I see I missed quite a lot while I was out of town! First, b00m, I agree with your decision to suspend the strip until after Sept. 11 just in case anyone might be upset. Fox did the same thing with an episode of
The Simpsons for years (the one where the family goes to NYC and there's a gag involving Homer and the Twin Towers), refusing to rerun it until many years after the attack.
I'm very pleased with the way the plot is going. As to whether Dumas set the Dan-O-Matic to catch Delores when she ran by, I think we're all pretty suspicious that he did, but I can suggest an alternate explanation: Perhaps the Dan-O-Matic was built using human engrams to allow it to think like a human being (everybody remember that old
Star Trek episode with the M-5 computer?). Whose engrams were used? I'd say they probably used Dan's (our Dan's), and we all know what would happen if a very bad girl tried to run past Dan

. I think the Dan-O-Matic simply reacted the same way Dan would have!
I think the heat-seeking missile chasing after first Katie and then Delores is a really good gag, like a slapstick cartoon (I believe
Daffy Duck was mentioned earlier). I like the shot of Delores bending over the acid vat in panel 7 as she tries to scramble into it - good paddling position with her fanny raised high.

I look forward to seeing her when she comes out of the vat
au naturel 
. And of course there's a good chance Dumas will finally "man up" as they say and take her OTK the way someone should have a long time ago.