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Tokyo, Japan: Driverless Taxis Soon On The Streets?


In this advanced tech nation, where robot hotel bellhops lug luggage and humanoid clerks check you in, this shouldn’t be unexpected. According to official reports, visitors will be able to hail computerized cabs in the Japanese capital city by 2020.

Consider the possibilities. If you remember the 1976 movie, Taxi Driver, would you want a robotically insane Robert De Niro (Travis Bickle) driving you around town? Also, after settling into back seat, will the automatic taxi driver automatically run up the meter by taking the longest route to your hotel?

If there’s a major pro sports event or convention in town, will the automatic taxi driver automatically up the rate 500 percent? Will the mechanical taxi driver refuse to take anyone wearing a hoodie? Will the robot taxi driver be programmed to laugh hysterically as it aims at little old ladies in wheelchairs as they cross the street?

Will we too soon have to say sayonara to Tokyo’s human taxi drivers?
Yahoo Travel Editor: Visit Beautiful Afghanistan? PDF Print E-mail


We regularly enjoy Yahoo, especially its excellent travel coverage. However, we must strongly disagree with a recent article advocating travel in Afghanistan.

We can only guess the reason for Yahoo’s positive attitude is that the U.S. has officially announced pulling its troops out of the country. The website’s implication is that Afghanistan is now a safe and peaceful destination for Western travelers. Unless we haven’t heard of a recent change, we assume this U.S. State Department warning is still in effect: "No province in Afghanistan should be considered immune from violence and crime, and the strong possibility exists throughout the country for hostile acts, either targeted or random, against U.S. and other foreign nationals at any time."

If you have any thoughts of traveling to Afghanistan, be sure to check constantly on the U.S. State Department’s latest information. travel.state.gov/.../afghanistan-travel-warning
 
 
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