OT: The bastard spawn of Monty Python and George Orwell

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

Think I'm kidding?

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), January 05, 2000

Answers

People can choose to control themselves and their behavior Or be controlled by outside forces (i.e. govt.)

Seems like many folks are not choosing to control themselves, and this is why we have stuff like this being developed.

nuff said.

-- (formerly@nowhere.Zzz), January 05, 2000.


Not worried.

I dumped my car(and that pesky piece of info-tracking plasticized paper the driver's license) 10 years ago, along with my television set. Haven't needed any of it since.

Even as a city dweller(as I am), one can do things to become free from da man...

Holding onto my preps!

Peace,

Don

(PS: the true and legitimate child of Monty Python and George Orwell is Terry Gilliam's "Brazil." But you knew that.)

-- Shimoda (enlighten@me.com), January 05, 2000.


Last time I drove a dying person to a hospital, I'm pretty sure I was over the speed limit. The cop who escorted me the last half would probably agree with that.

I'd have been kinda miffed if a satellite cut my car's gas, and my friend died. My friend would have been miffed, too, but just briefly.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), January 05, 2000.


Tuesday January 4, 5:06 PM

Satellites to 'spy' on speeding cars

By Patrick Sawer

Drivers might be automatically stopped from speeding by an electronic device that could be fitted to all cars within 10 years.

A report to be presented to John Prescott next month says the move would save two-thirds of the 3,500 deaths caused on the roads every year and cut by a third the annual rate of 320,000 accident injuries.

The Deputy Prime Minister will be told that extensive trials have been such a success that a phased introduction of speed restricters would also dramatically reduce road congestion and cut pollution.

The system uses satellite navigation to pinpoint the location of each vehicle, an in-car computer loaded with a road map and the speed limits for each street in the country and a device to cut off the fuel supply if the speed limits are exceeded.

Any attempt to introduce such a sophisticated device for controlling speed automatically would see the biggest row over state interference in road freedom since seatbelt legislation. It is also likely to be resisted by motor manufacturers who rely heavily on images of fast cars to sell new models.

However, researchers predict that the equipment, which would cost only a few hundred pounds per car, will come to be widely accepted as a life-saver, just as seat-belts were despite initial fierce resistance.

The trials were commissioned by the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions and were carried out by a team at Leeds University together with the Motor Industry Research Association.

Their final report is expected to recommend a 10-year phasing-in period with the system initially voluntary for older models, compulsory for all new cars by 2005 and mandatory by the end of the decade. The report will claim that the benefits will become evident once 60 per cent of vehicles have been fitted with the device, which will slow the overall speed of traffic.

The system offers the possibility of slowing down traffic not just to observe speed limits but to cope with particular circumstances such as outside schools, during traffic jams, following accidents or in dangerous weather conditions like fog.

Dr Oliver Carsten, head of the Leeds team, predicted the system would soon be standard across the EU. "The idea that people should have freedom to flout the law is an odd concept when it is a legal requirement that you comply with the speed limit. When you drive the car you hardly notice the speed limiter unless you are deliberately trying to push things too fast."

The Department of Transport said: "There are considerable benefits that could be had in accident reduction and fuel savings, but it might also mean that people find other ways of speeding."

-- Monty (HolyGr@il.python), January 05, 2000.


And the legitimate spawn of Brazil was Thirteen Monkeys.

"We do the work, and you have the pleasure! Cen-tral Ser-vi-ces!"

(Where shall I send the bill for your interrogation?)

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), January 05, 2000.



Ron,

Great title! I'm in shock to see that you actually found an event rancid enough to do it justice!

I just can't imagine living in a world where this kind of tech is employed...ugh. But heck, our SEAL_S have chips now so that via satellite we can plot their scenarios in the "theatre" and so be able to totally separate ourselves from the stench of war.WTF.

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 05, 2000.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ