Love Molly Wood, she's hot, cnet is alright, but.....

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-57335792-256/self-driving-cars-yes-please-now-please/

she just lost major points on this article.....autonomous cars... I don't think so.......

(used to) love Molly Wood.....

geek / tech types will ruin the world.....

geek / tech types will ruin the world.....

Yes, we will...I listen to CNET podcasts every day at work and there has been plenty of buzz about autonomous cars over the last few months...Google is making it happen...

>>"...mainstream adoption of automated cars will help improve the environment, use less fuel, reduce traffic to virtually zero, save billions of dollars per year, and most importantly: save a lot of lives and limbs."<<

How exactly would automated cars reduce traffic to zero?

None of these alternate car lifestyles would ever work for me.

Part of the problem, and it's common in the tech industry, is that there is an arrogance and assumption that because we are smart (some brilliant) that we always are right and have a better answer than the 'normals' (non-technical people) do...I've seen it for years--in academia, in industry, in colleagues, in myself. And in the Silicon Valley, even amongst tech reporters, it's very prevalent..

Look at the wacky things Eric Schmidt says...

How exactly would automated cars reduce traffic to zero?

I think she means 'congestion.' Which automation would reduce, though 'zero' is too bold a statement.

^ Yeah, the program diverts excessive congestion to all manner of side/back roads, where the passengers (no more 'drivers') are trapped in a loopdy-loo commute taking 2-4 times longer to get there. Can you imagine the draconian dread "recalculating" will mean in an automated car world?

'Brilliant' think tank swill like this always makes me think of a clapped-out 1964 Catalina roaring down the highway, completely 'off the grid' of Big Brother's control, the smile on the driver's face as wide as the stacked headlights...

Part of the problem, and it's common in the tech industry, is that there is an arrogance and assumption that because we are smart (some brilliant) that we always are right and have a better answer than the 'normals' (non-technical people) do...I've seen it for years--in academia, in industry, in colleagues, in myself. And in the Silicon Valley, even amongst tech reporters, it's very prevalent..

Look at the wacky things Eric Schmidt says...

architects (buildings, not IT) have that mistaken arrogance too. at some point that self righteousness gets ridiculed, chastised, and ignored by the other 99%...

it's just that so much of the business world is tech dependent now, they can probably get away with it for quite awhile yet........

and honestly, that is driving much of our business productivity and financial worth......

i think part of the mindset is political too......a large part of the population would like to see the automotive realm become a less free environment. since it's paid for with a lot of tax dollars I suspect lawyers and politicians under the influence of idealists of that sort will, to quote Captain Picard, "make it so".

If they do make it so, I will be joining the Maquis.

wow. I get that reference. thanks for making me feel nerdy.

I wish my car would drive itself on my school commute. And the next time I have to drive to Pittsburgh. If it did then I wouldn't have caused two accidents due to my incompetence and attention deficit.

Edited January 26, 201214 yr by §carlet §wordfish

There's always the bus

Not from Leavittsburg to Youngstown, there isn't. In fact there isn't a bus from Leavittsburg to anywhere.

Edited January 26, 201214 yr by §carlet §wordfish

I would have thought that Ytown to have a robust bus line and feed the suburbs. In Dayton RTA feeds Montgomery & Greene county's

The WRTA services Youngstown and surrounding areas, but Leavittsburg's a pretty small town and not really part of the Youngstown area. The buses don't even get very far into Warren, let alone this far out. It's at least a 10-minute drive from here to anywhere interesting or useful. It's about 35-40 minutes to YSU.

It's a very straightforward commute and I've grown accustomed to it, but it's far from a joyous driving experience. In fact, ever since I started driving the idea of a joyous driving experience has seemed like a pretty strange concept to me. Does everyone else drive a different race track to work everyday? Or does having 350 HP really make stop and go traffic that much more exciting? I can't recall ever having a single ounce of fun while I was trying to drive somewhere. At its best it's methodical and uneventful, and at its worst (when I don't know where i'm going) it's nerve wracking and sometimes far too eventful. Last time I drove to Pittsburgh I got lost, then crashed, then got even more lost, with a van full of people. That was a painful and embarassing experience and only my already low confidence in my driving ability. If my van had had an autopilot, I probably would've gotten my freinds to our destination on time, I wouldn't have ruined that poor lady in the Elantra's day, my insurance rate would probably not have got up, and I just might have given it a hug when I got home instead of beating myself up. And if the van somehow managed to crash anyway, at least I wouldn't have to blame myself.

Edited January 26, 201214 yr by §carlet §wordfish

wow. I get that reference. thanks for making me feel nerdy.

My pleasure.