Many car enthusiasts/gear heads used to be tinkerers & modifiers, used to have intimate knowledge of cars. Cars of today are far more complicated systems, wher

Many car enthusiasts/gear heads used to be tinkerers & modifiers, used to have intimate knowledge of cars. Cars of today are far more complicated systems, where there's no longer clear mechanical linkages connecting components together but instead opaque unobservable digital systems weaving the together. The way cars are made has killed the ability to be a knowledgeable useful enthusiast. The car is just a commodity now. And sure, you can spend a lot of money to have your car modded for performance or looks, but there's so much less of a diy culture that genuinely knows cars. The industry has superficialized out its best fans. I hope computing can a good similar fates, somehow (doesn't look great right now!). We don't even need material inputs to improve our machines; software gives us vast flexibility. If we can maintain some cultures beyond base consumerism.