5 ms·

First reaction upon reading that title: "That's AWESOME!" Seriously, I feel like I am living in the future. Combine that with the self driving cars in Nevada:

First reaction upon reading that title: "That's AWESOME!" Seriously, I feel like I am living in the future. Combine that with the self driving cars in Nevada: "Siri. Take me to the nearest donut shop." "Yes Zack, right away, Sir." And the car just drives off by itself, taking me to the nearest pastry haven.

cryptoz 15y ago
I don't think Siri will take orders from you and give them to a Nevada self-driving car - at least not for a very long time. I think Google's voice software will much more likely be the one taking and giving the orders if we're talking about the domain of self-driving cars. But yes. I can't wait :D
joering2 15y ago
I'm not trying to bang a wrong tune here, but in reality - what is the difference between telling Siri "take me to nearest donuts shop" and telling the same to the taxi driver? In the latter, I most likely will enjoy the conversation with crazy taxi driver. Or I can drive myself based on my knowledge or GPS and having pleasure from driving a car. Or again take a cab if Im drunk or too tired to drive. I just don't find the "awesomeness" here. Besides; although I am not the type of a "kill internet to safe libraries" guy, same time we all know where this is going, right? 3.5 million truck-drivers in US alone [1] plus quarter of million limo/taxi in US (as of 2000) [2], most likely another 10 million in driving-related jobs, all gone within a reasonable period of time needed to implement self-driving cars (year, two?). Hmmm... just wondering - where all this people will go to work?! Thank God, at least in the US alone we maintain a healthy 1% of unemployment rate... oh no, wait! [1] http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm [2] http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/taxidriver.pdf http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/taxidriver.pdf - page 3.
- lazerwalker 15y ago
  Everything is give and take. Having self-driving cars would be an absolute godsend for the environmental impact of automobiles. Automated driving can easily be made more fuel-efficient than human drivers (especially when/if most cars are automated and can coordinate traffic plans), and would also open up much more radical car-sharing plans to minimize the number of cars on the road. Transportation might not be the biggest producer of CO2 emissions, but it's a pretty hearty slice, and unless we do something quickly our planet's pretty screwed. I agree that creating technology for the sake of technology isn't necessarily good, especially if there are negative ramifications in other areas (like job security). But this isn't a black and white "automated cars give us no tangible benefit other than cool factor" situation.
  - joering2 15y ago
    Sure, let me send check to Al Gore. So far I haven't seen any reliable research that would reasonably explain how self driving cars navigated by central algorithms would help to unclog the streets. I for once would be upset if my car decided to put additional 15 miles to get me to work or wherever I want to go just "for a sake of common good of all other automobiles and streets being unclogged". Henry Ford II: Walter, how are you going to get those robots to pay your union dues? Walter Reuther: Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?
    - mryan 15y ago
      Many of the factors affecting traffic jams are a result of human drivers. This animation demonstrates two causes of traffic jams - 'waves' and zip merging: http://trafficwaves.org/tanim.html http://trafficwaves.org/tanim.html I think it is rather easy to see how a central algorithm would be much better at a) maintaining a safe distance from the car in front, and b) merging quickly and fairly. Route selection is just one of the things an algorithm could do. Traffic, by Tom Vanderbilt, has many interesting things to say on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Drive-What-Says-About/dp/0307264785 http://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Drive-What-Says-About/dp/03072...
      - joering2 15y ago
        should be a good read, thanks!
      - Someone 15y ago
        Also, the 'safe distance from the car in front' could be dramatically decreased. Reaction times of computers are way lower than those of humans, and also less variable. A car could signal that it is going to brake to a car following it with a meter of space between them, and brake a ms later, trusting the following car to do follow its speed decrease. Lower inter-car distance on highways will also mean lower air resistance, and hence, higher mpg. I doubt that the net effect on fuel consumption will be substantial, though. Chances are that people will want their driverless cars to drive faster, so that they can live farther away from work. IMO, the only thing that will help there is pricing (fuel, road use, etc)
- notatoad 15y ago
  technology does not kill jobs. our technology has been steadily improving ever since the stone age, and unemployment levels have not appreciably changed. tech increases our quality of life, and the jobs shift away from menial, repetitive, or labour-intensive tasks. think about how much smaller the portion of our population is who works in manufacturing jobs now compared to during the industrial revolution. now think about how big the entertainment industry is now compared to then. coincidence?
  - joering2 15y ago
    ok then, so in this example, explain me or give me some good ideas on how 15 million US drivers all of sudden being obsolete can find employment in all the fields that self driving cars will create?
    - xxbondsxx 15y ago
      This change won't happen overnight. It would take decades to change all the automobiles over to a new technology. They still drive cars from the 1950's in Cuba! It's more like the cab driver's son won't also become a cab driver, he will have a different type of job. He will be more educated from online resources and most likely work in a field that has been expanded due to technology. You could even say that cab drivers themselves are benefactors of automobile technology. Their jobs would not exist without the internal combustion engine. But that invention consumed the jobs of rickshaw runners and horse buggy drivers.
      - joering2 15y ago
        The reason behind driving a 1950's car in Cuba is the fact they don't break that often (otherwise they wouldn't be driven would they?) and most likely some weird Cuban embargos on new imports/production. I don't find this example helpful. I don't see a problem for a rickshaw runner or horse buggy driver becoming a truck driver or UPS delivery guy. They just changed the media that makes them possible to do their job. In this self driving cars scenario, we are replacing drivers with... noone! Unless, self driving cars will be breaking down so often and need so much maintenance that it will create a 15 million workers strong industry to fix or maintain those cars. But I highly doubt that. edit: other than that, talking only about employment numbers, I don't see how cleaner air or less traffic or getting 15 minutes earlier to work would help 15 million unemployed get the job/create new positions.
- mikeash 15y ago
  Taxi drivers don't wait all day in a parking space next to my house, charge more money, and tend to pull amusing tricks like writing down my fare in their log while swerving all over a three-lane highway.

cryptoz 15y ago

I don't think Siri will take orders from you and give them to a Nevada self-driving car - at least not for a very long time. I think Google's voice software will much more likely be the one taking and giving the orders if we're talking about the domain of self-driving cars. But yes. I can't wait :D

joering2 15y ago

I'm not trying to bang a wrong tune here, but in reality - what is the difference between telling Siri "take me to nearest donuts shop" and telling the same to the taxi driver? In the latter, I most likely will enjoy the conversation with crazy taxi driver. Or I can drive myself based on my knowledge or GPS and having pleasure from driving a car. Or again take a cab if Im drunk or too tired to drive. I just don't find the "awesomeness" here. Besides; although I am not the type of a "kill internet to safe libraries" guy, same time we all know where this is going, right? 3.5 million truck-drivers in US alone [1] plus quarter of million limo/taxi in US (as of 2000) [2], most likely another 10 million in driving-related jobs, all gone within a reasonable period of time needed to implement self-driving cars (year, two?). Hmmm... just wondering - where all this people will go to work?! Thank God, at least in the US alone we maintain a healthy 1% of unemployment rate... oh no, wait! [1] http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm http://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm [2] http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/taxidriver.pdf http://www.schallerconsult.com/taxi/taxidriver.pdf - page 3.

lazerwalker 15y ago
Everything is give and take. Having self-driving cars would be an absolute godsend for the environmental impact of automobiles. Automated driving can easily be made more fuel-efficient than human drivers (especially when/if most cars are automated and can coordinate traffic plans), and would also open up much more radical car-sharing plans to minimize the number of cars on the road. Transportation might not be the biggest producer of CO2 emissions, but it's a pretty hearty slice, and unless we do something quickly our planet's pretty screwed. I agree that creating technology for the sake of technology isn't necessarily good, especially if there are negative ramifications in other areas (like job security). But this isn't a black and white "automated cars give us no tangible benefit other than cool factor" situation.
- joering2 15y ago
  Sure, let me send check to Al Gore. So far I haven't seen any reliable research that would reasonably explain how self driving cars navigated by central algorithms would help to unclog the streets. I for once would be upset if my car decided to put additional 15 miles to get me to work or wherever I want to go just "for a sake of common good of all other automobiles and streets being unclogged". Henry Ford II: Walter, how are you going to get those robots to pay your union dues? Walter Reuther: Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?
  - mryan 15y ago
    Many of the factors affecting traffic jams are a result of human drivers. This animation demonstrates two causes of traffic jams - 'waves' and zip merging: http://trafficwaves.org/tanim.html http://trafficwaves.org/tanim.html I think it is rather easy to see how a central algorithm would be much better at a) maintaining a safe distance from the car in front, and b) merging quickly and fairly. Route selection is just one of the things an algorithm could do. Traffic, by Tom Vanderbilt, has many interesting things to say on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Drive-What-Says-About/dp/0307264785 http://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Drive-What-Says-About/dp/03072...
    - joering2 15y ago
      should be a good read, thanks!
    - Someone 15y ago
      Also, the 'safe distance from the car in front' could be dramatically decreased. Reaction times of computers are way lower than those of humans, and also less variable. A car could signal that it is going to brake to a car following it with a meter of space between them, and brake a ms later, trusting the following car to do follow its speed decrease. Lower inter-car distance on highways will also mean lower air resistance, and hence, higher mpg. I doubt that the net effect on fuel consumption will be substantial, though. Chances are that people will want their driverless cars to drive faster, so that they can live farther away from work. IMO, the only thing that will help there is pricing (fuel, road use, etc)
notatoad 15y ago
technology does not kill jobs. our technology has been steadily improving ever since the stone age, and unemployment levels have not appreciably changed. tech increases our quality of life, and the jobs shift away from menial, repetitive, or labour-intensive tasks. think about how much smaller the portion of our population is who works in manufacturing jobs now compared to during the industrial revolution. now think about how big the entertainment industry is now compared to then. coincidence?
- joering2 15y ago
  ok then, so in this example, explain me or give me some good ideas on how 15 million US drivers all of sudden being obsolete can find employment in all the fields that self driving cars will create?
  - xxbondsxx 15y ago
    This change won't happen overnight. It would take decades to change all the automobiles over to a new technology. They still drive cars from the 1950's in Cuba! It's more like the cab driver's son won't also become a cab driver, he will have a different type of job. He will be more educated from online resources and most likely work in a field that has been expanded due to technology. You could even say that cab drivers themselves are benefactors of automobile technology. Their jobs would not exist without the internal combustion engine. But that invention consumed the jobs of rickshaw runners and horse buggy drivers.
    - joering2 15y ago
      The reason behind driving a 1950's car in Cuba is the fact they don't break that often (otherwise they wouldn't be driven would they?) and most likely some weird Cuban embargos on new imports/production. I don't find this example helpful. I don't see a problem for a rickshaw runner or horse buggy driver becoming a truck driver or UPS delivery guy. They just changed the media that makes them possible to do their job. In this self driving cars scenario, we are replacing drivers with... noone! Unless, self driving cars will be breaking down so often and need so much maintenance that it will create a 15 million workers strong industry to fix or maintain those cars. But I highly doubt that. edit: other than that, talking only about employment numbers, I don't see how cleaner air or less traffic or getting 15 minutes earlier to work would help 15 million unemployed get the job/create new positions.
mikeash 15y ago
Taxi drivers don't wait all day in a parking space next to my house, charge more money, and tend to pull amusing tricks like writing down my fare in their log while swerving all over a three-lane highway.