Courtesy to Robots

[Ghost of LL 15,500]

There's a piece published from Imperial College, London that humans feel empathy for robots that are bullied.  And I thought about that this morning as I was driving in to work on MoPac.  

Going northbound on MoPac, there's one of the Waymo driverless cars in the second lane.  It* wants to get over to exit at 5th Street/Cesar Chavez.  So like a conscientious driver, it puts on its blinker and someone lets it merge in.  And it immediately occurs to me--if that were a human driver, there's a high likelihood that the driver next to him would've sped up to prevent him from merging in.  

I followed the Waymo car a fair bit down Cesar Chavez, and it made several lane changes.  Each time, it used its blinker, and each time the driver in the other lane let it merge in with no difficulty.  In Austin!

And it just really fucking bothers me--why the fuck are we more courteous to fucking robots than we are to other humans?  Why do we take a car driven by a human wanting to merge into traffic in front of us as some sort of personal affront, but when a robot does it it's just fine?

It's the first time I've really felt John Connor vibes:

 

 

 

And weirdly, I notice as I type that I anthropomorphize the robots.  In the first sentence, I initially typed "robots who are bullied" and then later initially typed "He wants to."  Weird.

[Iceman 2,667]

If Waymo maintains their speed, then that could be a contributing factor( maybe.)  If I can tell someone is hauling ass, I'll generally make room for them.  If it feels like they are jumping into my lane only to go 5MPH below the speed limit, then fuck them.

[MAUFRAIS 6,588]

Whenever I see those Waymos I do this:

[Bill Brasky 1,439]

when they grab you with those metal claws you can't break free, because they're metal, and robots are strong 

[BabaYaga 15,238]

15 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

It* wants to get over to exit at 5th Street/Cesar Chavez.  So like a conscientious driver, it puts on its blinker and someone lets it merge in.  And it immediately occurs to me--if that were a human driver, there's a high likelihood that the driver next to him would've sped up to prevent him from merging in.  

I followed the Waymo car a fair bit down Cesar Chavez, and it made several lane changes.  Each time, it used its blinker, and each time the driver in the other lane let it merge in with no difficulty.

Probably because drivers realize it's a robot driving, and thus could screw things up and plow right into you vs. a human driver, with self-preservation instincts, would back off.  

[UTGrad98 2,266]

Yea its a trust issue not an empathy issue.

[956 Worldwide 34,517]

3 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Probably because drivers realize it's a robot driving, and thus could screw things up and plow right into you vs. a human driver, with self-preservation instincts, would back off.  

This. People aren’t used to autonomous vehicles being able to make decisions; we are used to staying out of the way of machines.  

[ftf82 485]

I don't even know why the scientists make them

[MAUFRAIS 6,588]

[Classic Rock 258]

I would be interested to see what the driverless car does with dreaded "Right Lane closed in 1000 ft" . Does the car merge over at a proper distance from the closure, or does it speed up and drive all the way to the cones and then merge like jack-asses do. 

[High Plains Drifter 10,989]

 

maybe because people imagine the robot driver looks like this: 

 

[JMFP 1,120]

When I ask my pick up to dial a call for me, I can't help but tell the lady in my dash thank you. 

[Pato del Muerto 52,386]

There was a vending machine at my previous job that said thank you after a transaction. I usually said you’re welcome, as you are supposed to do when you are thanked.  Good manners is good manners. 

[Brisketexan 104,779]

The awkward part is when we start trying to bring our sex-bots to orgasm, because hey, it's just common courtesy that everyone gets off.

[NorthLoop 14,141]

24 minutes ago, Classic Rock said:

I would be interested to see what the driverless car does with dreaded "Right Lane closed in 1000 ft" . Does the car merge over at a proper distance from the closure, or does it speed up and drive all the way to the cones and then merge like jack-asses do you're supposed to do. 

 

[Texas Jeff 1,939]

53 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

I followed the Waymo car a fair bit down Cesar Chavez, and it made several lane changes.  Each time, it used its blinker, and each time the driver in the other lane let it merge in with no difficulty.  In Austin!

And it just really fucking bothers me--why the fuck are we more courteous to fucking robots than we are to other humans?  Why do we take a car driven by a human wanting to merge into traffic in front of us as some sort of personal affront, but when a robot does it it's just fine?

I always let folks merge.  Robots and people.  I don't honk unless a car is about to hit me and I think they don't see me, which happens every few years at most.

I have been stuck at a four way stop because I keep motioning for the other person to go and they keep motioning for me to go and I think ... ah, a fellow Austinite.

McConnehey says everyone needs to just chill out, we're all going to get there ... makes sense to me.

[RDCanecutter 26,346]

I always let humans merge if they have really dented up cars. They've rammed somebody before and they'll do it again.

[BabaYaga 15,238]

[Trey3216 15,325]

So if you meet them, have some courtesy, have some sympathy, and some taste.  

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,184]

I just assume those Waymo cars are collecting data on other drivers to sell to insurance companies....and I'm all for it.

[Parliament 14,154]

Well yeah.  Don't wanna have them go rogue: 

 

[hornian 5,207]

I say thank you to Alexa when it does something just so that it remembers I was nice in the event of a robot/AI uprising. 

[Wally Fairway 5,532]

Old man statement follows....read at your own peril.

For the life of me, I cannot imagine, as a teen/young adult riding in a car with no driver. There was nothing better than the freedom to go where I wanted and to be in control of my destiny. Sometimes pushing the limits of a car, or my ablity, but hey I'm still here and nobody was injured (except for maybe some mental scarring) by my youthful actions. 
I know kids these days don't care about driving as much, as they'd much rather be on their phone. But to go to a driverless car society will be a huge change; and I realize it is coming and that it is likely a safer environment as cars don't make many of the mistakes drivers make. End of rant, now I will go out to check the mail to see if my Sears & Roebuck catalog has arrived.

 

[Iceman 2,667]

Representative!!!

This has to be an outcome as a Waymo passenger, right?

[justhookit 4,186]

I traveled out to Scottsdale a few times this summer and used Waymo a lot. Loved it although it did make 2 “mistakes” and that was in fairly light, controlled traffic. I’m curious to see how Waymo does in the Austin driving environment especially downtown with all the scooters, bikes, pedestrians, and construction. 

Hopefully I live to see the day where I can get rid of my car and use a self-driving car for everything.

to GOLL’s point, the drivers in Scottsdale were complete assholes to the Waymo cars. Lots of swerving into them trying to make the Waymo react.

Edited November 1 by justhookit

[BabaYaga 15,238]

27 minutes ago, Wally Fairway said:

Old man statement follows....read at your own peril.

For the life of me, I cannot imagine, as a teen/young adult riding in a car with no driver. There was nothing better than the freedom to go where I wanted and to be in control of my destiny. Sometimes pushing the limits of a car, or my ablity, but hey I'm still here and nobody was injured (except for maybe some mental scarring) by my youthful actions. 
I know kids these days don't care about driving as much, as they'd much rather be on their phone. But to go to a driverless car society will be a huge change; and I realize it is coming and that it is likely a safer environment as cars don't make many of the mistakes drivers make. End of rant, now I will go out to check the mail to see if my Sears & Roebuck catalog has arrived.

 

Something about clearing your head driving as well, especially at night.  Controlling the car is a big part of that while listening to tunes or the radio.  

[Guadaloopy 10,937]

This all goes back to R2 and threepio.  We love those guys.

If we fully explored the implications, we would actually be troubled by the extent of enslavement of self-aware androids in the Star Wars universe.

[Pato del Muerto 52,386]

3 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Something about clearing your head driving as well, especially at night.  Controlling the car is a big part of that while listening to tunes or the radio.  

Well with driverless cars, now you can clear your balls instead.  While listening to tunes. 

[RDCanecutter 26,346]

I prefer real taxis, with human drivers from Egypt who start screaming about Israel before the trip is over.

[Captainant 27,514]

38 minutes ago, Guadaloopy said:

If we fully explored the implications, we would actually be troubled by the extent of enslavement of self-aware androids in the Star Wars universe.

cant disagree there

[Bevo 13,534]

3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

The awkward part is when we start trying to bring our sex-bots to orgasm, because hey, it's just common courtesy that everyone gets off.

She's faking it!

[JMFP 1,120]

2 hours ago, Parliament said:

Well yeah.  Don't wanna have them go rogue: 

 

[atomheartbevo 89,500]

6 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

And weirdly, I notice as I type that I anthropomorphize the robots.  In the first sentence, I initially typed "robots who are bullied"

5 hours ago, Bill Brasky said:

when they grab you with those metal claws you can't break free, because they're metal, and robots are strong 

 

 

[Bill Lumbergh 7,171]

6 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

There's a piece published from Imperial College, London that humans feel empathy for robots that are bullied.  And I thought about that this morning as I was driving in to work on MoPac.  

Going northbound on MoPac, there's one of the Waymo driverless cars in the second lane.  It* wants to get over to exit at 5th Street/Cesar Chavez.  So like a conscientious driver, it puts on its blinker and someone lets it merge in.  And it immediately occurs to me--if that were a human driver, there's a high likelihood that the driver next to him would've sped up to prevent him from merging in.  

I followed the Waymo car a fair bit down Cesar Chavez, and it made several lane changes.  Each time, it used its blinker, and each time the driver in the other lane let it merge in with no difficulty.  In Austin!

And it just really fucking bothers me--why the fuck are we more courteous to fucking robots than we are to other humans?  Why do we take a car driven by a human wanting to merge into traffic in front of us as some sort of personal affront, but when a robot does it it's just fine?

It's the first time I've really felt John Connor vibes:

 

 

 

And weirdly, I notice as I type that I anthropomorphize the robots.  In the first sentence, I initially typed "robots who are bullied" and then later initially typed "He wants to."  Weird.

I just assume they're keeping notes and want to come out on the right side when they decide it's time to strike.

[gofuckyourself 8,164]

I blame the movie Iron Giant

"Superman..."

Dammit. Sniff...

[Armybrat 40,759]

Years ago when I got my first smartass iPhone and something called Siri started to ask me, “How can I help you?”, I said “Siri, shut the fuck up”. 
None of my iPhones since then have uttered a peep.

[ChickenSandwich 9,805]

14 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Years ago when I got my first smartass iPhone and something called Siri started to ask me, “How can I help you?”, I said “Siri, shut the fuck up”. 
None of my iPhones since then have uttered a peep.

 

Time to contact Old Glory Brat 

[Rockwell Torrey 1,277]

10 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

Old man statement follows....read at your own peril.

For the life of me, I cannot imagine, as a teen/young adult riding in a car with no driver. There was nothing better than the freedom to go where I wanted and to be in control of my destiny. Sometimes pushing the limits of a car, or my ablity, but hey I'm still here and nobody was injured (except for maybe some mental scarring) by my youthful actions. 
I know kids these days don't care about driving as much, as they'd much rather be on their phone. But to go to a driverless car society will be a huge change; and I realize it is coming and that it is likely a safer environment as cars don't make many of the mistakes drivers make. End of rant, now I will go out to check the mail to see if my Sears & Roebuck catalog has arrived.

 

This hits close to home. I have my sex bot jerk me off while I look at the lingerie section in the Sears & Roebuck catalog.

[F250 28,731]

I remember when this video came out a lot of people empathized with the robot.

 

[Bevo 13,534]

[Iceman 2,667]

Making it play soccer might indeed be abusive.

[WhatTheBuck 28,729]

On 11/1/2024 at 10:15 AM, Classic Rock said:

I would be interested to see what the driverless car does with dreaded "Right Lane closed in 1000 ft" . Does the car merge over at a proper distance from the closure, or does it speed up and drive all the way to the cones and then merge like jack-asses do. 

You’re in the wrong. 
 

[MissingInAction 24,868]

On 11/1/2024 at 9:37 AM, Brisketexan said:

The awkward part is when we start trying to bring our sex-bots to orgasm, because hey, it's just common courtesy that everyone gets off.

They'll just fake it anyway.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,968]

On 11/1/2024 at 9:15 AM, Classic Rock said:

I would be interested to see what the driverless car does with dreaded "Right Lane closed in 1000 ft" . Does the car merge over at a proper distance from the closure, or does it speed up and drive all the way to the cones and then merge like jack-asses do. 

But, but, but, the zipper merge is more efficient!* 

*this doesn't take into account real world conditions, like how it only so many cars can pass a certain point at any given speed no matter how they merge, or the fact that zooming up to the last minute and merging in causes a yoyo effect that .makes traffic exponentially more dangerous for drivers upstream, or that it usually doesn't make a difference if the line in the left lane is a bit longer.

[JMFP 1,120]

12 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

You’re in the wrong. 
 

Zippering works well and should be promoted more - but it is not the same as the asshole that knows he needs to get over but speeds ahead and tries to cut in front of the people already waiting in the slow lane. The anger is for the line cutting assholes. Fuck those guys.  

[B00M 6,352]

On 11/1/2024 at 9:41 AM, Texas Jeff said:

I have been stuck at a four way stop because I keep motioning for the other person to go and they keep motioning for me to go and I think ... ah, a fellow Austinite.
 

Urge to kill… rising

 

[General Specific 3,242]

Zippering works well and should be promoted more - but it is not the same as the asshole that knows he needs to get over but speeds ahead and tries to cut in front of the people already waiting in the slow lane. The anger is for the line cutting assholes. Fuck those guys.  

Tell us you haven’t driven 610E to I45S without telling us…

No, the anger should be reserved for those NOT paying attention to their spacing in front of them. They are Not zippering properly.

These are the same people, that space out (or more than likely, are on their phone or whatever), and not aware of what is going on.

The cheat code is to skip to the front and cut!

There is such a thing as network efficiency, filling those gaps in traffic, with a packet, or car, that lead to a greater throughput overall.

Fight me.

[Gatorubet 30,163]

On 11/1/2024 at 11:57 AM, BabaYaga said:

Something about clearing your head driving as well, especially at night.  Controlling the car is a big part of that while listening to tunes or the radio.  

As we moved around the country to different power plant construction sites, my dad would always pick a place to live at least a half an hour away.   He said he needed time to think about the workday before he got home - and time the next day to think about it before we got back to work.  He said this prevented him from thinking about work at all once he hit home.

[Horn of Gabriel 1,600]

18 hours ago, JMFP said:

Zippering works well and should be promoted more - but it is not the same as the asshole that knows he needs to get over but speeds ahead and tries to cut in front of the people already waiting in the slow lane. The anger is for the line cutting assholes. Fuck those guys.  

People zipper in too early, then get mad that other people are "cutting the line" by not allowing people to merge at the proper zipper point.

[Bevo 13,534]

If traffic is stop and go wouldn't the zipper move further and further from the merge point?