Signal
Original: Signal on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1
Older man (an administrator, sitting at a desk): WHY THE HELL SHOULD MY ADMINISTRATION FUND PURE MATH, YOU FREAK?
Panel 2
Young man (the researcher): FOR THE RAW DISPLAY OF POWER.
Panel 3
Administrator: YOU WANNA FUND R&D INTO ENERGY OR MATERIALS SCIENCE? GO RIGHT AHEAD. HA!
Panel 4
Researcher: KNOW WHAT ENEMIES WILL THINK? "THAT'S A SOUND INVESTMENT. THAT MAKES SENSE."
Panel 5
Researcher (gesturing, intense): YOU FUND MY WORK IN LOGICAL FOUNDATIONS? IN PATHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS? MY WORK ON TRANSFINITARY COMBINATORICS THAT EVEN I DO NOT UNDERSTAND?
Panel 6
Researcher: NOW YOUR ENEMIES THINK "BY GOD THEY'RE SO RICH THEY CAN LIGHT MONEY AND TALENT ON FIRE FOR NO REASON"
Panel 7 (wide banner panel)
Researcher: I AM THE ANTLERS ON THE STAG OF STATE! THE MANE ON THE NATIONAL LION! AND THE MORE USELESS I BECOME THE MIGHTIER YOU APPEAR!
Panel 8
Administrator: WOW. WOW. FUNDED. YOU GOT IT.
Panel 9
Administrator: YOU MUST KNOW A LOT ABOUT COSTLY SIGNALING.
Panel 10
Researcher (wide-eyed, leaning in): DO NOT DISCUSS APPLICATIONS! ENEMIES MAY BE LISTENING!
Votey:
The researcher, now drawn with wild messy hair and a manic expression, points to his temple: NOW! GIVE ME TWO PENCILS AND A WINDOWLESS OFFICE!
Older man (an administrator, sitting at a desk): WHY THE HELL SHOULD MY ADMINISTRATION FUND PURE MATH, YOU FREAK?
Panel 2
Young man (the researcher): FOR THE RAW DISPLAY OF POWER.
Panel 3
Administrator: YOU WANNA FUND R&D INTO ENERGY OR MATERIALS SCIENCE? GO RIGHT AHEAD. HA!
Panel 4
Researcher: KNOW WHAT ENEMIES WILL THINK? "THAT'S A SOUND INVESTMENT. THAT MAKES SENSE."
Panel 5
Researcher (gesturing, intense): YOU FUND MY WORK IN LOGICAL FOUNDATIONS? IN PATHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS? MY WORK ON TRANSFINITARY COMBINATORICS THAT EVEN I DO NOT UNDERSTAND?
Panel 6
Researcher: NOW YOUR ENEMIES THINK "BY GOD THEY'RE SO RICH THEY CAN LIGHT MONEY AND TALENT ON FIRE FOR NO REASON"
Panel 7 (wide banner panel)
Researcher: I AM THE ANTLERS ON THE STAG OF STATE! THE MANE ON THE NATIONAL LION! AND THE MORE USELESS I BECOME THE MIGHTIER YOU APPEAR!
Panel 8
Administrator: WOW. WOW. FUNDED. YOU GOT IT.
Panel 9
Administrator: YOU MUST KNOW A LOT ABOUT COSTLY SIGNALING.
Panel 10
Researcher (wide-eyed, leaning in): DO NOT DISCUSS APPLICATIONS! ENEMIES MAY BE LISTENING!
Votey:
The researcher, now drawn with wild messy hair and a manic expression, points to his temple: NOW! GIVE ME TWO PENCILS AND A WINDOWLESS OFFICE!
Alt text
A ten-panel comic. A young researcher pitches a skeptical older administrator on funding pure mathematics. The administrator demands to know why he should fund pure math, calling the researcher a freak; the researcher replies, "For the raw display of power." He argues that funding practical R&D (energy, materials science) looks like a sound investment to rival nations, but funding incomprehensible pure math (logical foundations, pathological functions, transfinitary combinatorics he doesn't even understand himself) signals that the state is so rich it can burn money and talent on fire for no reason. In a wide panel he declares, "I am the antlers on the stag of state! The mane on the national lion! And the more useless I become the mightier you appear!" The administrator, convinced, says "Wow. Wow. Funded. You got it," then notes the researcher must know a lot about costly signaling. The researcher, now wide-eyed and manic, leans in and warns, "Do not discuss applications! Enemies may be listening!" Votey aftercomic: a close-up of the researcher with wild, scribbly hair and crazed eyes, pointing at his own temple, shouting, "Now! Give me two pencils and a windowless office!"
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.