June 28, 2016 - News Post

This topical comic is my second one about self-driving cars. I make my little jokes, but I want to be very clear: I want this technology available today.

This isn't purely out of laziness (although that is a non-insignificant factor). I genuinely believe the roads will be safer and more efficient without drivers like myself. Oh sure, the transition period is going to be a nightmare. Not because of the potential bumps in the road (pun intended) as we discover unforeseen problems with driverless cars, but because initial regulation will undoubtedly slow self-driving cars to well below current speed limits.

Your opinion may differ, but if there's one thing I miss most about my time spent living in New York City, it's the frantic impatience of every human I encountered. I'm not kidding. Life is short enough without waiting for people to get out of your way. I want cars to zip through intersections without the need for traffic signals, and I want that now.

Will all my dreams come true exactly as I picture them? Probably not.

I wouldn't have this comic if technology worked the way we wanted it to. Progress takes years, and only seems to happen when we're not paying attention. By the time our cellphones stop dropping calls, the focus of consumers will have shifted to just how crappy the refresh rate is on the latest augmented reality contact lenses. By the time driverless cars are working quickly and efficiently, we'll be whining about the noise level of our robot butlers (just because it won't happen doesn't mean I won't still dream about it).

All right, that's enough about that. My point is: make me a driverless car today.

When you're finished making that, the webcomic Molly Beans has just set up a YouTube channel. You should go watch the intro video as a reward for your hard work.

In addition, here are two comics from King of Slackers and RGBros that you might like. Listing these comics is my way of passing the time as I wait for you to build me a driverless car... but don't you dare click on a single link before my car is done!!!

Edit on 2016-07-01: The day after I posted this comic, news was released of the first fatality involving self-driving cars. Because my comic tends to take a few days to make the rounds on social media, I received some messages stating that this comic was in somewhat poor taste. It was certainly not my intention to make light of the recent loss of life. Future, hypothetical lives maybe… but not that particular individual. It is an unfortunate inevitability that there will be more news like this in the coming years, but I am hoping that the countless people saved in the long run will ensure that the lost lives were not in vain.

-Jeff