Dear Autopilot...

[MikeyC]

Dear AutoPilot,

I wanted to thank you for what you did today. I had been sick for a few days and even though I'm feeling better today, I decided to get a drive-thru COVID test to be sure it wasn't that. To my surprise, after the test I felt a bit weaker on the drive home and a little shaky so I let you drive me home the last 8 miles or so. You stopped for two lights, restarted at each light, and even politely let someone merge in front of us as they signaled to come into our lane. I kept my hands on the wheel but let you drive as I felt more confident being the copilot since I wasn't feeling well. Better to have 10 eyes on the road than two. I only took over at the last half mile when I made our turn into the neighborhood.

Anyway, thank you for being there in my time of need! I wouldn't have driven if I thought I was too impaired to drive. This was more of a "help me out a little", just what I needed. I'm sorry to say that just a few minutes after we arrived home, Walgreens called and informed me the test was positive. I have COVID so I'm afraid you'll be stuck in the garage for 10 days. Don't worry. I'll still come out and visit you!

<3

P.S. Yes, this is a 100% true story. I wouldn't joke about something like COVID. Still can't believe I have it. Have no idea where I could have gotten it either! I work from home and hardly leave the house.

Mike

 

[yeahthatguy]

I'm sorry to say that just a few minutes after we arrived home, Walgreens called and informed me the test was positive. I have COVID so I'm afraid you'll be stuck in the garage for 10 days. Don't worry. I'll still come out and visit you!

<3

Mike

Sorry to hear that man, best of luck to a quick recovery!

 

[EVRider-FL]

A bit ironic that you escaped COVID for over a year, but it got you after the vaccine became available. Feel better soon!

 

[MikeyC]

A bit ironic that you escaped COVID for over a year, but it got you after the vaccine became available. Feel better soon!

I was thinking the same thing. I got the vaccine as soon as it was available for my age group. 7 days after receiving the first shot, I came down with symptoms and at day 10 after receiving my first shot, I tested positive. Who knows, maybe getting the first shot 7 days prior to having the first symptoms gave my body a head start fighting it and it'll be a more mild case as a result.

To be clear, you can't get COVID from the vaccine: this was just bad timing. I kept taking max precautions as usual but I was forced to care for a dear older friend recently: he's 88 and has been in/out of the hospital (for non COVID related issues)... but it has put me in a more risky environment visiting him at the hospital, taking him home, cleaning up after him, being around others who care for him, etc. Pretty sure that's how I got it. He's had both shots so he could have had it and not shown symptoms: he's an ornery old man who won't wear a mask. I can't change him but can't abandon him either. He lost his wife (also not COVID) in December and lives alone... and really shouldn't be living alone but that's another story altogether.

Mike

 

[BeeGood]

Get well soon, hopefully your recovery is quick and complete!

I got the vaccine as soon as I could. I work remote too but it would be just my luck that I get it from some random one off encounter.

Pretty awesome to see autopilot making peoples lives easier. There have been a couple of times where I felt like crap (headaches) and even standard autopilot was wonderful wingman for that.

 

[dsgerbc]

You cannot get COVID from a vaccine, but you could get COVID while going in for your shot. Especially sitting around for 15 minutes in the same spot after the shot to make sure you don't get an allergic reaction. I advise anyone going for their shot to wear an N95 mask and walk around the place for 15 minutes instead of sitting in designated area of the building where somebody infected likely sat recently.

Get well soon.

 

[Iain]

Get well soon. It’s great having a helping hand when you aren’t feeling too good to get home safely.

 

[MikeyC]

You cannot get COVID from a vaccine, but you could get COVID while going in for your shot. Especially sitting around for 15 minutes in the same spot after the shot to make sure you don't get an allergic reaction. I advise anyone going for their shot to wear an N95 mask and walk around the place for 15 minutes instead of sitting in designated area of the building where somebody infected likely sat recently.

Get well soon.

Good points. For me, the vaccine shot was really well organized. You remain in your car the entire time, mask on for the duration. You only roll down your window to give papers at a couple stations (very brief), get the shot (maybe 60 seconds), and then they direct you to lines in the parking lot where you sit in your car for 15 minutes. You only roll down your window to speak to the representative who checks on you occasionally (and maintains the proper distance from your open window). So bottom line... probably safer than going to the grocery store which most of us have to do.

Mike

 

[jjrandorin]

(moderator note: this section of TMC is not for vaccine talk / discussion. If you want to have those discussions, they are in the off topic section. I realize that it is part of the story for this OP, but the autopilot discussion actually goes in the autopilot subforum, and vaccine / virus discussion goes in off topic.

I left this thread here instead of moving it to the autopilot subforum, simply because, in that subforum, the discussion it appears this OP wanted to have would likely get turned around by people who like to discuss autopilots failings. Just making a note that the if the discussion in this thread wants to be about the vaccine aspect I will need to move the thread to off topic and amend the thread title)

 

[KenC]

Dear AutoPilot,

I wanted to thank you for what you did today. I had been sick for a few days and even though I'm feeling better today, I decided to get a drive-thru COVID test to be sure it wasn't that. To my surprise, after the test I felt a bit weaker on the drive home and a little shaky so I let you drive me home the last 8 miles or so. You stopped for two lights, restarted at each light, and even politely let someone merge in front of us as they signaled to come into our lane. I kept my hands on the wheel but let you drive as I felt more confident being the copilot since I wasn't feeling well. Better to have 10 eyes on the road than two. I only took over at the last half mile when I made our turn into the neighborhood.

Anyway, thank you for being there in my time of need! I wouldn't have driven if I thought I was too impaired to drive. This was more of a "help me out a little", just what I needed. I'm sorry to say that just a few minutes after we arrived home, Walgreens called and informed me the test was positive. I have COVID so I'm afraid you'll be stuck in the garage for 10 days. Don't worry. I'll still come out and visit you!

<3

P.S. Yes, this is a 100% true story. I wouldn't joke about something like COVID. Still can't believe I have it. Have no idea where I could have gotten it either! I work from home and hardly leave the house.

Mike

Cool, makes me think about my next colonscopy, next year. 9yrs ago, I did it unsedated, because if you get sedated, you need someone to drive you home. Now, the car can drive me home.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

I find the opposite. If I am not absolutely on the top of my mental and physical game, I would never use AP. It's capable of doing something stupid at any moment, so you have to be really able to pay attention and perform a flawless save.

Unfortunately, AP is all about humans making sure computers don't make mistakes, and that's backwards. Computers are much better at watching out for humans making mistakes. Humans stink at monitoring computers.

 

[MikeyC]

I dunno, there are a ton of variables to the AP + human equation. In some situations I would agree: you have to be alert and ready to take over quickly. In other situations, AP may be able to see more than the human and even make a better decision than an average driver. If you drive the same road a lot and have used AP multiple times, you become aware of any weaknesses it might have. AP has one weakness I am aware of on the main road I travel: a turn lane that it always wants to enter thinking it is the main lane, so I take over in that spot.

AP was somewhat "scary" to me when I first started using it mainly because it doesn't drive like I do. Then I saw Elon's interview with Sandy Munro where Elon said that the prime directive of AP is "do not crash". And it hit me: that's why it drives different! Everything AP does centers around that "do not crash" prime directive so its decisions are based more on looking at the current conditions in light of "what could cause a crash here?" I then realized that's why AP slams on the brakes when someone coming toward you in the opposite direction cuts across your lane to make a left turn: you and I know that they are going to keep going and complete the turn well before we get to them... but AP is thinking "OK, what do we know? There is an obstruction in our lane at this moment. Do we assume they will keep going? What if they hit another vehicle and never exit our lane by the time we get there? What if their car breaks down in the lane?" And as a result, AP starts taking the needed evasive maneuver for worst case scenario.

I'm a software engineer and am very impressed with AP. But I won't make the mistake of depending on it and not staying as alert as I can. Sometimes AP's predictions are better than my own. Sometimes mine are better. Just depends on the situation. As an example, one time on the highway I was using AP in the middle lane with an 18 wheeler on my right side. The 18 wheeler veered left slowly toward the lane divider line, I saw it and didn't panic because I thought he was just wandering a bit in his lane (no signal) and he'd go back. AP made the decision to beep a warning and back off on speed a bit. The 18 wheeler kept coming and entered my lane, all with no signal. So AP was right: his intention was to just come over. Neither of us would have wrecked as I was ready for either case, but AP got it right just by assuming the worst. AP took action as soon as the left wheels of the 18 wheeler had just touched the lane divider line!

Mike

 

[GeneralPlatty]

I've had a case where Autopilot didn't see a bicyclist on the side of the road, as well as problems with it braking on freeways because it thinks the toll flashers are a traffic signal. As such, I am very wary about what it does. I agree with you though, it is extremely impressive, especially from a deep learning aspect.

Regarding the vaccine, I do agree with you as well. The 7 day head start definitely serves to benefit you. It's all about training your immune system to efficiently wipe out the virus so it doesn't resort to nuking everything in your lungs. Personally, I think your symptoms would be less severe. That being said, stay well and healthy. Wish you a speedy recovery.

 

[MikeyC]

I don't have FSD so mine doesn't try to decipher traffic signals. But the one complaint I do have about AP is that when it comes to slowing down for traffic ahead, it drives a bit like a teenager. If there's a red light ahead with cars waiting, I usually start slowing at a great distance (why race to a red light) but AP does just that: it'll roll up on the stopped cars full speed and then have to brake with moderate braking at maybe 20 car lengths. Makes me nervous... but it does work and it's smooth. Just not the way I'd do it.

Mike

 

[skygraff]

From a purely "autopilot" pov, I agree that the crux of this is how much it was able to relieve you of the basic tasks so you could muster all your available attention and strength on monitoring and assuring it was handling things safely. That is how its namesake in aviation is meant to work and why pilots driving Teslas are no strangers to the notion of arresting errant behavior; even if we are occasionally frustrated with the slow progress and/or regress.

Oh, and absolutely agree with the teenager comment. AP is great but, like a newly minted driver trying to impress and follow all the rules (occasionally with tunnel vision - despite so many cameras), it will make mistakes or, at the very least, annoy other drivers.

I'm sorry you have been stricken and hope you're correct in your expectation of a milder bout. All indications suggest that will be the case.

-this is not intended as vaccine talk-

Perhaps the biggest takeaway (that we should all be willing to accept in our car-centric society) is that drive through testing for symptomatic illnesses are not the right choice for the driver. If you are feeling ill with anything that would or could undermine your ability to safely operate a vehicle (high tech car, bicycle, airplane, roller skates, etc.), just don't. Get an already exposed family member to give you a ride, walk, or do a telemedicine appointment and, if necessary, they can make other arrangements. Driving fatigued (or with a compromising illness) is just as dangerous as driving drunk.

 

[MikeyC]

That's an important point that I happen to agree with. I've been driving for 38 years and have never driven while impaired, including just being sleepy. I would never use AP as a "crutch" because I can't drive properly. As I said early on, I could have driven safely without AP but AP allowed me to do so more comfortably. It's almost like putting a desk together with a simple screwdriver versus using a drill with a clutch and screwdriver bit. The drill could do more harm than good if you don't use it properly but if you do, you can do the same job with less effort.

Mike

 

[SlimJim]

I would never trust my AP to stop at a red light.

 

[Iain]

I would never trust my AP to stop at a red light.

Has you AP failed to ever stop at a red light or it’s just you like to feel like you are in control? I agree 100% that it stops a lot later than I would, but it has always worked for me.