jwz

Waymo Exec Admits Remote Drivers in Philippines.

Mechanical Turk, meet Mechanical Filipino: Mauricio Peña, the company's Chief Safety Officer, confirmed under questioning that the Google subsidiary employs human operators abroad [...] "They provide...
https://jwz.org/b/yk3E

Feb 6 at 8:56pmjwz.org
Show threadfluffydotorgFeb 6
@jwz I mean I don't change gears manually in my car any more and when I use the radar cruise control on the freeway I guess I'm just advising the vehicle as well, rather than driving it. I'm still in the driver seat though, and if CHP tell me to pull over I'm going to pull over and have my licence, registration, and insurance card ready by the time they get to the window.
Show threadThe Orange ThemeFeb 6
@fluffydotorg @jwz I'm guessing you also don't claim to be changing gears manually when you aren't. When you say "I'm driving", everyone knows you aren't a little homunculus inside the engine moving pistons and pushing fluid around. When Waymo says the cars are self-driving, it leads people to believe they... drive themselves, which is not the case.
Show threadfluffydotorgFeb 6
@theorangetheme @jwz 100% exactly my gen-x cynical point
Show threadmarkusFeb 6
@jwz Absolutely shocked at this development.
Show threadStuart Longland (VK4MSL)Feb 6

@jwz Could you imagine the lag, trying to drive a car in the US remotely from the Philippines?

It'd be like getting smashed with a 6-pack of 4.2%/vol cider then going for a drive!

Show threadStuart Longland (VK4MSL)Feb 6

@jwz For reference (I'm assuming `whitehouse.gov` is hosted in the US and isn't using some anycast CDN. It was the first US-based site I could think of.)

```
stuartl@rikishi ~ $ ping4 -n whitehouse.gov
PING whitehouse.gov (192.0.66.51) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 192.0.66.51: icmp_seq=1 ttl=56 time=25.9 ms
^C
--- whitehouse.gov ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 25.850/25.850/25.850/0.000 ms
stuartl@rikishi ~ $ ping6 -n whitehouse.gov
PING whitehouse.gov (2a04:fa87:fffd::c000:4233) 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 2a04:fa87:fffd::c000:4233: icmp_seq=1 ttl=47 time=221 ms
^C
--- whitehouse.gov ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 220.696/220.696/220.696/0.000 ms
```

25ms might be low enough to not care… but 221ms definitely is "drunk driver" territory.

Show threadDoctor M. PopularFeb 6
@jwz
Show threadJeff AtwoodFeb 6
@docpop @jwz 💯 also JWZ can we get Dread Zeppelin to perform? Sorry for even asking.
Show threadJon GilbertFeb 6
@jwz time to post up some cardboard signs around town
Show threadC.Feb 7

@jwz

So Waymo, a US company of some sort, employs people without California drivers' licenses as commercial drivers and puts them on public roads.

That seems like a bit of a slam-dunk for a prosecutor, but what do I know? I don't have millions to bribe city/state officials with.

Show threadnjsgFeb 8

@jwz I'm now waiting for some business to appear where cars are self-driving but a purported "passenger" can "provide guidance", and for it to become a huge hit with people too young to get licenses, and also with people who have been barred from operating such vehicles.

But I guess then we'll anyway just see the US capitol hill doing gymnastics to legalize it...

(That said, I have no ideia if such a thing already exists. It probably does...)