Wednesday, February 24, 2010
33 MPH?
Listening to Rhonda Smith's story, first on C-Span and this morning on CNN: She's undoubtedly right that it's an electronic problem. Every single piece of the story screams Software Error, not Sticky Pivot.
One thing that the interviewers failed to catch: She was using her Bluetooth system the whole time. I've never used any form of portable or cellular telephone, so could be wrong ... but I think Bluetooth includes a local transmitter. The signal from this transmitter could have triggered a miscalculation in the chips that apparently control every single aspect of the car. Most of the other Toyota horror stories also mention using a cell phone. (Of course this is a constant, not a variable, since 100.000% of American drivers are talking on cell phones 100.000% of the time.)
As Polistra noted before, it's murderously stupid to let software run everything without a mechanical fail-safe on important systems like steering, transmission, and brakes. Any competent engineer would advise against this. Apparently there aren't any competent engineers in the auto industry, or more likely their advice is ignored in the rush to satisfy the genocidal terrorist organization EPA while supplying the gut-blasting pedestrian-flattening 6000 HP performance that American fuckheads demand. ¶ 4:35 AM
One thing that the interviewers failed to catch: She was using her Bluetooth system the whole time. I've never used any form of portable or cellular telephone, so could be wrong ... but I think Bluetooth includes a local transmitter. The signal from this transmitter could have triggered a miscalculation in the chips that apparently control every single aspect of the car. Most of the other Toyota horror stories also mention using a cell phone. (Of course this is a constant, not a variable, since 100.000% of American drivers are talking on cell phones 100.000% of the time.)
As Polistra noted before, it's murderously stupid to let software run everything without a mechanical fail-safe on important systems like steering, transmission, and brakes. Any competent engineer would advise against this. Apparently there aren't any competent engineers in the auto industry, or more likely their advice is ignored in the rush to satisfy the genocidal terrorist organization EPA while supplying the gut-blasting pedestrian-flattening 6000 HP performance that American fuckheads demand. ¶ 4:35 AM
