Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

LIBERALS WANT YOUR CAR KEYS
National Review ^ | 3/9/16 | Daniel Gelernter

Posted on 03/11/2016 7:09:11 AM PST by gridlock

Can computerized cars drive better than we can?

The cover story of Time’s March 7 issue makes “the increasingly compelling case for why you shouldn’t be allowed to drive,” claiming that computerized cars are (or, it is hoped, will be) safer drivers than humans, and so the logical thing is to ban humans from driving altogether. The plan is simple and familiar: First you use behavioral economics (higher taxes) to discourage a certain behavior — think of smoking — and once it’s gotten really unpopular, you ban it. Before you know it, you can’t smoke in Central Park.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: cars; freedom; redbarchetta
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-133 next last
To: discostu

They won’t have to control 100 million cars at any one time. That’s a silly argument.

The cars will have autonomy for most routine operations, and the cars’ local computers will handle that.

The concern is the government monitor and override capability that will creep incrementally into the design, in other words, back doors.

All the government needs to do is tell the car manufacturers that in order to be able to sell their product, they must include certain “safety features” which would allow them to access the car’s control systems at will.


61 posted on 03/11/2016 9:12:11 AM PST by Fresh Wind (Falcon 105)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: IronJack

And yet the AREN’T DOING THAT. That’s my point. There’s a lot of “coulds” but not a lot of “actually happening.” Made more so by the fact that no ONE SINGLE group working on these self driving cars has ANY INTENT of going centralized control. They’re all SELF driving, not remote control.

I know they couldn’t. Because I understand the vast difference between storing data for keyword searches and interactive control.

Why bother with “off limits” or “high alert”?! There’s nothing they can do with that. Especially since, again, NOT REMOTE CONTROL. Self driving cars aren’t talking to a server, there’s no central group to be told they’re going to an “off limits” area.

No, that capability won’t exist.

Yes paranoid. And also very much NOT based on history. You’re pulling entirely from supposition and assumption.


62 posted on 03/11/2016 9:16:38 AM PST by discostu (This unit not labeled for individual sale)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: longfellow

CO - the roads were nice 20 yrs ago.


63 posted on 03/11/2016 9:16:48 AM PST by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: gridlock

I think I speak for everyone in America when I say that I secretly believe that I am the best driver in the world. And, like George Carlin said, “Everyone who is going faster than me is a maniac and everyone who is going slower than me is an idiot.”


64 posted on 03/11/2016 9:19:06 AM PST by Drawsing (Fools show their annoyance at once, the prudent man overlooks an insult. Proverbs 12:16)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fresh Wind

If the car has autonomy how is the government going to monitor and override? None of these designs are for remote control, they’re all autonomous. If they can’t control the cars then... well the CAN’T CONTROL THE CARS. Thus why I make fun of everybody talking about how they’ll control the cars.

If they tell the manufacturers that, then you’re back into the logistical impossibility of them controlling the cars. Which they can’t do. Thus why the ONLY people talking about this are the paranoid luddites against the tech.


65 posted on 03/11/2016 9:21:43 AM PST by discostu (This unit not labeled for individual sale)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: discostu
How can you be so obtuse? I know of entire fleets of vehicles that are tracked within INCHES currently, so don't tell me that technology doesn't exist. And it would be an elementary matter to connect those kinds of location systems into the auto-drive, and to develop code that will prevent the vehicles from going to certain locations, or to transmit their location if they do. It would also be simple to store all trip parameters and make it available, if not realtime, then at least for download. So the gestapo could easily see where you've been and when for the last X days.

For cripes' sake, don't be such a slave to technology that you ignore the potential for its abuse!

66 posted on 03/11/2016 9:27:35 AM PST by IronJack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: IronJack

Big difference between tracked and controlled. Also there’s the matter of scale. There’s 137 million privately owned passenger cars in America. Then all the other vehicles on the road. This isn’t like a cab company tracking their 100 vehicles, this is MOUNTAINS of data trying to be processed live.

For download and you just lost the favorite paranoia of control. And with the level of cellphones we have in this country, they can already find out where you’ve been.

ALL technology has the “potential” for abuse. The question is what’s ACTUALLY going to be done with it. Don’t be such a slave to paranoia that we have to go back to the stone age just so you can finally feel safe.


67 posted on 03/11/2016 9:33:29 AM PST by discostu (This unit not labeled for individual sale)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: Fresh Wind

Red Barchetta. My favorite song of all time by my favorite band of all time.


68 posted on 03/11/2016 9:33:57 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (#BlackoLivesMatter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Fresh Wind; flaglady47

The song was inspired by the futuristic short story “A Nice Morning Drive”, written by Richard Foster and published in the November 1973 issue of Road and Track magazine.


69 posted on 03/11/2016 9:35:42 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (#BlackoLivesMatter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: discostu
Data that can be stored statically can also be transmitted real-time, especially since the GPS system is already being updated in real-time. At this point, it's "read-only," but it would be easy to allow interaction with the monitoring agency, or to simply hard-code certain constraints into the operational algorithms.

If the government "allows" me to continue to choose a person-driven car, then I'll accept your diagnosis of paranoia. But if we start to see regulation REQUIRING the use of self-driven vehicles, then I get to play an "I-told-you-so" card.

70 posted on 03/11/2016 9:38:40 AM PST by IronJack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: Vigilanteman
improved technology (which, of course, had nothing to do with capitalism)

That is arguable.

71 posted on 03/11/2016 9:40:37 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (#BlackoLivesMatter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: IronJack

Transmitted real-time != USED in real time. You’re talking terabytes of data dumping in every couple of minutes. There’s a big difference between searching it later and actively searching it live. The LOCAL GPS system (ie your car) is updated real time, non-local is not, and would be much harder (partly because GPS is built on pinging multiple satellites each of which gives their best guess and the local system hashes the math, so to put that data in some central server you’d have to get all the data from the satellites AND process it. For millions of GPSes at the same time. Nothing easy about it.

The government allows you to not have a loyalty card and pay cash. And right now the biggest block for self driving cars is the government NOT allowing them without “drivers”, and in some locations not allowing them period. You might as well burn that card, you’re never playing it. It’s a pure luddite fantasy.


72 posted on 03/11/2016 9:53:10 AM PST by discostu (This unit not labeled for individual sale)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: discostu

And the CIA was never going to spy domestically, and the NSA needed a FISA warrant.

If self driving cars work as well as the anti-lock brakes and traction control on my car, I’m out. Don’t even get me started on stability control.


73 posted on 03/11/2016 9:53:27 AM PST by VTenigma (The Democratic party is the party of the mathematically challenged)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: VTenigma

I’m talking technical limitations, and usability limitations. Central controlled cars would take a lot of tech, and not accomplish much for the government except require them to process so much data even Netflix would be daunted.

Sounds like you need a better car.


74 posted on 03/11/2016 9:55:10 AM PST by discostu (This unit not labeled for individual sale)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: gridlock; SheLion; Eric Blair 2084; -YYZ-; 31R1O; 383rr; AFreeBird; AGreatPer; Alamo-Girl; Alia; ...
Dennis Prager once asserted that hatred is the only moral response to evil, so therefore . . .

Baby You Can Drive My Car Nanny State PING!

75 posted on 03/11/2016 9:55:50 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Stick a fork in America; she's done.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: gridlock
Who is going to pay for these techno wonders? I guess wealthy people will be OK, and of course the liberals will demand that we give them to the poor who can't possibly afford them, I guess the middle class will be left out of having these awesome vehicles because the will be giving up more of their income to subsidize the illega...........er, poor.
76 posted on 03/11/2016 9:56:24 AM PST by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Buckeye McFrog
States?? That concept is SOOOOOO 18th. Century! Onward to the Glorious Central Collective.

The United State of America.

77 posted on 03/11/2016 9:58:30 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Stick a fork in America; she's done.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: discostu

Hmm, didn’t refute my premise.

Maybe the computing power for cars to reach a predetermined location would be carried onboard and a directive code transmitted from a remote location. Much less centralized computing power required to be located that way. Don’t show your technological ignorance and expect no one to call you out just because of a surly attitude.

By the way, I’m a commercial driver with 9 vehicles of my own from antique to the most modern. I live and drive in a very remote region with terrible roads. I’ll match my skills against mandated vehicular control any day of the week.


78 posted on 03/11/2016 10:10:32 AM PST by VTenigma (The Democratic party is the party of the mathematically challenged)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: Fresh Wind

Izzat Utah? I drove past it when they were constructing it. It’s about halfway between Salt Lake City and Provo.


79 posted on 03/11/2016 10:18:38 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (#BlackoLivesMatter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: discostu
I have absolute certainty the government won’t be controlling the cars, logistically it’s just not doable.

Our government does not concern itself with logistics. Nor whether they CAN do a thing. At least, not at the bureaucratic level.

They are only concerned with their overriding desire that tells them they MUST do a thing. No matter what it costs. Their ends justify the means.

80 posted on 03/11/2016 10:21:43 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (#BlackoLivesMatter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-133 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson