Manisha Krishnan: This season is… This is my first viewing in over 15 years. This season was pretty accurate. The way they satirize everything is almost as if they are reading WIRED. If Trump and Eric Adams had a talkshow, that would be the catacomb.
Zoë Schiffer: It’s good.
Manisha Krishnan: It is funny for everyone, regardless of political affiliation.
Zoë Schiffer: South Park may save us in the end. Next story, we’re literally changing gears. Aarian Marsh reported to us that Tesla is encouraging drivers who are drowsy to turn on the FSD or full self-driving modes of their vehicles. This feature is not a self-driving mode. Instead, it assists the driver in completing basic tasks. In the manual of the vehicle, it is stated that a driver must be prepared to take control at any time. Drivers report that messages in their cars are telling them the exact opposite. The messages read: “Drowsiness detected, stay focused with FSD.” Or, “Lane drift detected, let FSD assist you so that you can stay focused.”
Manisha Krishnan: It sounds very dangerous. They sound like they might be like. “Hey, you want to take a nap right now? Let FSD kick in.” They should blast music and the AC to get you going. It’s like taking a spinning class. Tesla made some changes to their technology in order to make it harder for drivers who are not paying attention to operate FSD. The company used in-car monitor cameras back in 2021 to measure where drivers were paying sufficient attention while using FSD.
Zoë Schiffer: The move seems in conflict with previous efforts by Tesla to improve safety for their features that allow self-driving. Tesla is in a delicate situation. The company has faced accusations for years that its products are defective. In August of this year, a Florida juror found the company partially liable for an accident that claimed the life of a 22-year old woman in 2019. This crash happened when the Tesla driver of a model S was using a version older than Autopilot. Elon Musk’s company and its board have also placed FSD as the core of their automakers strategy. Musk said that this feature would become a fully autonomous driving system at the end the year. This is unlikely. Elon is known to make bold timelines, which he often fails to meet. Let’s finish up before the break. Emily Mullin of WIRED Science reported last week that scientists have created human embryos from skin cells. It’s a big deal, because this could be a way for infertile people to get pregnant. It’s important to note that none of the remaining embryos have been used for establishing pregnancy. They wouldn’t have grown much beyond the womb. This is still huge because IVF could be replaced one day by this method.
