Earlier quoted context omitted.
note: 'proscribe' means to prohibit and 'prescribe' means to require
Thanks, fixed it. Don't want a misspelling to affect the effect of my statement.
Not enough humor on HN. Well done.
Please make a dumb car
661–670 of 671 posts
Re: Please make a dumb car
#662Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've had this experience with rental cars recently. It's terrifying! I usually spend half an hour in the parking lot sifting through menus turning off all the warnings I can find. I like Skodas. Although a Czech friend told me that Skoda in Czech is a car name, a common surname, and a casual term for "idiot".
The translation is not idiot, but misfortune, damage or pity (Schade for German friends). Funny name for sure.
Hah. Noted - my friend's English is not the best, but I think his example was like a someone tripping over something in the street. He physically performed something, and I guess I misunderstood! Ah sorry for butchering another language ;)
It reminds me of one time I was sitting in a bar in Spain, and a chicken walked inside. And it was a female chicken, not a rooster, so I thought it should be "polla" instead of "pollo". So I waved at the bartender and said "Mira! Está una polla en la barra!" and all the guys in the bar started roaring with laughter because "pollo" is male or female for any chicken, but "polla" in Spain does mean slang for "idiot". After that every time I'd walk into that bar they'd ask if I saw a "polla" hahahahah
Re: Please make a dumb car
#663A dumb TV. Please someone make a dumb TV that otherwise is high spec
Re: Please make a dumb car
#664Earlier quoted context omitted.
No engine control, no brake control, no airbags, no power steering, no engine starter, no automatic windows, no intermittent wipers, no central locking, no alarm system, no automatic lights
- Engine control - unnecessary, cars ran for 100 years without it. - Brakes work perfectly well without computers. - Airbags don't need computers, they work perfectly well by mechanical means. - Power steering works perfectly without computers or any electrics at all. Every car I've ever owned had mechanical power steering without any fancy electroics including my latest one. Why tamper with something that works perf…
Engines that massively polluted did.
Brakes without traction control are worse
Airbags without computers go off too often
Power steering driven by a pump and a belt was very inefficient, more fuel wasted
Weirdly you don't hear alarms going off much now, wonder if they're smarter somehow....
Cars are much more reliable these days
"in the 1960s and 1970s, the typical car reached its end of life around 100,000 miles (160,000 km), but due to manufacturing improvements in the 2000s, such as tighter tolerances and better anti-corrosion coatings, the typical car lasts closer to 200,000 miles (320,000 km)"
Not sure why you think a load of extra moving parts is going to be more reliable than some solid state electronics.
Re: Please make a dumb car
#665Earlier quoted context omitted.
- Engine control - unnecessary, cars ran for 100 years without it. - Brakes work perfectly well without computers. - Airbags don't need computers, they work perfectly well by mechanical means. - Power steering works perfectly without computers or any electrics at all. Every car I've ever owned had mechanical power steering without any fancy electroics including my latest one. Why tamper with something that works perf…
Engines that massively polluted did. Brakes without traction control are worse Airbags without computers go off too often Power steering driven by a pump and a belt was very inefficient, more fuel wasted Weirdly you don't hear alarms going off much now, wonder if they're smarter somehow.... Cars are much more reliable these days "in the 1960s and 1970s, the typical car reached its end of life around 100,000 miles (16…
"Not sure why you think a load of extra moving parts is going to be more reliable than some solid state electronics.“
Because cars can go anywhere including right outside tow truck range especially where I live. Here, being rescued can be days away. Then there's the adverse conditions, temperatures well in excess of 40° C and from my bitter experience, the electronics fail much more frequently under these harsh conditions than do the mechanics.
Then there's the issue of make-do. When one is hundreds of miles from anywhere, one can often improvise a mechanical repair whereas it's nigh on impossible to quickly sort out an electronics problem (unless it's trivial).
I recall being in a convoy of four cars in central Australia when the computer failed in the one and only Volvo in the group. What an unholy mess that was. None of us could fix it.
Note, everyone in the convoy was skilled in electronics (we were all radio amateurs on a field trip) and almost everyone had a full-time professional job in electronics. We even had lots of electronics test equipment as well as various electronic components with us - semiconductors, resistors, capacitors etc., as they were to service our HF transceivers when they failed.
That's just one instance albeit one of the worst cases.
My car chucked a universal joint on the same trip and although very inconvenient, we fixed it on the spot. Similar repairs were made on the spot when my petrol pump was ripped clean off the bottom of my car by huge ruts in the road.
From what you've said, I'd guess you live in a temperate climate in the suburbs of a city and only a few kilometers from a service garage.
The fact is, electronics and harsh environmental conditions (high thermal cycling) are not good bedfellows. Moreover, most electronics faults are thermally related (caused by thermal stress). I know firsthand as I ran the electronics department of a large corporation for years, before that I worked in the prototyping (design) department of a large US corporation designing professional electronic (not domestic stuff).
First rule of design: 'keep it simple stupid'.
__
Edit: "1970s, the typical car reached its end of life around 100,000 miles (160,000 km)."
Uh? When I was younger all I could afford were cars with over 150k on the clock - and that's miles not kms - and I usually drove them to about 300k. The usual reason for getting rid of them was was rust - not because of mechanical problems. Sure, there were 'junk' cars around but you'd have to be mad to buy one.
One final point, around the time the Volvo broke down I was averaging 44,000 miles per year (~70,000 km/yr).
Re: Please make a dumb car
#666Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd have a very hard time not playing some music if I were driving an A4 through Bulgaria. But the laser focus between you and the road is the most important thing.
Why would I want to play music? I enjoy driving more than listening to music. I don't get bored even when I'm driving thru heavy traffic on I-5 or I-405, so, why would I need music not being in a traffic jam and having beautiful scenery?!
I grew up next to the 405, and I don't think I'd ever call the view from it beautiful!
But as far as music. Yes I just want to listen to my motor sometimes. But... I probably shouldn't admit this, but the reason I love driving to loud music is that I drive to the music. I prepare different MP3 mixes for my cars. The Datsun mixes are only music from 1970 to 1983, but I rotate the bands and songs before any long drive. When certain songs really take off I shift in time - I play the car like a guitar, and inevitably I want certain songs to come on when I know I'll be on an empty stretch of road with no cops and I can drive way too fast and shoot the curves. Blasting Kansas in an 80 Datsun at twice the speed limit is probably the closest I've ever gotten to pure joy.
Re: Please make a dumb car
#667Earlier quoted context omitted.
Engines that massively polluted did. Brakes without traction control are worse Airbags without computers go off too often Power steering driven by a pump and a belt was very inefficient, more fuel wasted Weirdly you don't hear alarms going off much now, wonder if they're smarter somehow.... Cars are much more reliable these days "in the 1960s and 1970s, the typical car reached its end of life around 100,000 miles (16…
"Not sure why you think a load of extra moving parts is going to be more reliable than some solid state electronics.“ Because cars can go anywhere including right outside tow truck range especially where I live. Here, being rescued can be days away. Then there's the adverse conditions, temperatures well in excess of 40° C and from my bitter experience, the electronics fail much more frequently under these harsh condi…
Ah, you are the 0.0001%, have to build your own cars then, can't be that hard.
As for typical cars, that's why it's bad to base your theories on personal experience.
Should the computers and software be open and fixable though? Yes
Re: Please make a dumb car
#668Earlier quoted context omitted.
Lada is known for its low reliability. Dacia seems to be in a more gray area, sometimes scoring well above average, sometimes below. I know someone who had a Lada Niva, and he got stranded because a low quality pipe joint blew. True, the repair was extremely cheap, and it could probably be temporarily repaired with a hose and two zippers. Are you a mechanic that can locate and fix those kind of failures? Then Ladas a…
My opinion so far is that a lot of people buy Ladas (Niva to be exact) with expectation of it being an offroader. It is not. It is a SUV and when used like usually SUVs are - it isnt as unreliable as some people make it.
Lack of airbags, shitty structure to absorb impacts, absurdly underpowered engine and weird ergonomy makes the Lada Niva viable only for offroading: farmers and hunters driving on gravel roads.
If you expect to drive more than 50% of the time on asphalt but money is tight, do yourself a favour and buy at least a Dacia Duster.
Re: Please make a dumb car
#669As a first step I'd like industry to take: please get rid of all the touch screens! Non-tactile elements should never be used in a vehicle!
I propose this for many, many years, since almost got into an accident on a bike while was trying to cancel a call on a touchscreen phone (I knew they were evil right when they appeared).
Re: Please make a dumb car
#670Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's wrong with riding a bike in 0 °C weather? When dressed for the weather riding in the cold weather can be quite enjoyable as long as the roads are clear or your bike has appropriate tires.
Points like the above is pretty much why these sorts of ideas are a dead end in a place with disposable income. If you objectively think that riding a bicycle with two sets of clothes on your back in the dead of winter is as convenient as driving, you've are either delusional or have never actually been inside of an automobile.
I never claimed riding a bicycle was as convenient as driving, only that riding in 0C weather is quite comfortable. It many ways I prefer it to riding when it's really hot out!
I'd recommend anyone give it a try if there is a safe way to get to work. Especially in 0C, because it's just not that cold and you don't really need bulky layers. You can get away with just a winter coat or a warm fleece and windbreaker. I dress a little lighter than when I go downhill skiing or snowboarding.
I am still wearing a winter jacket and sometimes an extra layer when I am driving to work in the winter, so there's really no difference from that perspective.