Elon Musk: Smartest Guy in The World or Complete Clown?

**Benny Profane** · 07-01-2016, 09:59 AM

The driver of that vehicle should go down in history. Seriously.

**frorider** · 07-01-2016, 07:16 PM

Well the driver died doing what he loved: watching a Harry Potter dvd while his car was on socalled autopilot. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57...b09b4c43c0912d

**Lindahl** · 07-01-2016, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by frorider

Well the driver died doing what he loved: watching a Harry Potter dvd while his car was on socalled autopilot. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57...b09b4c43c0912d

In my own personal opinion, even more enforcement for googles argument. Humans aren't generally responsible enough for partial autonomous technology. Hell, they aren't even generally responsible enough for zero autonomous technology.

**irul&ublo** · 07-01-2016, 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by frorider

Well the driver died doing what he loved: watching a Harry Potter dvd while his car was on socalled autopilot. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57...b09b4c43c0912d

He should have conjured his patronus

**bobz** · 07-01-2016, 09:23 PM

Tesla has created a bit of a problem for themselves by marketing adaptive cruise control plus lane control as "autopilot"; that seems like the sort of thing where marketing overruled legal. And it's pretty stupid for any quasi-"autopilot" system to continue operating in glare-sunlight conditions such that a freakin' semi wouldn't be, like, noticed. If it really was that hard to notice a freakin' truck, an actual human driver presumably would have known to slow down.

That said, Tesla's pretty well off the hook if the douchebag driver really was watching a Harry Potter (snicker) DVD, which, if true, should be easy enough to confirm. Also, I presume that the left-turning truck did not have right of way.

**bobz** · 07-02-2016, 12:20 AM

Just read some interesting stuff on Jalopnik:

1) Sun was behind the Tesla on a clear day, so this wasn't a difficult sun-glare scenario. Sure, white truck trailer in daylight may be tricky business for computer vision, but any human with drive-legal eyesight who was paying attention would have seen that truck, period.

2) Brakes were never applied. So, basically, driver wasn't looking out the front window at all, and the "autopilot" totally missed it too. A big-ass truck. Oops! Granted, truck didn't have right of way and may have been unavoidable in any case, but still, brakes never applied.

3) Tesla uses both optical and radar systems. However, Tesla's radar system isn't looking for things above the elevation of its sensor, which is likely how it missed an elevated truck trailer.

4) A DVD player was found in car. OK then, next step is to crack it open and see if it's the Harry Potter movie that the truck driver reported hearing audio from post-crash. Okay, perhaps not quite so lame if it was the one directed by Cuaron.

**shroom** · 07-02-2016, 02:33 AM

software is and will always be iterative; it doesn't matter whether it's a feature or a set of features. early adopters make it happen for the rest of the population. y'all are critical of things well beyond your mental capacity.

**Lindahl** · 07-02-2016, 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by shroom

software is and will always be iterative; it doesn't matter whether it's a feature or a set of features. early adopters make it happen for the rest of the population. y'all are critical of things well beyond your mental capacity.

Your early adopters don't have to be the general public. There's a lot of ways to test software and hardware iteratively without making it public. Just sayin'

**Art Shirk** · 07-02-2016, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by Lindahl

Your early adopters don't have to be the general public. There's a lot of ways to test software and hardware iteratively without making it public. Just sayin'

I'm considering one of your self-driving cars. Are they safe?

We're in beta testing but so far so good.

When will beta be completed?

Why don't you buy one and find out?

**abraham** · 07-02-2016, 04:23 AM

Originally Posted by Lindahl

Your early adopters don't have to be the general public. There's a lot of ways to test software and hardware iteratively without making it public. Just sayin'

https://archive.eiffel.com/doc/manua...ntract/ariane/ yep

Gotta hope this doesn't create limits on when automated cars can be used on the road. This seems like a problem with marketing too, but I haven't liked tesla's marketing for some time so that may be just a personal reaction. I don't think something slightly beyond adaptive cruise control should be called autopilot.

**neufox47** · 07-02-2016, 04:47 AM

Originally Posted by narc

For a smart guy he does some stupid things. Every man and his dog said this would happen.

Meh, first one in 134 million miles. Driving is dangerous. Sounds like a perfect storm of conditions.

**Bobby Stainless** · 07-02-2016, 04:55 AM

Autonomous cars... How pathetic.

**iceman** · 07-02-2016, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by Beer Drinker

Autonomous cars... How pathetic.

Get used to the idea.

**Benny Profane** · 07-02-2016, 07:52 AM

As a cyclist, this is very encouraging to read about. Like this car would ever see me, if it missed a big old truck.
And the industry was still usng the whole "safer than humans" meme to foist this upon the public so that we can put a million truck and taxi drivers out of work. Not so fast.

**Benny Profane** · 07-02-2016, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by frorider

Well the driver died doing what he loved: watching a Harry Potter dvd while his car was on socalled autopilot. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57...b09b4c43c0912d

I guess we can safely assume the driver wasn't married.

Nerds killing nerds. There's some justice there.

**jono** · 07-02-2016, 08:57 AM

If the average number of miles per fatal accident is 90m and they just managed 130m miles of two hands on the wheel, highway-only miles before killing someone that seems pretty unimpressive. I'm left wondering how many times in those 130 million miles the driver saved the "autopilot" from would-be collisions. That's probably unknowable, but with less than a 50% increase in safety for this auto-co-pilot thing (even with the benefit of filtering out most of the least-safe miles driven) it looks like a pretty tiny improvement, if anything.

**DasBlunt** · 07-02-2016, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Beer Drinker

Autonomous cars... How pathetic.

Way better for traffic and the public at large. People suck at driving in general. Have you been outside the USA recently? People are getting worse at driving. more and more gridlock because of bad driving.

Not really following your logic, unless you fear losing your privileges? That will not happen if you own classic cars.

**DasBlunt** · 07-02-2016, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by Benny Profane

The driver of that vehicle should go down in history. Seriously.

He obviously is history now!

And he makes history for being the first idiot to not pay attention to the rules of the current state of autonomous driving, he was a retard and he paid.

**wyeaster** · 07-02-2016, 09:58 AM

i'm sure once they get the kinks worked out the windows will have curtains so people can die firey decapitation deaths watching porn. it's the next step in auto-erotic asphyxiation.

**Bobby Stainless** · 07-02-2016, 10:04 AM

Automation in general will lead to an eventual lack of jobs for the working class. Taxi drivers will no longer be needed, for one.

On an side note. The fast food industry will negotiate themselves right out of a job, if the keep pushing for high wages. Robots would at least get the order right.

**Game Over** · 07-02-2016, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by Beer Drinker

Automation in general will lead to an eventual lack of jobs for the working class. Taxi drivers will no longer be needed, for one.

On an side note. The fast food industry will negotiate themselves right out of a job, if the keep pushing for high wages. Robots would at least get the order right.

And keep the fries hot

**MagnificentUnicorn** · 07-02-2016, 10:23 AM

Even automated transit requires an operator on the train. I think cabbies will be fine, who's gonna talk to the fares?

**Stikki** · 07-02-2016, 10:34 AM

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**old goat** · 07-02-2016, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by Benny Profane

As a cyclist, this is very encouraging to read about. Like this car would ever see me, if it missed a big old truck.

Like the 50% of the people texting while driving will see you any better. At least autonomous cars won't speed up and tailgate in the right lane to keep cars on the ramp from merging--fuck you too asshole (the tailgater, not you Benny).