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1. 

   Jared Anderson, 16 Nov 2005 @ 11:06pm

   
   

   No Subject Given

   Thats hilarious.

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2. 

   z0idberg, 17 Nov 2005 @ 1:26am

   
   

   good advertising..

   I like how directly after the article is an ad. "Looking for a new Mercedes car to lease or purchase?". I'm not sure thats such a good way to drum up business.

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3. 

   Boo, 17 Nov 2005 @ 1:42am

   
   

   i feel sorry for them

   
   when windows crashes during a bill gates demo, i smugly grin, but with this story I share their pain! I dunno, maybe it's cause i know what it feels like when something you could have never predicted happening undermines your work and make you look like an idiot!
   
   ...but that said, perhaps this is something they could have (shoud have?) predicted. i wonder what kind of problems you would have parking this car on a car-ferry, or driving through a steel re-inforced tunnel!!?

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

4. 

   LaidLaw, 17 Nov 2005 @ 2:18am

   
   

   Re: i feel sorry for them

   I guess it is good to always remember that technology only assists, and doesn't really ever replace.
   
   I feel their pain too. You can work as hard as you want, sometimes things just aren't going to work out right.
   
   As somebody who does live sound on a regular basis, there have been a number of times that everything looks good and runs good up until show time, then bamo! Something major goes wrong.
   
   A few times we even had equipment catch on fire DURING shows. Yup. I know what they went through.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

5. 

   thecaptain, 17 Nov 2005 @ 5:40am

   
   

   Re: i feel sorry for them

   Well said.
   
   I am very leery of any technology that attempts to replace human intervention, as stupid and inadequate as it could be at times.
   
   Just this quote:
   
   "The system "works perfectly in all other circumstances", according to Mercedes. For now, though, it may be worth keeping your foot near the brake pedal."
   
   Chills me to my very bones, because if they failed to take into account the test site, what else did they miss?
   
   Software is NEVER bug free...software shouldn't replace human intervention, only enhance it.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

6. 

   Mel, 17 Nov 2005 @ 7:04am

   
   

   No Subject Given

   They're saying the system "works perfectly in all other circumstances", which implies that they know all of the conditions in which it works .. and those in which it doesn't. Yet had they actually known, they would not have tested in the "steel hall".
   
   So ... they don't know where it works and where it doesn't.
   
   Guardrail is made of steel. What if you're in the middle of three lanes with a semi-tailer on either side (I know, aluminum, but plenty of steel too).
   I'm just sayin'.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

7. 

   Danny Davila, 17 Nov 2005 @ 9:21am

   
   

   Re: No Subject Given

   An even better situation is big cities like New York, where the chance of signal echo or dropouts are likely to occur.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

8. 

   MindTrigger, 17 Nov 2005 @ 9:29am

   
   

   Re: No Subject Given

   
   It's not about predicting the problem. Part of your plan should be to do a couple "test runs" before going on the air. Simply assuming everything will be ok for your demo is retarded. I guess I though this was a universal "known" by now. hahaha.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

9. 

   giafly, 17 Nov 2005 @ 10:26am

   
   

   Hacking this device

   Apparantly 19% of people consider tailgating the most annoying thing that other drivers do. If systems like this become commonplace, I wonder how long it will be before you can get a "beeper" to fire at following cars and jam their brakes on?
   
   Alternatively, if an unexpected radar reflection can confuse the braking system of expensive cars and stop them working, the possibilities for terrorists and vandals are obvious.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

10. 

    Astroturf Non-user, 17 Nov 2005 @ 11:41pm

    
    

    Re: i feel sorry for them

    Sadly though, people let technology control them all the time. 4x4 drivers on ice are a great example. Having lived in the Colorado mountians, I can't tell you the number of times I have watched 4x4 drivers speed past me on a slick mountian pass.
    
    Even sadder, I can recall the number of times I had to call 911 from the nearest payphone because that same driver drove off the highway, and down into a valley.
    
    No matter what technology you have in your car, your safety has more to do with you than it does your features.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

11. 

    Anony Moose, 7 Dec 2005 @ 5:52pm

    
    

    Re: Hacking this device

    Yes, because terrorists have been waiting years to stop Mercedes from driving on our roads...

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