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Workforce Analytics
Workforce analytics is the key to more informed decisions about your human capital
What if you could predict which high performers were at risk of leaving six months before they walked out the door? What if you could merge external data with your own business metrics to project workforce demand six, nine or even eighteen months from now? What if you could triage incoming resumes overnight to predict employee success and tenure – before you hire? These are key questions that we believe you should consider addressing with Workforce Analytics.
As leaders in Workforce Analytics, Deloitte has combined our strategy, data, business insights, technology experience and knowledge and skills to develop services and practical tools designed to help organizations improve people management decisions and control workforce costs. Our portfolio of services and solution sets are designed to help organizations link their business strategy to advanced analytical techniques to improve their overall performance. We specialize in helping organizations integrate third party data with internal sources to provide new insights and options to complex workforce challenges. Learn more about Workforce Analytics by clicking on the tabs below:
About the offering
You already have the key ingredients
Many companies have made significant investments in HR technologies to manage their day-to-day transactions and gain business operating efficiencies. Along the way, they've likely aggregated terabytes of valuable data – data they can turn into valuable insight and then leverage to make smarter talent decisions. Unfortunately, many human capital executives don't leverage these valuable resources and choose to fly blind when making critical business decisions, relying far too little on evidence-based data in favor of tradition and "tribal" wisdom.
But the game is changing quickly. A growing number of executive teams are adopting advanced analytical techniques, such as predictive modeling, to move into a proactive posture to drive more value. We believe that's essential for organizations seeking to elevate HR's role in business decision-making.
How we can help
As leaders in Workforce Analytics, Deloitte has combined our strategy, data, business insights, technology experience and knowledge and skills to develop services and practical tools designed to help organizations improve people management decisions and control workforce costs. Our portfolio of services and solution sets are designed to help organizations link their business strategy to advanced analytical techniques to improve their overall performance. We specialize in helping organizations integrate third party data with internal sources to provide new insights and options to complex workforce challenges.Specifically, our analytics services, tools and solution sets are designed to help organizations in the areas of:
- Workforce planning & optimization. Increase the accuracy of predicted revenue and talent demand by incorporating valuable third-party data.
- Workforce and workplace safety analytics. Promote sustainability, cost containment, and safety by locating underlying causes of and contributing factors to workplace accidents.
- Workforce transitions. Record, track and monitor workforce decisions on who is retained and who will be separated, allowing for enhanced compliance and financial oversight.
- Recruitment analytics. Triage resumes using an advanced scoring model to predict probability of success within a particular job family. Free over-committed recruiters to focus on the best candidates.
- Retention risk analytics. Shift to a proactive strategy that mitigates risk by predicting attrition among critical workforce segments.
- Leadership development modeler. Identify emerging leaders so they can be developed for next- level management roles.
- Organization accelerator. Simulate options to right size the organization with optimal management layers and spans of control.
- Health & productivity. Target individuals and business units that would benefit most from improved wellness.
Bottom-line benefits
Effective Workforce Analytics can help organizations in their efforts to:
- Avoid costly mistakes regarding one of the largest P&L line items in any budget – the workforce
- Embed analytics as a foundation of management decision-making
- Give more leaders clear visibility into a topic traditionally handled by HR
- Improve workforce planning and forecasting
- Shorten recruiting cycles
- Reduce separation and recruiting costs
- Retain critical talent
Five ways to get more value now
Start with your most pressing talent decisions. How can you use both data and analytics to answer key talent questions? Who are you recruiting and where are you sourcing them from? How do remote workers compare to office-based talent in terms of cost, productivity and customer satisfaction.
Leverage your technology investment. By integrating predictive analytics into your systems, you can turn raw data into powerful insights that anticipate problems before they happen.
Build your analytic capabilities. Data analysis can be powerful in confirming assumptions, uncovering new information, and estimating the probability of future events. Getting it done requires a broad range of skills, tools, and processes. Make sure you've got a clear roadmap for blending the components needed to achieve short term benefits while building the capabilities needed for the future.
Focus on data that drive decisions. It is easy to fall into the trap of trying to assemble, cleanse, and analyze "all" data – when only certain subsets are required to drive decision-making. Put your resources into identifying where critical data resides, connect it to the appropriate sources and pull together data sets for analysis.
Learn. Adapt. Improve. Any application of workforce intelligence must follow through to the results. By monitoring, measuring, and publicizing results, confidence can be built and workforce intelligence becomes embedded in the organization's culture. Get started. Learn from experience. Adapt and improve as required.
Workforce analytics in action
- One national bank was able to increase its redeployment activities through more effective Workforce Planning, saving the corporation $18 million by not laying off people and then hiring them back four months later.
- A large federal government agency was able to deploy resources more efficiently, address supply and demand gaps and proactively identify and address workforce issues and challenges before they could impact the organization.
- A large oil and gas company deployed a data-driven solution set to support the decision/selection process, providing a transparent, consistent and reusable approach to workforce reduction and optimization efforts.
Related offerings
Featured insights
|The three-minute guide to workforce analytics
Business leaders are looking to the CHRO for answers on how changes to the business are likely to influence the talent picture—and vice versa. Workforce analytics can give HR the tools and insights needed to make a bigger contribution at the strategy table.
Global Human Capital Trends 2014: Talent analytics in practice
|Global Human Capital Trends 2014: The overwhelmed employee
Technology and too much access have turned us into "overwhelmed" employees. Nearly every company sees this as a challenge to individual productivity and overall performance, but struggles to handle it.
|Oil and gas talent management powered by analytics
Adopting analytics to effectively manage workforce needs.
|High-impact talent analytics: Building a world-class measurement and talent analytics function
Learn more about how talent analytics – the ability to measure, monitor, analyze and improve your people practices – is critical to business success.
|Our take: Adopting analytics in HR
Watch the Our Take video series to get a quick hit of practical thinking on business analytics along with insights from the front lines on how leading organizations are putting business analytics to work.
|Courting the candidate-customer: The unlikely art of attraction
Brand-conscious companies are beginning to interact with potential employees with the same care they would give to their customers.
|Workforce Retention
Our Workforce Retention analytics tool uses advanced analytics that can predict turnover risk at the individual level and can also provide senior executives the lead time they need to address retention challenges and keep their leading performers.
|Realizing the talent dividend
Effectively leveraging employee experience via holistic workforce planning.
|The insight economy: Big data matters – except when it doesn't
If you're ready to skip past the paradigm-shifting, game-changing clichés about big data and get to the stuff that matters – how it can help you improve what you're doing today – we've developed a guide to help get you started. It's really a guide for anyone contemplating big data investments.
|Workforce analytics
Workforce analytics is the ability to utilize HR & non HR information for better tactical and analytical decision making.
|On demand claims analytics
As the employment landscape continues to change dramatically, so is the area of workers' compensation. It's no secret what's driving these changes. An aging workforce and changing macroeconomic factors are contributing to rising costs.
|The CFOs role in moving from customer analytics insight to action
Discover the reasons why the CFO should be a major driver in leading analytics efforts to generate more successful customer relationships.
|Global business-driven HR Transformation: The journey continues in financial services
Deloitte's global HR FSI benchmark study casts a spotlight on how financial services organizations are addressing their needs for innovation, operational excellence and the value of effective benchmarking in order to bring the "business" to business-driven HR.
|Should big data drive big decisions?
This year, many companies are taking on big data – ramping up tools and technologies to find signals and insight in unstructured, often external and generally messy data. While big data may be ready for business, are business leaders ready for big data?
|Workforce Analytics - Using advanced analysis to manage talent and risk
Workforce analytics involves using statistical models that integrate internal and external data to predict future workforce and talent-related behavior and events.
|Creating metrics for senior management
Read the HR Magazine article.
|Powered by people
Learn some of the fundamentals about how business analytics can deliver uncommon insights and breakout value.
|Global business driven HR Transformation: The journey continues
Identifying HR business issues can help define the development of a road map to advance your organization toward a more proactive HR function. As expectations, capabilities and habits grow, the journey to effective reporting and analytics can bear fruit over time.
|Seeing around corners: Leveraging advanced workforce analytics
Explore the Deloitte Debate.
|The case for workforce analytics
Listen to the podcast.
Case studies
Organization design in an enterprise cost reduction effort
Read the Workforce Analytics case study.
Meet our team
- Russ Clarke, Director, Deloitte Consulting LLP
- John Houston, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP
- Rishi Agarwal, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP
As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.


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It may look and act nothing like David from Prometheus, but big things come from humble beginnings.
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An Australian teenager's simple idea that would allow a complete quadriplegic to control a wheelchair by voice has earned her international recognition and a top science award for school students, handed out by Commonwealth science agency CSIRO.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
16 yr old Yaya Lu documents her 8 years of robotics competitions and her learning journery at her website yayalu.net . She is a complete champion.
From www
Engineered Arts, a Cornwall-based company, designs and builds robots by hand, in its workshop. "We have a motto," says Will Jackson, the firm's founder, "we design in the morning, we make in the afternoon, and we fail in the evening."
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
See a great podcast with
From ww2
The sold-out event believes Silicon Valley has some runway-worthy ideas for the fashion industry.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Fun and potentially relevant for the robotics companies involved.
From xkcd
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Robot engineering - meet social engineering.
As robots transform the world of work, how many jobs will remain for people?
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Good article - pointing out that we've been predicting technological unemployment for almost 300 years and it hasn't happened yet.
This pair of robots is ready to take over in warehouses, autonomously picking and delivering goods
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
And you can talk to Melonee Wise, CEO of Fetch Robotics tonight at SVR Influencer event at IDEO in SF.
From metronews
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—Three summers ago, at the age of 64, Geoffrey Hinton left his home in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood to become an intern at Google. He received a propeller beanie stitched with the word "Noogler" and attended orientation sessions populated…
From robohub
Yesterday I looked through the eyes of a robot
From arstechnica
Imagine waking up to a robot-cooked breakfast every morning.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Imagine the robot being able to do it without needing to have everything prescripted and tightly positioned. :)
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Robin Murphy is the recipient of the ACM Eugene Lawler Award for Humanitarian Contribution within Computer Science and Informatics for her pioneering work in rescue robotics at Texas A&M university.
From fusion
In the future, how will we tell if a robot has human-level intelligence?
From www
Kate Darling of MIT has released a new draft research study in which she found that anthropomorphic framing --- specifically how we think about robots can affect human behavior and even may impact public policy.
R2-D2's builder Tony Dyson talks A.I., drones and why everyone needs a little robot in their house - GeekWire
There is likely no more famous – or beloved – robot than R2-D2. Along with partner C-3PO, both robots became so much more than sidekicks in the Star Wars films —… Read More
From medium
Melonee Wise was employee 2 at Willow Garage. Its legacy destroyed her first startup but lives on in her latest venture.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Everything (almost) you ever wanted to know about the history of modern robotics in Silicon Valley.
From blogs
Baidu Inc. says it has posted the world's best results on a closely watched artificial intelligence benchmark. It had a secret weapon, according to researchers at the Chinese search giant: Minwa.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
4.58% success on Image classification challenge - with Google and Microsoft also posting results better than 5%.
Ren Wu spoke today at the Embedded Vision Summit and says that Minwa is successful through hardware/software co-design, with highly optimized software stack. (RDMA/GPU Direct, New data partition and communication strategies). Minwa has 36 nodes, 144 GPUs, 6.9TB Host, 1.7TB Device capable of 0.6 PFLOPS.
Who wore it better, drones or tech bros?
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
If one must have robot circuses - this is a good way to go about it!
From fusion
It's debatable whether or not sophisticated workplace robots will destroy millions of jobs around the world, or simply change the nature of many jobs.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
An attention grabbing headline but more balanced discussion.
Ekso Bionics Holdings targets aging consumers, industrial companies with wearable robots (Video) - Silicon Valley Business Journal
The East Bay firm has wowed people with its exoskeletons, but has been unable to make a profit. New products, aimed at aging consumers and industrial companies, could help change that. VIDEO
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Ekso Bionics launch an industrial version of their exoskeleton.
The "real" challenge technology presents isn't that it replaces workers, but rather displaces them.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
So if you read the latter part of this article, there is a very nice analysis of changing work/job numbers in many computerized professions, showing overall increase in jobs, not decrease.
Let's take a moment and think about how movies are teaching us to regard the bleeding edge of cybernetic research.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
A nice comparison of how four recent movies, Her, Interstellar, Ex Machina and Chappie, shape public perception of robots. Now just add Big Hero 6 and Robot and Frank!
UK-based Moley Robotics unveiled an autonomous kitchen machine on Hannover Messe 2015 that uses two UR5 robot arms from Universal Robots and robot hands to r...
From www
A handful of low-budget innovators are working to reinvent rigid, heavy machines and robots with materials that are soft, light, cheap and squeezable.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Otherlab are great model of an 'indie lab'.
Amazon's drone team must have heaved a collective sigh of relief: the company only had to wait a few weeks for the FAA's approval this time. The agency h
From www
Video Ex Machina opens this weekend. Its director, Alex Garland of 28 Days Later acclaim, appeared on Marketplace today to discuss the role of artificial intelligence in the film. Garland made a claim that is common but, in my view, flawed: "If you had a machine that said 'I don't want you to switch me off,'" he told [...]
From www
Some tech-savvy farmers are opting for copters over canines; 'you don't have to feed it.'
More than 1,000 people are expected to celebrate National Robotics Week at the 2015 Silicon Valley Robot Block Party, where the latest robotics technology and startups will be on display.
The Robot Launch Pad's insight:
Sure I'm biased, but we just put on the biggest and best showcase of cool robotics anywhere! More than 2000 in attendance!
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Our Services
Our Services
Free In-Home Consultations
The Finest in Home Electronics
Please Visit Our Showroom
Monday - Friday 9:00am - 6:00pm
System Demos By Appointment Only
Available Before or
After Hours By Request
We offer a fully integrated electronic smart home available for the public to shop and visit. Our showroom features Surround Sound Setups, HiFi audio, Whole Home A/ V Switching, Lighting Control, Surveillance Systems, Motorized Shades, & more. We aim to provide our clients with a hands on experience of advanced automation and A/V.
Conveniently Located at:
1404 West 6th St - Austin, TX 78703
Call us today to setup an appointment.
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Tickets are now ON SALE (Online only) for the Mill Race Players summer production of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. Below is the direct ticket link and it's also linked up to our website, www.millraceplayers.org .
By Alan Bennett
Adapted from the book by Kenneth Grahame
Friday, July 11, 2014 7:00 PM
Saturday, July 12, 2014 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Sunday, July 13, 2014 2:00 PM
Judson Erne Auditorium, Columbus North High School
Advance Tickets (via online link) $8.00
Tickets at the Door: $8.00 Children & Seniors / $10.00 Adults
Around every bend in the river lies more adventure for our crew of furry friends. Join Mole, Ratty, Badger, and the unforgettable Mr. Toad for this witty tale of events. Over 70 members from the community are involved in this summers production.


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Cartoon Network has announced a slew of new and returning programs. New TV shows include Over the Garden Wall, Clarence, We Bare Bears, The Tom and Jerry Show, Be Cool Scooby-Doo!, Wabbit – A Looney Tunes Production, LEGO NINJAGO, Sonic Boom, Total Drama: Pahkitew Island, Numb Chucks, Beyraiderz, and Rocket Jo.
Returning TV series are Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, Ben 10 Omniverse, Grojband, Johnny Test, Legends of Chima, Mixels, Pokemon the Series: XY, Regular Show, Steven Universe, Teen Titans GO!, Tenkai Knights, Uncle Grandpa, Detentionaire, and Angelo Rules.
Here are the details:
Cartoon Network Evolves with Kids: "Always On"
New Platform-Specific Original Programming Developed for 2014-2015 to Include Linear and Digital Content Comprised of Series, Specials, Shorts, Interstitials, Games, Apps and more
Announces Its First-Ever Animated Mini-Series OVER THE GARDEN WALL, Plus Multiple New & Returning Original Series
Digital Innovations Include Fast-Paced Micro-Network "CARTOON NETWORK ANYTHING"


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Used Filing Cabinets
Keep your office well organized with our selection of used filing cabinets for sale. From conventional bookshelves to heavy duty lateral file cabinets, we keep in stock everything you need to keep your vital documents well protected and easy to locate. With inventory from top names like Steelcase, Knoll and FireKing, you'll find exactly what you're looking for at a low, affordable price. Order today and have your filing cabinets delivered by us directly to your door!
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Academic Program Reviews - Background and Focus Information
Purposes and Goals
Department review* is integral to effective academic planning at the department, college, campus and university level. Its major objective is to improve academic programs through ongoing self-assessment as provided for in the AQIP process. It fosters a strong and positive sense of each department's identity and contributions to the educational mission of Kent State University. The primary goals of department review include:
- Ensure that a department's mission, goals, and priorities are consistent with the university's mission and strategic direction; Evaluate program quality relative to institutional standards and in comparison to national norms for the discipline;
- Assess the quality of academic programs by reviewing existing academic program strengths and weaknesses;
- Refine the scope of department offerings to optimize student access;
- Identify areas of department and academic program need and opportunity;
- Identify needs for new programs; and
- Assist the institution and department in achieving the best use and allocation of available resources.
*As used hereafter in this document, the terms "department" and "department chair" are intended to include not only departments and department chairs but also schools and school directors.
A comprehensive department review includes examination of the following unit characteristics:
- Goals and objectives,
- Curriculum,
- Faculty quality and productivity,
- Administrative quality and productivity,
- Teaching/learning environment,
- Space needs,
- Resources, and
- Program demand.
Background Information
Department review will include the following academic programs and course offerings:
1) all of the department's degree programs;
2) interdisciplinary programs;
3) service courses; and
4) non-degree granting instructional programs.
Review of interdisciplinary programs not located within an individual academic department will coincide, if appropriate and practical, with the review of one or more related departments.
Department review will be conducted on a seven-year cycle.
Department review will be conducted and completed within one year.
Relationship of Department Review to Program Accreditation
Re-accreditation requirements vary widely by discipline. Programs that are externally accredited will submit their accreditation reports as part of their department review. Prior to the scheduled department review, the accreditation self-study requirements will be compared with the program review requirements to determine if additional topics need to be addressed.
Relationship of Department Review to Annual Student Outcomes Assessment
The Annual Student Outcomes Assessment process will inform the departmental review process.
Data Gathering
The basic information and data (e.g. number of majors, course enrollments, graduation rates, etc.) required for the self-study will be provided by Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (RPIE).


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U.S. Department of Agriculture
Dr. Karlease Kelly serves as the Provost of the USDA Virtual University in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Human Resources Management, Departmental Management. Dr. Kelly provides vision and leadership and coordinates with all USDA Training Officers and human resources professionals on employee development and training policies and programs. This includes managing USDA's Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program, and overseeing USDA's implementation of Federal training policies such as mentoring, individual development planning, details, new supervisor training, the Presidential Management Fellows program, intern training and development, and other programs to increase employee satisfaction and effectiveness. She is a member of the federal Chief Learning Officers Council, and Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer for USDA.
Prior to this, Dr. Kelly served in USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) as the Assistant Administrator for the FSIS Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training. In this position, she was responsible for developing the knowledge and skills of Agency and State employees, as well as conducting education and outreach activities to meet the needs of small and very small meat, poultry and egg processors to help them enhance their food safety and food defense systems. Dr. Kelly has over sixteen years of government service in USDA. Her experience includes working as an instructor, a Program Analyst, Chief of the Program Analysis Branch at the FSIS Technical Service Center, and the FSIS Chief Training Officer. Under her leadership, FSIS became an Authorized Provider of continuing education units, and received the Exemplar Award from the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). She was instrumental in establishing the Agency's policies related to training as a condition of employment, requiring entry level inspection personnel to pass a validated examination in order to continue working in their position. She has also established a robust distance learning program that includes e-learning courses, webinars, videos, and self-study materials. This included managing a video production team that created educational materials for the Agency. During this time, she has worked collaboratively with employee unions and associations as well as universities to partner with them in providing educational services to Agency employees. Additionally, she created and administered an assessment center for leadership development. She spoke at a number of industry meetings about improving workforce training for government and industry employees, including an international meeting in Beijing, China. Dr. Kelly also established the Small Plant Help Desk to respond to questions small meat and poultry manufacturers about providing updated training to employees on food safety policies.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted the FSIS outreach program serving small and very small plants as unique in providing helpful resources and assistance to small businesses (GAO report 07-714). FSIS training programs contributed to the Agency winning the 2007 President's Quality Award for the Strategic Management of Human Capital.


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True Blood
TV14 Duration 0:21 :
played by Nelsan Ellis
Lafayette Reynolds is the fast-talking, flamboyant and fabulous cook at Merlotte's...
Discuss Lafayette in the Talk section now.
Follow us on Twitter to get the latest True Blood buzz.
It's official! The Tru Blood drink has now been "de-fictionalized" and emerges into reality as a delicious blood orange carbonated drink. Purchase it now at the HBO Shop®


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Here's how RW members rated this race (120 votes).
In short: A nice challenging run very enjoyable well marshalledIn full: Generally a well organised event bit of confusion with timing on presentation otherwise rate it as an excellent event very nice t shirt Date of review: June 18, 2013
In short: Never fails to disappointIn full: My 3rd successive year at this race and as usual it is a great local, well supported and organised event. A challenging course, and yes you do have to save yourself for the 9th KM which isn't necessarily a steep ascent but it certainly goes on a long way and will take it out of you if you go off too quickly at the start. But this isn't the only uphill. There's a bit of a climb needed at around 3k and a fairly tough one at 5k just before you cross through the park. There is ample parking around the town centre if you allow plenty of time and a decent goody bad with a technical t-shirt thrown in - A vast improvement on last years offering. Instant results from the chip-timing van and a 4.3k fun-run as well as a 1m shorter run make this a great event for all abilities.Well done as ever Aldridge RC. Will look out for next years race date and book it in the diary. Date of review: June 14, 2013
In short: Great organisation and friendly atmosphere but watch the last hill!Date of review: June 10, 2013
In short: Challenging and rewardingIn full: Full of hills and undulations, the course elevation profile should be heeded before registering for this 10k. Probably not PB potential for regular runners or those nearer the back. A challenging run nonetheless for most and the "sting in the tail" sure delivered.Goodie bag was poor with just a technical t-shirt and a cereal bar. Would have preferred a medal but hey-ho.Date of review: June 9, 2013
In short: Excellent in every aspect . Many thanksIn full: Well organised, very well marshalled (number, safety and friendliness), course a good mixture of road (with road shut where necessary) and well surfaced track, good facilties etc etcDate of review: June 9, 2013
In short: Enjoyable day, would do again for sure. Poor goody bag, but ok for price.Date of review: August 13, 2012
In short: Great race again this year by ARCIn full: Another well organised and enjoyable race from Aldridge running club.I take part in this each year and my kids run in the various children's races too so it's a great for all the family. The only one negative I have is the memento at the end this year was by far the worst ever. That being a drawstring bag which was only marginally better quality than a Tesco carrier bag. It was a bit disappointing especially as in previous years there have been some fantastic memento's at this race. Date of review: June 28, 2012
In short: Challenging course makes for a really enjoyable race.In full: I really enjoy this well thought out undulating course.Always remember to leave a bit in the tank for the long incline at the end and you'll be fine.The bag was a bit of a let down but please don't start giving out medals instead as they just end up at the back of the draw.Date of review: June 17, 2012
In short: Good challenging race but rewards could be better.In full: First time doing this race. Parking very easy. Long queues at the HQ tent to pick up race numbers as organisers chose not to send out in advance. Don't know about you but I like to pin my number on at home rather than struggle with it in a windy car park.Route quite challenging with a few steep climbs and a last 2Kms that really make you work hard. Route is all on road with a mixture of urban street and country lanes.Finish momento rather disappointing. A drawstring bag with a biscuit and some vouchers. The organisers could have at least stretched to a medal in my opinion.Not a race that will be top of my list to do again but not a bad event.Date of review: June 17, 2012
In short: Brilliant organised and tricky undulating raceIn full: My 2nd year at this event and firstly I'm glad to say the weather was far more appealling than last year.Very well organised and supported and instant results from the chip timing system within seconds of crossing the line. The route itself is undulating which provides a great challenge for the 'fasties' up front as well as the slower runners and those new to running. The route isn't traffic free but the marshalls did a great job at controlling the flow of traffic to ensure safety for the runners.A minor gripe would be the fact that the club appear to have cut costs a bit this year - No pre-race packs/numbers were posted in advance this year which created a long queue before the race where everyone had to pick up their numbers on the day. Also last year you got a medal and a mug at the finish. This year however it was just a drawstring bag.All in all though it's a great local race and one of my favourite 10k races and so I'll be back again.Date of review: June 17, 2012
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GRAND PRAIRIE – Uptown Theater, 120 E. Main St., is getting all dolled up with a special Dolly Parton Tribute show, featuring Sandy Anderson, Saturday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m. Tickets to this can't miss tribute show are $15 and $20 and can be purchased at www.uptowntheatergp.com or by calling 972-237-8786.
Sandy Anderson traded in working 9 to 5 for singing 9 to 5 when she began her award-winning tribute to Dolly Parton a decade ago. The Las Vegas-based entertainer has even performed a duet with Dolly herself – the two of them charming fans at Dollywood with a sassy version of "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better." She has portrayed Dolly with the world-famous Legends in Concert show.
Sandy has been voted Top Dolly Impersonator in the United States on the "Look-Alike Hotel Reality Show," and was one of the top artists on "The Next Best Thing." She is a three-time winner of the "Country's Hottest Hitter" Award, an award voted on by her peers. She has appeared on cable TV networks CMT, MTV and VH-1. She has even been memorialized at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society in Las Vegas, where her likeness, costumes, wigs and interviews have been on display. But her proudest moment would have to be when Dolly Parton said in an interview in "Q" Magazine "the best one is Sandy Anderson, she even fools my family."
Sandy truly becomes Dolly when she performs. Her glamorous costumes and wigs create a striking visual resemblance to the Country Music icon, and her singing voice is a dead-ringer for Dolly's, setting the stage for a very memorable performance.
She even includes the trademark Dolly comedy routine, which begins with, "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." In any setting, Sandy's talent and professionalism allow her to thrill an audience.
Sandy entered the celebrity impersonation field portraying Barbara Mandrell, but soon a photographer told her, "It's really Dolly Parton you look like." She put on a big blonde wig and a low-cut dress, and saw the likeness herself. Within months, Sandy answered a classified ad from Legends in Concert looking for a Dolly impersonator. She was invited for an audition that week, and hired on the spot.
Since then, she has performed through Legends in Concert at prestigious venues in Las Vegas, Branson, Biloxi, Atlantic City and Myrtle Beach. Sandy most recently returned from Berlin where she performed through the "Stars in Concert" Show. She's traveled the world and taken dream gigs on cruise ships. She has taken her "Tribute to Dolly" on tour to Australia, Sweden, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines. She's lived in Tennessee, performing at Dollywood and in surrounding areas where Dolly fans flock. She has performed with Kenny Rogers, singing "Islands In The Stream," and opened up for comedian Rich Little. This is one tribute show you do not want to miss.
City of Grand Prairie, 317 College St., Grand Prairie, Texas 75050 | Tel: 972-237-8000 | Site Map | Raving Fans
©2012 City of Grand Prairie. All Rights Reserved | Website Created by Vision Internet


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Born out of love for vintage denim and its Americana roots , Current/Elliott respects the history of denim and its timelessness. A true visionary, CEO and Creative Director Serge Azria harmonizes new ideas with time-honored techniques. With its unique silhouettes, classic fits, and everlasting aesthetics, Current/Elliott delivers its customers more of what they have always loved; a distinct and timeless collection that promises to love and be loved for years to come
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- National Intelligence Director Admiral Dennis Blair has resigned under fire. The message came Thursday after an Oval Office meeting with President Obama. Congressional staffers say that by the end of the meeting, Blair had "lost the confidence of the president." Blair has been on the job for 16 months. His tenure filled with public intelligence failures and turf battles. Blair's last day is May 28th.
- At least 16 people later linked to terror plots managed to passed through U.S. airports undetected by federal officials on duty to spot suspicious behavior. That's according to a new Government Accountability Office report. GAO called into question the scientific justification for the program known as SPOT, or Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques. Under SPOT, in place since 2003, anonymous federal watchers stroll through airports, trying to pinpoint potential terrorists based on their outward behavior.
- Federal workers killed on the job by terrorists will get the same benefits and honors as those killed in combat, under a provision approved by the House Armed Services Committee. An amendment to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act acknowledges the sacrifice of those killed in shootings at Fort Hood and a recruiting station in Little Rock, Arkansas. The amendment was introduced by Representatives Mike Coffman, Republican of Colorado, and Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona. The bill, by the way, authorizes $760 billion for the Pentagon next year.
- Defense Secretary Robert Gates concedes that Congress will grant service members a bigger pay raise than he wants. He told reporters, "I want change, but I'm not crazy," according to Federal Times. Gates had pushed for a 1.4 percent raise, but the House Armed Services Committee has approved a 1.9 percent raise starting January 1. Gates estimates the difference will cost DoD $500 million. He said that money would better be used for training and equipment.
- A House panel moves to set limits on how the Pentagon can bring critical jobs back in-house from contractors. The Armed Services Committee on Wednesday added a provision to the 2011 Defense Authorization bill that would stop DoD from setting arbitrary goals or targets for insourcing. Government Executive reports the change would also require both DoD and the GAO to report on the insourcing effort.
- An investigation that found thousands of dollars in unauthorized purchases of clothing, gold coins, flat-screen televisions, gym memberships and college tuition payments by employees of the Federal Protective Services using government purchase cards has resulted in no disciplinary action, reports the Washington Times. According to documents obtained by The Times through a Freedom of Information Act request 21 California-based FPS employees took advantage of an 18-month transition period during which the security agency was moved from the General Services Administration to the Department of Homeland Security "to loot GSA resources by purchasing unauthorized goods," according to the GSA's office of inspector general.
- NIH researchers often partner with industry and academia. The partnerships help researchers move their discoveries along - taking them a step closer to practical application. But those partnerships have to be very closely monitored, to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. NIH has published a notice of proposed rule making in the federal register about financial conflicts of interest for NIH-funded researchers. The notice includes language clarification and some minor changes in the existing rule. The notice is open for public comment for 60 days.
- Say goodbye to those empty cubicles. The White House will issue an executive order for agencies to rid themselves of excess offices, laboratories and warehouses, Federal Times Reports. Excess real estate, including partially occupied buildings, could save the government more than a billion dollars, according to administration estimates. The new policy will call for significant reductions in rent by 2012. The order is expected in early June.
- We told you it was going to happen. Now it is official. U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen is going to step down as Commandant, but he will remain on active duty. Allen has agreed to remain National Incident Commander for the administration's response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill. Admiral Robert Papp will relieve Admiral Allen as Commandant later this month. Allen has led and coordinated ongoing federal actions to mitigate the oil spill, and says that since the spill began, his focus has been managing the "all-hands-on-deck" approach.
- It is graduation season. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry will speak at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy commencement next week. His commencement address will focus on how to reinvigorate the federal workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century. UMD's School of Public Policy's graduation ceremony is May 21st.
- It's a rat! No, a mouse! Actually, it was a mighty vole. As President Obama commented on the status of financial overhaul regulation yesterday, a small, black rodent darted across the steps just below the presidential lectern. The scene was caught by several news photographers. Russell Link, a wildlife biologist with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, noted the animal's stubby tail, in ruling it out as a rat. Voles are also known as meadow mice.
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GALLIPOLIS — Some area residents may have spent plenty of time at the counter back in the day. Some may not have wanted to be caught anywhere near the place. Still, few Gallipolis natives can deny that for the past 75 years, the Happy Corner — as a longtime business, as well as a physical building — has been a cornerstone of the downtown community. Even after the tavern closed its doors for the last time in 2003, the historic building continued to boast the cheerful insignia on the corner of Olive Street and Second Avenue like a photograph out of time.
That is until a local artist decided the charming building with the great location in downtown Gallipolis was a great recipe for his fledgling tattoo business — Envy Ink. Joshua LaBello opened the business at a rented Second Ave. location in early 2012, but moved to his current location at 862 Second Ave. late last year.
The old Happy Corner building has quite a history.
LaBello said that he bought the property from Ron Blevins, who lives in Texas, but the acting local manager of the property is Jim Blevins, Ron's brother, who lives in Bidwell. Jim provided some local history of the once general store, turned tavern, turned tattoo shop.
"The history is that my grandparents, Augustas (Gus) and Argintina (Argie) Gabrielli, immigrated from Bagni di Lucca, Italy in 1913 to Cleveland and then to Portsmouth. They had seven children; the oldest two were born in Italy. In Portsmouth, they owned a cigar/confectionery store called the Palace of Sweets that they lost during the Depression," said Jim Blevins. "They came to Gallipolis in about 1935 where their oldest daughter Nell lived who was married to Vince Parrotti and operated 'Vince's' on Court Street. They bought the building and opened a tavern/food service that they named 'Happy Corner'."
According to Jim Blevins, the Gabriellis lived in the upstairs apartment for a few years until they bought a house at 740 2nd Avenue. Gus died in 1949, and Argie turned the business over to her sons, Bill and Al Gabrielli. Bill and Al operated it until about 1970.
He said ownership of the building stayed in the family, most recently owned by his brother, Ron Blevins, a grandson who was actually born in the upstairs apartment in 1939.
LaBello said there are common threads between he and the Gabriellis, both in heritage and drive.
"The owners were very tickled that the new owner is also Italian," said LaBello, of himself. "Not sure if that is relevant, but they were very excited about my vision for the place and seem very happy with my success here.
"My paternal grandmother, Grandma 'Bella as we called her, was the youngest of seven siblings and the only one to be born in America," explained LaBello of his own Italian heritage.
He said he was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and moved to Ohio when he was in the middle of third grade.
He also said there was a certain likeness between the building owners in ambition and vision.
"I think there is similarity in the personality of how I run things to the stories Jim told me about how his family ran the Happy Corner… He told me a great story when, during The Great Depression, a family desperately traveling and looking for work stopped in. There was no work for them, but the Gabriellis fed the man and his family, and gave them enough gas to get them to the next town to look for work there," relayed LaBello. "I think there is a parallel there with my philosophy on treating clients and every one who walks through the door."
So approximately ten years after the the Happy Corner closed for the last time in 2003, the building is again open, this time, as Envy Ink Tattoo and Gallery, under LaBello's direction.
Yes, you read that correctly — gallery; as in, art gallery.
Envy Ink has, from its very beginning, served as a cornerstone of the local arts scene, as well, featuring local and regional artists, poets, performers and musicians in the monthly Envy Ink Art Salon, held at 8 p.m. on the last Saturday of every month. The Salon, started by LaBello at his previous downtown location, recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its local and regional talent and art showcases.
"I make a living with art, and that's really fun, but it's sometimes hard to meet other people who do art, because it's often a solitary pursuit," said LaBello. "Really, it started selfishly, I guess. I wanted to bring people in, show them my art and make them listen to my music," LaBello said laughing. "It's grown quite a bit, but we are always looking for new members, though. I want it to be community-wide … because we all want a place where we can [have this]."
For more information about Envy Ink and the Art Salon, visit Envy Ink's web site at www.EnvyInkTattoo.com or the Envy Ink Facebook page at www.facebook.com/EnvyInkTattoo.


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The medical class of 2015 experienced a right of passage on Monday, January 23, 2012 as each student received their first stethoscopes. President of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association, Frank Tursi, D.O, was on hand to present these first year medical students with their stethoscopes and evoke some words of wisdom as they continue their medical education.
|Over 200 students were present to receive their first stethoscopes donated by the active membership of the POMA. This ceremony marked the first major milestone in the career of a medical student.
"A stethoscope is more than just a medical instrument, it shows a sign of confidence to a patient, it opens up the medical doors and displays a sign of responsibility" said Tursi, D.O. To a student, this is their first step into transitioning to becoming a full-fledged physician. Not only is this an instrument needed for their future courses, but also it's a symbol to remind a student why they want to become a physician and helps give the feeling of being a doctor. A stethoscope helps to remind a student to treat a patient with care and compassion and that it is just as important to pay attention to not only what you see, but to what you hear as well.
|Frank Tursi, D.O., presents Jimmy Demeo, class of 2015 president, with his first stethoscope.


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How long before most automobile driving is done by computers?
|4487 votes / 15%
|9393 votes / 32%
|4635 votes / 16%
|1129 votes / 3%
|917 votes / 3%
|1435 votes / 4%
|1255 votes / 4%
|5527 votes / 19%
[ Voting Booth | Other Polls | Back Home ]
- Don't complain about lack of options. You've got to pick a few when you do multiple choice. Those are the breaks.
- Feel free to suggest poll ideas if you're feeling creative. I'd strongly suggest reading the past polls first.
- This whole thing is wildly inaccurate. Rounding errors, ballot stuffers, dynamic IPs, firewalls. If you're using these numbers to do anything important, you're insane.
Never gonna happen. (Score:5, Funny)
Perhaps a few of the less competent might opt for it but us race car drivers will never stand for it.
Perhaps a few of the less competent might opt for it but us race car drivers will never stand for it.
Ironically racing is probably a better defined operating environment so easier to successfully automate.
I can't see everyday driving being automated because there will always be a scenario that isn't covered, an odd bug that no-one expected, or mechanical failure that the computer can't compensate for in a sensible way.
Commercial flight systems on aircraft must be so thoroughly tested, yet we still have pilots to take over if the machine fails. How would that work with cars? If you have to be there paying close attention in case you need to take over, doesn't that negate the purpose of the automated system in the first place?
I would assert that the population of terrible, drunk/drug addled drivers on the road today are far more dangerous that the odd software error we will see. Especially since each failure of automation will result in improvements over time.
by orthancstone (665890) on Friday October 04, 2013 @04:26PM (#45039107)The biggest threat to automated driving algorithms will be erratic drivers not using automated cars. As more automated vehicles take over the population of drivers, you'll see a reduction of problems on the road.
Building automated cars that only drive around other automated cars is 80s technology. The whole point of automating driving is getting the algorithms good enough to handle "erratic drivers" which are just one of the hazards of the road.
I would turn your sentence around and say automated cars will be the biggest threat to anyone without top notch reflexes. Unlike a human, an algorithm can control the speed and breaking distance to 1 inch from the next car during an emergency stop. The automated cars will al
Re:Never gonna happen. (Score:5, Funny)
Ahh! This takes me back. I remember a time around 1954 when bumpers were bumpers, and my dad and uncle were driving from Providence to Pittsburgh, playing bumper cars all the way. Fortunately this was before seat belts so we kids could climb up on the back window ledge for a good look.
Re:Never gonna happen. (Score:5, Funny)I love the smell of leaded gasoline exhaust in the morning. Full choke, baby!
No, the biggest threat to automated driving algorithms is liability. As long as the manufacturer is liable for accidents they'll never get anywhere.
That problem is easily enough solved. Outsource the development of automated driving software and you shift the liability onto the software vendor. Sure it is more expensive than doing it in house but this reasoning for pushing it to the vendors is the same that we have been seeing in many large corporate organizations in their quest to go 100% vendor supported even though the in-house development teams are far cheaper and tend to have better results.
I think we should start with the Interstate system. A vehicle can operate manually until hitting an on ramp where a computer will take over and log into the roadway system. In this manner things can happen gradually as no one will be able to take the Interstate unless their car is compatible. Others can continue to use the back roads and streets until over time the busiest ones will also be included in an automated road system. Eventually only the smaller side streets will continue to be manually operable.
It would be safer and more cost efficient to put cars on larger vehicles, such as trains and ships. A single large unit can be navigated safer than hundreds or thousands of smaller units.
It's been available for years. It hasn't been adopted for heavy use.
http://www.amtrak.com/auto-train [amtrak.com]
There are also truck and ship transports, but as there are so many services, it's not practical to list them. Some ship transports allow passengers. Most truckers can't allow passengers.
Yes, for $560 I can save the $300 cost of driving. Not only that, but I get the luxury of having a fixed departure time instead of the depart-whenever-I-want randomness of taking the freeway myself. Add to that the security of knowing that I cannot make side trips, thus avoiding any scenic rest stops, museums, and points of interest along the way.
There's a reason it hasn't been adopted for heavy use: it's overly expensive, and restrictive. People want cheap, on-demand, end-to-end, and preferably priva
I would assert that the population of terrible, drunk/drug addled drivers on the road today are far more dangerous that the odd software error we will see. Especially since each failure of automation will result in improvements over time.
One of the best things about automated cars will be the ability to get home after drinking. Not much of an issue in built up areas with public transport, but being able to get home from the pub will be great for the social lives of people in rural areas.
Perhaps a few of the less competent might opt for it but us race car drivers will never stand for it.
Ironically racing is probably a better defined operating environment so easier to successfully automate.
Physically? Yes, but nobody's going to make a billion dollars on slot-cars.
Racing is the one aspect of driving that will not ever be automated, nor should it.
how do you know, maybe there would be competitions and/or betting on fully automated cars: which team can build the best. there are similar competitions today with robots
how do you know
I'm speculating, just like everyone else does in a "What If" conversation. Just like you did in the rest of your post:
maybe there would be competitions and/or betting on fully automated cars: which team can build the best. there are similar competitions today with robots
Yea, maybe. But who's going to put up the millions of dollars in front money to find out? You?
A good part of what makes auto racing entertaining is the personalities of the drivers and their varying skill levels. Take away those elements, and it all basically becomes NASCAR, but without anything entertaining happening, ever.
Perhaps a few of the less competent might opt for it but us race car drivers will never stand for it.
Ironically racing is probably a better defined operating environment so easier to successfully automate.
Also ironic, is that I suspect the GP was writing that with intentional irony.
If you have to be there paying close attention in case you need to take over, doesn't that negate the purpose of the automated system in the first place?
If a car "autopilot" detects a problem, it can just slow down, pull off the road, and shut off. You do not have such an option in an aircraft.
In a self-driving car, you only need to "be there paying close attention" if you have reason to believe the navigation system will NOT properly detect when it is operating in conditions beyond its capabilities.
The thing with planes is that you usually have quite some time to deal with problems. The sky is big, your plane is small. That means if the autopilot can't handle something you usualy have a fair bit of time for the human pilots to take over (which is not to say there haven't been crashes where the pilots thought the autopilot was engaged when it wasn't).
With a car you are typically a few seconds away from a crash at any moment. If something suddenly in front of you (too close to simply brake) then you hav
Racing is based on human skill. If you automate it then it's no longer racing.
Racing is based on human skill. If you automate it then it's no longer racing.
What about the skill of the programmers and engineering team? Car racing used to be about the car too, now it is so regulated that it is only the driver, but maybe that will change again.
The difficulty of everyday driving is the "predictability" of what will happen on the road. Too many humans are unpredictable on how they will handle a given situation.
Case 1: "the polite driver". This driver will give me the right of way when I shouldn't have it. They may stop and let me make a left turn in front of them at an unmarked crossing when they should just proceed and I will wait until a clear spot. Drives me nuts when people do that as it may cause an accident with a driver behind them not
The difficulty of everyday driving is the "predictability" of what will happen on the road. Too many humans are unpredictable on how they will handle a given situation.
Case 1: "the polite driver". This driver will give me the right of way when I shouldn't have it. They may stop and let me make a left turn in front of them at an unmarked crossing when they should just proceed and I will wait until a clear spot. Drives me nuts when people do that as it may cause an accident with a driver behind them not expecting what they will do.
Case 2: "the impatient driver". This guy will make be behind me and make a left turn around me because he thinks I am not moving fast enough. I saw one guy nearly lose the back meter of his car to an oncoming motorist.
Case 3: "the don't know where I am going driver". This guy will suddenly realize that his turn was 10 feet back and make it anyway.
Automation should smooth out all those kinks and make it predictable....the obvious problem is the transition period between mostly human and mostly automated....perhaps designated lanes for automation.
I can see all this being automated. We can have a "polite mode", a "quick mode" and a "quick route change" option.
I can't see everyday driving being automated because there will always be a scenario that isn't covered, an odd bug that no-one expected, or mechanical failure that the computer can't compensate for in a sensible way.
If most people thought like you do, then we won't even have people driving, as your logic applies to human drivers just as well (and pretty much every single machinery or power tool also):
"I can't see everyday driving being allowed because there will always be a scenario that isn't expected, an odd failure that no-one thought of, or mechanical failure that the driver can't compensate for in a sensible way."
Fortunately, most humans are fine with taking risks as long as the benefit is clear. And in 20 years,
Re:Never gonna happen. (Score:5, Informative)by Verity_Crux (523278) <notacommie@gLAPL ... m minus math_god> on Saturday October 05, 2013 @08:43AM (#45043417)
Ironically racing is probably a better defined operating environment so easier to successfully automate.
I work for a company that automates vehicles (ASI). We specifically target controlled operating environments like vehicle proving grounds, mines, and commercial harvesting operations. These places all have one thing in common: ten foot fences (aka, no toddlers in the vicinity).
The biggest struggle we have had is obstacle detection; it only works at distances less than 50m. The various vision devices aren't accurate enough beyond that range (or get lost in smoke, fog, dust, shakiness, etc.) And differentiating small objects (aka, 20cm cube) from standard terrain is neigh impossible with current technologies. The algorithms used to process that information can't run in real-time on embedded hardware.
I'm excited for a lot of recent progress in electronic vehicle control. Look for your favorite auto-manufacturer to introduce electronically controlled steering, transmissions, and throttle over the next few years. The pedals, knobs, and wheels will soon be fancy computer joysticks.
Then why aren't you using reflective imaging? Whether sonar, radar, lidar, there are lots of ways to reflect a more accurate image than indirect lighting. Even a scanning laser that's only active on an "unknown" area (and running outside the range harmful to humans) would seem to be an improvement over your current system as described.
Commercial flight systems on aircraft must be so thoroughly tested, yet we still have pilots to take over if the machine fails. How would that work with cars? If you have to be there paying close attention in case you need to take over, doesn't that negate the purpose of the automated system in the first place?
Cars allow for many many failures. So many so that they have a dedicated "breakdown lane" on many roads. An airplane that suffers a failure at 30,000 ft is likely going to have a bad result. Having the automated car set up in a manner that it won't drive into situations it gauges to be high risk, and it offers control to the driver or pulls over to the next safe location and stops isn't hard. Once you've programmed a self-driving car, some safety fail backs isn't hard.
Perhaps a few of the less competent might opt for it but us race car drivers will never stand for it.
I tend to find that people who define themselves as the latter category are more or less also in the former category. Offense is not the best defense when driving.
I voted 'never'...for me the key word was 'most'
Most usually means >51%-66% at least...some say a simple majority counts as 'most'...others 2/3 majority....
Either way...I just don't see it happening unless human behavior changes in ways we cannot predict or imagine
If you count different times/types of driving, and break it out in City vs Highway & then compare 'AI' usage there would be some obvious predictable tendencies...and in that way, **maybe** in 50 years...if driving habits change dramatically
Even assuming that the technology becomes good enough for it to be safe and practical, "most" is going to require more than half of the current driving population to retire from commanding an individual motor car. There will be exceptions in both directions (older early-adopters and young luddites), but in general, people who've learned to operate a vehicle themselves just aren't going to feel comfortable letting a computer do it. It won't be until at least half of the car owners on the road are people wh
The most likely early adopters are old people who have lost the ability to drive safely, but still want to get around.
Another target audience should be young males, who have to pay high insurance rates. A car that is entirely automated, with manual driving limited to speeds below 5 mph, should cost about $10/year to insure, not $1000. It seems reasonable that the entire leech-industry that is automobile insurance would be destroyed by automated cars. For that matter, licensing should go away too; another ad
Not to mention that even the newest cars on the road today will be used for the next 15-20 years, at least. Vehicles are expensive, and hardly become obsolete. Assuming that they are still better than riding the bus, someone will buy/drive them. The used market keeps them on the road long after the original new car buyer is bored with them.
Re:Never gonna happen. (Score:5, Informative)by techno-vampire (666512) on Friday October 04, 2013 @04:28PM (#45039127) HomepageI'm in my mid sixties, and I doubt that my reflexes and reaction time are as good as they were when I was in my early thirties. Eventually, I will probably need to drive in the slow lane, at no more than 55 mph, for my safety as well as everybody else's. When (not if) that happens, having a computer do the freeway driving might seem like a good idea, even though I still love to drive. It's not, as you try to make it, a question of competence, but of being realistic about how your body slows down as you get older.
Perhaps a few of the less competent might opt for it but us race car drivers will never stand for it.
Your carpool companions called, they want the the blood to return to their white, white knuckles.
I also don't see it happening. Cities and counties make truckloads of cash off of tickets and red light cameras. Plus it gives cops the ability to search people for prohibited plants. With driverless cars they wouldn't get ticket revenue, be able to use civil asset forfeiture or easily fill up the prisons with stoners.
Exhaustive Testing is Impossible.
We don't need 100% bug free and "exhaustively tested" to be better than even a very skilled human.....
I still voted for "pry it from my cold, dead hand" though
Yeah, when tttonyyy is bug free, we'll let him drive.
Re:When the control code is 100% bug free (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't think the semi-inebriated drivers showing up on the roads here in Austin for ACL weekend are have been tested exhaustively either.
One of the things about computers... if someone gets in front of an autopiloted car and randomly slams on brakes, the autopilot adjusts speed up and down. Do that to a person, after a bit, someone is going to be run off the road. Road rage isn't an issue with a computer, nor is alcohol, texting, marijuana, bath salts, Molly, LSD, PCP, Ativan, or whatever substances a person is on.
Don't forget what can be done with automated vehicles that can't be done now. Four way intersections where cars can move at speed, being slowed down or sped up slightly to get one group across before the next group hits.
Pedestrians? Punch the crosswalk signal, and the vehicles WILL stop. No slowing down and honking, no beer bottles thrown at the person crossing.
Parking? Vehicles can park themselves a ways away.
Oil change time? The vehicle goes off and takes care of it in the middle the night, and is back before work.
Moving and have two cars? Toss your crap into one car and tell it to go to your new residence, where someone there can unload it. That way, only the large furniture pieces need the U-haul truck.
There are just so many issues and bottlenecks that would be eased by removing the person out of the driving equation.
Pedestrians? Punch the crosswalk signal, and the vehicles WILL stop. No slowing down and honking, no beer bottles thrown at the person crossing.
This won't happen until there are no people in those cars. Yes, the AI won't throw the beer bottle, but the (possibly drunk, as he is not driving) passenger might.
Also, the "press button to stop cars" system is easily abused if not carefully set (a quite long minimal time between stops), that is why it is not that common in my country.
Oil change time? The vehicle goes off and takes care of it in the middle the night, and is back before work.
Will it go to my neighbor who is a mechanic or only the Authorized Service Center so I could pay 10x the amount I would if I just went to the neighbor?
Modern cars have enough
Modern cars have enough DRM as it is, no need for more.
Agreed. Unfortunately, I think it's quite likely that corporations (and governments) will find a way to turn this technology against us in a lot of ways.
100% bug free? That's impossible. What has 100% bug free? Prove it please.
Missing option: (Score:5, Insightful)
Not nearly as soon as I'd like.
Google seems to be focused on automating commuting, but really isn't the goal to eliminate accidents due to all forms of human error? That means driving while drunk, texting, tired, etc.
The technology is getting better rapidly, but until someone can legally flop wasted into their back seat, at 4 AM, shout "Take me home!" and drunk text their ex-girlfriend like they currently can in a taxi, it's not going to get much traction.
So I'd say we're less than 10 years out from a tech perspective, and n years
Re:More of a legal issue than a tech one. (Score:5, Interesting)by Rob the Bold (788862) on Friday October 04, 2013 @03:47PM (#45038745)
The technology is getting better rapidly, but until someone can legally flop wasted into their back seat, at 4 AM, shout "Take me home!" and drunk text their ex-girlfriend like they currently can in a taxi, it's not going to get much traction.
Reminds me I was once told that the horse that pulled my grandmother's and her sister's wagon when they were in their teens and twenties could do that. I thought that was cool until she mentioned it was handy on dates to be able to give the horse the reigns. That was TMI.
You hear that about horse drawn milk and bread delivery carts all the time. The horse gets used to the route and where the stops are, and the delivery person can just concentrate on unloading the goods, even to the point of grabbing a crate and leaving milk on the doorsteps of the apartments in a building, and catching up with the horse and wagon at the other end of the building.
I'd love to see it within 10, but I think 20 is more realistic.
I remember just before I got my license (~17 years ago) I thought driving was the most awesome thing I could imagine. Now it's a mindless chore that I accept as necessary but I certainly don't like doing it. My daily commute to work is only 5 minutes so that's fine, but fairly often I take trips that consist of 4 to 12 hours of driving. I can think of nothing more amazing than just being able to put that address into my car and then chill out on my laptop for the duration.
I also this could also do a LOT to reduce drunk driving. When you can just climb into the car and tell it to take you home we'll have a lot less accidents due to intoxication.
I remember driving as looking like great fun when I was a kid. As I grew up, I found I liked to drive. I had a 74 Chevy Nova which was great fun, an 84 Pontiac Fiero, which was great fun, and a 300ZX which was also great fun. After the 300ZX, I got a Ranger pickup which was practical for doing stuff around the house, but also got a motorcycle, which was great fun. I'm on my second Ranger and my 6th motorcycle (Hayabusa) and am currently planning my trip for next year. Roughly 10,000 miles to Alaska and the
Actually, even 20 years seems overly optimistic. Some quick web searching [usatoday.com] indicates that the average age of a car in the US is 11 years. Assuming the total volume remains reasonably unchanged, that would mean that it would take around a decade* to reach 50% even if all cars sold from today were self-driving.
If we assume it takes another 10 years for fully autonomous cars to be commercially available (an legal), it is still unlikely that zero "ordinary" cars would be sold from then on. So I don't really see
I wouldn't be surprised if most state laws currently do not prohibit automated cars. The law would have to be changed to prohibit them.
Prying the steering wheel (Score:5, Funny)by K. S. Kyosuke (729550) on Friday October 04, 2013 @03:12PM (#45038405)
You'll have to pry the steering wheel out of my cold, dead hands
Why would I do that when I can have the car accident investigators and the medical examiner do that for you?
The technology is already on the roads. But aside from the normal amount of time necessary for technology adoption, this also faces significant legal hurdles. There's the big question of liability, of course, and we're starting to deal with that now. But the legal issues will get worse before they get better--self-driving cars are still experimental enough that they aren't a huge political battlefield yet.
Once they develop a bit more, many people will have safety and NIMBY concerns--even if they're much
Not to mention other lobby groups--cab drivers, truck drivers, and so forth are heavily unionized, and will use their political sway to oppose this technology as much as possible, since it will (eventually) take their jobs in a very real, direct sense.
You left out a big one - governments that depend on revenues generated through traffic enforcement.OOH, and the companies that sell red-light camera systems!
Obviously the high end guys (BMW, Audi, Mercedes) will likely do it first. They're already incorporating lots of assistive technology into their cars now. This is giving them lots of real world experience with stuff like adaptive cruise control and semi automatic breaking. Lexus has had automatic parallel parking for a while. Combine this with really good GPS and stuff like google's chauffeur (this is the name of their autonomous driving software) plus a slim stylish lidar sensor (or something equivalent) o
Re:We'll get there gradually, but we'll get there. (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually it's not Honda and Toyota et al -- it's the Insurance Companies. As soon as this technology becomes approved and certified by the NTSB here in the States and it's equivalent elsewhere, you can be sure that the insurance companies will offer steeply discounted rates to drivers who have fully automated cars since they can sue the Automobile Manufacturer or Software Manufacturer in the event of an accident by an automated vehicle rather than collecting from another insurer or individual.
When people see that they can get a good break on Insurance if they buy an automated car, the mainstream manufacturers will be tripping over themselves to get their own automated vehicles out to the mainstream market to capitalize on that and to be competitive.
Re:We'll get there gradually, but we'll get there. (Score:4, Interesting)
It may not all be the high end guys. I remember looking at a self-parking car. Then I remembered an old French brand (Citroen) that had a compact car that had two pairs of small wheels mounted sideways. A flip of a button, the car was lifted onto the wheels. A move of a slider, the vehicle moved left or right directly. The Lexus parallel parking capability is impressive, but the little French car being able to just stop, move 90 degrees into a space without requiring any movement forward/reverse and park was more practical.
What country? (Score:5, Insightful)Timeline: within 5 years, the first (partially) self-driving cars will become available. Within the next 5 years, it will be a novelty for early adopters (rich people). The 10 years after that will see increasing consumer adoption (upper middle class only), as well as the first commercial applications (trucks, maybe greyhound), but in developed nations only (even if self-driving cars don't cost much more than manuals, most people don't buy new cars very often). The 10 years after that (i.e. 30 years from now) self-driving cars will start becoming the majority in developed nations, but the bulk of the world population will still not have seen one with their own eyes (look up a video of what streets look like in Bangalore, and tell me how a self-driving car would perform there). I don't dare predict when self-driving will be the majority in the world, because that requires predicting when the majority of the world will become "developed", which may very well be never.
Not gonna happen (Score:3, Insightful)
I'd say never. Why? Because driving on random roads and locations in varying conditions requires *intelligence*.
Most attempts at computer-driven cars so far basically just put cars on an electronic track and throw in a little bit of sensor data and pre-programmed logic.
Yes, 99.9% of driving is just dull "stay between the lines" but it's that
What happens when some crap falls off a truck and the sensors don't quite pick it up? What happens when someone runs out in the road in front of it? Can it tell the difference between a rectangular dark black flat piece of dangerous metal on the road and dark shadow from an overhead roadway sign? Would a computer even realize you might need to drive off the road in the event of an emergency or special circumstances? There are an almost infinite number of possibilities that you just can't pre-program in or plan for.
Throwing control back to the user probably wouldn't work well in practice, because once a car can drive itself sometimes, people will expect it to drive itself ALL the time.
And when something does go wrong, who will people sue? Right now it is the individual driver of the vehicle. I think car manufacturers would prefer to avoid the risk of being sued and leave responsibility where it is.
So what if someone creates a computer that is really intelligent enough to do that? Well, I'd suggest getting out of its way as it kills all humans.
Re:Not gonna happen (Score:5, Insightful)by Mysticalfruit (533341) on Friday October 04, 2013 @05:29PM (#45039647) Homepage JournalFirstly, the *most* driver less miles have been put on cars driving at highway speeds around the bay area by Google. They're out testing this in real world conditions. When the car doesn't know what to do, it squaks at the driver and the person takes over. Understandably that has it's own issues. However, the more they drive these cars the better they can make these systems. It's a feedback loop.
Secondly, the hypothetical situation you describe is exceedingly rare and I suspect human drivers would nominally fair equally bad at avoiding the situation.
No matter how good your automomous car is, if you're driving along and a 1000lb piece of cast iron pipe tumbles off the back of a flatbed, you're fucked. Possibly having a car with reaction times that exceed a human might save your life. Your autonomous car is going to be not tailgating the semi to begin with and will be going the speed limit or lower depending on the traffic conditions.
Thirdly, I can only imagine that these cars will be recording all the telemetry and video they possibly can. To complete my scenario, when a piece of cast iron pipe falls off the truck and lands in the road and the lidar system doesn't properly identify it and the car runs into it, the insurance company is going to analyze the telemetry and the dashboard video and they'll sue the truck driver for not properly securing their load. They possibly would go after the car maker for a faulty system, but more likely the car companies just going to want the telemetry so they can improve the system.
As for knowing the difference between a shadow and a piece of black metal, these systems are currently using lidar... so I don't see this as much of an issue.
Also your scenario of what happens when someone runs out in front of the car... Mercedes already has an automatic breaking system.
When the car doesn't know what to do, it squaks at the driver and the person takes over. Understandably that has it's own issues.
Actually, if this limitation is not ironed out, it would seriously slow down the adoption, here's why:
1. If I buy a self driving car, I expect it to drive itself while I am doing something else (or am just drunk).
2. Even if I am sober, I would not be paying full attention to the road (because I am not driving), so when the car beeps that I should take over, my initial reaction will be really slow.
3. If I have to pay full attention to the road to be able to take over at a moments notice, I might as well be a
In a production version if you didn't take over immediately the car would pull to the side of the road and stop.
by Dialecticus (1433989) on Friday October 04, 2013 @05:14PM (#45039523)
"Most driving" could mean "most vehicles" or "most passengers". For example, if there are 2 human-driven cars and 1 computer-driven bus, then most vehicular passengers are being driven by a computer, yet most passenger vehicles are being driven by a human.
Such an ambiguously worded question deserves an equally ambiguous answer: "Quite a few years from now."
by GoodNewsJimDotCom (2244874) on Friday October 04, 2013 @05:37PM (#45039715)One of the car people or Google is planning on shipping out self driving cars for 2015. If they perform well, many people will use them as cheap taxis. Instead of buying cars and paying insurance, people will just order self driving cars with their smart phone from the many of them all over the nation. Of course, assuming only limited problems with them, it will still be cheaper at first to use your own car if you have one. So people will drive their own cars until they're falling apart(10-15 yrs) Once the cost of a google taxi is cheaper than owning your own car, people will simply not need to buy a car anymore except as a luxury.
Of course there is a lot to be said if these cars can even function to begin with. Anyone who's had their Garmin(Gremlin) tell them to drive down the wrong way on a road knows that even for route planning as roads change(something the self driving car needs), there is still much to be done.
I am not so sure that we are going to have the infrastructure to support automobiles about the time when the control tech is good enough for widespread deployment.
Only recently, peak oil came and went and worldwide economic growth has plateaued. Even if we cut emissions of greenhouse gases completely right now, there is still enough of it in the atmosphere to cause climate change that is going to manifest itself in famine, "act of god" disasters, economic turmoil, civil unrest and wars across the world.
It w
There isn't a single thing in your post that's both correct and not caused by Obama.
In USA: 10-20 years. In Italy: never!
Yea right using the latest and greatest technology they cant even get a basic map right.
I am the designer of a prototype project which requires accurate machined parts, so one day I get hooked up with this machinist that does stuff for our state tech university, does great fast and cheap work! Problem is he is about 3 hours away from our offices so I take a day trek down there to get ~25 units made up for field testing.
His shop is just outside of the college town, which is pretty sizable, and has lots of ou
I hope you realize that big piece of plastic and metal on top of Google's cars isn't there just for decoration, right? They have an array of sensors, including cameras and a lidar system, to actually analyze the environment. The maps would be used to plan the route, but they wouldn't be followed blindly, that's just stupid. If the map doesn't match the expected layout and the car cannot figure it out, I assume it'll pull aside and ask for the driver to take over or correct the route.
Toyota came out with the original Prius in 1997. Hybrid Car. 16 years ago.
Lexus LS 460 in 2006 had the self parking car. 7 years ago.
I just got a new car. I would have liked to have both these features, but both were at a price premium I could not practically afford. Mind you, there are many people that buy over what they can afford not withstanding what they can practically afford.
Still many people are not getting these features, though they are becoming more common now.
Self driving cars are just sta
Cars already have too many *improvements* already. Self-parking, automatic transmissions, traction control, ABS, blind spot warning, so on.
Kinda removes the need to be able to drive, so when there's an emergency the driver won't know how to react.
Because they know how right now? I've seen so many drivers doing stupid, dangerous and ridiculous things to be able to tell you that the majority of drivers wouldn't be able to react properly in an emergency anyway. Autonomous cars have the possibility of being faster, safer and more law-abiding than humans. Good luck getting your reaction times below that of a computer.


text:
Four players have been called up to the Springbok squad of 30 for their final two Tests of the Rugby Championship.
They are the uncapped Golden Lions duo of utility back Jaco Taute and flyhalf Elton Jantjies, their experienced provincial team-mate, prop CJ van der Linde, and Cheetahs prop Coenie Oosthuizen.
'I'd always wanted to include Jaco in the squad but an untimely injury meant we could not select him earlier. Jaco is big, strong, fast and versatile and it will be good to get him involved,' said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
'Elton was part of the squad before this season, against England in June and in the first part of the Rugby Championship. He only missed out when we had to cut the numbers of the squad and it's good to have him back.
'CJ, who took part in our training camps earlier in the season, brings a lot of experience to our pack and he is no longer injured. Apart from being the second most experienced prop in Springbok history, after Os du Randt, he is versatile and can play loosehead and tighthead.
'And it's great to have Coenie back with us after he picked up an injury on debut in the first test against England in June. He is a world class prop and losing him was a big setback.'
Meyer added only two scrumhalves had been selected for the Tests, which meant Jano Vermaak misses out. The national selectors felt that Vermaak is familiar with the game plan and can easily be brought back in should his services be required.
Springbok squad – Willem Alberts, Andries Bekker, Craig Burden, Pat Cilliers, Marcell Coetzee, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers (c), Jannie du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Johan Goosen, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Elton Jantjies, Zane Kirchner, Juandré Kruger, Pat Lambie, Tiaan Liebenberg, Francois Louw, Tendai Mtawarira, Lwazi Mvovo, Coenie Oosthuizen, Ruan Pienaar, Jacques Potgieter, Frans Steyn, Morné Steyn, Adriaan Strauss, Jaco Taute, CJ van der Linde, Flip van der Merwe, Duane Vermeulen.


text:
Beauty Counter Blog: The Stock List
Oribe's latest hair innovation makes us a little nostalgic for the summer that was. Après Beach, the coiffing star's aptly named texturizing spray, simulates the kind of piecey waves reminiscent of those warm days spent in the sand and surf that are sadly behind us now. But while your short shorts and string bikinis will remain in storage for the next, oh, nine months, there's no reason why you can't still have beachy definition to go with the onslaught of sweaters, coats, and scarves that are about to take their place. Oribe has already proven himself to be just as adept at creating hugely efficacious products as wielding styling shears (his Signature Moisture Masque, a luster-restoring magic potion, is a personal favorite), and Après Beach is another winner; its big point of difference is that it has been formulated sans salt. The emollient-rich mist therefore manages to impart a shiny, tousled look without any of the sticky stiffness so many of its competitors - not to mention the ocean itself - can leave behind. No dreadlocked, mattified mess here, just soft, glistening separation that will not be bound by seasonal change.