Automobiles

[dgaddis]

Yesterday I picked up the little lady, who's ~22 months old, from daycare. She's in the back, by herself, looking out the rear window. She had one of her mama's old beanie babies to play with, a chicken. She put it on her head and sang the 'chicken hat' song for most of the ride home (10 minutes maybe?). I don't know the 'chicken hat' song, she made it up herself, and her vocabulary isn't huge yet so the only words I could understand were 'chicken' and 'hat'. Anyhow, she probably wouldn't be making up her own song if she was just vegging out to a screen.

[sk_tle]

well screens for short drives are definitely stupid. But from my experience on longer +6-7h going on vacation drives they are a life savior. You don't even need to turn it on the whole drive, just one or two movies for a full day is enough. I only used them in those circonstances.

We've got to keep in mind that back in the days when we were kids we could do anything at the back of the car, playing card games, fight against each others or lie horizontally because no mandatory seatbelts. It was crazy. Now the kids are strapped like formula 1 drivers and can barely see each other which makes interacting and playing with their sibling more difficult. Also the cars tend to have less window surface. They don't see the outside world as well as we used to.

I remember when I was a kid I spent hours on my knees with my head between the headrest and pillar looking at the road and pretending I was the driver or counting cars by brand or colors. Now kids don't even see the road.

[Tom]

I know this is counterintuitive but a couple comments above got me thinking. If the engine noise was more satisfying then people would like to listen to that instead of cocooning in entertainment which reminded me of the idea that was going to make me a million dollars which was piped in engine roar for all electric vehicles... which then made me think of another brilliant idea. If the comfort and all makes people more likely to drive inattentively, cars should have random failure programmed in. If your brakes aren't going to work one time and you knew they weren't going to work but you didn't know when, you'd probably pay more attention and drive more carefully. Likewise, if you didn't know when the engine in that car in front of you was going to shut itself off you'd probably give it a little more room. I'm thinking random danger is the way to greater safety.

[sk_tle]

I know this is counterintuitive but a couple comments above got me thinking. If the engine noise was more satisfying then people would like to listen to that instead of cocooning in entertainment which reminded me of the idea that was going to make me a million dollars which was piped in engine roar for all electric vehicles... which then made me think of another brilliant idea. If the comfort and all makes people more likely to drive inattentively, cars should have random failure programmed in. If your brakes aren't going to work one time and you knew they weren't going to work but you didn't know when, you'd probably pay more attention and drive more carefully. Likewise, if you didn't know when the engine in that car in front of you was going to shut itself off you'd probably give it a little more room. I'm thinking random danger is the way to greater safety.

Basically a car with a chaos monkey.
GitHub - Netflix/chaosmonkey: Chaos Monkey is a resiliency tool that helps applications tolerate random instance failures.

[becomingblue]

If your brakes aren't going to work one time and you knew they weren't going to work but you didn't know when, you'd probably pay more attention and drive more carefully. Likewise, if you didn't know when the engine in that car in front of you was going to shut itself off you'd probably give it a little more room. I'm thinking random danger is the way to greater safety.

You’ve described a Harley.

[72gmc]

chaos monkey

And you've described a Prius

[vertical_doug]

From the Monaco Rally

Amazing they both walk away without a scratch

[Blue Jays]

"...Amazing they both walk away without a scratch..."

On the rare occasion that I drive to the club ride...my helmet is on in the car both to and from the event.
I figure if it fits into the car, might as well wear it. A full motorcycle helmet might be intrusive, though. :-D

[mainlyfats]

My wife and I have already made a blood pact to never have video screens for our kid(s one day maybe) in the car. They can stare out the window and look at the world around them or read a book like we did in the old days of 1993.

May all your children be neurotypical.

[rwsaunders]

Ready for action today in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle.

[72gmc]

^^^ I saw a GT2 RS commuter in Ravenna this morning. It was already boxed into traffic, ready for inaction.

[Lionel]

^^^ I saw a GT2 RS commuter in Ravenna this morning. It was already boxed into traffic, ready for inaction.

Great car for commuting in traffic, it has a PDK gearbox :)

[vertical_doug]

I think the FF is my favorite Ferrari. It took a while for the style to grow on me , but

[davids]

Well, it's a wagon after all!

Speaking of which, this is about to be sold in the USA:

Attachment 114686

Hurrah!

[Blue Jays]

"...Well, it's a wagon after all! Hurrah!..."

Taking A6 Allroad for a test drive next Wednesday night. Eager for next week!

[NYCfixie]

I think the FF is my favorite Ferrari. It took a while for the style to grow on me , but

It's probably the most "practical" Ferrari.

And, unlike Ferraris prior to about 2000, today's cars can be "everyday drivers".

[Lionel]

Yeah, practical.... The front engine V12 rear wheel drive Ferraris are pretty cool. I would prefer a 458 though. Practicality be damned.

[Saab2000]

Well, it's a wagon after all!

Speaking of which, this is about to be sold in the USA:

Attachment 114686

Hurrah!

I just wish it weren't in this ridiculous "All Road" body style. Never loved it though at least it can be had with the wheel arches painted in body color, for extra cost.

Otherwise it appears to be a really, really nice ride. Tempting to pop over to the local Audi store to have a look.

[j44ke]

Great car for kids. Bench seats front and back, can see your parents easily, even look out the front window of the car, see out the side windows due to rear seat height, your own window crank, your own ash tray, wide enough for a parent-established DMZ between you and your sister, nice deck beneath rear window for cars and army men or other things that would melt in the sun's heat.

I agree with Thomas - modern cars are bondage systems for kids. Screens are almost a necessity. Staring at the headliner for miles and miles would make any child lapse into revenge fantasies.

[Blue Jays]

"...I just wish it weren't in this ridiculous "All Road" body style.
Tempting to pop over to the local Audi store to have a look..."

I will post after my test drive when I learn if there is a moonroof-delete option, too.