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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday May 24 2017, @01:06AM   Printer-friendly
from the did-you-expect-something-different dept.

Next month, the electric car company's CEO revealed on Twitter, that a software update for Tesla's autopilot software will make the control algorithm "as smooth as silk."

The software update will be pushed out to all second-generation Teslas, known as HW2. These cars currently have fewer features than the first-generation cars, but are gradually catching up and have more sensors and computing power, so promise to be better in the long term.

In March the Autosteer speed limit for HW2 Teslas increased to 80 mph, and in May to 90 mph, which left the cars feeling "safe, but unpleasant" to drive, according to Musk. The new control algorithm, set to be rolled out next month, "is even safer, but super smooth."

[ n1: During this Twitter foray Musk also responded to a request for a Model 3 update; he said there will be no updates until deliveries begin in July. Earlier in the month Musk stated that the company is taking an "anti-selling" strategy on the Model 3 with no advertising or test-drives for the first six to nine months of production. This is apparently in part due to "confusion" that some people had, thinking the Model 3 is a replacement to the Model S. ]


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- on Wednesday May 24 2017, @02:21AM (8 children)

    by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- (3868) on Wednesday May 24 2017, @02:21AM (#514630)

    "This autopilot chops off even fewer heads per 1000 drivers than the last update!" [1]

    [1] https://www.treehugger.com/cars/tesla-driver-killed-autopilot-crash-would-still-be-alive-if-trailers-had-side-underride-guards.html [treehugger.com]

    Or how about, "This autopilot update provides you no greater safety from decapitation, but while you're alive, it's a dream to drive!"

    Why are press releases news stories anyway? Elon Musk's opinions are just hot stinky wind. This isn't even about a release - it's about a future release. An *opinion* about a future release that no one else can evaluate. Well I say "Nyah!"

    --
    https://newrepublic.com/article/114112/anonymouth-linguistic-tool-might-have-helped-jk-rowling
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  • (Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Wednesday May 24 2017, @10:07AM (2 children)

    by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Wednesday May 24 2017, @10:07AM (#514738) Journal

    Why is this modded informative? We are all aware of the circumstances that led to Joshua Brown's death (and, to be fair, he wasn't completely free of blame himself). However one death does not prove anything. A statistical analysis with a sample size of one is useless. What's more, that death led directly to specific improvements in Tesla's design, so hopefully an accident of that exact type should never happen again.

    • (Score: 2) by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- on Thursday May 25 2017, @02:50AM (1 child)

      by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- (3868) on Thursday May 25 2017, @02:50AM (#515254)

      Although you may be right, theoretically, that a single data point is hard to extrapolate from with confidence, a death is perhaps the most tragic of data points.

      The ability of self-driving cars to kill their occupants and other people has yet to be "solved" - and is, I believe, a pressing issue. A more luxurious driving experience is just PR puffery.

      Saying the driver was partially to blame doesn't resolve anything: the move is towards increasing car control. Within a few years, these cars will likely drive themselves, and then it will be abundantly clear who is to blame. At least we'll have a nice pleasant ride, if we "don't lose our heads".

      --
      https://newrepublic.com/article/114112/anonymouth-linguistic-tool-might-have-helped-jk-rowling
      • (Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Thursday May 25 2017, @09:27AM

        by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Thursday May 25 2017, @09:27AM (#515367) Journal

        I could just as easily argue that the ability of human-driven cars to kill their occupants and other people has yet to be "solved" - and refer you to many thousands of tragic data points to back it up - but people like TESLA are actually in the process of solving it.

        Nonetheless, there WILL be deaths from self-driving cars, just as there are deaths from human driven ones. No system is perfect. The only data point that matters is this: Which one produces fewer deaths per mile driven?

  • (Score: 2) by Unixnut on Wednesday May 24 2017, @10:12AM (2 children)

    by Unixnut (5779) on Wednesday May 24 2017, @10:12AM (#514740)

    Some people seem to think Musk is the tech Messiah, and will hype up anything that comes from him or his company, no matter how vapid. They also get very touchy about people who don't don't show the expected amount of reverence, or, Musk forbid, actually criticise or point out flaws in him or his plans.

    There is precedent for this. I remember when Google came into existence. A few catchy public phrases: "Do no evil", "Company for nerds, by nerds", etc... and the same "Google can do no wrong, the future is a Utopia!" matra came out, with the same behavior as we are seeing now with Musk and co. And we can see what Google turned into.

    Beware the nerd zombies!

    • (Score: 2) by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- on Thursday May 25 2017, @02:53AM (1 child)

      by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- (3868) on Thursday May 25 2017, @02:53AM (#515255)

      I feel you are right. Which is why I felt the need for my harsh contrarianism. Look at what a sack of shit that advertising company Google turned out to be.

      With luck Musk will go the way of the Segway inventor guy.

      --
      https://newrepublic.com/article/114112/anonymouth-linguistic-tool-might-have-helped-jk-rowling
      • (Score: 2) by Unixnut on Thursday May 25 2017, @10:14AM

        by Unixnut (5779) on Thursday May 25 2017, @10:14AM (#515376)

        I don't know, Google is still around. As long as central banks exist to print money and issue it at low (or negative) interest rates to companies, the companies can survive no matter how unprofitable they are.

        Once Google went mainstream they were basically state backed with cheap loans until they got big enough to be self sustaining. Likewise Tesla still is state backed with cheap loans, and as long as they are useful for future plans, that will continue. Unless of course the entire economy implodes, at which point we probably have far more pressing things to worry about.

        Google is useful to the government both as a source of data, and as a method of getting people accustomed to being tracked, monitored and analysed

        Tesla is useful to the government as a way of getting people used to not having control over their ability to move around, but rather have a computer monitor, analyse and decide where to take them.

        And it worked with Google. The vast majority of people are actually ok with it now, some even love the fact they can keep track of themselves, or their partner, or kids, etc...

        If you went back 50 years, and told people "Here is a little device, you can make phone calls with it without a phone line, and let you take pictures and access information, but in return it will listen to everything, watch everything, and keep track of your exact location. It will then send this to others to be stored and analysed", I can bet the vast majority would say "not in your life" (and that is the more polite ones). Why would you want a spy in your pocket at all times?

        To me, looks very much like technology is being used to build a very advanced cage to corral people in for the purposes of keeping them under surveillance and control. Slowly and surely we are being limited in what we can do, what information we can access, and where we can go. Your own personalised echo chamber, where your world view is carefully manipulated.

        And there are people who not only don't realise this, but who actively promote and look forward to "removing humans from the decision making process". They seem to not understand that we built this world for us, so that we are in control, for better or for worse. To them humans are not the ones to build new and better tools and systems for, but a problem that is to be eliminated, or at least limited to the point where they are no better than pets.

        I sure won't use a self driving car, no matter how much better driver it may be than me, on principle that I decide where I want to go, like all my ancestors did (even if it was just to point a horse in a particular direction). Risking accidents and death is part of life, every time I step outside I could die. Sure, initially self driving cars will be all convenience and no restrictions (like early-times with Google), but slowly and surely it will happen, especially if actually driving becomes something only a minority do, just like how Google got nastier when the competition got weak enough to not be able to compete with them.

        This is the first time in human history that our mobility is planned on being restricted and centrally controlled, and not only are few people fighting it, a lot a are cheering it on, Like they did with Google, only to go "Oh shit, we were naive" 10-15 years later, when it is too late. And all people like me can do is say "I told you so", and then the cycle repeats.

        There is a distinct lack of adult behavior in the tech community, It is like a community of mostly man-children. Coupled with inflated ego's meaning that "if I didn't think of it, it can't happen" type behaviour, and a belief that they are too smart to be manipulated. So obviously Musk is really the chosen one, and 15 years ago, Google is really the Saviour and guide to a future tech utopia.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Gaaark on Wednesday May 24 2017, @10:17AM

    by Gaaark (41) on Wednesday May 24 2017, @10:17AM (#514741) Journal

    In other news, MS CEO M Knight Shamalamadingdong says "Our new Windows doesn't suck!"

    Yeah, more "who cares what stake holders say".

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
  • (Score: 3, Touché) by kaszz on Wednesday May 24 2017, @03:14PM

    by kaszz (4211) on Wednesday May 24 2017, @03:14PM (#514838) Journal