Brexit, for once some facts.

[flecc]

true but we have to make a start somewhere.
Within months, we should have stats to support better speed on motorways.

I don't see it even happening to any degree. To have even limited value on my car I have to apply all permissions, which makes it a nightmare in my usual town driving, forcing me to to turn off all the nuisance features.

For those who spend lots of time on longish motorway trips it may eventually be useful, but for most who mainly drive locally, it's not worth the hassle. I'm sure that most people want to drive their car, just as I do.

There's an e-biking parallel. With the Quando based e-bike I had for many years I could just open the throttle and let the bike do it all without me pedalling, flattening the hills as it went. But that was not only really boring, it also seemed very slow at circa 15 mph, so I always pedal assisted which was far more satisfying and somehow didn't seem so slow.

We humans like to be involved and in control.
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[oldgroaner]

Oh Dear Mr Johnson
I believe the expression is
Exocet launched and INCOMING!!!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1387368991174369281

There'l be further on this............
Believe you me!!
My tweeted response

"How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail. And pour the waters of the Nile, on every golden scale. How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spreads his claws. And welcomes little fishes in, with gently smiling jaws.


I must say that has quite made my day!

 

[Woosh]

I don't see it even happening to any degree. To have even limited value on my car I have to apply all permissions, which makes it a nightmare in my usual town driving, forcing me to to turn off all the nuisance features.

For those who spend lots of time on longish motorway trips it may eventually be useful, but for most who mainly drive locally, it's not worth the hassle. I'm sure that most people want to drive their car, just as I do.

There's an e-biking parallel. With the Quando based e-bike I had for many years I could just open the throttle and let the bike do it all without me pedalling, flattening the hills as it went. But that was not only really boring, it also seemed very slow at circa 15 mph, so I always pedal assisted which was far more satisfying and somehow didn't seem so slow.

We humans like to be involved and in control.
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just look at progress that has been achieved with the drones.

 

[oyster]

We have for a long time now been in a phase of introducing inadequately developed technologies.

It started years ago with speech to text on computers which produced around 92 % accuracy which was effectively useless since who wants to have to read through what they've just spoken at length and correct at least every twelfth word, often more.

That led to voice control of cars, TVs, phones and now personal assistants, which works so badly that it's become a sketch staple of comedians, amusing us with the often hilarious responses from said cars, phones and personal assistants.

And now to the weakest technology of all, self driving cars which are back in the news again today. After a decade of promising full self driving level 5 within a couple of years, all we have is a nominal level 3 which in practice is more like level 2 in most circumstances, so not worth bothering with for most people.

The announced restrictions being placed on its use in the next year or two are such that I can't see anyone using it. For example limited to truck speeds on motorways. Driver alertness checks every 20 seconds, no response and the car stops. How many will be happy with being in the slow lane between two 40 tonne trucks with constant need to respond to the car in some way or be suddenly brought to a halt with a 40 tonner bearing down on them?

We need to get to an age when all technology is fully proven and using standardised systems and protocols before being marketed, yes smartphones from Apple and Android, I'm looking at you in particular.
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I think I've posted before that I find voice-activation/recognition systems slightly difficult. Though I can witter on about lots of things for hours with real people, actually using these systems ends up unsatisfactory. Really don't understand why, but a slight tendency to stutter comes to the fore.

Many years ago, someone I knew well insisted that I would say nnyes or yyyno. Never having been aware of it, that was a surprise - and still find it difficult to believe. But 'tis true that in order to be understood by such systems, I have to be concentrating on my speech and take extra care with enunciation.

 

[oyster]

true but we have to make a start somewhere.
Within months, we should have stats to support better speed on motorways.

One of the most difficult aspects of self-driving is highlighted as a vital element of this approach. That is, for a human driver to be able to take over with very little notice, no matter what else they might have been doing, thinking about or anything else.

This requires the human-driver-to-be to be awake, alert, have a driving licence, not be doing other things that are mentally absorbing.

My own car has adaptive cruise control - just one small element of a self-driving car. I can sit in a queue of traffic, slow down and speed up without touching the brake of accelerator. Even to the point of stopping and restarting when possible. If I weren't required to steer, my attention could easily wander. (And I am always second-guessing what the car is going to decide to do!)

In my book, it would probably be far more helpful to have widespread slow self-driving vehicles. Say, twenty miles an hour. And no intention of them going faster - at least, not in self-driving mode.

 

[oyster]

I have a feeling this might not play out as intended:

Boris Johnson will decide himself if he broke rules over flat refurbishment
The Prime Minister's official spokesman confirmed Mr Johnson will remain 'ultimate arbiter' of the ministerial code - even if he's the one under investigation
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-boris-johnson-himself-judge-23999078

My guess - the Supreme Court would somehow be forced to get involved and just might disagree.

 

[flecc]

In my book, it would probably be far more helpful to have widespread slow self-driving vehicles. Say, twenty miles an hour. And no intention of them going faster - at least, not in self-driving mode.

That's very much the approach the Google self driving cars use, crawling around. But they drive everyone else nuts!!
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[oyster]

That's very much the approach the Google self driving cars use, crawling around. But they drive everyone else nuts!!
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In a small town, it is arguable that we should all accept 20 mph (or somewhere around that speed) as the speed limit for everything. Possibly one or two faster routes if through traffic is an essential part of the road network.

Definitely different in large towns and the major cities (noting that St Davids is a city but is incredibly small).

Also chuckling at the 37 mph mentioned as the limit for the self-driving trial. 60 kph is obviously the speed chosen.

 

[flecc]

just look at progress that has been achieved with the drones.

There aren't well over 30 million drones packed into less than 5% of all the space in only the one vertical dimension. i.e. Roads.
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[flecc]

Also chuckling at the 37 mph mentioned as the limit for the self-driving trial. 60 kph is obviously the speed chosen.

The daft thing is that there are many cars like mine which are fully approved for road use with built in full self driving ability. My Nissan one recommends only use at up to 60 mph and also states one must always remain in control and never rely on the self driving alone.

Apart from wisely showing little faith in their system, it does make a mockery of having a much slower official trial with more safeguards.
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[flecc]

Also chuckling at the 37 mph mentioned as the limit for the self-driving trial.

Another aspect is that the self drive cars largely rely on painted lane markings to keep in lane, but the only roads reliably lined are the motorways,

I wonder how the police and truckies will welcome cars at 37 mph in the slow lane, almost 20 mph slower than the trucks?

It all adds up to a non-trial, due to there being nowhere suitable.
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[oyster]

Why have we just ordered 60 million more Pfizer booster doses for use later this year?

We have been told that AZ is pretty similarly effective. And that both our doses should be the same vaccine. And there aren't 60 million who won't have already had Pfizer... And, so far, children are not being vaccinated.

 

[flecc]

Why have we just ordered 60 million more Pfizer booster doses for use later this year?

We have been told that AZ is pretty similarly effective. And that both our doses should be the same vaccine. And there aren't 60 million who won't have already had Pfizer... And, so far, children are not being vaccinated.

I think they are intended in part for the younger age groups where there are doubts about the AZ, and in part for the overseas giveaways to try to outdo the EU. It looks a lot, but worldwide it's peanuts.
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[Woosh]

Why have we just ordered 60 million more Pfizer booster doses for use later this year?

we'll give our AZ doses to COVAX.

 

[Woosh]

There aren't well over 30 million drones packed into less than 5% of all the space in only the one vertical dimension. i.e. Roads.
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the speed of software development for autonomous drones is astonishing as demonstrated by the Mars helicopter and drones in light shows.
They can avoid crashing into one another and can also swarm.

 

[flecc]

More NHS privatisation inroads in our region, the below from my MP:

"I have had many constituents contact me with concern over the takeover of GP surgeries across Croydon Central by the US health care company Centene. There are well-founded concerns over their previous business behaviour and the potential for the patient experience in surgeries here to be impacted. I have written to the head of the Croydon CQC and the Health Secretary in order to seek assurances regarding the long-term protection of my constituents from any potential negative impact."

An American health insurance giant which has been described by the Daily Mail as “a profit greedy” company is about to take over seven GP surgeries in Croydon.

Centene, through Operose Health, its UK subsidiary, has been taking over GP surgeries and practices in London and across the country for many years.

Centene has recently taken over AT Medics, a primary care provider responsible for 49 GP surgeries and more than 370,000 patients in the Greater London area. Seven of those GP practices are in Croydon. (and include my one)

According to campaign group WeOwnIt, “With a total of 70 GP surgeries and practices, Centene is almost certainly the largest single provider of NHS primary care in England.

“This is shocking.”

P.S.

Private Eye this week reports that AT Medics managed to make £35million profit from the NHS from its GP practices in London in the five years before the Centene takeover.
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[flecc]

as demonstrated by the Mars helicopter and drones in light shows.

This brought a smile as I recalled the first visit by a US stealth fighter to the Farnborough Air Show.

BA and others were waiting there with their radars and triumphantly announced they'd spotted it on radar long before it came into view.

The somewhat lame but amusing response from the Americans was:

"We didn't design it to attack air shows".
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[oyster]

the speed of software development for autonomous drones is astonishing as demonstrated by the Mars helicopter and drones in light shows.
They can avoid crashing into one another and can also swarm.

There is, though, a fundamental difference. Drones, as described, don't have to deal with the idiots driving round them. Of course, there will have been a few occasions where a manually controlled drone has caused issues. But as a swarm, they are all operating in ways that were in the minds of the programmers.

 

[oyster]

I think they are intended in part for the younger age groups where there are doubts about the AZ, and in part for the overseas giveaways to try to outdo the EU. It looks a lot, but worldwide it's peanuts.
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It was that the wording said they were to be used as booster shots. Not first and second combos. Not even as second shots.

My interpretation is that they intend all AZ recipients to receive a single additional Pfizer dose as a booster. Then... ?

Either they know something we don't. Or they are making decisions which appear very odd.

 

[flecc]

It was that the wording said they were to be used as booster shots. Not first and second combos. Not even as second shots.

My interpretation is that they intend all AZ recipients to receive a single additional Pfizer dose as a booster. Then... ?

Either they know something we don't. Or they are making decisions which appear very odd.

I've long suspected that the AZ has problems being covered up for political expediency. The "something they know" could well be that the AZ doesn't have lasting protection and an added Pfizer as a boost deals with that issue.
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