See ya Doc.

 

Mama is up. Time to get on it.

 

it is said that human occupant was a SEAL, retired, and that he was watching a movie - Harry Potter... Maybe the 'puter got interested in the movie...

or maybe the 'puter did nothing and was hacked to murder driver...like some say of Hastings in LA...

Pretty hard not to see a tractor-trailer rig. Specially for a machine that, presumably, "sees" in IR and RF as well as visible light... (yeah, I know, it doesn't see in the full spectrum - but it is going to have to if if can't see a phuckin' truck...

The story smells.

 

Morning all, rain last night clearing now.

 

Took Black Betty out for what I believe was her first highway road trip yesterday. 300 miles. A new seat is a must

 

I've looked at prices on all the American made sidecars I could find and $7000 is about bottom end for one with the equipment you'd want to have (like a brake, optional on some), except a cheapie for something like $2900 that I wouldn't put on a scooter. Some would be over $10,000, and in that range you could get an independent suspension trike kit, which I think I'd like better. A trike with a trailer would haul as much and be way better handling than a sidecar rig. Wouldn't spend so much time in parking lots talking about it either.

 

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, the computer pays attention 100% of the time, which we know people don't do, but people can react to circumstances computers can't sense yet. Seeing motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians... that's scary. We may have to treat cars as blind unguided missiles now. Wait, I already do that...

For realistic full time vehicle collision avoidance, I think vehicles will need something similar to commercial aircraft, a radio system where the computers get trajectory feeds from all nearby vehicles and prevent each other from moving into a collision course - actually need to be better than commercial aircraft - they only tell the pilot what to do. In cars, that would inevitably lead to confusion and collisions, the computers would have to control the avoidance. Smart phones could be integrated into the system so 2 wheel and 2 leg and non-computer equipped vehicles could join the program. Dinosaurs with flip phones would just take their chances.

 

My lady friend has gotten real bad the last couple years for giving mind numbing details for anything discussed. Just asked her a question that simply needed a yes or no answer, and after a few minutes of mostly irrelevant details, I tuned out and missed the answer, if there was one. Seems like lately I often ask her what she's talking about; I try to figure it out, but it's like a puzzle with missing pieces and my mind shuts off. I learned not to tell her just to say yes or no; it sometimes confuses her and she starts all over again. Getting old can be frustrating.

 

Yeah, but....sidecars are cool!!!!

 

I had a nice little hack on a kawi 440 long time ago. They look cool. They have merit. They can carry an astonishing amount of stuff. Cheap to run. I'd kinna like to put a hack on a 650 yamaha - mimic the old english set-up...

No way I'd buy one though. Very simple to build for nearly nothing. People build campers and tear-drop trailers...a hack's trivial.

but they're not terribly fun. I can't imagine lashing a hack to either of my Harleys. It would ruin them for my purposes.


.................

The puterized tesla crash...I've been thinking... the admission of fault statement made by tesla seems out of line with good legal advice...by a highroller ceo! That's fishy. I think I'll look at the character of the dead man and ask cop questions to myself - means, motive, opportunity, and who stands to benefit... This is to say I suspect murder, not negligence.