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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3003 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for December 7, 2022

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I was in a semi serious car accident last week, everyone is fine but the 2002 F150 Crew Cab I've been driving since 2006 is a total loss. Insurance is paying for a rental (a 2021 Toyota) that is obviously newer and ostensibly nicer but I kind of hate it. While some of this is probably a combination of sentimentality and miscalibrated muscle memory (I keep reaching for controls that are not in their proper place), at least part of it is the preponderance of "features". Push button start, lane assist, a stupid splash screen that pops up on the dashboard periodically telling me my estimated gas millage for the trip, this thing that beeps and flashes when ever there is a vehicle at your 5 or 7 o'clock, and an "Infotainment system" that reminds you to wear your seatbelt and obey local traffic laws on start up. The only feature that I find remotely useful/would look for whatever vehicle I eventually end up purchasing as a replacement is the back-up camera.

I guess I've officially become one of those old men who hates technology and just wants a their phone to be a phone, and car to be a car.

On a brighter note I've been working on getting back in shape after kind of letting myself go during the pandemic and I'm feeling kind of chuffed that the falling line of my body weight just crossed the rising line of my 3-rep max for clean and press. I am once again in a place where I could theoretically lift myself over my head which I haven't been at since my late 20s.

Glad you're relatively unscathed. I sympathize regarding car bells and whistles. I live in Japan where my bath tub plays Canon in D when it's full and my rice cooker beeps some tune I hear in my nightmares, so I am almost used to sensory overload, but in cars when you have to rely on muscle memory and reflex the stakes are raised. I have at least found a way to turn the (female) voice of HAL in ny Mazda completely down so I don't hear "You will turn in five kilometers" or similar ten times on any outing (though I could hear this in about a dozen languages if I desired, which is impressive).

Stay safe.

I just don't understand why they don't come out with a parallel line of cheapo cars with limited computer bullshit like we had 20 years ago. There are a lot of people that don't like the computerization of modern cars. Why isn't the market stepping in to serve them and take their money?

I wonder whether it would be cost-effective to buy a decked-out car, but then remove and sell all the newfangled parts that you don't want—or to just set up a mechanic shop specializing in such work.

It's literally illegal to sell cars without backup camera displays now, and a lot of the other computer stuff is probably also mandatory. Once you have it, the marginal cost of throwing all the other crap in for the people who like it probably isn't very high, so there's only one stable equilibrium.

That is the most nanny state shit I have seen in a long time. Is America some kind of an alternate reality where people are getting into accidents while backing out of parking lots?? Or did too many toddlers get run over by Ford Mctrucks with absurd blindspots?

did too many toddlers get run over by Ford Mctrucks with absurd blindspots?

Note that the reason Ford McTrucks (and the jacked up station wagon, more politely called a "crossover") are themselves so dominant is because, as I understand it, it's functionally illegal to sell their previous (smaller) versions. Lighter trucks and station wagons don't have particularly great aerodynamics as-is, so if your regulatory scheme gives more leeway for bad fuel economy the larger the vehicle gets, manufacturers will focus on larger trucks (balanced by smaller cars) at the expense of total fuel economy.

It doesn't hurt that aging drivers like jacked-up cars- they're easier to get in and out of, they put you above other drivers' illegal-but-unenforced hyper-bright high beams they're too stupid to turn off, and being higher gives you the illusion that you can see more out those larger and larger blind spots that arise due to collision standards, to the point where I suspect that in the future a car entirely without windows will be the most practical option.

Both of those plus American car companies ask for weird and arbitrary regulations (like "fleet fuel standards") to make it harder for foreigners to sell here.

Or did too many toddlers get run over by Ford Mctrucks with absurd blindspots?

This.

Backover: Vehicle backover injuries and deaths occur when a person is positioned behind a vehicle without a driver's knowledge as the driver backs up. Most victims of backovers are children and the elderly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that backover incidents cause at least 183 fatalities and between 6,700 and 7,419 injuries annually; however, the number of fatalities and injuries from those incidents is subject to debate because no comprehensive statistics are collected on vehicular accidents on private property. Some safety groups assert that the number of backover-related injuries and fatalities is higher. Because these accidents often occur on private property, rather than on public roads, they are not typically included in traffic-crash fatality data.

In preventing backover accidents, the size of vehicle blind spots, the area behind the vehicle where the driver cannot see using his or her side or rear-view mirrors, is a key factor. Generally, the larger the vehicle, the larger the blind spot. Children are especially vulnerable since their small stature makes them harder to see within a blind spot. As larger vehicles, including SUVs, pickup trucks, and minivans, have become more popular, more drivers are confronted with larger blind spots. Currently, without a standard, automakers can design similar-sized vehicles that have dramatically different blind spots. For example, among midsized SUVs, a 5 foot 1 inch driver of a 2006 Jeep Commander Limited has a 69 foot blind spot versus an 18 foot blind spot for a similar-sized driver of a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder LE.

Probably regulatory capture.

Big 3 car companies dream of making the same kind of money as the Silicon Valley, they want to sell software bundled with a metal box with wheels, coupled with DLC and subscriptions... Dude technology!

There's a great convergence with the governments that want the ability to shut down cars remotely and prevent the Nick Fuentes of this world to go anywhere with no fly / nodrive lists.

Or, you know, trucker honking protests.

They're out there, but don't seem to get put in the mainstream lots. I asked around and found a dealership that specializes in providing "fleet" vehicles for large companies/government organization. I contacted them about getting a new "bare bones" Ford Ranger, and while they have them the dude was clearly annoyed that I was only interested in buying 1.

I'm already hunting for a new low mileage old car now, My 2008 isn't anywhere near shot, but I hate screens in cars and it looks like those are going to be universal from here on out. I just hate the distraction of them. Especially when with features like Bluetooth it works better to just use a radio adapter plugged into the cigarette lighter, fewer buttons to press.

Also, clean and press is the king of lifts. That and muscle snatch are my all time favorites.

I have, err had, a dashboard mount for my phone that I usually have open to either Google maps or Spotify while I'm driving, and I don't really want any more than that. The lack of tactile feedback on a touch screen also make it a real PITA as a interface while driving and/or wearing gloves. I didn't have to take my eyes off the road to do things like change the audio volume or turn on the defroster in my old truck, but in this one I do. It's ostensibly a much nicer truck with many more features than my old Ford but its got a sort of "premium mediocre" vibe to it, and I feel like there's certain lack of engineering thought put into it. (things like having climate controls run via a touch screen menu)

As for the lifting, we are in full agreement there.

I don't mind (heck, even like) most of the things you mentioned disliking in your rental vehicle. But on one thing we are in complete agreement: touchscreens have no place whatsoever in vehicle controls. For stuff like playing music fine, whatever, I'm not doing that while driving. But I insist on actual physical controls for functions like climate control, volume, etc. That touchscreen nonsense needs to die ASAP.

As a fellow old man who just wants the car to be a car, stay in lane tech is really nice on long drives, but holy crap turn off the eye monitoring asap. Also usually those come with Sirius XM which is pretty nice even if I'd never pay for the sub.

Me on the other hand, lane control is the only thing I actually hate among the new features. It makes me irrationally angry each time it activates. I'd like either full automation or none at all.

Protip if you genuinely enjoy Sirius XM- Sirius reps will cave at the slightest bit of pressure if you say you're looking to cancel, I've kept the $5/month promotional rate for the last 5 years.

Jesus. Glad you're ok!

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