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The car is a black box. Gas goes in, vroom comes out. If the box stops working, I pay someone to fix it. You might argue I'm not car literate, but I'm not sure

The car is a black box. Gas goes in, vroom comes out. If the box stops working, I pay someone to fix it. You might argue I'm not car literate, but I'm not sure that is particularly insightful, as the type of specialized knowledge is not actually relevant to doing almost anything with a car that people want to do. Similarly, while coding is great and all, I'm not sure that not being able to code is the same thing as not knowing how to use a computer effectively.

ghaff 5y ago
I won't argue. And I grew up at a time when cars were less reliable (and my first clunker certainly wasn't). I do think some basic things like changing a tire, jumping a battery, and at least knowing how to check fluid levels is useful. You don't always have something go wrong where you can easily just call for help.
- odshoifsdhfs 5y ago
  Yeah except new cars you don't have access to the battery (they are starting to make the engine 'protected') and even changing a tire is more rare as many manufacturers are shipping a repair kit vs a spare wheel. Most also have roadside assistance (or your insurance has) which makes it easier. Most people want a car to go from A to B, many times, if every few years (I only had a blown tire in 20 years driving) they have to call someone to help them, it makes much more sense than spend the time to learn how to do it themselves. Same with computers, they don't want to know how the bytes get into ram, they want to play Doom or write a school paper. There is no need for them to learn all that.
hnick 5y ago
In such cases though I always have a nagging suspicion they are fixing things I don't need or gold plating the service. It definitely happens to some people. So, I always feel better with a small amount of understanding to arm the BS detector.
flukus 5y ago
> The car is a black box. Gas goes in, vroom comes out. If the box stops working, I pay someone to fix it. It would be a huge problem if you're an aspiring mechanic or anything related, but that's an increasingly niche role so we aren't worried about kids not having mechanical literacy. Many kids are aspiring to work in roles where computer literacy is vital and becoming more so every day. The one's that lack the fluency to do things like automate the repetitive parts of their jobs will gradually not be adding enough value to be gainfully employed. Not being computer literate will have a huge impact on their careers, not being car literate won't (for most).

ghaff 5y ago

I won't argue. And I grew up at a time when cars were less reliable (and my first clunker certainly wasn't). I do think some basic things like changing a tire, jumping a battery, and at least knowing how to check fluid levels is useful. You don't always have something go wrong where you can easily just call for help.

odshoifsdhfs 5y ago
Yeah except new cars you don't have access to the battery (they are starting to make the engine 'protected') and even changing a tire is more rare as many manufacturers are shipping a repair kit vs a spare wheel. Most also have roadside assistance (or your insurance has) which makes it easier. Most people want a car to go from A to B, many times, if every few years (I only had a blown tire in 20 years driving) they have to call someone to help them, it makes much more sense than spend the time to learn how to do it themselves. Same with computers, they don't want to know how the bytes get into ram, they want to play Doom or write a school paper. There is no need for them to learn all that.

hnick 5y ago

In such cases though I always have a nagging suspicion they are fixing things I don't need or gold plating the service. It definitely happens to some people. So, I always feel better with a small amount of understanding to arm the BS detector.

flukus 5y ago

> The car is a black box. Gas goes in, vroom comes out. If the box stops working, I pay someone to fix it. It would be a huge problem if you're an aspiring mechanic or anything related, but that's an increasingly niche role so we aren't worried about kids not having mechanical literacy. Many kids are aspiring to work in roles where computer literacy is vital and becoming more so every day. The one's that lack the fluency to do things like automate the repetitive parts of their jobs will gradually not be adding enough value to be gainfully employed. Not being computer literate will have a huge impact on their careers, not being car literate won't (for most).