Uber Drivers “Strike” and Switch to Lyft Over Fares and Conditions • Hacker News Board

Re: Uber Drivers “Strike” and Switch to Lyft Over Fares and Conditions

#191

Post by ghaff » Sat, Sep 13, 2014, 6:18 PM UTC

IanCal wrote: post #189

ghaff wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope you're right but the very uneven progress of AI generally--especially when it involves real world interfaces--makes me skeptical. As I wrote elsewhere, even voice recognition is very much still a mixed bag.

But voice recognition is something we take many years to learn, even when are brains are highly plastic. I find it hard to understand people when they speak often. We disambiguate heavily based on context and expectation, very complex issues.

Oh, I fully agree. The fact that it's been the subject of so much research and remains only very incompletely solved demonstrates just how difficult a problem it is. I'm just saying that navigating a potentially dangerous machine through a physical world populated with erratic human beings is also very complex and difficult--albeit probably far less so in some contexts (limited access highways in good weather) than others (Manhattan, Boston).

Re: Uber Drivers “Strike” and Switch to Lyft Over Fares and Conditions

#192

Post by zobzu » Sat, Sep 13, 2014, 6:35 PM UTC

Heh they get banned if they accept/deny or plain deny more than 50% of the requests it says in the article.. that seems legit to me as a customer ;) dont really want drivers (of uber or any similar company) to accept/refuse my rides.

Re: Uber Drivers “Strike” and Switch to Lyft Over Fares and Conditions

#193

Post by zobzu » Sat, Sep 13, 2014, 6:37 PM UTC

baddox wrote: post #172

Dolimiter wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The technology is not nearly ready. Not in a city. It's like flying drone delivery. Easy to demonstrate in a single controlled setting, but nearly impossible to actually implement in the real world.

It's not really like flying drone delivery. Flying drone delivery is far simpler and far closer than general use self-driving automobiles.

Actually landing UAVs is far harder than automatically parking a car. The driving vs flying after take off is what is easier. Landing and take off.. nope.

Note that drone could mean a car in this case. UAV being an unmanned aerial vehicule.

Re: Uber Drivers “Strike” and Switch to Lyft Over Fares and Conditions

#194

Post by toomuchtodo » Sat, Sep 13, 2014, 6:40 PM UTC

mbesto wrote: post #190

toomuchtodo wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A municipality can't write a check every year to a white label service that sits between its citizens and the self-driving vehicles, maintenance facilities, and charging stations built to provide automated mobility? My city provides roads, fire, police, and other services in a pretty efficient manner. If yours doesn't, I suggest you campaign for more transparency.

> My city provides roads My city (or well my old city) Chicago takes 12 years to resurface a road. That's not efficient.

I too lived in Chicago for most of my life (recent transplant to Tampa). Not all cities are inefficient, and those that are require more citizen activism and transparency.

Re: Uber Drivers “Strike” and Switch to Lyft Over Fares and Conditions

#195

Post by baddox » Sat, Sep 13, 2014, 10:28 PM UTC

zobzu wrote: post #193

baddox wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not really like flying drone delivery. Flying drone delivery is far simpler and far closer than general use self-driving automobiles.

Actually landing UAVs is far harder than automatically parking a car. The driving vs flying after take off is what is easier. Landing and take off.. nope. Note that drone could mean a car in this case. UAV being an unmanned aerial vehicule.

With a modest infrastructure of marked landing pads on roofs, I think UAV landings are easier than automated car parking. If you're expecting delivery UAVs to fly under the tree line along sidewalks and yards to land directly on a residential porch, then yes, that's extremely difficult. But I highly doubt that this is a remotely feasible plan within a decade or so.

Re: Uber Drivers “Strike” and Switch to Lyft Over Fares and Conditions

#196

Post by seanflyon » Sat, Sep 13, 2014, 10:33 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #145

seanflyon wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My city provides roads, fire, police, and other services in a pretty efficient manner. Mine doesn't. I saw a ladder truck, a fire engine, and multiple other vehicles show up when one guy passed out and need medical care.

That's not inefficiency. That's precautionary, and SOP in most first-responder units. Rarely do first-responders know the extent of what the situation on the scene is going to be before they get there. Diesel and miles on the truck are cheap, and peoples' time is a sunk cost. Don't take my word for it though, the Mayor of Provo answered the question much better: http://provomayor.com/2011/03/04/why-do-we-send-a-fire-…

That explains 2 of the vehicles. It still does not explain the ladder truck or the fire engine.

> Diesel and miles on the truck are cheap, and peoples' time is a sunk cost.

Is a fair point. That ladder truck exists just in case an earthquake breaks the water lines and sprinklers stop working. I still do not see my city (or many others) as shining examples of efficiency. This does not mean I want to privatize things like fire departments and police as that would has its own issues, but neither do I think cities are so efficient that we should have them handle more things.