Autonomous Vehicles: No Longer a Shadowy Future

 Autonomous Vehicles: No Longer a Shadowy Future. What's Next?

Google driverless car, with a test fleet of autonomous vehicles that as of October 2010 had driven 140,000 miles (230,000 km).

Automation is here so to think that autonomous vehicles (AV's) aren't on the horizon, the very near horizon, is setting yourself up for failure.  The benefits far exceed the negatives:

• Elimination of driver restriction - Nearly anyone can use an AV
• Elimination of driver - An AV can drive itself without a circadian cycle (without sleeping)
• Elimination of parking scarcity - more space with less sprawl
• No more driving while intoxicated - You can still be intoxicated but you won't have to drive.
• Fewer crashes - and less lives lost
• More roadway

The list goes on for the positives of what this technology is bringing to the table.  I read something from a forum poster on a popular site who summed it up rather well.

"By looking fixedly at (the negative) side of the equation you can completely ignore the fact that, as the end result of centuries of those sorts of displacement, the condition of humankind is massively better then if those displacements hadn’t occurred." - Arpad

However, don't think it will take centuries to see the net benefit.  It is hard to believe someone in a history book will look back and sum it all up as Michael Schermer has done with many other aspects of life.  Instead we will see the benefits immediately.  With our ability to acquire and assimilate data through various methods (cloud compilations are only the tip here) we will be constantly reminded of how many fewer accidents there are, how many more people share mobility, and we will laugh at the tedium of actual driving.

We're looking at emerging technologies right now that overcome the hurdles set in place to make autonomous driving a reality. 

• A negligible (if any) increase in infrastructure and likely a decrease as we can do away with a LOT of the road signs.
• Working at or above human standards - over all safe
• Cheaper costs - as implementation increases the cost will decrease (We see this everyday, our current iPhones are as powerful as the world's best super computers just 10 years ago for MUCH less)

We've already accepted with little debate autonomous assistance in driving with assisted parking, back-up assistance, blind spot coverage... we're proving everyday that computers are enhancing our lives on the road.  Isn't this the next logical step?

From a personal point of view as a business owner--and of course I'm bias--I would rather see an autonomous drone vehicle schlepping cargo around on the road than a human, not only for that fact that they don't need to sleep and only rarely stop, but also to take that person out of that unhealthy and dangerous job.  At first that seems harsh but we've seen the impact long time driving has on truckers.

Within a year AV's will be as common or more common than our ever focused recon drones.  Within 5 years we will see wide impact of AV's being implemented, and within a decade AV's will be an issue of the past.  Perhaps the next debate should be what is the next hurdle of implementation, legal, moral, media, or something else?

Soccer Mom: Is Your Car a Pedophile Road Map?

Soccer Mom: Is Your Car a Pedophile Road Map?

Everyday I drive I see multiple S.U.V.s, Minivans, Trucks, and Cars vying for my attention with advertisements about their kids accomplishments and I ask myself, "Do they understand that they are making it even easier for their children to be victimized?" There are ways to promote your children's accomplishments without giving away information about your family, but let's look at the typical bumper stickers on today's family meat wagons and see what they can tell anyone, especially the criminally intent.

The back of your car says a lot about you and your children

The License Plate:

There isn't much you can do here but understanding what information can be derived from your license plate is essential to understanding how detrimental additional information can be.  This is going to be the first thing anyone looks at if they are gathering information on your family and their habits.  By writing down your license plate number a police officer, detective, collection agent, pedophile, anyone can garner an amazing amount of information from you such as; address, owner of the title, year/make/model.  With simple research and easily available web tools anyone can pluck that information after jotting down your cars plate number.

The "Proud Parent" Sticker:

"Proud Parent of a New James Elementary Honor student"

This is a bit more obvious as to what it entrusts the public with in terms of information.   Your child's school.  This is a great piece of information for a potential criminal, now they know where to look and who to talk to for additional information.  Can you imagine the impact that a simple phone call to an administrator from a school makes?  Any half savvy criminal can, especially over the phone, pose as a benign third party looking for information on a particular student.  The results of such a front are varied but at a minimum they will ensure that the child still attends the school and they can garner as much as: current address, current age, GPA, extracurricular activities, lunch time, and class schedule.

The Personalized Activity Sticker:

This is really just the nail in the coffin.  A sticker that reads something like "PeeWee All Stars Cheer Team - Kaylee"
Now we know the specifics of an activity that your child participates in and their first name.  If we compile this from the myriad of other information we've been able to garner from the back of these kid carriers at a minimum the average Joe can discern:

o         First name of your child

o         Where they go to school

o         The activities they participate in (and possibly what they enjoy)

Now someone with the smallest amount of interest and some free time can garner much more:

o         Last name of the family

o         Address

o         Household income

o         Hobbies and other interests

o         Times the child is unsupervised at school

o         A full schedule of the child's day to day activities

o         Names of siblings, relatives, friends

o         Home phone

... the list goes on.

There are, of course, people who are going to argue that this isn't the case but the real question you need ask is, "How much do I trust the DMV and/or my school's administration with my and my child's information?"

The best way to see if this is something that worries you is to take all the raw data from the back of your car and do your own search.  See what "Googling" your child's school, their cheer team, or even just their name will net you in information.  Call your school sometime and see how much information you can attain before someone checks your credentials, or if you're good over the phone see if you can get them to e-mail you information on your child--note: the trick here is familiarity and speaking with a purpose.

If at the end of your investigation you are left with next to nothing and you feel as though your child's information is still safe, then at least you put forth the effort to make that judgement.