4mo ago

STFU and drive

24 comments

The number of app ideas I have been pitched in an Uber.
When I was working in software I would tell them I worked for the government and couldn’t talk about it, to avoid saying I worked in software, to avoid being pitched app ideas.
- I can imagine.
  I work in the environmental field. I either get hare-brained conspiracy ramblings, or 'oh. Yeah. It's important we put things back the way we found them...'
  I should really do an uno-reverso one time and just NOT shut up about advanced topics. Buckle up, bitch. The next 45 minutes are all going to be about soil physics
  
  Soil...physics?
  turns down music
  Go on...
  
  I'm listening...
  
  Buckle up, bitch. The next 45 minutes are all going to be about soil physics
  Now I have a reason to be an Uber driver in your city :-D
- Somebody once pitched me an app idea and it was x-ray on your phone. So basically you take a picture of your arm or leg or whatever to see if it's broken.
  All he needed to get this totally doable app idea off the ground was someone with the ability to get a camera to convert visible light into different part of the spectrum. If you guys can get on that I would appreciate it. I tried looking on the stack exchange but they weren't any help.
  
  You just have to tune the light antennae to the higher frequency. Apple makes it hard to do, because they're preparing to sell their x-ray watch, but I'm pretty sure you can do it on Android with a screwdriver and a soldering iron.
  
  Can you imagine the actual horror of random people just spraying X-rays all over the place in public?

I take an Uber a few times a week to work, and usually ride home with a coworker. Yesterday on the way into work, I think my Uber driver was confused and thought I was another Uber driver because he would not shut the fuck up about all the inner workings and how he already drove for 8 hours but was gonna miss some sleep at 11 am in the morning because the app told him a ton of people needed rides right now. I had finally got him to stop talking when he realized my first stop was at Chinese food restaurant, he then proceeded to ask me a ton of questions about the food, up to and including how it makes me feel after I eat it. I understand if you are an extrovert, but my god there has to be a line where you take a hint and stfu.
Edit: looks like I got a downvote, so either my Uber driver saw this(sorry man I just don’t wanna talk), or there is a butthurt extrovert(deal with it, we deal with you) out there.
- What made them think you were an Uber driver yourself?
  
  I don’t know, that’s why I said I thought he was confused.

I've been doing some rideshare driving recently and I default to silence (besides greeting them), but I definitely prefer the chatty passengers. Kind of the best part of the job, really.

This is why I prefer robotaxis. No driver to bother you, which means that you don't have to tip, either. Plus they tend to be cheaper than Uber/Lyft.
- Oh give them a few years and they'll be filled with screens and adverts and noise you can turn off for an additional fee.
- Obligatory mention that walking, cycling and public transit is orders of magnitude cheaper and you don't have to talk to anybody either.
  You'd save a bunch of money even if you still take the taxi half the time
  
  I am entirely sure it is area dependent and very very different if you are male presenting, but I have no idea how to deal with the extreme anxiety of public transit. The tube in London was great. The subway in NYC was confusing and anxiety inducing, but my phone made up most of the confusion. I am terrified of buses. I need a clear display of the next stops and hopefully a route posted, as I usually can't hear or understand any instructions over a speaker, if anything is broadcasted at all.
  The worst part is being completely unable to relax. Having to wear headphones without music, and firmly not look at anyone to hopefully avoid harassment and block out the overwhelming noise. I can't even draw on my iPad in peace without someone wanting to look at it and ask questions. I have to make sure I am not in the way, don't take up too much room, and don't miss some cue that I was supposed to do something. I hate being a woman. I hate that being in public is an ordeal and I can't just go for a walk without having to prepare battle gear of sorts to protect myself.
  
  What I want is motorized roller skates, so I can just sort of whiz along while standing perfectly still.
- Wait have you actually been in one of those? I thought they were just in a closed trial or something
  
  Waymo taxis are available to anyone in San Francisco. And they're all over the place now. Yesterday I walked to the movies (about 1mi) and back home - I must've spotted 30 of them over the course of the day, and that might even be a lowball estimate
  
  I live in Phoenix which has Waymo. Like the other person said, they're everywhere. And they're much better drivers than everyone else on the road.

24 comments