Autonomous Trucks

I read in the news today that Uber-owned startup Otto has developed a self-driving semi-trailer. According to the news story, the self-driving semi-truck last week completed a 120-mile Budweiser beer delivery across Colorado without a driver behind the wheel. In fact, he was hanging out in the sleeper cabin of his tractor.

This video shows the Otto truck driving itself:

Otto self-driving truck

But Otto isn’t the only game in town. A quick internet search reveals that Mercedes has a self-driving truck. Daimler built the first self-driving truck to be licensed to use the public roads in Nevada. And three Wi-Fi-connected Daimler trucks drove convoy-style on a German highway and demonstrated a 7 percent reduction in fuel used.

Audi is developing an autonomous truck. Google was awarded a patent for a self-driving delivery truck.

When self-driving trucks become common (it will happen), what will truckers do? I mean, besides pushing the Start button.

Pentatonix

The song of the day is Hallelujah by Canadian recording artist Leonard Cohen and originally released on his 1984 album Various Positions. It is reprised here by a cappella group Pentatonix. A performance of the song by Cohen is here. Artists who have covered this song include John Cale, Jeff Buckley, Alexandra Burke, and Bon Jovi.

The Election

There has been so much complaining in the run-up to this election.

Trump complained that polls showing him lagging behind Clinton are rigged.

Trump complained that he is being smeared by false accounts of sexual assault, even though an audio recording exists of him bragging about getting away with sexual assault. His supporters contend that even if he is guilty, the issues are too important to worry about details such as decency, integrity, and morals. Unless we’re talking about Hillary Clinton’s decency, integrity, and morals, in which case those details are extremely important.

Trump complained that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is paying women to make sexual assault accusations. A spokesman for Slim said, “He doesn't know him. He's never met him in any way. He doesn't know anything about his personal life and, to be honest, he doesn't care about his personal life. We never get involved in politics in Mexico, much less in the United States.”

Trump complained that the election will be rigged. Voting machines will be rigged. Millions of undocumented immigrants will throw the election.

Trump complained that the media is making him look bad by focusing too much on the outlandish things he says. Ironically, it was that media focus that propelled him to the nomination.

If Trump is correct and the election truly is rigged for Clinton, this blogger suggests Trump supporters stay home on Election Day. Because, why bother? The election is rigged. Remember?

The Debate

The second presidential debate between Trump and Clinton aired last night. I didn’t watch it. Presidential debates are for voters who are undecided. I am definitely not undecided. I know who I want to vote for. More accurately, I know who I want to vote against. I don’t have a most liked candidate in this election – I have a least disliked. It’s like choosing between two foods where one food makes you wretch and the other makes you heave; choose your poison and bon appétit. It’s like choosing between an ogre and a troll. Which do you want to encounter? “Neither,” most would say. But if you must choose one or the other, which is your favorite miscreant?

I recently read an article in The Guardian titled: News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier. I believe that is true. I don’t know anyone who is happier because they read the news. And I know for sure that the news media – a conglomeration of news sources competing for the most eyeballs – tend to promote the “flashiest” news rather than the most important news.

Watching more debates will not make you a better informed voter. Watching more debates will make you a more angry voter, a more disgusted voter, a more what-have-we-done-to-deserve-this voter. I’ve seen a lot of elections, but until now, I’ve never seen an election that I wished could have no winners. It’s reminiscent of Henry Kissinger’s alleged quip about the Iran-Iraq war – that it’s a pity they both can’t lose. Or, as my amigo CyberDave has often observed, “We’re either screwed or we’re really screwed.”

So, on election day, go to your polling place and choose your villain. Or perhaps I should say, choose your favorite deplorable. And may God bless America.

The Shires

The song of the day is Brave from the 2015 album Brave by British country music duo The Shires (Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes).

Ten Things Not Likely To Be Heard At Walmart

Collected from Twitter, here’s a list of things you’re not likely to hear spoken at Walmart. No judgment. I buy from Walmart, too.

Wow look at all the cashiers at all the checkout stands.
— ScorpioMarine™ (@ScorpioMarine)

"Hi, I work here. May I help you?"
— Ecklebob Chiselfritz (@RotNScoundrel)

It's ok, Mom. You're right. I don't need this toy. I'll put it back.
— Fadedessence (@Fadedessence)

I'll be five minutes. I know what I want and I know where it is.
— Ben (@superherofbmx)

That bathroom is just absolutely spotless!
— Charleigh Kristin (@ChrliHarmonSter)

I feel completely safe in this parking lot.
— Jessica Wilder (@JessicaNexus)

Where can I find the Tolstoy section?
— Laurie Crosswell (@lauriecrosswell)

They put the Christmas stuff out way too late.
— Aaron Weinbaum (@aaronsayswhat1)

I don't want this box of ice cream sandwiches, guess I'll respectfully place them back in the freezer section.
— Diealated (@Diealated)

So after I graduated from Harvard Law...
— Chris O'Brien (@bigdweeb)

Instant Karma

This story isn’t about American college football. It’s about instant karma.

I turned on the TV and college football was in progress. Tennessee was playing Georgia. Tennessee was leading by 3 points, but Georgia had the ball at midfield. There were 19 seconds left in the game.

The Georgia center snapped the ball. The quarterback dropped back, then threw a long pass. The Georgia pass receiver caught the ball near the goal line and ran into the end zone for a score. Now Georgia was ahead and Georgia fans were jumping with joy. Tennessee fans were stunned. Many simply stood with their mouths open, hardly believing what they saw happen.

On the field, a celebrating Georgia player took off his helmet. That is a foul; players are not allowed to remove their helmets on the field of play. An official threw a flag. The celebration drew a 15 yard penalty that was enforced on the following play. This meant Georgia had to kick the ball to Tennessee while 15 yards closer to their own goal line than usual.

A Tennessee player caught the ball and returned it to the Georgia 43 yard line. Now there were just 4 seconds left in the game. Tennessee had time to run one play. Everyone on both teams knew what play was probably coming: a “Hail Mary” pass to the end zone. It was possible because of that 15 yard penalty. Without it, the distance to the goal line would have been too far for a “Hail Mary.”

The Tennessee center snapped the ball. The quarterback dropped back and, as expected, threw a long pass to the end zone. Though surrounded by Georgia players, the Tennessee pass receiver jumped high and caught the ball. With no time on the clock, Tennessee was back on top and now it was Georgia fans who were stunned and Tennessee fans who were jumping with joy.

Georgia lost because of a 15 yard penalty on a foul that a Georgia player intentionally committed, probably thinking it won’t matter with just seconds left in the game, so why not?

Now he knows why not: Karma – it always works, even in football.

Jevons’s Number

I had been reading about asymmetrical encryption using public-private key-pairs when I came across a quote that, it struck me, touched upon the essence of key-pairs.

William Stanley Jevons was a 19th century English economist and logician. In his book, A General Mathematical Theory of Political Economy, published in 1862, he wrote:

"Can the reader say what two numbers multiplied together will produce the number 8616460799? I think it unlikely that anyone but myself will ever know."
-- William Stanley Jevons

“Unlikely”, Mr. Jevons? Do your two numbers happen to be 89681 and 96079? They must be, because they are the only whole numbers (other than the very obvious 1 and 8616460799) that, when multiplied, produce Jevons’s number.

I know because, just for grins, I wrote a small computer program to look for pairs of whole numbers that will produce Jevons’s number as their product. I may be – probably am – the first person to know the two numbers Jevons used. And now you know, too.

Never say never in a world that has fast computers.