Because we don’t know what soup is, and neither do you!

October 26, 2017 11:44 AM

SOMETHING SOMETHING SOUP SOMETHING could be defined as a videogame. We prefer to think of it as an interactive thought experiment: a piece of technology that discloses situations and presents notions in ways that are interactive and negotiable (and maybe even playful).
posted by Brandon Blatcher (24 comments total)

Before I click, is this F3: Frog Fractions Four?
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:49 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

I did not want to eat any of the soups. Also, I need to know whether the hats were clean.
posted by congen at 11:54 AM on October 26, 2017

I keep trying to download the soup requests and keep getting notices that the data is corrupted and the transmission failed. Am I supposed to be doing something while the transmission is downloading to the soup simulator?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:05 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Now do one for sandwiches that's just a procession of hot dogs, burritos, tacos, and calzones.

And poison mushrooms.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:10 PM on October 26, 2017 [3 favorites]

Arrow up and down with the bumps in the line to minimize corruption.
posted by tempestuoso at 12:11 PM on October 26, 2017

I'd love to 1) not have to do the silly transmission minigame and 2) further refine my definition over multiple replays, with the aliens "learning" and getting better at things I consider soup.
posted by Rock Steady at 12:14 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Can soup be eaten with a fork? Chopsticks are fine, but somehow a fork is not acceptable to me?
posted by Rock Steady at 12:15 PM on October 26, 2017

Honestly, the only ones I rejected were ones that contained poison mushrooms or batteries (both dealbreakers) or rocks without shellfish. For some reason rocks plus shrimp = soup, but rocks plus wontons = not soup.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:17 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

"Soup in a bag, Fran?"
"Well, you never bring bowls home."
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:43 PM on October 26, 2017

"Rocks with an orange wedge and a cocktail umbrella served in a cup with an ice cream scoop."

Sounds like soup to me!
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 1:16 PM on October 26, 2017

Yeah, I eventually started to reconsider my position on rocks in soup. I mean, if everything else is good, then why not? But I didn't trust that my customer base would share those opinions.
posted by redsparkler at 1:20 PM on October 26, 2017

note: it was not soup.

...but apparently soup can be served in a hat, with any utensil, and occasionally frozen. Rocks can't phase change at room temp, so they are not soup.
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 1:23 PM on October 26, 2017

On the basis of the choices you made, according to you:

A soup is a liquid.
It can be served in anything.
It can be eaten using any utensil.
Any type of seafood can be put in soup.
Some types of meat, vegetables, grain and ingredients can be put in soup.
A soup cannot contain anything that might make it inedible.

Soup twins!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:40 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

Is it even wise or productive to strive for a complete theoretical understanding of concepts like ‘soup’ or ‘game’?

chefkiss.gif
posted by ailise at 3:09 PM on October 26, 2017

I also could not do the transmission minigame :( Are all video games like this? Maybe this is why I don't play them.
posted by batter_my_heart at 9:49 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

I wish there were dynamic results based on what users are doing today.
posted by bendy at 11:05 PM on October 26, 2017

I, too, found the minigame impossible. Theoretically nice idea, but minigames :<
posted by The River Ivel at 1:49 AM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

I feel like they want to use the responses for something research-y, and the minigame is a way of weeding out frivolous responses.

But yeah... It took me forever to figure out that you had to move the arrow keys in the same direction as the wave to match it rather than in the opposite direction trying to cancel out the noise because that's the intuitive thing to do *grumble* *grumble* *grumble*
posted by Avelwood at 4:22 AM on October 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

Things that I wished they'd shown me:

Breakfast cereal + Milk
Expected soup ingredients + Milk
Breakfast cereal + Expected soup liquid
Breakfast cereal + Unexpected soup liquid
Non-breakfast cereal (quinoa, lentils, barley, etc) + Milk
Pasta + Sauce
Pasta + Lots of sauce
Pasta + Lots of watered down sauce
Pasta + Tomato stock
posted by Rock Steady at 4:37 AM on October 27, 2017

Now I just want special batteries designed for soup. 9v preferably.
posted by joeyh at 8:12 AM on October 27, 2017

I never got past the point where the data transmission thing is. I never saw soups. Is there someway to skip past that?
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 2:06 PM on October 27, 2017

I don't know if you can skip it but it worked at 43% data corruption, so maybe give it another try?
posted by Room 641-A at 4:18 PM on October 27, 2017

Soup has no edges
posted by congen at 10:56 AM on October 29, 2017

There's no way I find to skip the days transmission thing, but what you do is hold down the arrow keys in the direction of the peaks as they're passing. Up for mountains, down for valleys.
posted by congen at 10:58 AM on October 29, 2017