Latest blog post: Redraw of chapter 1 is happening (2024-05-11)

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This week on Leaving the Cradle: Dan continues to make baseless assumptions.



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Senior

Last panel : Oh Mark , you so smug there!

But take advice from a born coward : At first sign of aggression from the Alien, kick hard to break Dan´s leg , THEN run !

Always improve your own chances of survival.

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Visitor

He did manage to get the important point right, which is that if a civilization that can cross interstellar space wants to conquer us we probably couldn't stop them anyway.

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Visitor

Is the Military a problem?
Yes.

Does it need to be fixed.
Also yes.

Is Dan on the money here about the Military doing this because they were evil?
Noooooooooooooooooo...

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Senior

That "while you're being eaten" line does not stop being funny. It's my favorite quote in the comic thus far.

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Senior

While we're coming up with reasons why rescuing him might be a mistake, let's not forget physical hazards. Not only are otherworldly diseases a possibility, but a space alien could be straight-up toxic for all we know. These guys would be in a right pickle if Raharrs, say, emitted phosgene as a pheromone.

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Senior

Had the same thought as they're rooting around through the medical cabinets. The info page tells us the reader that they probably share similar base biology, but in world these morons don't know that.

Further, the conspiracy nut is wild enough that I would bet he thinks the marines actually eat crayons.

Reentering objects though that NASA or similar adjency hasn't fessed up or tipped off to owning or having a reentry event, means it's fair game. Could also light up an international incident, but those are survivable, preemptive strikes are not.

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Senior

Dan does have something adjacent to a point here. If space aliens do come to Earth right now and decide to invade, they pretty much are guaranteed to win if they're willing to accept enough damage to the prize. Just getting here would put them in control of "high ground" that we have no real ability to strike at. The starfaring equivalent of even a rusty old unarmed tramp freighter could bombard the planet with space debris for as long as their fuel holds out with no fear of retaliation, let alone what actual warships could do. Heck, we currently wouldn't be able to stop an incoming asteroid even if it wasn't weaponized.

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Senior

With our current technology, it's not a guaranteed win, but likely for the aliens. With our current deployed military infrastructure, almost certainly. We don't have anti-orbital weapons technology that's worth a damn. Not without associated high costs that make it infeasible, or the lovely problem of starting an apocalypse.

But, I did encounter an idea last year that challenges the notion a space age navy in geostationary orbit wins any future engagements. Anti-Orbit Laser Submarines. That'll force star faring vessels to move away at least. May not stop asteroid or similar meteor bombardment tactics, but forcing away starships from hanging around in geostationary gives breathing room for launch facilities to prepare missiles to alter the course of the dangerous projectiles enough.

Not that any one nation actually has any of this, infrastructure-wise or other. It'd be cool if we did build this stuff.

https://toughsf.blogspot.co...

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Visitor

It's over, Anakin.






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The author is against any kind of application of AI to his artwork.

TRIVIA
Artificial Consciousness and Artificial Intelligence are not the same thing.
AIs, much like in real life, are not conscious or sapient and are more like really advanced scripts.
ACs - like Quantum - on the other hand, are properly sapient persons, but their functioning relies on a specific hardware setup as much as on code, so they cannot upload themselves to other computers.