Results for: Perspective

Uber and Lyft in Texas

Two days after Proposition 1’s defeat on May 7th; Uber and Lyft pulled their respective businesses out of the city of Austin. A superficial scan of the story (i.e. title skimming) might yield an inaccurate assumption that Austin has forced them out of the city. However, that is far from the truth, Lyft and Uber decided to team up for a fight in Texas, beyondAustin City Limits. Many do not re

Apple Is Definitely not, not Designing a Car

Technically, we should not say this aloud (or in print), people tend to soft ball it, but I am going to say it, Apple is designing a car. Take that to the bank, there are no doubts about it. However, if lightning strikes Halley's comet and a four leaf concurrently, and the iCar (Project Titan); does not materialize that does mean I am wrong, it means Apple lost Billions. Therein lies the fear of

Uber and Lyft: More Than a Fingerprint

The fight against fingerprinting is heating up. Normally bitter rivals; Uber and Lyft; have decided to put aside their differences to team up and fight a foe that is far too powerful for either to topple alone. It is worth noting (because many are unaware), Austin is not the only city that requires drivers submit their fingerprints before driving. In fact, the entire state of Texas requires that

The Theory Driving Peak Auto

I am glad someone else has thought of this, because I have been saying that this would happen since autonomous driving first became viable; autonomous autos will precede a surge in cars on the road. Conversely, a surge of analysts assumed that the opposite would be true earlier this year. However, the thought process driving this presumption has been deemed the theory of peak auto, and it is not u

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Courts Google

The most consistent criticism against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has been that they are behinds the times, in terms of automotive technology. That is actually a valid argument. Sergio Marchionne has prioritized quantity over quality in order to get Fiat Chrysler Automobiles back onto clear waters. That technique is not unique to FCA. Countless automakers employed that exact same mass product

Mitsubishi Motors and the System

Mitsubishi Motors has seen better days… namely the days in which it was so monumental a company, that it was broken up by the US after World War II. What started as a shipping company in 1873 had vertically integrated itself into a rather tall corporation in a short 20 years. By the second World War, Mitsubishi Group was almost a space elevator. What was once one giant company, is now a more mass

The United States Congress Acts Slow on FAST Act

Earlier last year, President Barack Obama, proposed a $478 Million injection into America’s aging infrastructure, The Fixing America’s Surface Infrastructure Act (FAST). The 2015 FAST Act was passed by the United States Congress with overwhelming support from both sides of the fence. It was enacted by a 359-65 and 83-16 votes in the House of Representatives and Senate respectively, but only after

How Volkswagen Changed Everything

Before the Volkswagen scandal, people could really care less about any recalls. There were dozens of recalls that preceded the diesel scandal that were a blip on the American radar at best. That all changed when Volkswagen admitted wrongdoing to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and everyone else in the world. After the company acknowledged the charges, they lost a quarter of their stock

The Avatar Effect: Why Drivers Suck

What I call the Avatar effect plays a pervasive (if unconscious) role on the road. Basically, it comes down to moral hazard: people are more likely to take risks when they feel they are shielded from the consequences of their actions. Especially when they feel detached from danger via avatars or proxies. Like Jake Sully (the crippled main character of Avatar), who uses a super expensive Na’vi hu

Learning to Drive: Double Standard

This is not true of the whole world, but the amount of ‘learning’ necessary to be allowed on the streets is dreadful. In the US, all that is necessary is test of common sense and a demonstrated aptitude of deciphering street signs. The only real learning necessary is how to appease the proctor in a 15 minute drive The driving test itself is about as close to a literal walk in the park as is possi