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OK so we may not be getting fully autonomous vehicles right now, but adaptive cruise control is my current favorite technology. I guess I'm late to the party because all this time our car has been just a box with wheels, engine and steering. However the new one (new to me  ) has got a few more bells and whistles.
Driving in traffic (which is most of the time) is much more bearable now. Slowing down is still a bit rough at very low speeds, but it does a pretty good job of following whatever is in front. At first I thought it would completely fail to see motorcycles, but even scooters are identified accurately (I don't trust it enough yet to actually allow it to follow one for extended periods of time)
Does anyone here actually have a Tesla with autopilot? Or anyone testing Google's car?
Other options have been a bit disappointing though. Lane-departure warning beeps for no apparent reason and is generally a mere annoyance, but to be honest a couple of dealers said it will be like that. Collision mitigation either completely ignores the thing in front or beeps a mile away. One day I'm going to completely leave it alone and see if it actually stops as claimed. When I find a car-sized balloon, or tarpaulin or something similar set up.
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I am looking forward to when I get better cruise control. I have tended to set the cruise control a bit on the slow side so I can just cruise, but there are the times when I have to go off cruise control. I have managed to go maybe 200 miles without having to touch the cruise control. Almost made it from San Francisco to about 60 miles from LA on I-5 completely on cruise control, but there had been an accident on the other side. Fortunately not on my side since it completely blocked off traffic. On daily use it would help a lot since right now in SF bay area, and there is no way can just stay on cruise most of the time. I know have an old system since the cruise control does not maintain the set speed. Apparently still using the old tried and true system instead of computer control.
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That must have hurt! It didn't seem to even slow down.
No danger of that happening here, I won't be testing on people because mine uses some kind of radar that completely ignores pedestrians.
That gives me an idea though, maybe aluminium foil will work as a fake vehicle.
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Ford Active City Stop[^] has saved me from rear-ending the car in front of me in a traffic jam with my 2012 Focus.
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So, the guy a couple of cubicles down from me (really one cubicle as I've expanded to whatever I could grab) is talking on his sell phone.
His voice is getting louder and louder. He mutters names. He mutters numbers. He mutters "Agent".
His voice gets louder and louder as he repeats the process. Periodically, blurting out "Agent".
Louder and louder it goes around. "Agent!" "AGENT!" "AGENT!" AGENT!
I shall remain a safe distance lest he hurl the phone and I am injured.
Have we not all sat in his chair? Said his words? Felt his rage!
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos wrote: his sell phone
Is he a commodities trader, with a separate "buy" phone held to his other ear? 
Either "cell" for US-English, or "mobile" for proper English, would be accepted.
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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Urh - Um - Uh - oh yeah. Now I remember.
I did that on purpose as part of my new campaign to simplify spelling whilst at the same thing confusing things.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I've often found that the voice recognition software seems to understand swearing. Works well to get to a live person most of the time.
Marc
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I've been that guy.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I used to work for a consulting firm that specialized in call centers back in the 90's. I was one of their lead developers. The problem then was silo or stove-piped setups, meaning that each division of a company would have their own call center. HP was one of the worst. There was a different number to call depending on what the product was. The automated systems were designed to get rid of that problem combining all of those support numbers to just one. It's much easier and cheaper to have a computer direct the call to a specific division/agent without having to support a staff of operators. Unfortunately, those systems are very complicated and in most cases, not very good at what they are supposed to do. My biggest complaint is giving a serial number or personal information only to have the agent to request it again. During those sessions, I would tell the agent that the company needs to get a new system or update the current, but it never works. After writing the software for call centers for years, I know that the agent doesn't know anything about the products and is only reading from a script. Sometimes I tell the agent to click the answer two down from the top, just to annoy them.
modified 19-Nov-21 21:01pm.
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N_tro_P wrote: I would have to disagree with you there.
I work for a company that prides itself on human communication. We believe it is more costly to take that away as your customers suffer and if your customers suffer, you and your company suffer.
I don't disagree with your statement in regards to outcome. I was speaking from a time when it started becoming vogue to automate the systems. It wasn't until the early 2000's that the back-lash from using these systems became known. Same goes for outsourcing call centers to other countries with agents not fluent in the customers' language.
N_tro_P wrote: but in the end I am a type of person that will only work for someone or a company that I respect and respects me and its customers.
I admire that great Sir. 
modified 19-Nov-21 21:01pm.
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Been in my new job 4 months now, loving it, loving not being at the old one more.
Although CP is blocked as a message board.
On my first day a Frenchman who had been doing this job was sent back where he came from.
A month ago a Dutchman was sent back across the channel.
And at the end of the week a Serbian gets dispatched from these shores.
That leaves an all British team of, erm, me.
I am Brexit, hear me roar.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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So Brexit is a 75% reduction in employment.  Yeah that won't have any knockon effects on the rest of the economy; and who's to say they're not just downsizing on the slow and next month'll be your turn to go on gardening leave. 
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Um, it just means that British people will be hired instead?
Um, temporary reduction in force?
Somehow, I don't know how, but the British people have managed for many, many years on planet earth without the EU. I think they will do just fine, if not better than before, in the long run.
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Slacker007 wrote: Somehow, I don't know how, but the British people have managed for many, many years on planet earth without the EU
Massive empire with huge trade surplus caused by the attendant cheap raw materials and virtual export monopoly?
Just taking a guess there.
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Something like that.
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I remember how the stock markets plunged with the Brexit vote - and now they're hitting new record highs. They, in fact, recovered in just a few days.
There will likely be a relocation of some industrial populations for a bit - but more likely they come to an agreement. UK will be a de facto part of the EU, with their local government have more umph when calling the shots.
You'll see: "The more things change the more they remain the same"
| Ravings en masse^ |
|---|
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos wrote: "The more things change the more they remain the same"
I didn't realise the Brexit vote meant we had to translate all the common foreign words and phrases we use back into English. I guess it's just a reflection of the time spirit[^]. 
And if someone else has already posted this, I guess you'll get a sense of already seen[^].
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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Some things are up, some things are down, some things are up and then down and repeat.
Immediate fluctuation was inevitable, and largely irrelevant to the longer term future.
5 or 10 years down the line should we ever actually leave the EU things might be good or they might be bad.
However as no-one that I know of is running a parallel non Brexit world it will be impossible to tell if those good or bad things are better or worse than they would have been with a different result.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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I'm coming from the point of view that the driving force pre/post/never Brexit is the same. Money. The big money (such as corporate and venture capital) will still use the same parameters to make the same considerations: stability, feasibility, and profitability. Not necessarily in that order.
chriselst wrote: I know of is running a parallel non Brexit world
That is, Until Now!
| Ravings en masse^ |
|---|
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Well sure, those with the money will continue to have the money.
Those workout will continue to be subjugated.
In the bigger picture the effects will be negligible.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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There is kind of a parallel already, Norway. They're doing quite fine. If my memory serves me correctly they estimated the extra overhead due to regulation mismatch costs them perhaps 2%, which would be the price to pay for extra control. If that's what you choose for, nothing wrong with that.
Wout
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