18 ms·

I honestly never quite understood this perspective or why it's so popular... in general I try to always find ways to do normal life things a little weird, or ma

by _yb2s 2y ago

I honestly never quite understood this perspective or why it's so popular... in general I try to always find ways to do normal life things a little weird, or make it a little more challenging, fun, and memorable- and try to break up the routine drudgery. Even just getting groceries can be a fun adventure with my kid if we put the top down on the Porsche, play some music we love, and maybe go to a weird store that targets a different culture, or has weird surplus/unsold items. Doing things 'weird' usually makes them cheaper and less crowded/faster as well- as a result of less demand.

pandemic_region 2y ago
Where do you put the groceries in a Porsche?
- _yb2s 2y ago
  The Boxster is mid-engined so there is no back seat, but a usable trunk at each end. The front trunk is takes up the entire space of a normal engine bay, and is surprisingly massive for how small the car is, because it is very deep. Overall the Boxster is a surprisingly practical car- it was very cheap (cheaper than an old Prius of the same age) but now appreciating in value with age, can use a 3+ carpool lane with 2 people, is tiny so easy to park anywhere, and it is actually very reliable and low maintenance.
jgilias 2y ago
What if you have another kid and a wife? At a certain level of utility/space, cars just stop being that fun. Well, until you get to the vans, those are fun in their own weird way.
- _yb2s 2y ago
  I do have a wife, not planning on more kids. I'm a bit of a car nerd and have a bunch of older cars I maintain myself- including several that fit the whole family- all of them together costing less than a newer economy car. There are plenty of large cars that are still fun to drive. A Porsche Cayenne/VW Touareg/Audi Q7 can tow as much as a full sized truck, seat 5 in comfort, offroad as well as almost anything, and post sports car worthy track lap times- and you can get a nice one for 5-10 grand on Craigslist nowadays. There are some fun weird vans. I've always loved the Toyota HiAce, Mitsubishi Delica, and other strange Japanese minvans with weird features like built in karaoke machines, beverage coolers, tiny diesel engines, and real truck 4x4 systems. Also love the old VW vanagons. They used to run (tongue in cheek) ads for the Boxster with the slogan "The more kids you have, the more practical it becomes" and that it fits "Two child seats. Up front." There's some truth to that- if you have a large family you will likely have multiple cars, it can still make sense for one of them to just take two people for 1 on 1 activities.
  - dieselgate 2y ago
    I tow with my mk4 tdi all the time, it’s incredibly handy. A lot of towing is bulky stuff that’s not necessarily heavy. There’s still a time and place for a truck, or a full-size truck, but not for everyone.
    - _yb2s 2y ago
      Haha... weirdly, I've also done a ton of towing with MKIV ALH TDIs. They're absolutely excellent vehicles for towing, and hardly use any fuel while doing so. Sometimes it gets a lot of unwanted attention - especially at a boat ramp, because Americans don't expect cars to be able to tow like that. When I was in Ireland for work, I saw that a huge fraction of the farmers use MKIV TDIs for their farm work vehicles- they're all over the place pulling huge trailers full of livestock and hay, and still using half the fuel of most cars that are unloaded.
decafninja 2y ago
A significant chunk of the crowd here is very anti-car (to varying degrees), so I wouldn’t expect much sympathy if you’re the type of person that enjoys driving. I’d cut your losses in trying to argue your point…and go enjoy driving your car! As somewhat of an old timer (turning 43), I remember the techie population seemed to overlap a lot with the car enthusiast population a long time ago. Nearly everyone at my first job (small startup) was a car nerd. A lot of engineering and tech goes into cars after all. Somewhere along the way a lot of techies became very anti-car.
- paulryanrogers 2y ago
  Cars have a lot of unpriced externalities. I see them as a necessary evil. I'd rather future generations had less pollution and more natural resources to enjoy. There are plenty of other things to tinker with.
  - _yb2s 2y ago
    I feel the same as you about the awful externalities, but doing it anyway and refusing to enjoy it as 'penance' just isn't how I would want to deal with that. I really love driving, love the freedom of exploring things in cars, and love working on and fixing them. Instead, I work on sustainable biofuel tech- and even as a hobby use and test it out in my own vehicles.
    - paulryanrogers 2y ago
      Props to you for exploring some ways of mitigating the damage of your hobbies. I prefer EVs despite their increased road wear (at least compared to vehicles that haven't been super sized). Having driven a lot in my youth, it's just not something I enjoy regardless. I'd rather spend the time and resources on other things. Even taking a longer bike ride to the store is preferred because it's exercise, almost everyone on the trail nods or waves back, and I know my choice is better for everyone in the community.
      - _yb2s 2y ago
epolanski 2y ago
I'll take the bait, what part of what you wrote makes it funnier in a Boxster than a Prius?
- _yb2s 2y ago
  Funnier? I assume you mean fun? I assure you there is no bait- it’s an example of things that would make an everyday chore fun to me, and needs no justification. I would suggest you do what would make it fun to you.
  - epolanski 2y ago
    Yeah, as I'm boggled down in traffic on 30/50 kmh roads and sitting idle every two meters in Italy I would see no difference. So I'd rather get the prius-like ergonomics and comfort.
    - jgilias 2y ago
      Not the OP. At the end of the day it’s just taste, right? I use Linux, EMacs with vim keybindings and a dark color palette. Coding this way makes me feel good, I like the aesthetics. If they tried to force me to use Windows, and an IDE with a light color palette, I’d seriously consider quitting. It’s totally irrational, but it is what it is :D
      - _yb2s 2y ago
        Definitely a matter of taste- your dev environment sounds downright VILE to me ;-)
        jgilias 2y ago
        Haha!! Fair enough :D
    - _yb2s 2y ago
      I’m an outlier here but I especially prefer to drive a manual transmission sports car with good handling and lots of driver/road feedback in heavy traffic- as it’s a lot more engaging and easier to stay focused and not bored. I’ve heard the same from others with ADHD. The visibility and maneuverability is also helpful for avoiding potholes and other drivers mistakes. I’d still have a ton of fun driving even a Prius on a real track- but if driving through a crowded city I especially want a convertible sports car.

by _yb2s 2y ago

pandemic_region 2y ago

Where do you put the groceries in a Porsche?

_yb2s 2y ago
The Boxster is mid-engined so there is no back seat, but a usable trunk at each end. The front trunk is takes up the entire space of a normal engine bay, and is surprisingly massive for how small the car is, because it is very deep. Overall the Boxster is a surprisingly practical car- it was very cheap (cheaper than an old Prius of the same age) but now appreciating in value with age, can use a 3+ carpool lane with 2 people, is tiny so easy to park anywhere, and it is actually very reliable and low maintenance.

jgilias 2y ago

What if you have another kid and a wife? At a certain level of utility/space, cars just stop being that fun. Well, until you get to the vans, those are fun in their own weird way.

_yb2s 2y ago
I do have a wife, not planning on more kids. I'm a bit of a car nerd and have a bunch of older cars I maintain myself- including several that fit the whole family- all of them together costing less than a newer economy car. There are plenty of large cars that are still fun to drive. A Porsche Cayenne/VW Touareg/Audi Q7 can tow as much as a full sized truck, seat 5 in comfort, offroad as well as almost anything, and post sports car worthy track lap times- and you can get a nice one for 5-10 grand on Craigslist nowadays. There are some fun weird vans. I've always loved the Toyota HiAce, Mitsubishi Delica, and other strange Japanese minvans with weird features like built in karaoke machines, beverage coolers, tiny diesel engines, and real truck 4x4 systems. Also love the old VW vanagons. They used to run (tongue in cheek) ads for the Boxster with the slogan "The more kids you have, the more practical it becomes" and that it fits "Two child seats. Up front." There's some truth to that- if you have a large family you will likely have multiple cars, it can still make sense for one of them to just take two people for 1 on 1 activities.
- dieselgate 2y ago
  I tow with my mk4 tdi all the time, it’s incredibly handy. A lot of towing is bulky stuff that’s not necessarily heavy. There’s still a time and place for a truck, or a full-size truck, but not for everyone.
  - _yb2s 2y ago
    Haha... weirdly, I've also done a ton of towing with MKIV ALH TDIs. They're absolutely excellent vehicles for towing, and hardly use any fuel while doing so. Sometimes it gets a lot of unwanted attention - especially at a boat ramp, because Americans don't expect cars to be able to tow like that. When I was in Ireland for work, I saw that a huge fraction of the farmers use MKIV TDIs for their farm work vehicles- they're all over the place pulling huge trailers full of livestock and hay, and still using half the fuel of most cars that are unloaded.

decafninja 2y ago

A significant chunk of the crowd here is very anti-car (to varying degrees), so I wouldn’t expect much sympathy if you’re the type of person that enjoys driving. I’d cut your losses in trying to argue your point…and go enjoy driving your car! As somewhat of an old timer (turning 43), I remember the techie population seemed to overlap a lot with the car enthusiast population a long time ago. Nearly everyone at my first job (small startup) was a car nerd. A lot of engineering and tech goes into cars after all. Somewhere along the way a lot of techies became very anti-car.

paulryanrogers 2y ago
Cars have a lot of unpriced externalities. I see them as a necessary evil. I'd rather future generations had less pollution and more natural resources to enjoy. There are plenty of other things to tinker with.
- _yb2s 2y ago
  I feel the same as you about the awful externalities, but doing it anyway and refusing to enjoy it as 'penance' just isn't how I would want to deal with that. I really love driving, love the freedom of exploring things in cars, and love working on and fixing them. Instead, I work on sustainable biofuel tech- and even as a hobby use and test it out in my own vehicles.
  - paulryanrogers 2y ago
    Props to you for exploring some ways of mitigating the damage of your hobbies. I prefer EVs despite their increased road wear (at least compared to vehicles that haven't been super sized). Having driven a lot in my youth, it's just not something I enjoy regardless. I'd rather spend the time and resources on other things. Even taking a longer bike ride to the store is preferred because it's exercise, almost everyone on the trail nods or waves back, and I know my choice is better for everyone in the community.
    - _yb2s 2y ago

epolanski 2y ago

I'll take the bait, what part of what you wrote makes it funnier in a Boxster than a Prius?

_yb2s 2y ago
Funnier? I assume you mean fun? I assure you there is no bait- it’s an example of things that would make an everyday chore fun to me, and needs no justification. I would suggest you do what would make it fun to you.
- epolanski 2y ago
  Yeah, as I'm boggled down in traffic on 30/50 kmh roads and sitting idle every two meters in Italy I would see no difference. So I'd rather get the prius-like ergonomics and comfort.
  - jgilias 2y ago
    Not the OP. At the end of the day it’s just taste, right? I use Linux, EMacs with vim keybindings and a dark color palette. Coding this way makes me feel good, I like the aesthetics. If they tried to force me to use Windows, and an IDE with a light color palette, I’d seriously consider quitting. It’s totally irrational, but it is what it is :D
    - _yb2s 2y ago
      Definitely a matter of taste- your dev environment sounds downright VILE to me ;-)
      - jgilias 2y ago
        Haha!! Fair enough :D
  - _yb2s 2y ago
    I’m an outlier here but I especially prefer to drive a manual transmission sports car with good handling and lots of driver/road feedback in heavy traffic- as it’s a lot more engaging and easier to stay focused and not bored. I’ve heard the same from others with ADHD. The visibility and maneuverability is also helpful for avoiding potholes and other drivers mistakes. I’d still have a ton of fun driving even a Prius on a real track- but if driving through a crowded city I especially want a convertible sports car.