Clive ThompsonJan 12, 2023

After becoming a regular daily errands-and-commuting cyclist in NYC for a few years now, whenever I get in my car to go somewhere ...

... the sheer weight and size of the metal around me seems positively *sci fi*

I mean, cars?

They're basically MECHAS. Right?

A human inside

controlling this weirdly big-ass piece of exoskeletal steel

Show threadMartin Vermeer FCDJan 14, 2023
@clive I had this same sensation when I got my driver's licence late in life. 1.5 - 2 tons of glass and steel and neoprene, at your fingertips, right?
Still amazed watching lorry drivers on narrow streets. I actually suspect that learning the size of your vehicle and where all its corners are is an adaptation of the same process for your biological body.
#cars #exoskeletons
Show threadClive ThompsonJan 14, 2023

@martinvermeer

Yeah, the extension of our proprioception to a huge vehicle is amazing

Show threadThomas Vander Wal

@clive @martinvermeer In the early 90s on Fridays living in San Francisco I would ride my bike to and from work going from near Golden Gate Park to about 5th and Mission. The 6 to 9 blocks of riding on Market Street in rush hour traffic in the morning had me feeling like a fish swimming with a large pod of killer whales, very apt at bumping into you or each other.

It was the one day a week I didn’t need coffee in the morning.

Apr 1, 2023 at 5:15pmMetatext
Show threadClive ThompsonApr 2, 2023

@vanderwal @martinvermeer

Killer whales, great metaphor