Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 28 posts

Re: The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

#11

Post by ramraj07 »

dinobones wrote: post #7

Has this guy ever tried playing an online game over 5G, lol?l Ping over cell networks is not favorable to real time things like this. How do you safely maneuver a vehicle with a 50ms delay?

All things considered it’s bound to be better than most normal people driving if you specifically choose people with good reaction times. And it’s not F1, life and death is rarely determined by 50ms.

Re: The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

#12

Post by lxm »

metadat wrote: post #2

https://archive.today/8E3lM p.s. what does "prostoalex" mean? Is it short for prostate-alex , or something else?

It’s “simply” as mentioned below, I first started using it decades ago, and by the time I realized the dubious connotation you mentioned, it was too late.

Re: The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

#13

Post by metadat »

prostoprosto wrote: post #3
metadat wrote: post #2

https://archive.today/8E3lM p.s. what does "prostoalex" mean? Is it short for prostate-alex , or something else?

"prosto" means "simply" in several Slavic languages so I read it as "simply Alex" or "just Alex"

It's cool, thank you for humoring me! Despite the lack of tact (obvious in hindsight), I mean no harm, offense, or disrespect.

I actually really enjoy learning about other languages and cultures.

Re: The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

#14

Post by ethbr0 »

extragood wrote: post #5

Not quite related to the article's content, but the title reminded me of the time I cancelled my internet subscription with Comcast. The poor representative on the other end of the call decided that impersonating artificial speech as she read through her scripts was the best way to get through her day.

I used to say "personal reasons," but I thought of a better cancellation reason the other day.

"I'm converting to the Amish faith and forsaking technology."

Best part: when they ask if there's anyone you'd like to transfer the account to, you can instantly play the indignant card.

"And turn someone else away from the Lord with the distractions of worldly temptation?!"

Re: The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

#15

Post by dorkwood »

I once worked for a company that created a large AR installation for an event. People could see themselves up on a big screen, and were able to "collect" digital items by waving their hands as they floated by. The only thing is, the company wasn't able to get the hit detection to work reliably, so they instead opted for a guy sitting at a computer in a room off to the side, where he would click on a screen to mimic realtime interaction.

Re: The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

#16

Post by joe_the_user »

dinobones wrote: post #7

Has this guy ever tried playing an online game over 5G, lol?l Ping over cell networks is not favorable to real time things like this. How do you safely maneuver a vehicle with a 50ms delay?

The things described in the article aren't really vehicles. You have slow carts with a container compartment for delivery or a slow moving area scanning "security bot".

I've seen things like this moving on the UC Berkeley campus. "How do you safely maneuver a vehicle with a 50ms delay?" Very slowly and haphazardly. The whole scheme seems more about getting someone in third world country to work delivery in a first world country than efficiency of any sort.

Re: The Next Hot Job: Pretending to Be a Robot (2019)

#20

Post by bigthymer »

ethbr0 wrote: post #14
extragood wrote: post #5

Not quite related to the article's content, but the title reminded me of the time I cancelled my internet subscription with Comcast. The poor representative on the other end of the call decided that impersonating artificial speech as she read through her scripts was the best way to get through her day.

I used to say "personal reasons," but I thought of a better cancellation reason the other day. "I'm converting to the Amish faith and forsaking technology." Best part: when they ask if there's anyone you'd like to transfer the account to, you can instantly play the indignant card. "And turn someone else away from the Lord with the distractions of worldly temptation?!"

I once got a call from a sales representative (SR).

SR: "So, what shows do you like to watch?"

Me: "I don't watch any shows because I don't have cable."

SR: "How about you subscribe to our cable service then you can watch some good shows?"

Me: "I can't...I don't have a TV."

SR: "Why don't you buy a TV so you can watch some good shows?"

Me: "I can't...I don't have electricity." (I lied)

SR: (dead silence for a second or two...)

SR: "Thank you sir. Have a nice day."

They never bothered me again.

Post reply on HN