Drone delivery, Amazon and now Google

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Is anyone else unnerved by this? Maybe I’m just getting old, but I don’t see this as a good thing at all.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/28/tech/innovation/google-drone-delivery/index.html”>Google reveals secret drone delivery tests - CNN;

<p>Having mechanical robots randomly buzzing around in the air seems very unpleasant, if not downright dangerous.
Do we really need instant gratification in our shopping delivery? Do we get a vote, or will the market forces just make it happen? If it became as popular as UPS or any other method we now use, these little guys would be up there all day long! I like my sky clear.
I know this was brought up last year but few responded. I’m curious about everyone’s take on this.</p>

2

<p>I think it would be awesome for catastrophic emergencies. Water, batteries, life saving drugs, food, oxygen, shelter. </p>

<p>Otherwise… Skeet shooting, anyone?</p>

<p>The whole “Where do babies come from” can put the stork out of business. :slight_smile: </p>

3

<p>Yes, it seems a bit excessive. They should use delivery pigeons instead!</p>

4

<p>I agree, I don’t like the idea of drones flying around for trivial reasons.</p>

5

<p>“Otherwise… Skeet shooting, anyone?”</p>

<p>There’s one and only reason for me to get a rifle! :D</p>

6

<p>Google’s interests are not Amazon’s. Amazon sells you stuff. Google uses services to advance general goals. They might use drones to establish wifi in search areas, for example, because that eventually benefits its core search and advertising business. It isn’t only good will: they enable use of Google Docs and Drive and can tie all this together so you use their services generally more, with the emergency use being an expression of that as well as an ad. They won’t be dropping a package of raisins on your door like the Amazon ad for its drones. </p>

7

<p>Can they stream what I am doing in my yard?</p>

8

<p>

Of course. But that potential already exists. Wiretapping laws and the 4th Amendment already protect you. Otherwise, the News 4 traffic helicopters would be publishing embarrassing video of you now.</p>

9

<p>In regards to privacy, MA recently had to update its laws to make it illegal to take pictures up skirts of women. The reasonable expectation of privacy can be a civil right - subject to a civil lawsuit - or be encoded into criminal law.</p>

10

<p>I have little idea of what a drone is, but my son bought himself one. I think it is an expensive toy. </p>

11

<p>I can’t help but think that all these corporate drone enthusiasts are failing to think this through. If I order an item from Amazon and it gets intercepted on the way to my house (think someone shooting it down for sport or profit), will Amazon send another at no cost to me? What if these things begin colliding with one another (a la all the many drone-driven interests that take skyward)? Let’s see how long it takes before a drone gets sucked into the jet intake of a passenger plane engaged in take-off or landing, and results in major loss of life? </p>

12

<p>Have you ever peeked at Dronestagram? :slight_smile: Yup, that’s right - a collection of pix taken from drones. I think there’s even a good one of Igloo’s backyard…</p>

13

<p>…. :)</p>

14

<p>

That’s what testing periods are for.</p>