Self Parking Cars.?

Question

Is anyone else as scared by this concept as I am? I'm not a technophobe, and I sure don't think that computers are going to take over the world in some Terminator/I Robot/Matrix type revolution.
My fear is from the ever growing list of things that "out of convienence" people have stopped learning how to do. Top of the list? Basic math, and spelling. Those two skills are all but extinct in some high school graduates, but hey, that's ok, they have calculators and spell checks. Those solve everything.
Back to the Self Parking Cars. Isn't parallel parking a basic skill that drivers need? Sure, I can't remember the last time I actually had to parallel park, but I'm fully confident in my ability to do it if the need arises.
Isn't the mechanics of knowing how to parallel park a good exercise of understanding what your car is capable of?

God forbid we actually end up living in a society where people don't know what would happen if they put a car in reverse, crank the wheel clockwise, back up while slowly turning the wheel back counter-clockwise, and then stop before you hit the car behind you.

Will the Self Parking Car prevent the idiot coming up behind you because he doesn't know that your brakelights and your right-turn signal mean you are about to back into a parallel spot?

Cadair,

I think your logic is flawed.
It is more important to UNDERSTAND how to do something than to be reliant on a machine to do it for you.
And no, students are not learning higher math now then they were 10-20 or even 50 years ago. The highest levels of math are still being done on blackboards because the machines can't do it.
I agree with the point that speeding up repetiveness is important, however do you really want a guy with a high school education pressing a button at a nuclear power plant over and over again because he was told to. Or would you prefer someone who understands the process and would actually know what to do if something went wrong?

Answer 1

Every bit of your reasoning makes sense. Technology is weakening the mind. Kids these days don't have any imagination and don't know how to use their brains to figure out a simple problem. Baby-boomers never had all this technology and couldn't wait to get outside to play. Kids these days don't know how to have fun. You can't tear them away from their video games and computers. I know this is the Cars & Transportation section. Sorry about my ranting. LOL

Answer 2

I agree with your concerns, but still think that it is probably a good thing. I think the best part of technology is that it saves the human brain for things that are actually important. For example, in my fathers day, they had college classes on how to use the slide rule. The sad part of that is that it is wasting time. Instead of being limited by your brain to solve a problem, you are limited by your resources. Now that students do not have to waste as much of their time studying man-made processes to solve problems, they can focus on the actual problem.

Imagine how much time is saved by the simple function of computers being able to cut and paste instead of having to retype everything. So many people complain that students rely on calculators for problems their predecessors didn't, but they never mention the fact that the new students know higher math than their predecessors. People should never be limited by their resources, only their creativity and intelligence.

Answer 3

I'm not scared I'll just never b that lazy u should not drive a car if u can't reverse park(no offence 2 u).I think it's just 4 rich lazy people who can't drive!

Answer 4

I think it is silly and just for those lazy or paranoid people out there. I like to be in control even if I have human error

Answer 5

DUDE! you need to get out more!!!