Chapter 17 | Page 8b: Emotion-Reading Technology Backfires

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Brad Guigar

Dr. Muskiday tries to turn feelings into data. His emotion-reading technology translates emotions into glowing clouds. As the experiment spirals, it becomes clear that understanding emotions is much messier than measuring them.

Double-Dog Dare!

If you’re looking for something excellent to read, my friend Dave Kellett has a brand-new Kickstarter live right now. It’s packed with never-before-printed comics and is absolutely worth checking out! https://go.evil-inc.net/Double-D

Transcript

(Panel 1)
 Holo-Clone Miss Match: Oh, Musky! I’m so PROUD of you!
 Dr. Muskiday: You are?

(Panel 2)
 Holo-Clone Miss Match: Sure! And I’ll prove it to you.
 (She sprays Dr. Muskiday’s “Project: SMILE” mist onto her chest with a “Pft Pft Pft.”)

(Panel 3)
Holo-Clone Miss Match: That’s odd. I’m definitely experiencing a twenty-five percent increase in admiration.
 (He looks at her as she stands confidently in front of him.)

(Panel 4)
 Dr. Muskiday: (sighs) I know. I wrote your approval algorithm.
 (He buries his head in his hands.)

(Panel 5)
 Computer (stylized): Disappointment detected. Initiating emotional buoyancy protocols.
 (She stands looking at the dejected Muskiday.)

(Panel 6)
 Computer (stylized): Activating file: hold_and_squeeze_those_big_puppies.exe
 (She touches her lips in contemplation.)

(Panel 7)

(Two holographic dogs appear — Oso the Pug and Digby the Dachshund from the ‘Sheldon’ comic strip— to a now overjoyed Muskiday, who grabs and cuddles them gleefully.)

 Holo-Clone Miss Match: Well… I AM proud of you!

Alt Text

Comic strip featuring Holo-Clone Miss Match (a holographic clone of Miss Match) and Dr. Muskiday (a small, humanoid fly in a lab coat) having a humorous interaction. Miss Match tells Muskiday she’s proud of him. She sprays Dr. Muskiday’s “Project: SMILE” mist onto her chest with a “Pft Pft Pft.” It fails to trigger the expected results. She insists that her admiration has increased by 25% even though it’s not indicated by the mist. Muskiday sighs, saying he knows because he wrote her approval algorithm. Detecting his disappointment, Muskiday’s computer initiates an “emotional buoyancy protocol,” executing a file named “hold_and_squeeze_those_big_puppies.exe.” Two holographic dogs appear — Oso the Pug and Digby the Dachshund from the ‘Sheldon’ comic strip — to a now overjoyed Muskiday, who grabs and cuddles them gleefully. The dogs cameo from the "Sheldon" comic strip to promote Dave Kellett’s Kickstarter book, "Double Dog Dare," available at doubledogbook.com

Merry Christmas! Here’s a gift.

Posted on December 25, 2014 by Brad Guigar
If you’re a fan of Webcomics Weekly, here’s a little Christmas gift for you. This is the fourth (and final) episode of the popular podcast that is brought to you by the campaign to fund my book, The Webcomics Handbook. In it, Dave Kellett, Kris Straub and Brad Guigar look back on the year that was — and make plans for next year. Plus we debate which is the better crowdfunding option — Kickstarter or Patreon. That turns into a discussion of the effects of doing the same comic for more than a decade. New projects are beckoning… but how to return the call? Finally, we wonder aloud… Have we become the old men we used to laugh about? The answer ain’t pretty. You can listen to Webcomics Weekly using the player above… …on the Webcomics Weekly Libsyn site… …or download it on iTunes.