2 ms·

Nobody uses a horse and cart as an every day method of commuting anymore.

weikju 6mo ago
People still exercise and make up physical activities to compensate for the more sedentary lifestyle, though.
jml7c5 6mo ago
It's a bit different than that analogy would suggest. Learning things piecemeal can leave strange gaps in one's knowledge, in my experience. A book is often much quicker.
- casey2 6mo ago
  Almost all programming books are more piecemeal than the docs
misswaterfairy 6mo ago
Horse and cart might be antiquated and slow, but my god are they so much cheaper and more reliable than the modern car. Many parts of the world still rely on horse and cart today, even modern societies.
- badc0ffee 6mo ago
  You can't just buy a horse and park it in a garage. You need to exercise it, give it vet care, shoes, feed it, deal with poop, etc. Or, pay someone to do that. Unless you live in a place with dirt roads, or really love horses, I think a beater Toyota would win in terms of time and cost.
  - trollbridge 6mo ago
    Well, you can't really just buy a beater car and park it in a garage. You have to perform maintenance on it, and the worst thing for a car is to just sit a long time. A horse has the unique feature that it can create more horses, which is something a car doesn't do. Horses are also unique in being an appreciating asset, which cars are most definitely not.
    - floxy 6mo ago
      >Horses are also unique in being an appreciating asset Anyone have a chart showing horse value over time? I'd think there would be a pretty sharp drop in value at around the 30 year mark.
      - trollbridge 6mo ago
        Since they reproduce, the total value goes up. In addition a prized stallion continues to produce value long after he’s dead due to AI. I regret not getting a horse from a certain guy when I had a chance. His stud fees are now in the five-figures. Prices at the horse progress often hit six figures.
trollbridge 6mo ago
There are quite a few people who do exactly that, including in modern Western countries. Oddly enough I do a little bit of computer consulting for one such person.

People still exercise and make up physical activities to compensate for the more sedentary lifestyle, though.

It's a bit different than that analogy would suggest. Learning things piecemeal can leave strange gaps in one's knowledge, in my experience. A book is often much quicker.

casey2 6mo ago
Almost all programming books are more piecemeal than the docs

misswaterfairy 6mo ago

Horse and cart might be antiquated and slow, but my god are they so much cheaper and more reliable than the modern car. Many parts of the world still rely on horse and cart today, even modern societies.

badc0ffee 6mo ago
You can't just buy a horse and park it in a garage. You need to exercise it, give it vet care, shoes, feed it, deal with poop, etc. Or, pay someone to do that. Unless you live in a place with dirt roads, or really love horses, I think a beater Toyota would win in terms of time and cost.
- trollbridge 6mo ago
  Well, you can't really just buy a beater car and park it in a garage. You have to perform maintenance on it, and the worst thing for a car is to just sit a long time. A horse has the unique feature that it can create more horses, which is something a car doesn't do. Horses are also unique in being an appreciating asset, which cars are most definitely not.
  - floxy 6mo ago
    >Horses are also unique in being an appreciating asset Anyone have a chart showing horse value over time? I'd think there would be a pretty sharp drop in value at around the 30 year mark.
    - trollbridge 6mo ago
      Since they reproduce, the total value goes up. In addition a prized stallion continues to produce value long after he’s dead due to AI. I regret not getting a horse from a certain guy when I had a chance. His stud fees are now in the five-figures. Prices at the horse progress often hit six figures.

trollbridge 6mo ago

There are quite a few people who do exactly that, including in modern Western countries. Oddly enough I do a little bit of computer consulting for one such person.