The Straight Dope: How soon can we expect driverless cars?

[View this message as a web page]( [The Straight Dope]( 07/07/2017 Dear Cecil: People talk as if self-driving cars are only a few years away. This seems nuts to me. My Galaxy smartphone can't even do voice recognition properly, and we're banking that a car will be able to drive itself safely in the complexity of city traffic? — Astro, via the Straight Dope Message Board Cecil replies: You may not expect to see self-driving cars on the road soon, but you know who does? Ford, for one, which plans to release a fully autonomous vehicle by 2021. BMW says the same thing. Audi wants to debut one by 2020; Volkswagen, by 2019. Like objects in your passenger-side mirror, the future may in fact be closer than it appears. For more, see: [( STRAIGHT DOPE STAFF REPORT — 01/13/2009 Dear Straight Dope: I just finished reading an archived article from the August 2004 issue of Gourmet magazine in which the recently deceased David Foster Wallace writes about the Maine Lobster Festival. Mr. Wallace raised a lot of interesting issues, mainly surrounding whether lobsters might feel pain when they are cooked (i.e., boiled) alive. Any insight on this topic would be helpful to me in coming to terms with the possibility of never indulging in lobster again. So, do they? — Max K., Albany, California SDStaff Gfactor replies: "What are you going to do?" he cried. "Boil the beast" she said, "what else?" "But it's not dead" protested Belacqua "you can't boil it like that." She looked at him in astonishment. Had he taken leave of his senses? "Have sense" she said sharply, "lobsters are always boiled alive. They must be." She caught up the lobster and laid it on its back. It trembled. "They feel nothing" she said. … She lifted the lobster clear of the table. It had about thirty seconds to live. Well, thought Belacqua, it's a quick death, God help us all. It is not. — Samuel Beckett, "Dante and the Lobster" (1934) It's a tricky one, Max, because pain is a subjective concept. Pain is how your brain responds to certain kinds of stimuli. As you might expect, lobsters have nerves and respond to sensation, but the question remains whether they can experience pain as we understand it. This is mostly a philosophical question, ultimately, but that hasn't stopped scientists from trying to figure out an answer. For more, see: [( STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC — 09/10/2000 Dear Cecil: I just read the question in your online archive about whether Coca-Cola once contained cocaine, toward the end of which you mention the substitution years ago (before I was born, in fact) of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for sugar in Coke. These days, HFCS is found in not just Coca-Cola but most sodas, candy, juices, sauces, ketchup, jelly, bread, yogurt, etc. — it's in everything. My boyfriend hates HFCS and goes out of his way to buy products that do not use it, which can be a bitch to find sometimes. His claims are twofold: one, that increased use of HFCS is a major factor in the obesity problem in this country, because it's processed differently by the body, and two, that increased use of HFCS is a result of pressure from corn growers. I am inclined to believe him. Certainly, trying to eliminate HFCS from my diet has improved the quality of the food I eat. But others remain unconvinced. Straight dope, please. — Coco, via e-mail Cecil replies: I'd love to back up your boyfriend on this one, because in my opinion Coke hasn't been the same since the company ditched sugar for corn syrup. However, let's examine the logic here: (1) Americans are way fatter than they used to be. (2) We're eating more and exercising less, two guaranteed ways to put on the pounds. (3) Ergo, the problem is an obscure difference in sugar chemistry. You don't need to be Socrates to realize this conclusion is a bit of a reach. For more, see: [( YOUR AD HERE! Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks. For rates and details contact Rich at [rhummel@suntimes.com](. Copyright © 2017 Sun-Times Media, LLC. This email was sent by The Straight Dope, Sun-Times Media, LLC., 350 N. Orleans, 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60654 [Unsubscribe/update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To change or update your newsletter subscription preferences, or to unsubscribe from all Chicago Reader and Straight Dope newsletters and promotional communications, [click here](. Please allow 72 hours for this change to take effect.