Yet another explosion

[beckdg]

But according to the Simpsons, big rigs already drive themselves!

I have no doubt that self driving vehicles will someday be everywhere, but I think we've got a lot of infrastructure work to be done before that should happen. Not saying it won't happen sooner, just that it shouldn't, IMO.

There's already concern about many things.

Clear road markings for one.

Recently there was a problem with the new cruise control that reads street signs.

It was reading signs for off ramps on 70mph highways and immediately jamming the brakes to speeds as low as 15mph in the middle of high speed traffic.

And let's not get into how many redundant systems and engineering it's going to take to overcome a faulty sensor.

ABS sensors alone on a big rig can be so glitchy that in some trailers one needs to be fixed or repaired at least monthly.

And they're pretty rudimentary, downright almost stone aged compared to other systems.

Hell, most mechanics can't even figure out what to do with a turbo that has a faulty chip in it, let alone diagnose and repair faulty code that crept into an ecm.

Even Volvo company techs just replace the turbo... and whatever else came up in the codes.

I have a $14,000 estimate with me for proof.

The turbo was mechanically sound. The board got wet. Period.

Tapatyped

 

[beckdg]

mods are as inconsequential as you make them seem important in the grand scheme.

Especially when you couple the above with the below...

Your meticulous work is needed elsewhere.

They're installing this technology IN 18 WHEELERS.



ETA: AND states are tripping over themselves to be the first to pass legislation THAT ALLOWS this on the road way with your family with minimum R&D from startup companies.

Tapatyped

Did I mention this is SAFE CHEMISTRY batteries with REDUNDANT SAFETY CIRCUITRY designed by HIGHLY SKILLED ENGINEERS and installed in HIGH TECH, BRAND NEW facilities?

Sitting on the lot at the shipping yard STILL UNTAMPERED WITH...

salt WATER burned up 14 cars.

Salinity a LOT lower than this...



The only thing that happened to that battery is the terminal tabs on the cells corroded!

IE: NO POSSIBILITY FOR CURRENT FLOW, FIRE OR EXPLOSION.



And that's a 7.4V, 200A nominally rated very not safe (according to some), HUGE LiPo.

The way talks go around here, either I should have died or my face should have blown off.

But the truth is... it didn't.

Tapatyped

 

[motordude]

Thanks Beckdg for the info on what's going on in the transportation industry.
I don't think I will ever leave home again.
Are people really this stupid?
It will take a little longer than 100 days to fix this kind of bs.

ETA I just remembered that I live about a mile away from a major highway in our area!
Now I need to find a cave.

 

[Jim_ MDP]

Thanks Beckdg for the info on what's going on in the transportation industry.
I don't think I will ever leave home again.
Are people really this stupid?
It will take a little longer than 100 days to fix this kind of bs.

ETA I just remembered that I live about a mile away from a major highway in our area!
Now I need to find a cave.

If the "Highway ONLY - Autopilot Equipped" semi makes it the full mile to your house... we've got bigger problems than a software glitch.

Cue the AC/DC.

 

[beckdg]

If the "Highway ONLY - Autopilot Equipped" semi makes it the full mile to your house... we've got bigger problems than a software glitch.

Cue the AC/DC.

Daimler has 3 running around Colorado as we speak.

So not "The".

And engineers across the globe are working on solutions to make it full on door to door automation.

It won't be long.

Thanks Beckdg for the info on what's going on in the transportation industry.
I don't think I will ever leave home again.
Are people really this stupid?
It will take a little longer than 100 days to fix this kind of bs.

ETA I just remembered that I live about a mile away from a major highway in our area!
Now I need to find a cave.

That's just the beginning.

All the major truck companies are looking in this direction with Volvo being the only one with an underground testing facility.

And they're talking about platooning (nose to tail trucks all the way down the highway).

And vehicles communicating with each other and infrastructure for navigation.

(Hacking either could lead to unprecedented disasters)

And Uber is also looking forward to driverless cars.

And the major car mfrs are pretty much all in with Ford and Uber both speaking of mfring cars with no human interface within 5 years. (No human override, steering wheels, brakes, etc.

So a bunch of several ton windows PC's running down the highway @ 80mph all over the place.

I look forward to it, honestly.

Just not in a hurry or race to be the first. And not as a euphoria... let's keep one foot in reality.

And definitely not until SOMEONE, ANYONE has built a computer not riddled with glitches... and a network not hack ready.

Though, I'm VERY excited about a program WYDOT (Wyoming department of transportation) is planning on piloting.

They want to outfit the highway with transmitters and sensors... and sell receivers for trucks (and if successful, later cars too) that would communicate real time traffic and road conditions and assist with routing around dangerous conditions.

Also, I'm excited about the pilot program they're looking to start with a parking lot, I forget where...

But... There's a couple that invented solar cells that can be laid as a road surface... that can be used to power the grid, illuminate the road, instantly change road speed limits, lanes, etc. and even store energy and reverse it to melt (or prevent) snow and ice.

So while there'll be some major hiccups without a doubt, there's some very interesting things on the horizon.

Tapatyped

 

[motordude]

Thanks!
I feel a little better now, I think.

 

[KenD]

Daimler has 3 running around Colorado as we speak.

So not "The".

And engineers across the globe are working on solutions to make it full on door to door automation.

It won't be long.



That's just the beginning.

All the major truck companies are looking in this direction with Volvo being the only one with an underground testing facility.

And they're talking about platooning (nose to tail trucks all the way down the highway).

And vehicles communicating with each other and infrastructure for navigation.

(Hacking either could lead to unprecedented disasters)

And Uber is also looking forward to driverless cars.

And the major car mfrs are pretty much all in with Ford and Uber both speaking of mfring cars with no human interface within 5 years. (No human override, steering wheels, brakes, etc.

So a bunch of several ton windows PC's running down the highway @ 80mph all over the place.

I look forward to it, honestly.

Just not in a hurry or race to be the first. And not as a euphoria... let's keep one foot in reality.

And definitely not until SOMEONE, ANYONE has built a computer not riddled with glitches... and a network not hack ready.

Though, I'm VERY excited about a program WYDOT (Wyoming department of transportation) is planning on piloting.

They want to outfit the highway with transmitters and sensors... and sell receivers for trucks (and if successful, later cars too) that would communicate real time traffic and road conditions and assist with routing around dangerous conditions.

Also, I'm excited about the pilot program they're looking to start with a parking lot, I forget where...

But... There's a couple that invented solar cells that can be laid as a road surface... that can be used to power the grid, illuminate the road, instantly change road speed limits, lanes, etc. and even store energy and reverse it to melt (or prevent) snow and ice.

So while there'll be some major hiccups without a doubt, there's some very interesting things on the horizon.

Tapatyped

Humans are riddled with all manner of glitches and flaws. Sure, this needs more time to get it done right, but let's not kid ourself and think that human drivers are very safe.

Sent from my M7_PLUS using Tapatalk

 

[Jim_ MDP]

Daimler has 3 running around Colorado as we speak.

So not "The".

And engineers across the globe are working on solutions to make it full on door to door automation.

It won't be long.

I was in no way addressing the legitimate concerns.

It was a joke reference to Maximum Overdrive. Nothing more.

 

[beckdg]

Humans are riddled with all manner of glitches and flaws. Sure, this needs more time to get it done right, but let's not kid ourself and think that human drivers are very safe.

Sent from my M7_PLUS using Tapatalk

So you got to some point where you read something in a different context than its original meaning and everything from there on was meaningless?

Roger.

You do know I was speaking of machines, computers and sensors BUILT BY HUMANS, right?

And governed by laws written by humans?

To allow them to do extremely dangerous driving currently not allowed by humans?

What happens when the first of 35 70 foot long trucks all inches from each other overturns on a crowded highway at 70 mph?!?!?!

Because it IS going to happen the way things are going. Period.

I was in no way addressing the legitimate concerns.

It was a joke reference to Maximum Overdrive. Nothing more.

My fault. Tough to read intent in text at times.

Tapatyped

 

[Cheallaigh]

When it comes to advanced mass marketed systems like cell phones and laptops and hybrid electric cars, the system designers of those products have taken appropriate steps to make them "safe" for uninformed end-user use. Purely mechanical unregulated ecig battery mods and uninformed end-users is a dicey proposition. Regulated mods claim to have protection circuitry, but what happens when those protections fail?

Most consumer battery operated devices are no where near the limit of the batterys operating limits. The high-end flashlights and ecigs and RCtoys come to mind as applications that really push the limits. With the RCtoys the device is physically far removed from the person so a mishap is inconsequential. With ecigs a mishap is literally in the persons face.

i used to work tech support for Bell, a major telecommunications company here in canada... you'd not be surprised at the idiocy i got from customers... sometimes i was seriously amazed they could function at all.

customer "hey yeah my wifi doesn't work, fix it!"
me "okay, what are you trying to connect with?"
customer " well my phone, duh!"
me "okay do you have any other devices you can try with?"
customer "no! i only use my phone!"
me "okay, so is it not showing any bars on your phone?"
customer "no, it's showing nothing! fix it! this is my only way onto the net!"

another few mins back and forth of me trying to ask questions and getting the fix it demand, meanwhile i'm looking at their modem from our end, and showing it's working. i point out it's working on my end, that it could be an issue with the phone...

customer "damn it! i need my phone! the battery is almost dead, just a sec!"
i hear them walk away from the homephone... and a microwave beeping, a lot of swearing, and then something being smashed.
customer "this is all your fault! i went to recharge it and it blew up! now it's busted!"
me "ummm did you just nuke your cell phone?"
customer " well yeah that will charge it right?"
me "nope...
who's your cell service provider?
oh it's us? good to know!
just for your information, all calls are recorded and i can pass you over to the cell phone tech support...
sorry, no, i only handle home phone, internet, sat, cable and fibreoptics...not cells sorry!"

i put a lot of notes on that file and made sure all depts such as billing and refunds could see it.

 

[beckdg]

i used to work tech support for Bell, a major telecommunications company here in canada... you'd not be surprised at the idiocy i got from customers... sometimes i was seriously amazed they could function at all.

customer "hey yeah my wifi doesn't work, fix it!"
me "okay, what are you trying to connect with?"
customer " well my phone, duh!"
me "okay do you have any other devices you can try with?"
customer "no! i only use my phone!"
me "okay, so is it not showing any bars on your phone?"
customer "no, it's showing nothing! fix it! this is my only way onto the net!"

another few mins back and forth of me trying to ask questions and getting the fix it demand, meanwhile i'm looking at their modem from our end, and showing it's working. i point out it's working on my end, that it could be an issue with the phone...

customer "damn it! i need my phone! the battery is almost dead, just a sec!"
i hear them walk away from the homephone... and a microwave beeping, a lot of swearing, and then something being smashed.
customer "this is all your fault! i went to recharge it and it blew up! now it's busted!"
me "ummm did you just nuke your cell phone?"
customer " well yeah that will charge it right?"
me "nope...
who's your cell service provider?
oh it's us? good to know!
just for your information, all calls are recorded and i can pass you over to the cell phone tech support...
sorry, no, i only handle home phone, internet, sat, cable and fibreoptics...not cells sorry!"

i put a lot of notes on that file and made sure all depts such as billing and refunds could see it.

There's a reason they call it idiot proofing.

Unfortunately it's a misnomer.

They keep making better idiots to crack the system.



And if history has taught us anything, if it has a power source, it can't be idiot proofed.

Tapatyped

 

[Cheallaigh]

There's a reason they call it idiot proofing.

Unfortunately it's a misnomer.

They keep making better idiots to crack the system.



And if history has taught us anything, if it has a power source, it can't be idiot proofed.

Tapatyped

this is why we have darwin awards... i keep saying it, and no, it's not nice ... but people are stupid! ... the reason i keep saying it, is because of my former job and building my own comps etc... like people who insisted when a tech arrived they wanted the modem, just there, in that spot! they didn't want to see it(some claimed it put out waves)... 99% of the time that spot? in the cinder block/cement basement next to the breakerbox(or even in it), or on top of the ONT in said basement.. then called and complained when their wifi didn't work well or at all. i've had multiple calls telling me to turn the camera off in the red light on the PVRs/receivers... several where a receiver was smoking and they could smell burning plastic, i told them to immediately unplug the device and place it outside and i got "but why? i want to watch tv!"... the best one? a woman called in demanding i fix her tv/internet modem and make them work during a power outage, because they should since her computer(laptop) was working! that same day another woman called and demanded her tv/internet be fixed before her kids got home, she had power but... "ma'am is that your building fire alarm i can hear?" "yes, but just ignore it and fix my tv!"... "ma'am i cannot legally send out a tech when you have an emergency in your building as in a possible fire... please make sure your building isn't on fire...".

 

[beckdg]

this is why we have darwin awards... i keep saying it, and no, it's not nice ... but people are stupid! ... the reason i keep saying it, is because of my former job and building my own comps etc... like people who insisted when a tech arrived they wanted the modem, just there, in that spot! they didn't want to see it(some claimed it put out waves)... 99% of the time that spot? in the cinder block/cement basement next to the breakerbox(or even in it), or on top of the ONT in said basement.. then called and complained when their wifi didn't work well or at all. i've had multiple calls telling me to turn the camera off in the red light on the PVRs/receivers... several where a receiver was smoking and they could smell burning plastic, i told them to immediately unplug the device and place it outside and i got "but why? i want to watch tv!"... the best one? a woman called in demanding i fix her tv/internet modem and make them work during a power outage, because they should since her computer(laptop) was working! that same day another woman called and demanded her tv/internet be fixed before her kids got home, she had power but... "ma'am is that your building fire alarm i can hear?" "yes, but just ignore it and fix my tv!"... "ma'am i cannot legally send out a tech when you have an emergency in your building as in a possible fire... please make sure your building isn't on fire...".

I've done help desk.

As well as countless other jobs and professions.

You're preaching to the choir.

I've had a lady ask me to restore a roll of white designer toilet paper her mother brought her from Italy after the roll sat under 4 feet of water, waste and chemicals for 2 days.

The worst are always the "educated" ones.

They're usually convinced whatever is going on in their heads makes perfect sense.

And boy are they capable of some doozies.

And soooooo convincing to the unsuspecting.

Tapatyped

 

[SteveS45]

I am the Field Engineer who goes out on site when you Help Desk people can't help them out. Can't tell you how many times I found devices plugged into power strips that were not plugged into an outlet or a regulated power supply.

 

[beckdg]

I am the Field Engineer who goes out on site when you Help Desk people can't help them out. Can't tell you how many times I found devices plugged into power strips that were not plugged into an outlet or a regulated power supply.

And we're doing a fine job explaining why I drive a truck now. [emoji38]

Seriously.

Tapatyped

 

[Cheallaigh]

I am the Field Engineer who goes out on site when you Help Desk people can't help them out. Can't tell you how many times I found devices plugged into power strips that were not plugged into an outlet or a regulated power supply.

i was above helpdesk hehehehe... i dealt with ONTs, had the full training on the wiring etc... i'm much happier helping with the family garage and my head hurts a lot less now that i'm not going *head desk, head desk, head desk* or chewing on my tongue continiously...

 

[SteveS45]

I have worked with 3rd tier engineers who fell out of their chairs when I called in from site to report what I found. One memorable time was a Manager who disconnected a POS system from the conditioned power because he needed an outlet for the Red Bull Cooler. I repeatedly told him the outlet was not rated for that amperage and it is for the UPS of the POS but he refused to listen. Pictures before and after so when I had to return to site to change it back was no problem getting paid again and again!

 

[Psofos]

this is why we have darwin awards... i keep saying it, and no, it's not nice ... but people are stupid! ... the reason i keep saying it, is because of my former job and building my own comps etc... like people who insisted when a tech arrived they wanted the modem, just there, in that spot! they didn't want to see it(some claimed it put out waves)... 99% of the time that spot? in the cinder block/cement basement next to the breakerbox(or even in it), or on top of the ONT in said basement.. then called and complained when their wifi didn't work well or at all. i've had multiple calls telling me to turn the camera off in the red light on the PVRs/receivers... several where a receiver was smoking and they could smell burning plastic, i told them to immediately unplug the device and place it outside and i got "but why? i want to watch tv!"... the best one? a woman called in demanding i fix her tv/internet modem and make them work during a power outage, because they should since her computer(laptop) was working! that same day another woman called and demanded her tv/internet be fixed before her kids got home, she had power but... "ma'am is that your building fire alarm i can hear?" "yes, but just ignore it and fix my tv!"... "ma'am i cannot legally send out a tech when you have an emergency in your building as in a possible fire... please make sure your building isn't on fire...".

When my wife's mother was diagnosed with cancer,her husband threw the modem and the microwave oven in the garbage and stopped talking on the phone in the house.
He continued to smoke inside though,because the problem was not in her lungs.
So sad and funny at the same time.

 

[SteveS45]

Sad for sure but I do not see anything funny but that is just me.

 

[Cheallaigh]

it's definitely sad... i would say desturbing what some will believe. then again, i've chewed out and reported onsite techs for making the comments about the red lights being cameras and customers calling me during an install to confirm this or after. thing is you can tell people that such and such is safe(wifi waves), but it's not really true, in that they've done testing on it. part of it is a complete lack of understanding, then the explination confuses them more "it sends out waves of signals" which makes them think whatever... anytime you deal with anything that has a self contained concentrated power source, you should have a basic idea of safety.