5 ms·

Protestors show up at the doorstep of Google self-driving car engineer

47 points by tortilla 13y ago

pavlov 13y ago
So they fight Google's privacy invasions... By giving the supposed perpetrator a taste of his own medicine? This logic only works in the parallel universe of Tarantino films.
- vellum 13y ago
  There was a movie last year, The East, with a similar plot: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1869716/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1869716/
fem 13y ago
I'm puzzled by this reporting on these protests, especially the violent ones. I have yet to read someone condemning them and demanding they be arrested.
- rexreed 13y ago
  I'm puzzled for other reasons, but as far as I know, protesting in public areas is a well-defended US constitutional right. Violence or other illegal acts should clearly be prosecuted, if there's sufficient evidence to determine who did what.
  - fem 13y ago
    Harassing him at home? what about those who vandalized the bus were they apprehended?
- melarina 13y ago
  It doesn't sound like the protestors were violent in this case. All they did was distribute leaflets outside someone's home. Obviously it was not a lot of fun for the engineer who was targeted.
  - FireBeyond 13y ago
    They threatened to not let him or his family leave his house. If you’re that person, what is a reasonable threat level? Are they going to shout at you? Stare intimidatingly? Lock arms and try to stop you? Punch you? Draw weapons? Because if I read that pamphlet manifesto, it doesn’t come across as logical and rational - it actually reads more like “borderline unhinged radical”, and who knows what level of “restraint” is acceptable to such a person? If I’m kept in my home by fear of such - I’m sure there’s a word that captures that, perhaps “imprisoned”, then to me (and in the case of false imprisonment, to the law), the fact that noone or nothing has been hurt or damaged doesn’t make things “non-violent”.
iterable 13y ago
Seems a little much....
sologoub 13y ago
One thing strikes me as particularly short-sighted. This is the person working on getting rid of the most dangerous component of driving - drivers. While yes, there will be impact to jobs and the auto-industry to some extent, but my personal take on this, is the loss will be much less compared to the gain. Airplanes are an interesting example, as they can basically fly themselves by most part, and pilots are often just baby-sitting the machine. Of course the draw back is when the machine fails, they often don't have enough training to properly react, but that's for another day. If one draws similar parallel, this would indicate that trucking would not be wiped out completely as a profession, but will change into supervising the self-driving truck. Likely, enabling greater loads, faster delivery and therefore setting economics for better pay. (One would hope at least.) The creep-factor of this flier really strikes me as a restraining order-worthy. Since they know where he lives, such a order becomes a viable option. I personally don't buy the "peaceful" protest part with this much hatred put on paper.
- mooism2 13y ago
  Self-driving cars + military robotics contractor = self-driving tanks, perhaps? Which after a future war might find themselves at the disposal of local American police departments? I can see why people might be concerned.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
leothekim 13y ago
This isn't protesting. This is a coordinated group singling out an individual for the purpose of intimidation and harassment. This is bullying, and does nothing to add to any constructive discourse of affordable housing.
- hakt 13y ago
  In the last year I've woken up to the fact that almost everything I do as a developer is a political act. It's not just a job, I'm not just a component in a machine -- I have a responsibility to wrestle with the social and political implications of what I create. While I believe that autonomous cars and Street View imagery are net good for the world, I can understand the counter-argument. Some of us are well compensated architects of the cages which imprison us. It's past time to engage with the larger consequences of what we do.
normloman 13y ago
The protestors complaints are justified. Google has made surveillance easier and privacy a distant wish. The tech elite have by-and-large ignored the poor. Rooftop gardening is a fun leisure activity and not a solution to obesity, global warming, or world hunger. But however well intentioned, the protestors are hurting their own cause by resorting to ruthless tactics. The problem of rising surveillance, income inequality, and food shortages are not the fault of one man, or one company. We are all complicit. We all thrive off of an exploitative, unsustainable system. Finding scapegoats gets us no where. Be more productive - Propose solutions. Get the attention of people who can make a difference. Lead people in making a difference. Still, this is a reminder that we've all failed to create a better world with technology.
- npsimons 13y ago
  I'm all for free speech, and let these people have their voices heard; that being said, here's my free speech: fuck these protestors. They aren't being constructive. They aren't being original. They aren't addressing problems that aren't already known about and definitely aren't caused by any one person. What they should be doing is working on more pro-active, productive solutions, you know, like eliminating the most dangerous factor in driving. I look forward to a day when I don't have to worry about losing both my feet below my knees, as one of my cousins did, because of a drunk driver. And while I don't look forward to the privacy implications of only Google offering driverless cars, I do look forward to a world replete with driverless cars. And I might add, this is one of the very few cases in which technology can honestly solve a societal problem.
- smtddr 13y ago
  I was going to downvote you based on your first sentence. But then the rest of your comment brought you back to earth. Now that last sentence though: >>Still, this is a reminder that we've all failed to create a better world with technology. You cannot[1] say tech has given the world a net negative. This is all pedantic though because the bottom line is the protesters are upset and emotions have boiled over striking anyone that happens to be nearby. Right now, that's Google. Please Google and its employees, don't respond in a way that'll make this whole thing blow up more than it already has. The protesters do have a point; they're just not venting their anger in the best way possible. Their focus on Google will makes tech-people forget the bigger picture and start thing about "Why Google?" "Why this G-employee?"... and then we start down the path of crazy-town where there is no positive-outcome. 1. I do realize this is potentially debatable given the invention of stuff like the atomic-bomb. But let's not go there. As long as we haven't blown ourselves up and out of existence, tech is a net positive.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
oceanplexian 13y ago
This is amazing, if not a little bit unfortunate for the guy. Unaffordable housing and personal automated transit for the wealthy? It's like something out of a Sci-Fi novel. While some people may benefit, a lot of people will get thrown under the bus. What happens when regular driving cars are illegal, in the same way manufacturing a car without ABS is illegal? What does this mean for cities and sustainable living? What happens when your car is disabled because you didn't pay a parking fine? We're seeing the birth of a new social movement that will probably dominate this generation.
jack-r-abbit 13y ago
Wow. That flier is a bit off the rails. They blame this guy for the housing bubble because he started a company that made tablets designed to show blue prints at construction sites?
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

47 points by tortilla 13y ago

So they fight Google's privacy invasions... By giving the supposed perpetrator a taste of his own medicine? This logic only works in the parallel universe of Tarantino films.

vellum 13y ago
There was a movie last year, The East, with a similar plot: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1869716/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1869716/

fem 13y ago

I'm puzzled by this reporting on these protests, especially the violent ones. I have yet to read someone condemning them and demanding they be arrested.

rexreed 13y ago
I'm puzzled for other reasons, but as far as I know, protesting in public areas is a well-defended US constitutional right. Violence or other illegal acts should clearly be prosecuted, if there's sufficient evidence to determine who did what.
- fem 13y ago
  Harassing him at home? what about those who vandalized the bus were they apprehended?
melarina 13y ago
It doesn't sound like the protestors were violent in this case. All they did was distribute leaflets outside someone's home. Obviously it was not a lot of fun for the engineer who was targeted.
- FireBeyond 13y ago
  They threatened to not let him or his family leave his house. If you’re that person, what is a reasonable threat level? Are they going to shout at you? Stare intimidatingly? Lock arms and try to stop you? Punch you? Draw weapons? Because if I read that pamphlet manifesto, it doesn’t come across as logical and rational - it actually reads more like “borderline unhinged radical”, and who knows what level of “restraint” is acceptable to such a person? If I’m kept in my home by fear of such - I’m sure there’s a word that captures that, perhaps “imprisoned”, then to me (and in the case of false imprisonment, to the law), the fact that noone or nothing has been hurt or damaged doesn’t make things “non-violent”.

iterable 13y ago

Seems a little much....

sologoub 13y ago

One thing strikes me as particularly short-sighted. This is the person working on getting rid of the most dangerous component of driving - drivers. While yes, there will be impact to jobs and the auto-industry to some extent, but my personal take on this, is the loss will be much less compared to the gain. Airplanes are an interesting example, as they can basically fly themselves by most part, and pilots are often just baby-sitting the machine. Of course the draw back is when the machine fails, they often don't have enough training to properly react, but that's for another day. If one draws similar parallel, this would indicate that trucking would not be wiped out completely as a profession, but will change into supervising the self-driving truck. Likely, enabling greater loads, faster delivery and therefore setting economics for better pay. (One would hope at least.) The creep-factor of this flier really strikes me as a restraining order-worthy. Since they know where he lives, such a order becomes a viable option. I personally don't buy the "peaceful" protest part with this much hatred put on paper.

mooism2 13y ago
Self-driving cars + military robotics contractor = self-driving tanks, perhaps? Which after a future war might find themselves at the disposal of local American police departments? I can see why people might be concerned.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

leothekim 13y ago

This isn't protesting. This is a coordinated group singling out an individual for the purpose of intimidation and harassment. This is bullying, and does nothing to add to any constructive discourse of affordable housing.

hakt 13y ago
In the last year I've woken up to the fact that almost everything I do as a developer is a political act. It's not just a job, I'm not just a component in a machine -- I have a responsibility to wrestle with the social and political implications of what I create. While I believe that autonomous cars and Street View imagery are net good for the world, I can understand the counter-argument. Some of us are well compensated architects of the cages which imprison us. It's past time to engage with the larger consequences of what we do.

normloman 13y ago

The protestors complaints are justified. Google has made surveillance easier and privacy a distant wish. The tech elite have by-and-large ignored the poor. Rooftop gardening is a fun leisure activity and not a solution to obesity, global warming, or world hunger. But however well intentioned, the protestors are hurting their own cause by resorting to ruthless tactics. The problem of rising surveillance, income inequality, and food shortages are not the fault of one man, or one company. We are all complicit. We all thrive off of an exploitative, unsustainable system. Finding scapegoats gets us no where. Be more productive - Propose solutions. Get the attention of people who can make a difference. Lead people in making a difference. Still, this is a reminder that we've all failed to create a better world with technology.

npsimons 13y ago
I'm all for free speech, and let these people have their voices heard; that being said, here's my free speech: fuck these protestors. They aren't being constructive. They aren't being original. They aren't addressing problems that aren't already known about and definitely aren't caused by any one person. What they should be doing is working on more pro-active, productive solutions, you know, like eliminating the most dangerous factor in driving. I look forward to a day when I don't have to worry about losing both my feet below my knees, as one of my cousins did, because of a drunk driver. And while I don't look forward to the privacy implications of only Google offering driverless cars, I do look forward to a world replete with driverless cars. And I might add, this is one of the very few cases in which technology can honestly solve a societal problem.
smtddr 13y ago
I was going to downvote you based on your first sentence. But then the rest of your comment brought you back to earth. Now that last sentence though: >>Still, this is a reminder that we've all failed to create a better world with technology. You cannot[1] say tech has given the world a net negative. This is all pedantic though because the bottom line is the protesters are upset and emotions have boiled over striking anyone that happens to be nearby. Right now, that's Google. Please Google and its employees, don't respond in a way that'll make this whole thing blow up more than it already has. The protesters do have a point; they're just not venting their anger in the best way possible. Their focus on Google will makes tech-people forget the bigger picture and start thing about "Why Google?" "Why this G-employee?"... and then we start down the path of crazy-town where there is no positive-outcome. 1. I do realize this is potentially debatable given the invention of stuff like the atomic-bomb. But let's not go there. As long as we haven't blown ourselves up and out of existence, tech is a net positive.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

oceanplexian 13y ago

This is amazing, if not a little bit unfortunate for the guy. Unaffordable housing and personal automated transit for the wealthy? It's like something out of a Sci-Fi novel. While some people may benefit, a lot of people will get thrown under the bus. What happens when regular driving cars are illegal, in the same way manufacturing a car without ABS is illegal? What does this mean for cities and sustainable living? What happens when your car is disabled because you didn't pay a parking fine? We're seeing the birth of a new social movement that will probably dominate this generation.

jack-r-abbit 13y ago

Wow. That flier is a bit off the rails. They blame this guy for the housing bubble because he started a company that made tablets designed to show blue prints at construction sites?

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]