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And there are plenty of people who do not and have no desire to live in a city at all, and that isn't going to change. Many people retire to rural areas, or liv

And there are plenty of people who do not and have no desire to live in a city at all, and that isn't going to change. Many people retire to rural areas, or live in smaller cities/towns. It's a deliberate lifestyle choice for many, and these people are perfectly happy to own a vehicle of their own and use it and it's not a problem that needs solving for them. So when urban technologists come in and say they're going to "solve" the problem of car ownership and turn it into a service, such people respond somewhere between mockery and outrage at the ignorance of such people thinking their ultra-urban environment is the only acceptable way of life.

euyyn 10y ago
Car ownership is a problem for some (many) people. If someone responds with mockery at the idea of self-driving cars only because it's not a problem for him, he's the one being ignorant.
- waterphone 10y ago
  No one is mocking the idea that there is a place for self driving cars, whether privately owned or pooled for collective use, just that this is going to completely replace private ownerships for everyone. As a rural resident who does most driving on rough, dirt roads and roads without lane markings, I think it would be cool to eventually have a car that could self-drive, but I don't expect them to work for me anytime soon. Electric cars, similarly, aren't practical for rural usage—there is nothing comparable to the ease of throwing a few more cans of gas into the back to extend your range when driving long distance in a remote area with no fuel/power. As batteries and range keep getting better, they become more useful for some rural users, but still not so much for long distance backcountry travel. Furthermore, people who choose to live in rural areas end up needing to be more self-sufficient mechanically as well, able to repair vehicles themselves. Electric and self-driving vehicles are and will continue to become decreasingly user-serviceable. That alone is a big reason for me to hesitate in ever wanting one. The world is moving away from repairability, and for people who need to be able to fix things ourselves, or who believe that it's the right thing to do, that forces us to avoid adoption of certain newer technologies. But now I'm getting into a whole new subject.
  - Aloha 10y ago
    The best case I see, is the modern day equivalent of the horse that could get you home when you were otherwise too drunk to do so yourself. The worst case I see, is that this technology could be imposed on all of us, whether is works, is useful, is needed/wanted or not.
Fricken 10y ago
Do you guys hang out in the makeup department and talk about your disineterest in lipstick? Why is every thread on this subject loaded with peanut gallery comments from people who aren't interested in autonomous cars. If you don't like them don't use them. They still stand to address the needs of 10s of millions of commuters in America, and far more worldwide. It's a huge addressable market.
- dsfyu404ed 10y ago
  The lipstick proponents don't try to talk it up to people who don't need and want it.
  - jessaustin 10y ago
    Apparently you haven't read the many lipstick threads here on HN...
- golergka 10y ago
  People who left the comments above in this thread have said nothing about their personal tastes and preferences.
- probably_wrong 10y ago
  I think it's not disinterest, but more of a reality check. While we all agree that self-driving cars will be a game changer, some of us think that it can be easily blown out of proportions. "The needs of 10s of millions of commuters in America" could have been addressed with public transport years ago. The fact that they weren't should tell us that there's more to it than whether someone drives the car or not.
  - wcummings 10y ago
    Basically this, combined with the fact that people who dislike public transit for cultural reasons (see also: hate the poor) point to SDC's as a panacea for all our transportation problems. There was literally a post in one of these threads saying we should "screen" people so undesirables couldn't use public transit so it would be more attractive to yuppy scumbags.
wcummings 10y ago
I think this will change. Those small towns don't look so hot right now, and young people are leaving for the closest city because that's where the jobs are. The 'burbs will be fine but things don't look good for "small town America", a lot of towns could decay and disappear. Just because it's a deliberate lifestyle choice doesn't mean it's a sustainable one. Just look at the quality of housing stock, infrastructure, basic services like drinking water and jobs (or lack thereof) in these places, it's not a pretty picture.

euyyn 10y ago

Car ownership is a problem for some (many) people. If someone responds with mockery at the idea of self-driving cars only because it's not a problem for him, he's the one being ignorant.

waterphone 10y ago
No one is mocking the idea that there is a place for self driving cars, whether privately owned or pooled for collective use, just that this is going to completely replace private ownerships for everyone. As a rural resident who does most driving on rough, dirt roads and roads without lane markings, I think it would be cool to eventually have a car that could self-drive, but I don't expect them to work for me anytime soon. Electric cars, similarly, aren't practical for rural usage—there is nothing comparable to the ease of throwing a few more cans of gas into the back to extend your range when driving long distance in a remote area with no fuel/power. As batteries and range keep getting better, they become more useful for some rural users, but still not so much for long distance backcountry travel. Furthermore, people who choose to live in rural areas end up needing to be more self-sufficient mechanically as well, able to repair vehicles themselves. Electric and self-driving vehicles are and will continue to become decreasingly user-serviceable. That alone is a big reason for me to hesitate in ever wanting one. The world is moving away from repairability, and for people who need to be able to fix things ourselves, or who believe that it's the right thing to do, that forces us to avoid adoption of certain newer technologies. But now I'm getting into a whole new subject.
- Aloha 10y ago
  The best case I see, is the modern day equivalent of the horse that could get you home when you were otherwise too drunk to do so yourself. The worst case I see, is that this technology could be imposed on all of us, whether is works, is useful, is needed/wanted or not.

Fricken 10y ago

Do you guys hang out in the makeup department and talk about your disineterest in lipstick? Why is every thread on this subject loaded with peanut gallery comments from people who aren't interested in autonomous cars. If you don't like them don't use them. They still stand to address the needs of 10s of millions of commuters in America, and far more worldwide. It's a huge addressable market.

dsfyu404ed 10y ago
The lipstick proponents don't try to talk it up to people who don't need and want it.
- jessaustin 10y ago
  Apparently you haven't read the many lipstick threads here on HN...
golergka 10y ago
People who left the comments above in this thread have said nothing about their personal tastes and preferences.
probably_wrong 10y ago
I think it's not disinterest, but more of a reality check. While we all agree that self-driving cars will be a game changer, some of us think that it can be easily blown out of proportions. "The needs of 10s of millions of commuters in America" could have been addressed with public transport years ago. The fact that they weren't should tell us that there's more to it than whether someone drives the car or not.
- wcummings 10y ago
  Basically this, combined with the fact that people who dislike public transit for cultural reasons (see also: hate the poor) point to SDC's as a panacea for all our transportation problems. There was literally a post in one of these threads saying we should "screen" people so undesirables couldn't use public transit so it would be more attractive to yuppy scumbags.

wcummings 10y ago

I think this will change. Those small towns don't look so hot right now, and young people are leaving for the closest city because that's where the jobs are. The 'burbs will be fine but things don't look good for "small town America", a lot of towns could decay and disappear. Just because it's a deliberate lifestyle choice doesn't mean it's a sustainable one. Just look at the quality of housing stock, infrastructure, basic services like drinking water and jobs (or lack thereof) in these places, it's not a pretty picture.