Ford Concept Car Parks its Smart Apps in the Cloud

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Great article. I wonder where we should draw the line on using apps in our cars. If we limit ourselves to 'audio only' (both content and using our voice to control it) that would be fairly safe, though some might argue that even this is somewhat distracting. On the other end of the spectrum, texting is clearly a bad idea. Then there's a lot of stuff that's somewhere in between. What about reading the graphics on map/traffic apps? Clearly more distracting than the 'audio only' option, but very useful. It seems that a lot would depend on where the display is. For example, looking down at a cell phone is clearly dangerous, but what about a built-in display like my Prius's that I can glance at while keeping my eyes on the road? Has anyone done any research on all this? Are any standards being developed?

Douglas McCarroll of MA 4:46AM June 08, 2012

Whew. This is intense. I like the heart rate monitor, to provide safety. But I'm not sure I want the cloud to know my heart rate. Is it me, or is this too personal? ... I like the voice recognition to promote safety. All safety infringements will be regulated sooner or later. ... I think I like having my driving behavior predicted. I definitely love the weather, traffic and air pollution. ... But will there be a human to cloud relationship that will curtail human yearnings? You get in your car, it tells you that you usually go to xyz place. You quietly yearn to go somewhere else. But oh, heck, I'll go to xyz, my car's already programmed for it. You know inertia? Will this human/cloud relationship promote human inertia, or limit human yearnings? ... while I'm at it -- can you do something about all the bikes in Boston? They've got all these bikes parked all over the place, you can hop on hop off with a flick of your debit card. It's getting harder and harder to drive in the first place. Cars and bikes are fighting for the same space, it's exhausting. I'm a bicyclist, don't get me wrong. But some of them are so aggressive, like suicide bicyclists. Don't get me started.

Ev Scholding of MA 6:50PM June 07, 2012