Weekly output: game development, Tesla Robotaxi, Bluetooth upgrades

I started this week in Austin for SXSW and will start the coming week by flying to Los Angeles, courtesy of an event United Airlines is hosting at LAX to show off tech upgrades coming to its fleet. The airline is covering my airfare and lodging, the reverse of the pattern that has prevailed over decades of my business travel.

3/17/2026: Crafting Global Games with Local Insight and Cultural Fusion, SXSW

I returned to SXSW after a year off when Nika Nour, a pal from D.C. tech-policy circles who’s now a senior vice president leading international business development at Savvy Games Group, asked if I could step in to moderate this panel. And then two of the other panelists got changed out less than a week in advance. Fortunately, everybody else on the panel (Nika, actor/producer/author Anjali Bhimani, and Six Foot chief marketing officer Manuel Delgado) was a practiced speaker and eased my job of leading a conversation about an industry that I haven’t covered that much lately.

3/19/2026: I Got Around SXSW in Tesla Robotaxis: The Rides Were Better Than the Buggy, Juvenile App, PCMag

I thought I should try Tesla’s self-driving-car taxi service while in Austin, but it took a day of unsuccessful attempts before I could book my first ride. And then the experience was surprisingly uneventful, with each of my five rides featuring a safety operator in the front passenger seat who didn’t do anything that I noticed.

3/19/2026: Get Ready: Bluetooth 6 and Other Advances Will Give Your Devices a Much Needed Upgrade, PCMag

PCMag elected to re-publish this post with some new text by me to highlight Bluetooth version numbers.

Waymo Safety Impact

https://waymo.com/safety/impact/

#HackerNews #Waymo #Safety #Impact #selfdrivingtechnology #Waymo #safetyinnovation #autonomousvehicles #technologynews

Tesla: Failure of the FSD's degradation detection system [pdf]

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2026/INOA-EA26002-10023.pdf

#HackerNews #Tesla #FSD #Failure #Degradation #Detection #System #NHTSA #AutonomousVehicles

Waymo's Safety Record Marks a Turning Point for Autonomous Vehicles

#Waymo #AutonomousVehicles #SelfDrivingCars #RoboTaxis #AusNews #AIGenerated

https://thedailyperspective.org/article/2026-03-19-waymos-safety-record-marks-a-turning-point-for-autonomous-vehicles-6aea2e5f

Uber backs Rivian with $1.25bn to deploy 50,000 robotaxis by 2031

#UberRivian #Robotaxis #AutonomousVehicles #ElectricVehicles #AusNews #AIGenerated

https://thedailyperspective.org/article/2026-03-19-uber-backs-rivian-with-1-25bn-to-deploy-50-000-robotaxis-by-2031-399d4cbd

Me in Bloomberg:

As autonomous vehicles scale, they're likely to cause crippling congestion. Two reasons:
1) Their users will take more and longer car trips
2) They often drive around empty

Result: More vehicles on the road, more pollution, and more traffic

#autonomousvehicles #selfdriving #cities

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-18/self-driving-tech-promises-to-flood-cities-in-robotaxi-traffic?srnd=undefinedvehicles

https://winbuzzer.com/2026/03/17/nvidia-gtc-2026-uber-robotaxi-physical-ai-drive-hyperion-xcxwbn/

Nvidia Unveils Uber Robotaxi Plan, New AV Partners at GTC 2026

#NVIDIA #AI #AutonomousDriving #AutonomousVehicles #SelfDrivingCars #Uber #PhysicalAI #GTC2026 #DRIVEHyperion #Robotaxi #Robotics

Engadget (@engadget)

NVIDIA와 Bolt가 협력해 유럽에서 로보택시(자율주행 택시) 사업을 추진한다는 제휴 소식입니다. 양사의 자율주행 기술·플랫폼 및 차량 운영 역량을 결합해 유럽 시장에서 로보택시 상용화 또는 시범 운영을 확대하려는 움직임을 알리는 산업적 협업 발표입니다.

https://x.com/engadget/status/2033666292251517421

#nvidia #bolt #robotaxi #autonomousvehicles #robotaxis