Text by Tomi Lin
I remember watching ‘The Simpsons Movie’ on a flight a few years back, the usual Simpsons story line where Homer Simpson messes up, this time by polluting the water supply and placed the whole family and the town of Springfield in danger. The only way to separate the inhabitants of Springfield to the rest of the world was to place a dome around the whole city.
我記得幾年前看了辛普森電影，就跟其以往模式相同，河馬辛普森又搞砸了！這次他污染了水資源，陷整個Springfield小鎮於危險之中，唯一解決方案是把這小鎮跟世界隔絕，他們製作了一個玻璃罩，發生許多趣事，成就整個劇情。。。。
I feel the same way about the Google Car. It’s as if Silicon Valley was domed off from the rest of the world and the people who lived and worked there had this great idea that will change the world. The answer to a question no one is asking. To me it is as if a bunch of nerds got together and build something that ‘They’ thought was brilliant. It could be that these braniacs watched too many Sci-Fi films on Utopia and Utopian ideals that it became their mission to make it into reality?
現在，我對谷歌汽車有一樣的感覺，矽谷好像與世隔絕一般，他們相信這點子能改變世界。但有趣的是，從來沒人要求過這種科技，就我觀點好像是一批書呆子想做點什麼，來證明自己絕頂聰明。還是說他們看太多烏托邦的科幻電影，以致於想把其中的特效變成真實？
When the Google Car was first introduced online and in the news, the negative feedback was clogging up the information superhighway like it was 5 O’ Clock on the 405 on a Friday! People had an opinion on everything about the car from the looks to the technology.
當谷歌汽車第一次在網路公開時，大量負面評價蜂擁而至，數量彷彿週五下午的五點，塞在四零五號公路的車陣中！人們突然變成汽車專家，對這項無人駕駛的科技品頭論足。
“Look at the front face of the car, it looks like a Koala bear.”
「天啊！那車頭看起來很像無尾熊！」
“Which way is it going? Forward or backwards?”
“Which way is it going? Forward or backwards?”
「哪一邊是車頭、哪一邊是車尾？」
“It is so dopey looking, I would not be caught dead in it!”
「看起來好蠢，我死都不會去碰它！」
“There is no steering wheel and pedals in the interior, what happens in an emergency?”
“There is no steering wheel and pedals in the interior, what happens in an emergency?”
「沒有方向盤和踏板，若緊急狀況怎麼辦？」
“What happens if the car was to crash into pedestrians by a cliff, will it save itself, the pedestrians or the occupants inside?”
「如果車子有意外，是飛出去撞死人還是保護車內乘客優先？」
I know having a conversation or discussion is good advertisement for Google and their product. Be it positive or negative, it builds exposure and momentum. But I question the way the Google Car was unveiled to the public. Why were people so put off by it? Was it because of the way it looked? Or was it the idea?
當然，行銷觀點上谷歌很成功，大家開始在熱烈討論，無疑幫他們做了免費廣告。但我有疑問的是他們推向公眾後，人們如此抗拒？是因為造型過醜，還是因為無人駕駛這個點子？
For many years prior to the unveiling of the car, netizens around the world knew about Google working on the Autonomous Vehicle. Bunch of Toyota Priuses equipped with high mounted radar systems on their roofs running around Silicon Valley, test mules with loads of computer hardware crammed into the trunk and with human programmers riding in the driver’s seats. There were You Tube videos of these Priuses doing demo runs at conventions and conferences around the United States. There was a positive buzz in the air about the potentials of these Autonomous Vehicles.
谷歌汽車距離上路還要幾年，現大家都知道將有無人汽車出現。今日，我們可在矽谷看到許多搭載著雷達系統的豐田Prius行駛，一名工程師在車內操作著電腦，收錄各項參數與資料，你上Youtube就會看到許多類似影片，範圍遍及全美，其實這裡面仍有一些正面意義，並沒有那麼糟糕。
I, for one was curious and interested in learning more about the technology and how it functioned? I searched online and watched videos on what the roof top radar system ‘sees’ and what was it like for humans to ride in a make shift autocross course at a parking structure while the car is driven in full race mode. I think I was more interested in the ‘technology’ than the car itself. I feel the styling execution of the car let the project down, and the grand plan that Google wants to eliminate the congestion and driving problems of the future with self-driving cars rubs most enthusiasts the wrong way.
我對科技總是充滿著好奇心，因此花了番功夫整理資料、看過影片，以瞭解那個在車頂的雷達有什麼學問，也嘗試瞭解這無人駕駛的車子若在停車場內飆車，會是什麼樣的狀況。是的！我對蘊含科技的興趣多過那一輛車，我相信那車的造型是扣分，而谷歌推動以無人駕駛汽車解決塞車、駕駛技術差異的點子，讓許多汽車狂熱者反感。
Google wants to solve parking problems with the car. They also want to reduce car ownership therefore lessen the number of cars on the road. They want to end the torturing act of driving to and from places that most of us have to do every day in… SILICON VALLEY, in Northern and Southern California with an ugly looking car.
谷歌想要解決停車問題，他們甚至想把汽車擁有權給抹消，藉此減少路上汽車總數量。他們想要終結我們駕駛者出發、前往的主導意向，但那只是發生在「矽谷」，頂多遍及到南加州，用這輛醜陋的無人車子，解決百年無解的交通問題。
They are trying to solve a problem that only happens in California. This does not apply to the rest of the world because other major metropolitan cities like New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo for example have developed reliable, mass public transit systems to carry people to their destinations for decades. Trains, buses, subways, trams and taxis move people with great efficiency. It is only in California where taxis are hard to find and Amtrak is too expensive and slow. I understand that riding public transportation is not ideal because you do not get door to door service and also you share the space with others. I know people like their privacy and being in your own car gives you that luxury, but will being in a public Google Car have the same privacy as in your own car?
他們想解決加州裡面的問題，並不包括全世界，譬如紐約、巴黎、倫敦和東京，因為那些都會區有便捷的大眾運輸系統，過去幾十年來承載成千上萬的居民穿梭往返，電車、巴士、地下鐵、聯結車、計程車等，既方便又省時。在加州，要攔下一輛計程車相當困難，而Amtrak是又貴又慢，我瞭解鼓勵大家使用大眾運輸以解決交通問題，並不是一個確實的方法，有時你需要精準的到一個特定地點，而且有人不喜歡跟別人分享乘車空間。不過，兜個圈我們又可探討，跟別人分享一輛谷歌汽車，你願意嗎？
Sure, you are in the car yourself but you are in a public accessed Google Car. Will it be clean? Or will it be dirty from the previous rider? Are the cars well-kept or tattered? So then what is the difference between the Google Car and a taxi? Will a driver make such a difference on the experience? A lot more questions than answers.
是啊！你可以在使用時段完全獨享空間，但裡面乾淨嗎？你怎麼確定前一個車主不會弄髒裡面？車況都很好嗎？那我問你，谷歌汽車和計程車有何分別？一個司機的存在與否，有需要如此勞師動眾？太多問題等待著我們。
The real reason for Google to develop the Google Car became apparent when it was announced that Google invested $258 million into Uber, the app driven, rideshare service.
真正的理由是，谷歌汽車計畫讓谷歌耗資兩億五千八百萬買下Uber這項服務。
I’m sure most of the readers know Uber and what it is. Like it or not, it is revolutionizing the way people travel. It is an easy process to contact an Uber ride by using your app and pay for the ride with your phone. No money is exchanged physically, everything is done wirelessly. What a great idea!! But don’t tell that to the taxi drivers as these services are eating into their profits and interfering them from making a living.
大家都知道這套服務吧？不管你喜歡與否，這是人們通勤的進化，你只要用手機程式就可聯絡駕駛者，同樣地也用手機完成交易，從頭到尾你看不見錢包，每件事情都靠網路完成，這點子太棒了！！但是別告訴計程車司機們，這生意正在吞食其利潤，甚至危及他們的生計。
Of course we also know about the negatives of Uber rides too, the un-insured drivers, the rape cases and lawsuits is not presenting the service in a positive light.
當然，我們也聽過不少Uber的負面評價，譬如沒有汽車保險、司機強姦旅客、一堆消費訴訟的，讓這服務多少蒙上些許陰影。
So now we know what Google is doing and why they are getting their hands on Uber! Eventually they want to create a network of autonomous Uber vehicles that replaces taxis and human drivers. A Utopian World.
所以我們知道，谷歌正在做什麼、為何要拿到Uber！最終，他們要創造一個無人駕駛汽車的Uber網路，取代計程車和司機，創造一個烏托邦世界。
Sounds like a Science Fiction movie doesn’t it? It looks great and awesome on paper, but it will be another story in reality. I have no problem with Autonomous Vehicle Technology, I do however have a problem with the styling of the car and Google’s autonomous ideals.
聽起來很像科幻電影吧？在紙上描繪的總是很動人，但變成現實卻又是另一回事。我對無人駕駛汽車科技沒成見，只對谷歌的想法和造型有意見。所以，請你們放上個玻璃罩吧！Put a dome on it.
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