Inscriptional theory of mind, again
« previous post | next post »
Yesterday, commenting on "Theory of mind in the comics", tablogloid wrote:
I was raised in a very strict Catholic family in the 1950s. I also read a lot of comic books. As a result, every Sunday as I sat through Mass, I was so sure that the priest could read my thought captions that I used to brush my hand over the top of my head to try and pop the bubble and erase the copy.
This morning's Tank McNamara strip illustrates the effect:
Update — more from July 16:
And July 17th:
wally said,
July 15, 2010 @ 10:54 am
For some reason, when I embiggen, the background bleeds thru.
This does not happen for the Tank McNamara example several posts down, nor have I noticed it in the past.
J. W. Brewer said,
July 15, 2010 @ 11:59 am
As someone put it back when I was still in utero: "[I]f my thought-dreams could be seen / They'd probably put my head in a guillotine." http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/its-alright-ma-im-only-bleeding
Peter Taylor said,
July 15, 2010 @ 1:23 pm
@Wally: the image has transparency. Weird.
More generally, what does "stealing signs" mean? Gathering hints on the pitcher's intent?
[(myl) Before each pitch, the catcher, squatting behind the plate, uses a hand between his legs to give a pitcher a sign to choose the next pitch's type (fastball, curve, change-up, slider, etc.) and location. This is because if the catcher isn't ready for what the pitcher throws, he might very well fail to catch it. See here and here for some details.
The catcher's legs usually shield the signs from members of the opposing team, but a runner at second base can often pick them up, and sometimes an observer with binoculars will be placed somewhere in the stands where the signs can be seen, and will relay the information to a coach who can relay it in turn to the batter.]
John Cowan said,
July 15, 2010 @ 9:19 pm
I have never understood why signs aren't routinely changed, like cryptographic keys: say, between games. (It might not be practical to change them within a game.) But the references you point to suggest that signs are changed only if the catcher concludes they are being stolen.
Aaron said,
July 16, 2010 @ 1:22 am
The problem with the stealing signs part is that the thought bubble is marked as coming from the batter – notice the trail of bubbles to the right of the last panel (as in panel 1) and notice that the batter was the one worried about someone reading his thoughts. In that context, I don't think that stealing signs makes sense.
[(myl) Good point — though I assumed that the pitcher had cut his own thought balloon loose and was then trying to erase the words as it drifted away. If that thought balloon comes from the batter (which I admit is probably what the cartoonist intended) then maybe the signs in question are the ones given by the third-base coach to the hitter.
Why the pitcher is rubbing out the words is then less clear, but in the earlier strips, we learn that the pitcher finds the batter's thought balloons distracting.]
I'd also add that some batters (such as Alex Rodriguez) are occasionally accused of stealing signs just by looking back at what the catcher is doing. It's not against any written rule, just an unwritten code that some people in baseball take seriously.
Nemo said,
July 16, 2010 @ 11:27 am
Aaron, I'm wondering if this might even be an even cleverer joke than we thought at first. Yes, the thought bubble in the last pane is clearly the batter's, and so the reference to stealing signs doesn't quite make sense as a baseball worry. As a metaphor, though, it could work— the batter is not concerned that the pitcher is stealing signs from the catcher but worried that the pitcher is "stealing signs" from him metaphorically by reading is thoughts. Moreover, it is just possible that the pitcher isn't just erasing the letters but is taking them, hence "stealing signs." A bit of a stretch, but possible?
Terry Hunt said,
July 16, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
As a British baseball ignoramus, I was unaware that such Catcher-to-Pitcher signals were used. Consequently I took 'signs' to refer to unconscious body language or unavoidable clues (such as finger placements) that the Batter could have learned to look for in the particular Pitcher, as routinely occurs with Batsmen and Bowlers in the vaguely similar sport of Cricket.