Perhaps my favourite Captain Flandry story is "Hunters of the Sky Cave." This story has special associations for me because one of the occasions on which I reread part of its text was during a visit to
Windermere. But that is a purely personal association completely unrelated to the content of the story. I like the time that Flandry spends on Vixen, for example in Explorers' Plaza and on
a forest road where he and Kit hitch a ride from a lorry driver. This a well-realized colony planet. Vixen plays a role in the history of Technic civilization.
I am now signing off until maybe the second week in January.
10 comments:
Though I very much doubt there will be lorry drivers in 50 years, much less hundreds.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I could rationalize this by arguing that some colonial planets might not be as technologically advanced as other worlds. So live lorry/truck drivers could still be used on some planets.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: if they were that backward, they'd be importing the trucks...
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
True, I have to concede this was a bit dated, what Anderson did here.
Merry Christmas! Sean
IIRC it was in one of Heinlein's relatively early novels that a character was napping as her car drove toward her destination. She had to wake up and take over driving when the route to her destination went off the highway that had automated control of the vehicles. Ie: the self driving was in a central computer rather than in each car, which is what companies are currently working toward.
Kaor, Jim!
And I love the idea of computerized self driving cars! I know a lot of work still needs to be done before they can be considered truly safe and reliable.
Merry Christmas! Sean
There are already driverless taxicabs in a fair number of cities. Driverless cars are only a matter of time, and not much time.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Well, I've not yet come across any of those driverless taxis. And I still believe most people will first need to be convinced of their safety and reliability before driverless cars become widely used.
Merry Christmas! Sean
Sean: they're mainly in the West so far -- San Francisco, Phoenix, LA.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
If I ever go to LA or Phoenix then I might see some driverless taxis!
Another problem I thought of is wondering if vandalism and theft might slow the wider use of driverless taxis?
Merry Christmas! Sean
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