• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Holy Fanboy! Beats the Schiit ......

One might think of people like astronauts who obviously are risking much more than average normal persons. As someone who believes even a few lives lost during the endeavor to reach into space is a cost worth bearing. A heroic attempt to advance our species. People fully informed of the risk and willing to take that risk.

Yet even their families can reach settlements with companies who make sub-standard under-performing products.

The space shuttle families may not have been paid enough, but were paid $7.7 million (1986) from the US and Morton-Thiokol.

http://articles.latimes.com/1988-03-08/news/mn-614_1_challenger-families

Families of the Columbia shuttle disaster were paid $26.6 million (2007).

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18136153/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/million-paid-columbia-families/
 
But at least it's not as bad as killing other people in the beta testing of car technology.
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-cars-was-wrong-says-ex-chief-science-adviser
“It turns out we were wrong.”
....He said he was aware of warnings that diesel vehicles produced more toxic nitrogen dioxide, but he and the government had wrongly assumed this could be controlled by new technology and European regulations.
...Air pollution is linked to 9,000 early deaths a year in London...
 
But at least it's not as bad as killing other people in the beta testing of car technology.
https://www.theguardian.com/environ...-cars-was-wrong-says-ex-chief-science-adviser

Penalties are trivial in terms of corporate operation. They are low operating cost expenses. These huge entities are basically immune from responsibility for collateral damage, protected by accountants and lawyers.
If it all becomes too threatening then just dissolve the company and have another, associated but legally separate, entity take over sans the responsibility and the debt. Carry over tax deductions on 'losses' make the escape profitable.

The US made a big mistake when it allowed business the rights of citizens.
 
Of course the technology isn't perfectly safe, but the statistics show that the accident rate of Teslas is substantially lower than average. So the technology does appear to be safer than unassisted human driving.
 
Of course the technology isn't perfectly safe, but the statistics show that the accident rate of Teslas is substantially lower than average. So the technology does appear to be safer than unassisted human driving.

I recently read a 2018 report on self-driving vehicle accidents vs conventional vehicle accidents where conventional vehicles fared somewhat better. I didn't save it unfortunately.

However, it is 'early-days' for SDFs and trial have been mainly limited to certain locations. Premature claims are being made in the race to bring in this new technology. It is going to happen but caution should be exercised. JMO. ;)
 
I recently read a 2018 report on self-driving vehicle accidents vs conventional vehicle accidents where conventional vehicles fared somewhat better. I didn't save it unfortunately.

However, it is 'early-days' for SDFs and trial have been mainly limited to certain locations. Premature claims are being made in the race to bring in this new technology. It is going to happen but caution should be exercised. JMO. ;)

It is difficult to assess performance when accidents are fairly rare (thankfully) and miles driven lower than needed for a robust analysis.
 
It is difficult to assess performance when accidents are fairly rare (thankfully) and miles driven lower than needed for a robust analysis.

Agreed.;)
 
The goal is apparently to beat the average of a fatality per 8 million km driven.
 
The goal is apparently to beat the average of a fatality per 8 million km driven.

I've done that already with my own "self-driving" of automobiles and motorcycles.
 
I've done that already with my own "self-driving" of automobiles and motorcycles.

That is 100,000 miles per year for 50 years. I think other than long haul truckers that's a big number. More than 270 miles per day every day.
 
Yes, self driving will bring about different kinds of accidents yet looked at under the system of blame for human drivers.

If a human falls asleep and crashes killing themselves or others it is one thing. But if a self driving car messes up in some different way (like amorphous concrete lane dividers) even half as often it will be looked at very differently.
 
Yes, it is like airplane accidents. They have so much less mortality rate but huge scrutiny on any failures. Once we give up control to something/someone else, we demand far higher standards.
 
That is 100,000 miles per year for 50 years.

Yes, but I'm just tracking my progress (practical guy that I am).

I'm sorry to hear that. But looking on the bright side, how many kilometres did you beat it by?

Whatever number of miles / zero fatalities or injuries = miles per failure

---

Proof:

Let's see, about (170000 + 160000 + 30000 + 30000 + 135000 cars) + 150000 bikes = 675,000 miles / 0 = infinity

My rate is better than the self-driving rate.
 
Last edited:
Rode my motorcycle yesterday.

I'd rebuilt the carbs (last year?) and let it sit, so only two carbs were working. One cleared with a little cleaner in the tank. The second didn't.

Took rides on two, and then three cylinders. Not good. It's a real chore to pull the carbs and open them up:

upload_2018-4-6_18-46-51.png


upload_2018-4-6_18-48-37.png




Finally tried pulling a vacuum hose and spraying the inside, and that fixed me up.

Enjoyed a little blast around the local area. Will have to do that more often to prevent a reoccurrence.

Considering a little carb cleaner fixed me up, it's another data point for "real" gasoline vs the ethanol-infused stuff, which has never responded to carb cleaner (on the bike or lawn tools). I'm so happy I have a local source of non-alcoholic gasoline for my (sometimes seldom used) toys now.

The ride made me wonder about self-driving car vs bike testing they do/don't do.

Found this: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...t-involving-automated-vehicles-days/99710786/
 
Last edited:
Yes, but I'm just tracking my progress (practical guy that I am).



Whatever number of miles / zero fatalities or injuries = miles per failure

---

Proof:

Let's see, about (170000 + 160000 + 30000 + 30000 + 135000 cars) + 150000 bikes = 675,000 miles / 0 = infinity

My rate is better than the self-driving rate.

We can't do division by zero.
 
Rode my motorcycle yesterday.

I'd rebuilt the carbs (last year?) and let it sit, so only two carbs were working. One cleared with a little cleaner in the tank. The second didn't.

Took rides on two, and then three cylinders. Not good.

Finally tried pulling a vacuum hose and spraying the inside, and that fixed me up.

Enjoyed a little blast around the local area. Will have to do that more often to prevent a reoccurrence.

Considering a little carb cleaner fixed me up, it's another data point for "real" gasoline vs the ethanol-infused stuff, which has never responded to carb cleaner (on the bike or lawn tools). I'm so happy I have a local source of non-alcoholic gasoline for my (sometimes seldom used) toys now.

The ride made me wonder about self-driving car vs bike testing they do/don't do.

Found this: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...t-involving-automated-vehicles-days/99710786/

I remember that, I think they blamed the motorcyclist. Now I think they are missing out by not developing self piloting motorcycles. I'll settle for cars though. Once the majority are in self driving cars I'll feel much safer riding a motorcycle. Which I stopped doing almost completely because of cell phone use.
 
We can't do division by zero.

That's the only data I have. I can't see inventing a number to replace it with.

The calculator doesn't say "can't do that", it responds with infinity or NaN.

Ok, next time I'll divide by a number that approaches zero.
 
Last edited:
Once the majority are in self driving cars I'll feel much safer riding a motorcycle.

How do you make "eye contact" with HAL. Will the cars be equipped with little robotic arms to wave "go ahead!" at a 4-way stop or other interesting location?

Will it just wait forever for you to go (in case it calculated you have the right of way) while you wait for it to go (since you don't trust it at all)?
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom