has WiMax, which is a 4G network.

As long as Ren stays in Moscow, he can get great phone reception and super high speed internet.  I doubt WiMax compresses the images as much as 3G, but it probably costs twice as much.
Also, the problem is that WiMax and LTE (the better 4G solution) aren't exactly compatible with each other, so phones designed for LTE probably won't work there.

That would probably make it smaller and easier to transmit anyway.

Yes, and that's why they do it.  However, you can barely make out the thumbnails on FA - the end result would not be usable for a comic.

Look at the bottom-left panel of this:
http://www.project-future.org/strip.php?strip=77
...that's the sort of quality we're talking, minus the bit where the datastream breaks.

*Hisses painfully.*  Ooooh, it's that bad.  I look at webcomics all the time on my Moto Droid, but they never look that crappy.  I guess that's another good thing I can say about the Verizon network, which also makes it worth the cost.

I'm not sure if Russia has 3G, and if it does, the roaming charges would be ENORMOUS.  That's why I'd just turn my phone off completely when visiting a foreign country, unless I was expecting some important business calls, in which case I would try my best to keep them brief.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do about phone connectivity for Anthrocon.  However, the mobile broadband SIM card is definitely staying at home, since the roaming charge outside the UK is £5/megabyte.  Anyway, that's another story.

Still, SIM cards are what make European cell phones superior to American ones, since you can mix and match your phone model with your service provider, and you're not just limited to the models given by your service provider.

Have you seen anyone carrying around a Motorola Milestone?  That's what they call the Droid over there.  If you can show me what a picture looks like in the browser in that phone model over there, I'll be able to tell whether or not Verizon is compressing my images in any way.

[Sprocketsdance]

Yeah.. I'd think a major thing to think of.. is the cost of reliable high-speed internet. Some people can't afford it like me XP

and as long as we're not paying Ren.. I'm not complaining.

[Tapewolf]

and as long as we're not paying Ren.. I'm not complaining.

Paying him is unfortunately non-trivial, otherwise we might have been able to do some kind of collection to get him to AC this year.

By the way, I have the line-art now.  It was indeed a 'net access problem.

[Ren Gaulen]

I return. As Tapewolf guessed, my internet connection went down again. As soon as it was restored, I have sent the lineart to Tape, though, so the comic should be ready soon.
Now, my net provider is technically pretty good, and my internet is pretty fast and all, but sometimes net connection inexplicably fails. And no, I cannot afford a smart phone at the moment. Or anythime soon, for that matter.. I'm sorry, guys, but you'll have to bear with me. My sporadic disappearing is something beyond my control.

[Chakat Blackspots]

Ren was hoping to have the comic inked tonight, unfortunately it looks like his 'net connection went down instead.  If he's out for an extended period I do have some filler, but it doesn't look like we'll be updating tonight at this rate.

y'know, we can one day hope that Ren has a better 'net connect than two cans and a piece of string.  

Yeah.  I mean, there are so many options out there now.  Even satellite connections, including HughesNet, seem to be more reliable than whatever connection Ren has now, to say nothing of DSL and cable, which he should go for first if either are already available where he lives.

Hey, maybe he should get a 3G smart phone and transfer the line-art files to it before sending them to Tapewolf.  Even that would be more reliable than what he does now, especially on Verizon.
From how often his connection fails, even AT&T's horribly spotty 3G network would be more reliable.

If he does get a smart phone, then it really should be from Verizon, since they definitely get 3G service in more places and regular service in even more places, including near dead-zone that is the Texas hill country.

HughesNet isn't something you really want to use.  Satellite internet with high delays and low data limits (1GB a month I believe), and if you go over that limit, they slow you down to dialup speeds.

[Turnsky]

I return. As Tapewolf guessed, my internet connection went down again. As soon as it was restored, I have sent the lineart to Tape, though, so the comic should be ready soon.
Now, my net provider is technically pretty good, and my internet is pretty fast and all, but sometimes net connection inexplicably fails. And no, I cannot afford a smart phone at the moment. Or anythime soon, for that matter.. I'm sorry, guys, but you'll have to bear with me. My sporadic disappearing is something beyond my control.

you're too TROMBE!! for your ISP *nods* 

[Tapewolf]

Since the update notice has now been bumped, I'll point out that the new strip is finally done.  And I'm sure I'll have to explain the whole 'glue' business in the morning.

[inuhanyo]

I guess Joshua probably cost that much because of the state of the art tech used in him.  Though its probably more hush money than anything else.

Jakob is thinking in terms of punitive damages rather than Joshua's net worth, because if Joshua had been killed it would still have been murder in Jakob's eyes even if Josh hadn't been legally recognised as alive.

And if the lawyers challenge it, he can point out that Joshua's body is the first operational prototype, and none of the R&D costs have been amortized.