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Google Launches Sidewalk Labs To Develop Smart Cities Tech

Posted by samzenpus on from the living-better dept.

dkatana writes: Google wants to join the Smart Cities movement with the launch of a new start-up, "Sidewalk Labs", to develop technologies for cities, including IoT and mobility solutions. Larry Page and Dan Doctoroff describe Sidewalk Labs as an "urban innovation company", geared to developing new technologies to improve city living by reducing pollution, streamlining public transportation, and effectively managing energy use. The company wants to create its own technology and invest in other public and private initiatives. Dan Doctoroff was New York City's Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding during the Bloomberg administration.

15 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. Content free article by justthinkit · · Score: 1

    How does this make it to the main page?

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    1. Re:Content free article by jamshidsangi · · Score: 1

      I was thinking the same thing!!

    2. Re:Content free article by cayenne8 · · Score: 2
      Hey, let them have it.

      Personally, I don't wanna live cramped up to everyone else and sharing walls with others.

      I prefer to have a decent house, a yard where I can do things....backyard for a smoker, grill, crawfish boils, etc.

      You can do all you want to make the urban life more palatable to those who choose it, but I prefer to have my space, and be able to come and go door-to-door when I please on MY schedule and not on the local bus schedule.

      I like my neighbors, but I like to have my own personal space away from them too.

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    3. Re:Content free article by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Then have your own space, and stop complaining about people talking about living in a city. Problem solved.

  2. Advantages of living in a small town by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

    We don't get any of this crap.

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    1. Re:Advantages of living in a small town by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Small towns have fewer negros so they don't have the crime problems

      What was the last time you were in a small town?

      http://www.nydailynews.com/new...

      http://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/v...

      https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/C...

      http://www.csg.org/knowledgece...

      http://www.gainesville.com/art...

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    2. Re:Advantages of living in a small town by afgam28 · · Score: 2

      Great! Since you seem to think my logic is unsound, you will demonstrate its failings for us by naming a single successful, low-crime majority-black area that has no local warlords and no "thug gangsta" culture destroying its own people. That would make me shut up, fast.

      5 seconds of Googling came up with this: http://atlantablackstar.com/20...

  3. Another Future Abandoned Technology by jabberw0k · · Score: 3, Funny

    Google seems to excel at Embrace, Extend, Evaporate.

    1. Re:Another Future Abandoned Technology by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      They also tend to show up very late to the game and then wonder why they're not winning.

    2. Re:Another Future Abandoned Technology by lexman098 · · Score: 1

      Better than showing up first to the game and wondering why you're not winning. You can probably guess which company I'm referring to.

    3. Re:Another Future Abandoned Technology by dave420 · · Score: 1

      Apart from all those products which changed the way the world works, yeah - they've done fuck all! The feckless bastards! I'll go google a better search eng... wait.

  4. It's not that hard, really. by LongearedBat · · Score: 1

    To sidewalk, you move the left foot to the left, or the right foot to the right, then the other foot follows. Repeat.

    Don't need a lab to work that out.

    How that's supposed to help the cities in the future? Perhaps because they'll be really crowded with little space to move.

    1. Re:It's not that hard, really. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Don't need a lab to work that out.

      It would probably take a lab to figure out why some people feel entitled to more than 50% of the sidewalk, though, or why they can't figure out that you walk on the same side of the sidewalk on which you would drive, if it were a road and you were a car.

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    2. Re:It's not that hard, really. by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      The sidewalk technology I want to see are automatic tire deflators on cars that park on the sidewalk.

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      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    3. Re:It's not that hard, really. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The sidewalk technology I want to see are automatic tire deflators on cars that park on the sidewalk.

      What, no stepping discs? At least some goddamn moving sidewalks, what year is it? And I don't mean those crap conveyors at the airports.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"