Why I miss riding public transit

[Dreamstalker]

I had to take the T home this evening from a dentist appointment as mom had a class. And I realized why I miss doing so (for some reason she now insists on driving me everywhere...which is actually costing me money as my pass has already expired once due to nonuse and I had to jump through a few hoops to get it reactivated). There was a passenger in one of the front seats talking to anyone who would listen about assorted tech theories. Among the gems of wisdom were:

Tesla is getting out of cars and into phones, and they're developing a cell phone that's cheaper than Apple and runs on solar power. (intriguing, but I can see quickly how a solar-powered cell phone would fail unless it has a hella huge storage battery). Now a phone powered by piezoelectric fiber/battery might work and I would definitely be in for that.

Apple is getting out of cell phones, and into autonomous vehicles. Given my experiences with their mapping services, that might actually be highly entertaining (or annoying, depending on whether you're watching an Apple car as a pedestrian or stuck on the road with one).

Musk is working with NASA on a rocket that can go faster than light and make its own energy/power source.

"They" are building a drone with no propellers.

Dude was harmless, just amusing. I wish I'd been able to stay on the train long enough to hear his entire screed.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Musk is working with NASA on a rocket that can go faster than light and make its own energy/power source.

It is possible for a rocket to go faster than light. Getting it pass the light speed barrier is the problem. Not to mention you would never get it back.

"They" are building a drone with no propellers.

"They" already have these. Some military drones use jets, not propellers.

[Food Lady]

"They" are building a drone with no propellers.

Every time I ask who this mysterious "They" is, no one has an answer.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Apple is getting out of cell phones, and into autonomous vehicles. Given my experiences with their mapping services, that might actually be highly entertaining (or annoying, depending on whether you're watching an Apple car as a pedestrian or stuck on the road with one).

So it'll be more expensive than it needs to be, it won't have a plug-in port for your devices (and probably won't be compatible with said devices if they aren't Apple as well), and stop working in five years because of planned obsolescence?

[purplecat41877]

Ifor some reason she now insists on driving me everywhere.

My parents are currently doing the same. In my case, it has something to do with the pandemic.

I hope this pandemic ends soon. I want my public transportation privileges back.

[Dreamstalker]

Dunno if my sitch is pandemic-related or not; I do go downtown on my own on occasion, she only insists on driving me across the river (where the T does go, and it's mostly walkable if the weather's right). Depending on the day, her driving me takes twice as long...me hitching a ride if she has errands out that way isn't new, but we now always get into a minor argument over her needing to wait for me...you don't have to and I'd likely get home before you do! (I think she just needs to see what I buy so she can lecture me)

[smileyeagle1021]

I sometimes miss riding public transit... not enough to volunteer to go back into the office full time instead of work from home... but still...

[Dreamstalker]

One of my favorite 'volunteer activities' pre-Covid was helping confused tourists during the summer (especially graduation season). Combine a real Boston accent with what passes for a public address system on some trains, and...yeah, translator needed stat. If they had to make a few train changes and I happened to be going the same general direction I would have them follow me until I got them to an aboveground point of reference (Quincy Market, Harvard Square, etc) where they could go off a paper map/directions. Had a ton of interesting conversations and met some neat people that way.

[Nunavut Pants]

Apple is getting out of cell phones, and into autonomous vehicles.

They already got into autonomous vehicles. I thought they had completely bailed out of that (turns out building cars is harder than it looks!!) but the Wikipedia article on it says that the project may still be going forward--or that maybe they will just make hardware and software for someone else's car.

[Kittish]

They already got into autonomous vehicles. I thought they had completely bailed out of that (turns out building cars is harder than it looks!!) but the Wikipedia article on it says that the project may still be going forward--or that maybe they will just make hardware and software for someone else's car.

Tesla-Apple merger?

[Ironclad Alibi]

Tesla-Apple merger?

That would be just dandy. "Hello Boss, I can't come to work today because Apple is updating my car's software."