[nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

justin williams justin.williams2 at gmail.com
Thu Apr 11 14:11:58 UTC 2013


Columbbia south Carolina.

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of christopher
nusbaum
Sent: Friday, April 12, 2013 7:09 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Kirt,

I agree with you. Before we make any judgments on the Google car, we
must remember that it is still in the planning stages and that  all
Google cars that have been tested so far are no more than prototypes.
This is evidenced by the need for the Google car to be taken over by
human driver when it pulls off the highway, as the story which someone
reposted here mentioned.

Carly, we must also take into account that some blind people don't
live in areas where public transportation is easily available, such as
Boston or New York City. I, for instance, live in a semi rural town in
Maryland, where our only options For public transportation are
paratransit and a cab service. As you can imagine, neither of these
options are preferable Because of the cost if not the reliability. For
this reason, I would love the independence that the Google car might
give me in this area.

Just my thoughts,

Chris Nusbaum

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 12, 2013, at 2:41 AM, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Patrick,
>  If it's time they want, I'm willing to give it.  I hope you're
> right; we'll have to wait and see.  I guess my only point was that
> this thing isn't right around the corner; while it's realisticly
> viable now, it's still probably a long ways off before we'll be able
> to drive.  Where the google car is now is probably comparable to where
> the internet was thirty or so years ago; people could see the
> possibilities, it was realistic and people "in the know" were probably
> aware it was coming...but it still had a long way to go before it was
> viable to the general public.
>  And, Patrick, you're probably right that airplane pilots don't have
> to manually control the plane very much between takeoff and landing.
> Still, I can almost guarantee you they are paying very close attention
> in the event something goes wrong.
>  Carley,
>  I don't really see anything inherently wrong or undesirable about
> driving.  In most places it is probably more efficient than public
> transport.  Of course there are exceptions; New York city comes to
> mind, for instance.  Still, living where I do now, I would totally
> jump on the chance to drive if I could and it were realistic and safe,
> at least most of the time.  That being said, it's far enough away that
> I'm definitely not going to stop riding my busses and trains any time
> soon.
>  Best,
> Kirt
>
> On 4/10/13, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Count me in.  I'm driving.   No wait; not driving, drivin.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carly
>> Mihalakis
>> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 11:33 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list; National
>> Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets
>>
>> Hi, List,
>>
>> On the other hand, for my whole life I have watched sighted folk seem
>> to agonize over so much turmoil, and hostility towrd their fellow
>> man, as they drive. I have always been grateful not having that crap
>> to contend with. Besides, I am not confident about chances of ever
>> affording such a car. And, I don't care about the principles personal
>> cars supposedly afford. Where can they take you that a bus, train, or
>> friend/driver cannot?
>>  Ultimately, i believe traveling from point A to point B, oughta be
>> a communal affair. Leave the driving to ol' Sighty!
>> So no, on the car!
>> Car At 06:23 PM 4/11/2013, Sophie Trist wrote:
>>> I can't wait to see these google cars come out. It will be a major
>>> milestone in the independence and assimulation of blind people in
>>> sighted society. My only worry is that the sighties won't trust us
>>> to drive, even (maybe especially) if the car was
>>> computer-controlled. Even my boyfriend, who is blind, says he will
>>> never trust a self-propelled car. Our trouble will be convincing
>>> them that it's safe for us and for others on the road.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Date sent: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:02:08 -0700
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>> The reason why the Google Car is Superior is because it is already going
>>> mainstream, it has a major company behind it and there is nothing wrong
>> with
>>> backing both cars.
>>> The big debate will be if people want to drive under their own control
or
>>> a
>>> computers. It is not unlike reading Braille or using a screen reader to
>> read
>>> a book. Braille is all fine and dandy, but a screen reader is very
>>> important. The difference is the Google car is going mainstream and will
>>> have mainstreem support. It would be the same if Jaws went mainstreem
and
>>> companies like Google started making units that used Jaws and no screen.
>>> Braille would be useful, but not particularly necessary for most common
>>> tasks.
>>> If one used a car on city roads and highways, there would be very little
>>> or
>>> no need to manually drive. If one wanted to map a long driveway or
country
>>> road, one would need to manually drive it till the road could be
>>> completely
>>> entered into the database.
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Sophie Trist
>>> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 1:37 PM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets
>>>
>>> Brandon, I totally 100% agree!!! However, didn't the NFB invent a
>>> self-propelled car of sorts? If so, it might be hard to convince
>>> them to back the google car unless we can prove theirs is
>>> superior.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Date sent: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:05:01 -0700
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets
>>>
>>> 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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