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San Francisco is considering a ban on delivery robots, those cute little boxes on wheels that are being tried out in Washington by Starship Industries and now in San Francisco by Marble. A supervisor used the same words I have used on TreeHugger in Sidewalks are for people. Should we let the robots steal them? April Glaser writes in Recode:
"Our streets and our sidewalks are made for people, not robots," said Supervisor Yee in an interview with Recode. "This is consistent with how we operate in the city, where we don't allow bikes or skateboards on sidewalks."... Yee worries that the robots aren't safe, saying that seniors, people with disabilities and children won't be able move out of the way quickly enough as these machines roll down city sidewalks at walking speed.
Representatives for the robots had no comment.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Arik on Friday June 02 2017, @10:47PM (5 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday June 02 2017, @10:52PM (3 children)
Yeah, exactly. If I saw one of those slowing down foot traffic I'd boot the fucker into the street and watch it get run over by one of San Fran's neat zero-emissions trolley-busses. And if I were one of the many bums there, I'd steal what's inside looking for food or sheckels.
People are bad enough. I call them "slowwalkers," groups who walk side to side and slow as fuck. When I get behind them I start breathing heavily and irregularly and fidgeting and they seem to get the point very quickly and make a hole. The problem is even bigger now because people are becoming increasingly goddamn oblivious.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday June 02 2017, @11:00PM (1 child)
Is there a law in SF against lying down across the sidewalk for a few minutes? Pedestrians can jump over, and you can move your legs for strollers.
I'm sure quite a few bums would partake for a few bucks.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Saturday June 03 2017, @04:48AM
a rentacop tried to claim that the entire sidewalk, including the trees, was the property of the starbucks whose wifi I was stealing late that night.
I refused to move. When the right chap threatened to call the cops I cheerfully said "I'll go peacefully".
The cop didn't even address the rentacop's claim, but told me that one was permitted to sit or lie down on the two feet of sidewalk nearest the street.
That only works if you have a one-man tent. It rains a lot in Portland.
Happily for me I scouted out an awning of a shop that didn't pay for protection.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday June 03 2017, @02:38AM
To be fair, you're *always* breathing heavily and irregularly, though I'm not sure I'd call those motions "fidgeting" exactly. If Tourette's was a tic disorder that's what it would look like.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 03 2017, @04:10PM
and what if uses "biomass" as fuel? iow, roll right through you and process your carcass for fuel.terminator got it right that the machines would kill people but made them too human when they ascribed mailice in the hunting. it's more likely that they would just "mistake" live humans for the war field carcasses they were built to make use of. nothing personal, meatbag.