[nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Thu Apr 11 19:32:12 UTC 2013

Sorry, my laptop keyboard is acting funy today and I forgot to proofread.

On 4/11/13, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
> Carley,
>   You live in Boston.  I rest my case.
>   Patrick,
>   Fair enough; I'll happily concede that, when the technology is
> working, it's probably much safer than human drivers.  Still, even the
> most durable computer will break occasionally.  The best technology,
> while built to last, can't be guaranteed not to break or crash at a
> critical moment; if you've ever lost a peper you were working on and
> forgot to save, or had your hard drive die, or your phone break, or
> your cane snap, or whatever, you'll know what I'm talking about.
>   Best,
> Kirt
>
> On 4/11/13, Patrick Molloy <ptrck.molloy at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I remember hearing something on the radio recently that the NTSB is
>> totally in favor of self-driving cars because they're a lot safer than
>> human drivers. From what I've experienced as a pedestrian dealing with
>> crazy drivers, I have to agree! :)
>> Patrick
>>
>> On 4/11/13, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Kaitie,
>>>   Give it fifteen years, at least.  Licensing these cars in the most
>>> libertarian of our United States, so that companies with highly
>>> trained employees can test them is a far, far cry from a license for
>>> the general public.  Even five or ten years down the road when public
>>> licenses are finally deemed safe, only the absolute wealthiest people
>>> will probably be able to afford them.  Even a few years after that,
>>> when the price will have probably dropped, sight will probably be a
>>> qualification for these licenses so that the driver can manually
>>> intervene in the event of technological error.  Imagine being totally
>>> blind and having your car's guidence computer crash while traveling
>>> down the interstate at 70 + mph...I'm not saying it will never happen,
>>> I think it will probably be in our lifetime but it's still a
>>> looooooooong way off.
>>>   Best,
>>> Kirt
>>>
>>> On 4/11/13, Peter Donahue <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com> wrote:
>>>> Good afternoon everyone,
>>>>
>>>>     Last night we had some friends over to discuss business
>>>> opportunities.
>>>> Whenever such discussions occur the question of what you would do if
>>>> you
>>>> had
>>>>
>>>> an extra XXXX amount of money to spend. We showed them a video of the
>>>> blind
>>>>
>>>> drivable vehicle on the NFB Web site. We had their full attention the
>>>> whole
>>>>
>>>> time the video ran. We told them that we would like to have such a
>>>> vehicle
>>>> once they're licensed and become available to the public and the blind
>>>> for
>>>> perches. We also told them that that same technology could with
>>>> modification
>>>>
>>>> enable a blind person to fly their own private jet independently and
>>>> would
>>>> give us a tremendous amount of personal freedom.
>>>>
>>>>     These vehicles won't be cheap. If you have any desire to own one of
>>>> them
>>>>
>>>> it's best to develop the income required to buy one. Thousands of
>>>> individuals have fulfilled similar dreams and we as blind people should
>>>> avail ourselves of such opportunities when they come along to enable us
>>>> to
>>>> meet our needs without depending on state VR agencies and others. We're
>>>> looking forward to having one of these vehicles once we're in position
>>>> financially and they're available for perches. Dream big!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Kaiti Shelton" <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 12:16 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hmmm, I'm thinking grad school in Navada, then a roadtrip back to Ohio
>>>> in a google car when I'm done.  Surely they can get something together
>>>> and the kinks worked out in 5 years.  :)
>>>>
>>>> On 4/11/13, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>> Yes in a way, the logistics of liability still need to be taken into
>>>>> account
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm sure and licensing probably still needs to be worked out, but if
>>>>> the
>>>>> government officials are pushed, it will happen very soon.
>>>>> I think the NFB should push for these quite hard. Perhaps they could
>>>>> even
>>>>> ask that a car come to the convention, I think Google would take the
>>>>> challenge.
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>
>>>>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Justin Young
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 9:13 AM
>>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets
>>>>>
>>>>> So does this mean these vehicles will soon be on the market for
>>>>> individuals to purchase in Nevada?  Sounds like a very interesting
>>>>> project.
>>>>>
>>>>> On 4/11/13, Robert William Kingett <kingettr at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Google's self-driven cars will soon be appearing on Nevada roads
>>>>>> after
>>>>>> the state's Department of Motor Vehicles approved on Monday the
>>>>>> nation's
>>>>>> first autonomous vehicle license.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The move came after officials rode along on drives on highways, in
>>>>>> Carson City neighborhoods and along the famous Las Vegas Strip, the
>>>>>> Nevada DMV said in a statement.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The Nevada legislature last year authorized self-driven cars for the
>>>>>> state's roads, the first such law in the United States. That law went
>>>>>> into effect on March 1, 2012.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Google's self-driven cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors,
>>>>>> lasers,
>>>>>> and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to
>>>>>> help navigate, according to the company.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The DMV licensed a Toyota Prius that Google modified with its
>>>>>> experimental driver-less technology, developed by Stanford professor
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> Google Vice President Sebastian Thrun.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Google's self-driving cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and
>>>>>> driven along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, according to the
>>>>>> company.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Autonomous vehicles are the "car of the future," Nevada DMV director
>>>>>> Bruce Breslow said in a statement. The state also has plans to
>>>>>> eventually license autonomous vehicles owned by the members of the
>>>>>> public, the DMV said.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Legislation to regulate autonomous cars is being considered in other
>>>>>> states, including Google's home state of California.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error.
>>>>>> Through
>>>>>> the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous
>>>>>> vehicle
>>>>>> is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and
>>>>>> operating the vehicle more safely," California state Senator Alex
>>>>>> Padilla said in March when he introduced that state's autonomous car
>>>>>> legislation.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licenses in
>>>>>> Nevada,
>>>>>> the DMV said.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Kaiti
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
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>