Why Felicia Bioroids? : A memetic study from ancient times to 2100

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

It's a bit "skiffy" as some posters would say. It's such a cross wiring sort of behavior. It's hard to imagine how one would genetically implant such an oddity of brain chemistry.

It's not really hard to see how you'd do it deliberately, but it's not a very likely bug.

[ClayDowling]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Individuals vary. We know from offspring she only mated with one male. Our other female needed to be neutered as she had a phobia of kittens and loathed other cats with a passion.

But if the cliche is inherently wrong, why use it when discussing an actual feline human, even if in a made up game?

Sir, I think you should send your sense of humor back to the manufacturer. It is clearly defective. The phrase works because it is, in fact, common behavior. The fact that is not true in 100% of cases does not make it less valuable for expressing an idea.

Not all cats are furry little murder machines, either, but it's still a pretty useful way to describe a cat, because many are, even if a large percentage of cats hunt only when they need food.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Sir, I think you should send your sense of humor back to the manufacturer. It is clearly defective.

It's not defective, it's just made for a different jack type, and you ain't got an adapter. (Also, Flyndaran of course knows this.)

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

That is more disturbing than the idea of combat bioroids in the first place.

I can only lay the blame at the feet of Charlie Stross' diseased mind. Read SATURN'S CHILDREN if you feel like you need to know more.

[panton41]

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Not all cats are furry little murder machines, either, but it's still a pretty useful way to describe a cat, because many are, even if a large percentage of cats hunt only when they need food.

The Oatmeal (web comic) has a interesting graphic (based on research he found) about how much cats actually kill. The conclusion was (in huge letters) "Too damn much."

if you don't want to read the comic 1 in 3 well-fed domestic house cats hunt prey on average twice a week and only about a quarter are eaten. Out of 84 million cats (in the US) 28 million are "murder cats" that kill more than 2 billion animals a year.

I know it's a tangent, but The Oatmeal is cool.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

I can only lay the blame at the feet of Charlie Stross' diseased mind. Read SATURN'S CHILDREN if you feel like you need to know more.

I think it's a Heinlein reference (to Friday, and Time Enough for Love). Quite a lot of Saturn's Children is deliberately Heinleinesque.

[vicky_molokh]

Friday isn't exactly a combat bioroid. Covert ops is probably more accurate, which is not the same thing.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

I can only lay the blame at the feet of Charlie Stross' diseased mind. Read SATURN'S CHILDREN if you feel like you need to know more.

Stross's novel came out six years after Transhuman Space, so that's not likely.

Bill Stoddard

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Stross's novel came out six years after Transhuman Space, so that's not likely.

I was referring to the blame for putting the idea in my mind. Charlie makes explicit what David Pulver may have been hinting at, and what Heinlein seems to have avoided addressing.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Sir, I think you should send your sense of humor back to the manufacturer. It is clearly defective. The phrase works because it is, in fact, common behavior. The fact that is not true in 100% of cases does not make it less valuable for expressing an idea.

Not all cats are furry little murder machines, either, but it's still a pretty useful way to describe a cat, because many are, even if a large percentage of cats hunt only when they need food.

"Murder machines" requires a conscious act of sadism. Sadism requires the understanding that others feel pain and taking pleasure in inflicting it. Cats are not capable of that in general. It's gross anthropomorphization.
Dogs will play with dead and dying animals just as much as cats and really most other animals.
Why should I find humor in imagining that my loved ones are sadistic monsters? That's a bit disturbing, and not in a good way.