Park assist... Is that really what it looks like?

[Bluechild]

I am trusting, Gayle, that you've seen Shame? Amazing movie.

Wonderful actor! What I've lately become stuck on are his interviews. Bring up a few on You Tube, Laura. Charming, intelligent and funny man. The clips of him with Shame's director Steve McQueen are particuly enjoyable. Ah, their accents. When the Irish and Brits talk! Shame was their second film together.

Gayle

[NEfarmhand]

Agi, relative to your comment about cars driving themselves...we are much closer to that than you may think. Cars today are loaded with smart technology. Things like Lane Departure and Blind Spot warning systems. There are automotive systems that can sense if the driver is falling asleep and wakes them up. There are systems that can see the road ahead and adjust the vehicle's suspension accordingly. The average car today has over 20 on-board systems controlling everything from fuel economy to braking to steering. I believe some day in the future people will be saying things to their kids like "at one time people had to actually drive their own cars around!" "Can you imagine?"

With the internet connections they are putting into cars, like with ONstar, there is no separation between the systems that control the car and the internet. Someone recently demonstrated that you could hack the vehicle controllers on a Suburban, start it, drive it, steer it through the ABS system, shut it down, and when it was plugged into the factory scan tool, there was no way to tell that the system had even been compromised.

I don't like the automatic door locks. As far as I know, you can still disable it with a Chrysler, but not with anything coming from Government Motors. And when you pull the door handle on the GM products, it doesn't unlock the door. You have to slide the lock, hit the unlock button, or shift into park. I don't like it at all. When I drive the Duramax with power locks I always unlock the door as soon as it locks itself.

I am still hoping someone asks what kind of chip I have in my 90 Cummins. I'll say Jensen. Because the stereo is about the only place you will find a circuit board in it.

In the new trucks, the computer tells the starter when to crank, the stereo when it is allowed to turn on, the windows when they are allowed to open or close. They claim it somehow makes the vehicle "simpler". I don't know about you but I can trace a wire a lot more easily than a computer signal. And they do get it wrong when they build them, it's not all that uncommon for new Dodge trucks to leave the factory with the stereo only working when the key is off.

[pelenka]

Is it just me, or does the idea of a piece of machinery having so much control creep anybody else out?
Do we really want our cars taking care of us so much? Heaven forbid there are any glitches! Can you imagine?
Kathy (Teach) [an old-fashioned girl]

You know, at first when I read your post (and GH’s earlier), I immediately agreed, but if you think about it even the simplest of cars these days are quite complicated and dangerous.

When I, with my spaghetti arms, get behind an engine whose output is measured in horsepowers I have surprisingly little control over what’s happening if something goes wrong.

All this automation is supposedly in place to make the driving experience smoother and safer. Technically, the moment mankind got off the bicycle and started fiddling with motorized transportation we relinquished a certain amount of control over safety in the interest of speedy travel.

-Agi

[Kon'sMuddyWoman]

Wonderful actor! What I've lately become stuck on are his interviews. Bring up a few on You Tube, Laura. Charming, intelligent and funny man. The clips of him with Shame's director Steve McQueen are particuly enjoyable. Ah, their accents. When the Irish and Brits talk! Shame was their second film together.

Gayle

What makes you think I haven't?

Yes, Hunger was their first collaboration. There's another one in the works, as I'm sure you already know....

~Laura

[Bluechild]

What makes you think I haven't?

Yes, Hunger was their first collaboration. There's another one in the works, as I'm sure you already know....

~Laura

Counting down to Michael's next film release, Prometheus on June 8th. Although they turned my favorite ginger man into a blond.

Gayle

[RAM]

Counting down to Michael's next film release, Prometheus on June 8th. Although they turned my favorite ginger man into a blond.

Gayle

You two ought to start a new thread called "Michael" I'm still trying to figure out how this ties in to Park Assist???

[pelenka]

Come on, man, I thought you said you’d been around here for a while. You know how it is. Any and every discussion is subject to sooner or later devolving into a make-your-heart-melt conversation about someone named Michael. I think it's in Terms and Conditions...

This morning I saw a man park his '12 Ford Focus with his hands on the wheel!! It looked almost strange.

-Agi

[RAM]

Come on, man, I thought you said you’d been around here for a while. You know how it is. Any and every discussion is subject to sooner or later devolving into a make-your-heart-melt conversation about someone named Michael. I think it's in Terms and Conditions...

This morning I saw a man park his '12 Ford Focus with his hands on the wheel!! It looked almost strange.

-Agi

Yeah, I'm going to have to refresh myself on terms and conditions...

Imagine that, parking your own car...how weird is that????

[songbird]

This morning I saw a man park his '12 Ford Focus with his hands on the wheel!! It looked almost strange.

-Agi

Ha! I think I'd be nervous letting a computer do the parking. What if it malfunctions?

[dirtysal]

I would never, ever, ever give something control over how I drive. It's too important and extremely fun! I'd never let something take that away.

Sal