They are all "human errors" since FSD and Autopilot are supervised systems, which is why statistics like these can't be used to make claims like "FSD sounds better than human drivers". At best, you could claim that [Autopilot|FSD]+supervision is better than a human driver, but even then there a a huge number of other variables to consider, e.g.: 'human only engages FSD when they are confident it will handle situation safely'->'artificially high miles/crash for FSD'
> The downsides of idle stops are, however, that they tend to put a lot of load on the engine
While I don't doubt that it seems like this is essentially a solved issue. Priuses are some of the most reliable, long-lasting cars out there despite experiencing considerably more start-stop cycles than a traditional ICE with start-stop would.
Hybrids likely have more engineering around the start-stop cycles than full ICEs with start-stop bolted on to meet emissions requirements.
The prius style dual motor/generator planetary gear arangment avoids concerns about starter motor longevity. But the engines and how they're managed is tuned for their use case.
I'm sure ICE with start-stop will get there eventually, but the automotive industry tends to learn to build reliable drivetrains through a history of failure. From my experience with a couple rental cars a year, on user experience, start-stop is all over the map from really annoying to noticable but unobtrusive ... I imagine how design challenges around lubrication are met is also all over the map.
> Hybrids likely have more engineering around the start-stop cycles than full ICEs with start-stop bolted on to meet emissions requirements.
What evidence is there for this? The Prius was around for 12 years before Toyota brought their first production start-stop ICE to market, surely they (and other mfgs whose hybrids predate start-stop) didn't just throw away all of that knowledge to haphazardly "bolt on" a start-stop system. They didn't, which is why start-stop equipped card have things like low-friction coatings on their crankshaft bearings.
> The prius style dual motor/generator planetary gear arangment avoids concerns about starter motor longevity
Redesigned starter motors with improved longevity also avoid these concerns. In start-stop systems, the starter motor is a safety critical item and they are engineered to a much higher standard. As far as I can find, there's only one start-stop starter related recall in the US (Honda) and it wasn't even a mechanical issue.
> From my experience with a couple rental cars a year, on user experience, start-stop is all over the map from really annoying to noticable but unobtrusive ... I imagine how design challenges around lubrication are met is also all over the map.
I think this captures exactly why people fixate on these systems. They assume that because they can be janky to use (they often can be), that they must be jankily designed. I can't prove a negative, but I just haven't ever seen meaningful evidence that start-stop cars fail faster or fail in the ways critics suggest they should. Surely we would see some evidence of the extra spun bearings, sparkly oil, and premature starter replacements that this almost 20 year old tech has has wrought by now, right? The only evidence I've seen are slightly more expensive batteries needing to be replaced slightly more often.
> As far as I can find, there's only one start-stop starter related recall in the US (Honda) and it wasn't even a mechanical issue.
A start-stop starter issue seems more likely to be handled quietly with Technical Service Bulletins rather than a recall, IMHO. Unless the issue is a critical safety issue or is likely to affect every vehicle, manufacturers seem to prefer TSBs that have much less visibility than a recall. If you're lucky, the dealer will take care of it at your next scheduled service; but many TSBs are only taken care of if you specifically ask about trouble you're having and the dealer is aware of the TSB and you bring it up during the TSB period... my Ford hybrid had a major bearing issue and they replaced the whole motor/generator/transmission assembly under the TSB but only because I happened upon the TSB and brought it in specifically complaining... they had it for scheduled maintenance while it was exhibiting symptoms but it wasn't bad enough for me to complain and they didn't mention anything ... had I known to ask, I would have gotten a new replacement rather than a remanufactured, but oh well.
> They assume that because they can be janky to use (they often can be), that they must be jankily designed.
I think it's a fair assumption, because cars tend to be jankily designed or at least designed around the edge of viability. Most of the modern vehicles I've owned have had successful class actions about drive train problems that almost always come down to running things close to the edge to meet emissions requirements.
There's this one for start-stop https://www.carscoops.com/2025/08/honda-paying-millions-to-s... but there were a lot in the 2000s related to oil leaks etc related to running thinner oils for emissions. It's a consistent pattern; push the envelope for emissions, deal with the powertrain problems via class action.
> almost 20 year old tech
It's closer to 10-15 years old for the North American market, discounting systems used for hybrids because they tend to be significantly different.
> It's a consistent pattern; push the envelope for emissions, deal with the powertrain problems via class action.
Sure, I can definitely see that being a pattern, especially for things like modern Diesel emissions systems that are notoriously unreliable. I just haven't seen that pattern materialize for start-stop. You found the same recall I did, which for the mast majority of people was fixed with just a software update. Where are the class actions for these shoddily designed systems?
Up to 2022 the Prius' ICE barely had 70 kW of engine power, and (IIRC, take with a grain of salt) neither turbochargers nor compressors. The less capacity the engine has, the more abuse it can tolerate, and it likely was ridiculously overspecced in tolerances and thicknesses.
In contrast, your 100 kW+ average vehicle? Probably built for maximum profit margins.
A Prius isn't taking off from a stop under strictly ICE power. The electric motor in the transmission lowers the load on the ICE, certainly enough to let the engine oil pump generate operating pressure before it's really under load.
> Microdramas are starting to become a real category--14 Billion USD
Almost all concrete english-language info I can find about microdramas is astroturfed to hell by consultants and "independent" industry publications. Wikipedia's citations for 2025 revenue are 'Reel Reel' and 'Duanju News'. Neither cite their source, though they are likely just regurgitating predictions from Omdia, a media consultancy.
> Real Reel™ works with companies across entertainment, technology and the creator economy to build relevant industry conversations around mobile-first storytelling.
Duanju News is published by 'Studio Phocéen', who run their own microdrama production house.
The Omdia revenue estimates, which is where the projected $14 billion comes from, are completely unsubstantiated as far as I can tell. They even go so far as to make "according to new research" a link that when followed sends you to their generic "/advance-your-business/media-and-entertainment" sales pitch.
I don't have any special insights here, it all just smells a bit like McKinsey's "The metaverse will be worth $5 trillion by 2030, you better not miss out!!! Hire our 22 year old slide deck experts today"
> downside: - more traffic - more noise - more pollution - more anonymity, crime (people in small towns leave their doors unlocked and say hi on the sidewalk)
These aren't all foregone conclusions. For example, Arlington, VA (11th highest density county in the US) most likely has the lowest combined traffic/homicide fatality rate in the country. Traffic peaked in 2000, and by 2015 it had gone down 20% while population rose 20%. This of course required a lot of planning and investment, but that is enabled by the higher property tax revenues that more housing brings.
It isn't integrated into the motherboard, it's integrated onto the same package as the CPU/GPU which allows for better signal integrity and higher speeds. You can get somewhat close to the same speeds while modular with tech like LPCAMM2, but there are some pretty difficult challenges to overcome to close the gap completely. As an example, the Framework Laptop 13 Pro CPUs support up to 9600MT/s (same as M5), and Micron sells LPCAMM2 modules that can run at 8533MT/s, but the 13 Pro only officially supports 7467MT/s.
Ad placements can still appear to perform if the targeted user was already planning to buy the product and Google/Meta attribute the sale to the ad impression they shove in at the last minute. FortNine (a Canadian motorcycle gear retailer) published an expose and seem quite convinced that this is an extremely common occurrence. It would also justify why Meta would be so aggressive about showing ads even to an unreceptive audience.
> MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Billionaire Elon Musk likely broke Wisconsin law when he promised to hand out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 state Supreme Court election, a bipartisan panel has found.
> The Wisconsin Elections Commission last week referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney’s office, which can choose to bring criminal charges over violating the state law against election bribery. Prosecutors have 40 days to report back to the commission.
> If college is supposed to prepare kids for the real world, we should be creating environments that simulate the real world as much as possible.
Would you take a motorcycle safety course where the first thing they do is chuck you into "simulated" traffic? It feels too obvious to say, but just throwing people in the deep-end isn't necessarily the most consistent or effective teaching tool for every situation.
Starting your first semester in college shouldn't feel like "being thrown in the deep end". You just spent 4 years of high school preparing for it!
But I agree that kids are awfully unprepared for the real world, so maybe coddling kids into early adulthood is unfortunately necessary? The whole situation makes me very sad.
You don't actually have any idea how different high school and college are, do you? Unless the kid went to boarding school, the environmental change is immense.
I think there's an odd disconnect that a lot of older people have where they forget the goals of institutions, and assume the goals are the experience they remember rather than something else.
For example: what would you say is the point of college, generally? Is it learning? Is it producing functional adults? Or is the goal, itself, to accumulate large numbers of grades that are as close to 100 as possible?
That last one isn't a goal, it's a means to an end.
Human learning is in fact something that can be studied and measured, and not something that was perfected at any point in the last 50 years. If it can be shown that not giving grades the first semester improves the actual goals of learning and adult success, then that's what should be done.
If you get over yourself and your "back and my day" and "consequences", you will see that what is being done is what will help create the world you actually want.
MIT does pass/fail for first semester, but the reason they give is "to allow students to adjust to collegiate workload" -- I'm 100% aligned and support with that.
What I'm not in favor of is a college doing the same thing, but using "mental health" as the motivator. If mental health is really the issue, maybe the kids they're trying to help aren't actually ready for college.
In what way is "allowing students to adjust to the collegiate workload" not "mental health"?
I see no difference in this vs the MIT program in terms of reasoning aside from a slight difference in wording.
Is the term "mental health" really such a blinding political football? Like "I hate Obamacare, but I love the ACA" and "Welfare is bad, but we need more assistance to the poor"?
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