This was fantastic to read, Eric! Really gave me goosebumps in a good way. We can only hope, if this is a battle, the "good side" wins and we end up in the future Elon and his group envision. After all, we don't have to be slated for the evil, self-interested, despotic fuckers to keep on winning, do we? :) It sounds monumental... and like you had an absolute fucking blast. I'm so happy for you, my friend <3
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Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I felt as though I had a revelation while listening to the keynote. I mean, I'd consumed probably dozens of hours of speeches and videos up until that point but there's something about the impact of being there brought it all into focus for me. I think so much about the kind of future we have relies on our mindset today. There's never been a better time to be optimistic or become a "maker" instead of a "taker". I'm of the belief that to be pessimistic now is to give up completely. I believe Elon's direct experience with how f*cked up government really is is one of his main drivers to make the pivot towards AI and robotics. He discovered it can't even be fixed from the inside so he's reinventing the wheel, so to speak. I appreciate it! I'm so very grateful to have had this opportunity. : )
As you said, if someone can do something with this knowledge that the society we've built has rotten pillars, it's Elon or no one.
We had a couple of classes with a similar conclusion at PA - it's a good time to be optimistic (as opposed to the perennial doom that seems to be put forward lately). What an important message to send to the world.
I think he's pretty well positioned to make a difference and has the personality for it. I hope the greed and corruption is left in this old world and we're able to shed that mentality in the new one. It's so very important that we stay positive and seek out the good during this transition. I have a feeling our world a decade from now will be almost unrecognizable from the one we live in today. That change is going to happen at lightening-speed.
I was just watching your Waymo ride on YT - do you think, if these things prove feasible long term, they'll eventually get rid of the control buttons and things? Since the robot doesn't need them to pilot anyway. A autonomous taxi could just look like a box...Or like anything else really... (super cool btw)
I think we'll eventually just see a screen in the vehicles and there won't even be any steering wheel or driver controls. This is how the CyberCab is designed.
The cars will operate seamlessly with the app(s). Waymo's driving ability and ease of use was pretty impressive but with all those expensive Lidar scanners on the cars I just don't know how they'll scale and be profitable. I think this is where Tesla has the advantage. Every car they sell is capable of autonomous driving using just regular cameras.
Amazon is throwing their hat into the autonomous taxi ring with Zoox. It's got that box design that you describe.
What I'm really excited about is the RoboVan. It's an art deco design with a modern spin.