Friday, August 22, 2014

Wondering About a Driverless Car

If you have ever driven in Houston's rush hour traffic, you would believe that a large percentage of those cars didn't have any drivers, especially the way the car acts.  They swerve in and out and if you try to be safe and don't tailgate the guy in front of you, someone will swerve in to take that small car size vacant area.  This is all happening at speeds from 70 to 80 mph.  I am glad I do not have to do that and only did for a few years.  Of course everything comes to a screeching stop if there is a fender bender and instantly backs up for miles and miles.  Please, if you ever have to go to Houston, don't try to get there during a rush hour.  Now, if you live in Houston and work in the suburbs, you got it made.  I had a boss one time who lived in Houston and worked just east of Conroe.  It worked for him.

Maybe Google has the answer for commuters or for people who just don't care to drive.  Yep, they came up with a driverless car.  Yes, I know that there have been driverless cars tried in the past, but most were slow and all had problems.  This latest one from Google may be the one that will work.  It was designed to be able to go ten miles per hour above the speed limit.  That should keep them from causing a slow down on highways.  Here is what they look like, ain't it cute?

It looks like it has a face.  Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.  So what do you think about it?

How would you like to hear some of the comments that were made when Discover (the magazine) asked readers to name it.  Here are some replies that were printed in the September 2014 Discover:

"Birth Control"
"Derp"
"Googlebug"
"Selfie"
"Tortuga (turtle)"
"Auto-mobile"
"Pacman"
"G.G. (for Google Getalong)"
"Herbie S-1"
"Car with a perturbed look on it's face"
"The Google Spurt"
"Mini Pig"

OK, can you think of some better names?  If so, list them with your comments.  Now be careful out there on the roads, you just never know who is not driving!!  But, just try to have a great day, anyway.

9 comments:

  1. The car is cute but I don't think I'd feel very safe in it, especially if there were other cars on the road, and especially at high speeds.

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    1. I feel the safest in my 26,600 GVW motorhome, but my wife feels safer in the Jeep.

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  2. You know, I don't think that car can think fast enough to deal with all the road rage around Houston. Its tough enough for a seasoned driver to handle. I did refrigeration work all over that city and I could tell you some real horror stories about it.

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    1. I live quite near Houston and have been in and through it many times, more times than I would like. It is either drive like heck or sit and wait. Then there are the real idiots out there. Yes Virginia, there are idiots on the road in Texas.

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  3. A good name might be, "thunk-thunk", the sound a 18 wheeler makes when it hits this bump in the road.

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    1. My Jeep is plenty small enough. My neighbor was an owner operator of those big rigs (He had one that had 38 wheel for real heavy stuff) and he said one time at the last red light in a small west Texas town, a small call slipped in front of him un-noticed. He said he pushed that car for many miles until another truck driver radioed him to tell him what was going on. That little car had its tires burned off and the guy was shaking like a leaf.

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  4. I wouldn't get in that car if my life depended on it. Spent many many hours in Houston rush hour traffic to know I never want to do it again.

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    1. I thoroughly agree with you, MsB. And yes, I rarely go to Houston anymore, and try never to be anywhere near it during the two rush hours.

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