Welcome to Connect! Unite! Act!
A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us at Daily Kos every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward. |
If you are new to the site or have been lurking, we invite you to join in the friendly banter here. Don’t be shy, you have something to say. Say anything, it will be well received. Join any of our communities at Daily Kos, just for camaraderie!
When I first started seeing articles about self-driving vehicles, I was completely unimpressed. I mean, it was preposterous to think that machines without eyeballs and human reflexes could replace living drivers.
Eventually I began to think about the subject while I was on the road (I drive about 25,000 miles every year, giving me plenty of time to think). Day in and day out, I would witness my fellow humans doing things behind the wheel that were dumber than dumb. As my opinion about humans drifted lower and lower, my opinions of machines moved correspondingly higher.
Consider the ordinary traffic light. I regard it as one of the worst technologies to arise out of the 20th century. Build a high-speed road. Install devices that force commuters to spend most of their time driving slowly, or completely stopped. Make no effort to synchronize any of the devices. Repeat all around the world.
Consider also the way humans react when the light turns green. Each highly distracted driver must, one by one, become aware that it’s time to move. If you are the twentieth person in line, you’ll wait forever for your turn.
How long would it take that same line of 20 cars to respond if computers were behind the wheel? They could all begin to accelerate at once, gradually opening a safe space between vehicles. Or perhaps the traffic light wouldn’t be needed at all.
Traffic jams? All it takes is one careless driver to cause a wreck, and that billion-dollar freeway (and the side roads too) become nothing more than a high-tech parking lot.
So yes, I’m warming up to the idea of computer-driven vehicles. Perhaps in a few years, I can sit back and pet my cat while my truck drives itself across the country.
There are negatives, of course. Any crash that is the computer’s fault will gather lots of negative press. Computers can be hacked, which might raise slight problems at 70mph in heavy traffic.
And then there’s the issue of massive unemployment of drivers, as Mark Sumner mentioned in his FP diary yesterday.
Where do you stand on the issue? Are you ready to give up the wheel to an unblinking machine with nerves of steel silicon? Let’s discuss!
As always, this is Open Thread Time!
LET'S BUILD IN-REAL-LIFE COMMUNITIES!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events. We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in. If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers. If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links. If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
Colorado: Sunday Mornings
Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Missouri: Wednesday Evenings
Kansas: Monday Evenings
Let us know if you’ve got any events that would be of interest to other readers of Daily Kos IN-YOUR-REAL-LIFE space.
Saturday, December 17th, 1:00 PM
Private residence in Pasadena
Please RSVP to 714day or gmats get an address and let them know what you’re bringing for potluck.
Details here: 12/17/16, 1 p.m. Meet in Pasadena Change in Venue
RSVPS
1. 714day — pasta & salad
2. gmats
3. jakedog42
4. ursulafaw
5. Dretutz
6. J Graham
7. Joe Bacon
8. murphy
9. susans — entreé
10. Zack from SFV — cold drinks & an hors d’ouevre
MAYBEES:
Just Saying
|
Leftcandid and ColoTim, leaders of Daily Kos’ endorsed Colorado Community, would like to invite you to our Caffeinating Liberally meet-up on December 17th. We meet at the Common Grounds Coffee House, 44th and Vallejo, in Denver from 9:00 AM to noonish at the table by the piano. Come meet fellow Daily Kos readers and other like-minded folk, enjoy wake-up coffee to start your weekend off and discuss how we take back America. For questions and RSVP's, you can contact Leftcandid or ColoTim.
NEW GROUPS FORMING:
Leftcandid and ColoTim, organizers for the Denver area met at Caffeinating Liberally which meets every 4th Saturday morning, except next month when it will be Dec. 17th.
Leftcandid deserves special recognition for taking supplies to Standing Rock, his thoughtful account is here: Colorado State Open Thread: North Dakota. You can still recommend it. He did a lot in his short time there. Thanks, Joe!
About 35 readers of Daily Kos in the San Francisco Bay Area met for a salmon grill and pot luck in the Wine Country north of Santa Rosa, CA. It was a wonderful group hug after the election. Numerous photos here.
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries about your event or if you have changes or additions.