Hey, don’t let his coldness fool you, Dean is actually a guy who needs constant affection. In Giant Days 47 was possible to see that he has an adorable dog, that he loves, and a hermit crab in a fish tank in his bedroom. Everyone was surprised by this side of his character, I’m sure he loves his fish a lot.
Although now that I think about it, it was probably game over the moment you installed the Amstagram app and gave it whatever permissions it was demanding in return for use.
It doesn’t look as if Dean’s telephone is in any way modern. It has only one lens on the back! One! The phones of most of the other characters have at least five. Unless Zambian is going full retro this is many generations behind “modern”.
Although I am amazed at the confluence as today’s random xkcd rerun for me was Dick Cheney attempting to criminalise all telephone handsets not connected to the cradle by means of a curly wire ( https://achewood.com/2004/10/06/title.html ). Alas he left out the requirement that digits be selected by means of a rotary dial.
I also realise I was so amused by the confluence that I typed xkcd when I meant Achewood. I am sure all of you can edit it in your heads. At least it wasn’t SMBC…
Good work Cleire, Skelottie fallen into the trap! Or maybe she was expecting something like this and will come prepared? Claire will warn “Bernice” and she’ll come with Shauna and Linton or she will try to capture her only with the help of Glenn? There are too many questions!!!
That is either the biggest phone I have ever seen, or a relatively small tablet. Or did I misspell “table” again?
If Zambian were to release a phone like my old four or five generations ago Motorola which was about the size of a deck of playing cards, I’d buy one immediately. It fit perfectly in my pocket, and did everything I wanted it to do.
The most conspicuous thing about it to me is that it has only ONE camera lens. Totally on-brand for Dean, but it seems quite unusual as a Zambian product. Was this an obscure short-run model that he had to hunt down on Ebay?
I feel like Dean is the kind of guy who obsessively researched his purchase, bought the best model he could afford, and will use it for a decade and a half until some unfixable part finally dies. Yearly phone upgrades are for the weak willed and financially feckless.
I had a phone that lasted my a full decade. It was an old, prehistoric thing, that worked as a phone, texted (with a full, physical keyboard) and took pictures (badly). I refused to upgrade, because to me, how long something lasts is part of how good it is, how well-made, and I couldn’t bring myself to trade it for something that would last a fraction as long. Until it started having problems. I didn’t actually wait until it was completely dead. It showed a noticeable decline, and I finally upgraded to a smartphone.
Probably not, because I think Dean would not use an OS whose security updates stopped long before then. Unless he’s using some third party OS that’s still doing security updates on Android 3.
Ah, the cellphone, that devilish machine. Most daring of you to incorporate it into a mystery narrative – most writers try to pretend it doesn’t exist, since it short circuits so many premises. You can just… message the murderer, directly, at any time?
Also, Lottie hadn’t run into Dean yet when the Myamoto murder took place (in Wicked Things), which seems to have been an attempt to EviLottie to frame ReaLottie.
My initial interpretation of that first panel was that Claire was video-chatting Dean on a screen mounted in the back of a fish tank. Which seemed like a thing that Dean might plausibly have. Because Dean.
Lottie is most prominently present in Bad Machinery – but
she visits Sheffield once and just before departing tells Daisy that Ingrid is a horrible person she should break up with – which is what Daisy does.
I know in Giant Days Ingrid never learns this and probably never has because only Daisy could tell her.
Furthermore I would rate Ingrind more among the bigger nuisances – on par with Dean- but not a deranged criminal.
Stars in her …um, glasses
Kind of looks like she’s in the tank.
Chekhov’s fish tank? We shall see.
That tank doesn’t fit the room, it’s like a speck of grit in an oyster. I can’t even speculate on the train of thought that led Dean to acquire it.
They’re a right bugger to move too. Not the kind of thing I’d expect to find in temporary accommodation. All rather odd if you ask me.
Probably the same thing that led him to acquire the “microwave browning”.
Hey, don’t let his coldness fool you, Dean is actually a guy who needs constant affection. In Giant Days 47 was possible to see that he has an adorable dog, that he loves, and a hermit crab in a fish tank in his bedroom. Everyone was surprised by this side of his character, I’m sure he loves his fish a lot.
Of course, he’d love them even more if they were bees.
If Chekov’s fish tank applies here I’m sure Claire would show any innocent refugee fish the same compassion that Lottie demonstrated in Tredregyn.
I can’t believe I’m saying is, but I’m actually worried for Dean right now.
I’m sure he’ll be fine. If things get out of hand, he can scare her off by brandishing insulation foam at her. https://badmachinery.com/comic/2023-02-27/
Indeed. I’m sure Dean would be a blackbelt in insulation foam combat if such a thing existed.
…kinda? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foam_weapon
zig zag builders and two letter word merchants is one of the best things I’ve ever read
Glern and Claire to do the heavy lifting while Grote-real is in the deep thistles of Scotland?
Someone might get kilt.
Do you know a good kilter? Somehow my old one shrank. Yeah, we’re going with “shrank.” The alternative is too horrible to think about.
Sorry to hear your kilt is off kilter.
Do good quilters also make good kilters?
In the 1700s the word kilt was written as quelt, but that’s about as close as it gets
Sorry if I kill’t that conversation
Never trust the fish. The fish are always watching you, always. They couldn’t stop watching if they wanted to. No eyelids. They know what you did.
Bad infosec, Dean! I’m very sympathetic to this paranoia!!
Although now that I think about it, it was probably game over the moment you installed the Amstagram app and gave it whatever permissions it was demanding in return for use.
No apps on a modern telephone would do that.
Would they?
It doesn’t look as if Dean’s telephone is in any way modern. It has only one lens on the back! One! The phones of most of the other characters have at least five. Unless Zambian is going full retro this is many generations behind “modern”.
Although I am amazed at the confluence as today’s random xkcd rerun for me was Dick Cheney attempting to criminalise all telephone handsets not connected to the cradle by means of a curly wire ( https://achewood.com/2004/10/06/title.html ). Alas he left out the requirement that digits be selected by means of a rotary dial.
I assume you are familiar with the Rotary Dial Cell Phone: https://www.wired.com/story/justine-haupt-rotary-phone/
No, but now I WANT ONE!
I believe she’s still making kits.
Her personal site seems to be down but she seems to have started up a company that is selling the kits here: https://skysedge.com/
Due to interference from the above thread, I read “still making kilts” and “selling the kilts” the first several times through this thread.
While nowhere near as cool, you can get an app on your modern, slimline, soul-less smartphone that turns your dial keypad into a rotary style: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brilliantappstudios.oldphonedialer.keypad&hl=en_NZ
Thank you for sharing that!
I also realise I was so amused by the confluence that I typed xkcd when I meant Achewood. I am sure all of you can edit it in your heads. At least it wasn’t SMBC…
There are not nearly enough Achewood references and links in this otherwise excellent comment section
I have made every face shown on Dean here whenever someone demands access to my phone.
Setting a trap? Is there a backup plan? How about a safe-room?
Since it’s Scrabble, there should be a safe word.
That word is “qaid”.
Very good
Good work Cleire, Skelottie fallen into the trap! Or maybe she was expecting something like this and will come prepared? Claire will warn “Bernice” and she’ll come with Shauna and Linton or she will try to capture her only with the help of Glenn? There are too many questions!!!
Fortunately facial recognition still works when one is scowling.
Probably was the face he showed when he created the reference.
That is either the biggest phone I have ever seen, or a relatively small tablet. Or did I misspell “table” again?
If Zambian were to release a phone like my old four or five generations ago Motorola which was about the size of a deck of playing cards, I’d buy one immediately. It fit perfectly in my pocket, and did everything I wanted it to do.
It was established in Giant Days that Dean is a “phablet guy”
The most conspicuous thing about it to me is that it has only ONE camera lens. Totally on-brand for Dean, but it seems quite unusual as a Zambian product. Was this an obscure short-run model that he had to hunt down on Ebay?
I feel like Dean is the kind of guy who obsessively researched his purchase, bought the best model he could afford, and will use it for a decade and a half until some unfixable part finally dies. Yearly phone upgrades are for the weak willed and financially feckless.
I had a phone that lasted my a full decade. It was an old, prehistoric thing, that worked as a phone, texted (with a full, physical keyboard) and took pictures (badly). I refused to upgrade, because to me, how long something lasts is part of how good it is, how well-made, and I couldn’t bring myself to trade it for something that would last a fraction as long. Until it started having problems. I didn’t actually wait until it was completely dead. It showed a noticeable decline, and I finally upgraded to a smartphone.
> how long something lasts is part of how good it is
AMEN, brother Alaric.
Probably not, because I think Dean would not use an OS whose security updates stopped long before then. Unless he’s using some third party OS that’s still doing security updates on Android 3.
Oh Lord, I’m like Dean….
“So Dean’s phablet is canon?”
“I didn’t know Canon made phablets.”
“Tiles up” is how I’ll be referring to future mahjong games… and Bananagrams.
Sadly, it’s currently a very good description of my downstairs bathroom, and has been for nearly a year now.
I have never heard a better takedown of the modern Scrabble scene. Two-letter word merchants indeed.
Ah, the cellphone, that devilish machine. Most daring of you to incorporate it into a mystery narrative – most writers try to pretend it doesn’t exist, since it short circuits so many premises. You can just… message the murderer, directly, at any time?
Or call/text for help.
“I’ve brought you all here because one of the people in this chatroom is a murderer.”
Claire has deviously weaponised her cuteness into the ultimate manipulatory tool!!! Good on her.
“Uncivil Cuteness.” Great name for a toddler punk band!
It.was only a matter of time. I’m so happy for her!
This looks like Evillottie and Dean go back quite some time on Amstergram could this fatal connection be at the core of all the trouble?
There may be some other connection between them from earlier, but Doppelgröte only added Dean on Amstragram about a week ago.
Also, Lottie hadn’t run into Dean yet when the Myamoto murder took place (in Wicked Things), which seems to have been an attempt to EviLottie to frame ReaLottie.
My initial interpretation of that first panel was that Claire was video-chatting Dean on a screen mounted in the back of a fish tank. Which seemed like a thing that Dean might plausibly have. Because Dean.
A far shot:
Lottie is most prominently present in Bad Machinery – but
she visits Sheffield once and just before departing tells Daisy that Ingrid is a horrible person she should break up with – which is what Daisy does.
I know in Giant Days Ingrid never learns this and probably never has because only Daisy could tell her.
Furthermore I would rate Ingrind more among the bigger nuisances – on par with Dean- but not a deranged criminal.
But – who knows?
I’m surprised that nobody has registered `lottiegrote412` on Instagram. If I wasn’t already late for work I’d do it myself.
BRILLIANT