Utopian Future or Nightmare Scenario

[grober]

Why Google?s driverless cars change everything - Telegraph
This may be the future of transport but its not the future of motoring!
As developed by GOOGLE I can visualise the scenario now. Five minutes into the journey-----Announcement--Google has detected your desired destination as Luigi's Bistro in the midtown district---- calculating------- likehood of getting a table at calculated arrival time of 7.53 pm GMT zero --- recalculating--- vehicle redirect to ------Serhan Serhan's Kebab shop in nearby industrial estate. Serhan Serhan is this month's Google added value sponsor- this journey cost will be automatically deduced from your existing credit card details. Passengers alighting from the vehicle while in motion will incur an addition charge---- thank you for travelling with Google

 

[cb1965]

This may be the future of transport but its not the future of motoring!
As developed by GOOGLE I can visualise the scenario now. Five minutes into the journey-----Announcement--Google has detected your desired destination as Luigi's Bistro in the midtown district---- calculating------- likehood of getting a table at calculated arrival time of 7.53 pm GMT zero --- recalculating--- vehicle redirect to ------Serhan Serhan's Kebab shop in nearby industrial estate. Serhan Serhan is this month's Google added value sponsor- this journey cost will be automatically deduced from your existing credit card details. Passengers alighting from the vehicle while in motion will incur an addition charge---- thank you for travelling with Google

You forgot the bit where it refuses to take you to the kebab shop as the Google vehicle has calculated your BMI and weight and combined with the NHS records it has access to declares you to be obese hence is taking you to nearest Holland & Barrett instead, but via a mandatory introductory session at Sergeant Major Simon's Boot Camp Gym , another of this months' Google sponsored advertisers

 

[jamesfuller]

Don't worry, by 2001 there will be hover cars. Oh wait, err actually...

 

[stevehg]

It's easy to knock Google, however, it's very rare to find an actual example of invasive advertising by google. The majority of their revenue still comes from request based search advertising.

I don't know the actual numbers, admins feel free to jump in, but I suspect that 30-50% of this forum running costs are met by google ad serving. Nothing to thank them for but advertising revenue does have merits in some ways.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Sp!ke]

If cars are developed that can drive themselves then I think the shape of cars will be radically different so that the inside is less like a car and more like a bedsit.

Imagine a run down to the alps where you can set off at night, tuck yourself into bed and wake up when you are there... in your own car.

 

[Rayny]

On many days, I aleady see people who appear to have gone to sleep while driving.

 

[Mr E]

If cars are developed that can drive themselves then I think the shape of cars will be radically different so that the inside is less like a car and more like a bedsit.

Imagine a run down to the alps where you can set off at night, tuck yourself into bed and wake up when you are there... in your own car.

Regs at the moment require fall-back redundancy to a driver, so although the publicity photos and vehicles don't have them, the 100 or so that Google are making for research purposes will have steering wheels and pedals retro-fitted.

The aim of this type of vehicle is the city-centre market where you can request a car from your smartphone, hop in, arrive at destination, step out and walk away (being billed per mile later).

Perhaps not in my lifetime, but the car/ice vehicle will become a premium recreational product - somewhat like a horse today - and it's likely that someone disruptive like Google will start the ball rolling. Remember how long it took for the car/ice to usurp the horse...