Have you heard about Zoox? I hadn’t, until yesterday when I saw reference to it on Christine’s blog and went down a rabbit hole investigating. In a nutshell, Zoox is a self-driving robo taxi owned by Amazon and summoned using an app. It’s completely driver-less; the design makes that clear with a vehicle that has room for four passengers on two bench seats facing each other. And that’s it. No steering wheel or anything driver-related.
Apparently, it can travel up to 75mph (that’s 120kmh in Canadian-speak. Yikes.) The Zoox is currently in the testing phase in San Francisco and Las Vegas, expanding to Dallas and Phoenix as we speak. It’s kind of cool. And über Jetson’s-style futuristic.
I can see the usefulness of something like this in large cities with a temperate climate, but can’t imagine it coming to small-town Saskatchewan anytime soon—or ever. I doubt it would be up to the challenge our prairie winter could throw at it, but who knows what the future holds? I suppose a positive thing is that by the time a technology like this makes it to our area, it should have most of the bugs ironed out. What a world. What a world.
Gerry and I have gotten hooked on the TV series, The Gilded Age, set in New York City in the 1880s and written by Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes. Last night, we watched an episode where Thomas Edison demonstrated the new fangled electricity technology by lighting up an office building. It was based on actual events of September 4, 1882 when Edison flipped the switch on his brand new power stations, ushering in the age of electricity. I was mesmerized by the faces of the people who watched the lights come on as if something magical was happening. I suppose it was, really. The advent of electricity changed the world.
Fast forward 134 years, and now we have robo taxis. Who’da ever thunk it. Nothing in all I’ve seen and read in recent years brought home for me as much as learning about the Zoox that we are moving forward in uncharted waters toward a world that will bear little similarity to the one I grew up in. That sounds strange and naive, even to me, but it’s a fact. I knew it in some ways, but Zoox solidified in my mind the fact that there’s no turning back. I am in awe at this strange new world before us—and, yes, apprehensive.
Having spent my career in technology, I’m not averse to it. One might even call me a bit of a techie nerd. I’m aware of the potential dangers of unchecked Artificial Intelligence and, as a writer, abhor how AI is sneaking into the literary world, but, I’m willing (even eager) to embrace technology when it makes sense. (In fact, Alexa just reminded me that it’s almost time for me to leave for a dental appointment. This, after we argued earlier about what time it is because she doesn’t seem to realize that Saskatchewan doesn’t participate in Daylight Savings time. We’ll pick that argument back up when I get home.)
I appreciate and embrace technology, but I’m also old school. Recently, I started wearing a wrist watch again. It’s a pretty piece my mom gave me sometime in the last century (late 1970’s, I think) that does nothing except tell me what time it is. I write with a fountain pen, keep paper files, and write scheduled appointments on a wall calendar.
I like talking to my granddaughter about the world she’s growing up in to get a sense of what the young folks are thinking. We’re having lunch together on Friday, even though we live two provinces away from one another. Thank you for the technology that allows us to do this.
Sometimes, all this change before us seems overwhelming, but when I think of it next to the experience of those 134 years ago who were just beginning to understand how electricity might alter their lives, it seems less so. Electricity changed the world and made our lives exponentially—I was going to say better, but am not sure that’s the right word. Easier? Yes, in many ways. And it certainly cleared the way for all manner of change and progress—both positive and less so.
Everything seems to move so much faster these days. I think that’s part of what makes it so difficult to grasp. That, and, yes, there are nefarious subplots afoot. It has always been so.
What are your thoughts on this brave new world we’re hurtling towards?
I added one of my photos at the top of this post, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with the subject matter, because it’s all about flowers around here this month. 😊
When you think about it, the advent of electric lights is fairly recent.
The pace of technology is accelerating, and I can’t keep up. But daylight saving time feels even worse. We are still reeling from the effects this week.
I had never heard of Zoox, so thank you for that!
When you think about it, the advent of electric lights is fairly recent.
Since then, the pace of technology has accelerated.
But dealing with DST is even worse. This week I’m trying to adjust to it. I had never heard of ZOOX, so thanks for that, Linda!
It mind-boggling, Marian. Not long ago, I read about electricity coming to the village where my grandma raised her three children (one of them, my mom) after her husband died and that highlighted for me how recent the advent of electricity really is.
I feel for you having to adjust to DST, Marian. I don’t miss messing with time one bit!
Dear Linda, I was struck by the gorgeous photo – the light, the dip the movement, exquisite. Considering the topic of technology, the photo reminds me of the marvel of having the best camera I ever owned right in my pocket almost at all times. A bit of technology I would never have expected when I invested in my first camera. I am touched by the photo of your arm with a watch that only tells time (I, too, only have a watch that tells me time though I seldom wear it). My 5 yo granddaughter was marveling at my forearms the other day, how the skin is “flappy”. Ha! My forearms are a reminder of the years that have passed and I see them all day long. I don’t know of any technology to solve that issue as yet.
Thanks so much for coming by, Kathy. There’s a well-known adage in photography circles about the best camera for the job being the one with you at the time and, you’re right, many of us have one with us at all times. Love your sweet granddaughter’s observation. They tell it like it is, don’t they?!
Thank you, Linda. I’m also grateful to tech (when it works the way I want it too! LOL) with a healthy balance of analog. My son lives in Phoenix. The last time I visited I got to see some of the driverless cars. They have lots of sensors on them which makes them easy to spot, and are restricted from going on the expressways, I assume because of the speed. It was a little creepy, this glimpse of the future.
It must have been somewhat surreal to see them, Shana. I don’t think I’d want to be on the freeway in one of them. That said, I do know someone who has an electric vehicle with self-driving capability that he uses.