Topic: Autonomous Vehicles

Vice President Kamala Harris visited San Francisco, where her motorcade was briefly obstructed by a stalled autonomous Waymo vehicle that required manual intervention by police. Following this, Harris traveled to the Arizona-Mexico border to advocate for tougher immigration enforcement and border security. Critics characterized the border visit as a "nothing burger" and a political pivot.

Residents in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood are complaining about Waymo autonomous vehicles honking at each other in parking lots at 4:00 AM. Waymo acknowledged the issue and is implementing a fix. The cars are compared to "Furbies" communicating with each other in the middle of the night.

A Waymo autonomous vehicle was attacked and set on fire by a crowd in San Francisco's Chinatown during Lunar New Year celebrations. The incident reflects growing public hostility toward "robotaxis" that frequently cause traffic disruptions. The destruction of the vehicle is described as a "tribal" reaction against the encroachment of autonomous technology in urban environments.

Protesters in San Francisco, organized under the "Safe Street Rebel" group, have discovered that placing orange traffic cones on the hoods of Waymo and Cruise autonomous vehicles causes the cars to malfunction and stop. This "monkey business activism" follows reports of self-driving cars blocking emergency vehicles and fire trucks. Consequently, city officials have ordered Cruise to reduce its fleet size by half until safety concerns are addressed.

California regulators voted 3-1 to allow Cruise and Waymo to expand their driverless taxi services in San Francisco, despite strong opposition from the city's fire and police departments. Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson warned that autonomous vehicles have blocked firehouse driveways and interfered with emergency scenes. The hosts mock the technology's reliability, referencing a recent incident where a car drove into wet cement.

A Cruise self-driving car obstructed emergency responders at the scene of the Mission District shooting, leading to a confrontation with a police officer. The company claimed the vehicle performed a U-turn, but video evidence suggests the AI-controlled car simply stopped in the middle of the street due to flashing emergency lights, highlighting ongoing issues with autonomous vehicle navigation in crisis zones.

Autonomous vehicles from Waymo and Cruise are causing increasing disruptions in San Francisco, including blocking emergency responders and interfering with fire scenes. Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson reported that robot cars often freeze when encountering emergency lights, leading to a tripling of 911 calls related to autonomous vehicle malfunctions. Despite local safety concerns, the companies plan to expand operations to Los Angeles.

Ford has announced its withdrawal from the autonomous vehicle race after a $2 billion loss, deciding to wait for third-party licensing instead. Simultaneously, Elon Musk admitted that Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" software will not receive regulatory approval for driverless operation this year, despite the $15,000 price tag for the feature.

A producer living in Shanghai, John Jones, provides a detailed account of the city's lockdown, describing empty shelves and the use of autonomous vehicles for food delivery. He notes that despite 28 million residents, the number of symptomatic cases remains extremely low. He reports that some residents are receiving rotten food while others are well-supplied.

The Guardian reported a 41% increase in pedestrian deaths since 2008, attributing the rise to driver and pedestrian distraction. The article suggests that 5G technology and smart cars will eventually solve the problem by allowing vehicles to "see" pedestrians. The hosts mock the idea that 5G is a panacea for people walking into traffic while looking at their smartphones.

Julianne, the head of communications at Waymo, contacted the show to clarify that Waymo has never caused a pedestrian fatality. She noted that a previous mention on the podcast likely confused Waymo with an Uber autonomous vehicle incident in Arizona.

The benefits and risks of 5G technology were examined, focusing on the transition to high-frequency millimeter waves. While proponents highlight ultra-low latency and the ability to support millions of connected devices like autonomous vehicles and smart fridges, critics raise concerns about the lack of signal penetration through physical objects and the potential for increased surveillance.

CNBC and CNET coverage of the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) emphasizes 5G as a foundational platform for self-driving cars. Critics argue that the "cellular vehicle to everything" technology is overhyped and that current 5G logos on phones are misleading marketing. Gary Shapiro and Silicon Valley investors are described as desperate for 5G to justify autonomous vehicle investments for companies like Uber and Ford.

In Arizona, residents are reportedly attacking Waymo self-driving cars by slashing tires and throwing rocks. Meanwhile, a trend called "icing" has emerged in Oklahoma, where internal combustion engine truck drivers block electric vehicle charging stations. The hosts view these actions as a revolt against "technology tyranny."

A report on a fatal accident in Arizona involving an autonomous Uber vehicle highlights the technical challenges of self-driving cars. The discussion covers the "95-5 rule," suggesting that while the first 95% of autonomous technology is easy to achieve, the final 5% involving complex human variables remains elusive. Concerns are raised about the jerky nature of the braking systems and the failure of sensors to detect pedestrians in dark or cluttered environments.

A self-driving Uber vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian, Elaine Herzberg, in Tempe, Arizona. The segment criticizes Uber's release of "misleading" video footage and notes that the safety driver, a convicted felon, appeared to be looking down at a screen before the impact. Local residents provide evidence that the road was better illuminated than the official video suggested, questioning the safety of using the public as "guinea pigs."

The limitations of current AI and LIDAR systems are highlighted by their inability to reliably distinguish stop signs from speed limit signs. In a separate tech story, Uber drivers are reportedly "hacking" the company's algorithm by logging out simultaneously to trigger surge pricing. The segment also mentions Dunkin' Donuts' plan to rebrand simply as "Dunkin'."

During Prime Minister's Questions, Theresa May claimed that the United Kingdom is a global leader in "automated vehicles" as part of a strategy to build a strong economy. The hosts questioned the validity of this claim and the specific definition of "automated" versus "autonomous" vehicles. They speculated that the term might simply refer to the prevalence of chauffeured cars among the British elite.

The No Agenda Shop has released new merchandise featuring recent show artwork, with proceeds split between the artist, the shop, and the podcast. Additionally, Uber Producer Scott McKenzie released the seventh book in his *Gitmo Nation* series, titled *The Self-Driving Killer*. The short story, available on Amazon, explores the theme of autonomous vehicles being used for murder.

Nidhi Kalra of the Rand Corporation testified before Congress regarding the cybersecurity risks of autonomous vehicles. She warned that self-driving cars could be exploited for terrorism, as they provide a way to deliver explosives without the need for suicide bombers.