Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
Current article in the WSJ:
Uber to Let California Self-Driving-Car Permit Lapse
• Uber Technologies Inc. doesn’t plan to renew its permit to test autonomous vehicles in California, according to a letter from the state’s motor-vehicle department.
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"This extreme action, day after day is totally nuts."
@Crash- Nuts? No, I don't see that. Look, we're in the late, if not final, stages of a very long runup. At this point, balanced as if on a see-saw, and at that balance point it doesn't take a wh…
@bee- Lucky for you that MJG isn't here! :)
BTW- I think that the six questions that you asked Circa33 (above) are excellent... in fact, crucial.
Good work- OJ
As a retired radio/electronics tech with many long years of experience my observation is that the existence of a complex electronics system that is guaranteed 100% failure-proof is a myth, right up there with the belief that Facebook or any other "s…
Further on this article- for a pleasant change there are a number or serious and well-written comments from the readers of this WSJ article. One reader in particular, David Stanwick, makes some very interesting observations, and here are a few excer…
Following are excerpts from a current WSJ article* regarding this event.
"A newly released video of the fatal accident involving a pedestrian and an Uber Technologies Inc. self-driving car appears to show the vehicle heading straight into a woman w…
I was just looking over some WSJ reader comments on this subject, and am hard-pressed to improve on this one:
This is (for once) not a failure of government or the lack of regulation. People who put their whole lives on FB, or even a part of their…
@davidrmoran- If you have the good sense not to investigate the reader commentary on most WSJ articles you may not be tuned in to an interesting social perspective. There is a fairly large segment of the WSJ readership which is predictably and perma…
@bee- Wondered that myself. Hard to tell from the info that I've seen so far. The SF Chronicle article reported that “The driver said it was like a flash, the person walked out in front of them,” said Sylvia Moir, police chief in Tempe, Ariz., the l…
"You expect your computer to paint a page in a second or two. Why can a computer see a person crossing the road, even outside a designated crosswalk, and react in the same amount of time as your PC."
@Maurice- I'm assuming that you meant to say "wh…
@Mauruce: Sorry about no cite- meant to but forgot. Here you go, from the SF Chronicle: "Tempe police chief says early probe shows no fault by Uber"
With respect to the area lighting, the police chief is quoted as saying “It is dangerous to cross …
"This thread, from its beginning, was already "pre-loaded" to be provocative."
@Crash- You mean that Maurice was deliberately trying to stir up trouble? Oh, no, surely not him! Pure as the driven snow, is he. Always the victim of the far-left commi…
"I think it is sad that 1) a discussion board about mutual funds somehow devolves into vitriol "
@sma3: Disagreement, yes; "vitriol", no. You want vitriol? Take a look at the reader comments on almost any WSJ article.
Latest: Tempe, AZ police chief says Uber vehicle apparently "innocent". It appears that a "bag-lady" pushing a bicycle stepped directly into the oncoming traffic lane from the center divider in a poorly lit area away from the actual pedestrian cross…
"And who among use would not want all of our fellow citizens to have access to health care?"
@larryB- Aw, common Larry... you know darned well that "those people" (that would be the lazy, shiftless, incompetent, or unfortunate) don't deserve nothin…
"A lot of legal questions that should have been answered by now. Despite the long time push toward self-driving cars by industry and government, not much has been delivered in the way of determining responsibilities."
Jeeze, Maurice... you sound ju…
"Short version: the writer is holding FAN to a standard she made up out of thin air, and which the fund in no way claims."
@AndyJ: Evidently you are unaware that, per the "presidential" example, all "standards" are now made up out of thin air, and …
In other Pension News:
Kathleen Pender is reporting in today's San Francisco Chronicle that California is about to introduce "CalSavers", a state-run retirement plan for private-sector workers whose employers don’t offer one. Any employer with at l…
By the way...
I'd like to comment that it's encouraging and refreshing to see a fairly long post dealing with matters that could be divisive, depending upon your point of view, maintaining a very civil and non-confrontational atmosphere. Upon refle…
"If 401ks are such a great deal for employees compared to pension plans, why would companies be so eager to jettison their pensions in favor of 401ks?"
@LewisBraham- I don't think that anyone would suggest that the present 401k situation is a "grea…
@WhollyTerriers- That would depend on whether the plans that you cite have a vesting provision, and if so, what the details of that might be.
Again, you do raise valid issues with respect to losing benefits if you leave an employer before retiremen…
@WhollyTerriers- Thanks for the reminders. You are absolutely correct, and we tend to forget about the bad things that happened in "the good old days".
