3 ms·

During the War of 1812, word reached the East Coast of the U.S. that there was going to be a battle near New Orleans. There was a guy who _ran_ all the way fro

During the War of 1812, word reached the East Coast of the U.S. that there was going to be a battle near New Orleans. There was a guy who _ran_ all the way from the East Coast to New Orleans. When he got there, the battle was already over, so he ran back. My point is this: technology is not just making us live happier and healthier lives. It's also beginning to raise a generation who won't be able to self-propel themselves over long distances, whether by foot, horse, car, plane, or whatnot. This is going to have implications for the way cities handle disasters. I love this tech, but it stands to change the nature of what it means to be human almost as much as the electric light did.

toomuchtodo 12y ago
Are we destined to turn into the version of humans depicted in Wall-E? Unable to self-propel and requiring the assistance of machines for the simplest of tasks? Doubtful, but anything is possible.
- DanielBMarkham 12y ago
  How do you think that guy would feel if he was told about healthy people who feel like walking a mile to work or the store is undoable? To him, we're already there. Related: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/14742634290_ae3baeefc0_o.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/14742634290_ae3baeefc0_o....
  - Broken_Hippo 12y ago
    The picture you provided was originally a group of graphics depicting how far parents allowed children to roam as they grew up. AS time has went on, parents aren't allowing children to go out. This isn't the result of tech: this is a societal issue and doesn't follow through everywhere. And honestly, most places in the states, walking is downright dangerous. I enjoy being able to walk to the store in Norway (well, weather depending). There are safe paths and pedestrian/cyclist paths that make it shorter. Laws are designed to protect pedestrians. In the states, much shorter distances were stressful and often without sidewalks or much of a shoulder on the road.
npalli 12y ago
Sorry but this is so odd to hear, but why was this guy running to new orleans. Didn't he have a horse. Also, why did he run back again once he knew the war was over. He could have waited perhaps?
- DanielBMarkham 12y ago
  Growing up in the East U.S. and being a bit of a history buff, I've heard several stories of folks running incredibly long distances in times past. Native Americans were known to put rocks in their mouths and run for hundreds of miles. How they managed this over rough terrain is a mystery to me.
  - nether 12y ago
    Sounds like bullshit. That's all I'm going to say.
    - DanBC 12y ago
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara_people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara_people > The Tarahumara word for themselves, Rarámuri, means "runners on foot" or "those who run fast" in their native tongue according to some early ethnographers like Norwegian Carl Lumholtz, though this interpretation has not been fully agreed upon. With widely dispersed settlements, these people developed a tradition of long-distance running up to 200 miles (320 km) in one session, over a period of two days through their homeland of rough canyon country, for inter-village communication and transportation and
  - npalli 12y ago
    I understand people running long distances. Not sure why you would run hundreds of miles to inform people about a battle. It would be too slow to be effective, plus the reverse run seems odd again. Consider that Paul Revere took a horse to inform people living a few miles around.
  - markdown 12y ago
    What did the rock do?
icebraining 12y ago
I don't see why would self-driving cars change this, if regular cars haven't. In fact, if it becomes popular to not own a car and rely on shared service, that actually introduces more friction on using them for short distances, since you'll have to wait for one to arrive, not to mention pay for the ride if you don't have a flat plan, instead of just having one parked just outside your home.
- kjksf 12y ago
  You'll adapt your habits to new circumstances. You know your trips in advance so you can get in the habit of summoning a car 5 or 30 mins in advance of when you plan to leave. You will probably even be able to schedule recurring trips e.g. if you go to work every day leaving at 8:00, you can schedule a car to be there every day at 8 at your door. It's not a big deal, especially if you compare it to all the hassle involved in owning your own car: * you have to find parking spot * you have to maintain it (buy gas, change tires, replace oil) * if it breaks, it's a major hassle of calling AAA, towing it to repair shop etc.)

toomuchtodo 12y ago

Are we destined to turn into the version of humans depicted in Wall-E? Unable to self-propel and requiring the assistance of machines for the simplest of tasks? Doubtful, but anything is possible.

DanielBMarkham 12y ago
How do you think that guy would feel if he was told about healthy people who feel like walking a mile to work or the store is undoable? To him, we're already there. Related: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/14742634290_ae3baeefc0_o.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3883/14742634290_ae3baeefc0_o....
- Broken_Hippo 12y ago
  The picture you provided was originally a group of graphics depicting how far parents allowed children to roam as they grew up. AS time has went on, parents aren't allowing children to go out. This isn't the result of tech: this is a societal issue and doesn't follow through everywhere. And honestly, most places in the states, walking is downright dangerous. I enjoy being able to walk to the store in Norway (well, weather depending). There are safe paths and pedestrian/cyclist paths that make it shorter. Laws are designed to protect pedestrians. In the states, much shorter distances were stressful and often without sidewalks or much of a shoulder on the road.

npalli 12y ago

Sorry but this is so odd to hear, but why was this guy running to new orleans. Didn't he have a horse. Also, why did he run back again once he knew the war was over. He could have waited perhaps?

DanielBMarkham 12y ago
Growing up in the East U.S. and being a bit of a history buff, I've heard several stories of folks running incredibly long distances in times past. Native Americans were known to put rocks in their mouths and run for hundreds of miles. How they managed this over rough terrain is a mystery to me.
- nether 12y ago
  Sounds like bullshit. That's all I'm going to say.
  - DanBC 12y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara_people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara_people > The Tarahumara word for themselves, Rarámuri, means "runners on foot" or "those who run fast" in their native tongue according to some early ethnographers like Norwegian Carl Lumholtz, though this interpretation has not been fully agreed upon. With widely dispersed settlements, these people developed a tradition of long-distance running up to 200 miles (320 km) in one session, over a period of two days through their homeland of rough canyon country, for inter-village communication and transportation and
- npalli 12y ago
  I understand people running long distances. Not sure why you would run hundreds of miles to inform people about a battle. It would be too slow to be effective, plus the reverse run seems odd again. Consider that Paul Revere took a horse to inform people living a few miles around.
- markdown 12y ago
  What did the rock do?

icebraining 12y ago

I don't see why would self-driving cars change this, if regular cars haven't. In fact, if it becomes popular to not own a car and rely on shared service, that actually introduces more friction on using them for short distances, since you'll have to wait for one to arrive, not to mention pay for the ride if you don't have a flat plan, instead of just having one parked just outside your home.

kjksf 12y ago
You'll adapt your habits to new circumstances. You know your trips in advance so you can get in the habit of summoning a car 5 or 30 mins in advance of when you plan to leave. You will probably even be able to schedule recurring trips e.g. if you go to work every day leaving at 8:00, you can schedule a car to be there every day at 8 at your door. It's not a big deal, especially if you compare it to all the hassle involved in owning your own car: * you have to find parking spot * you have to maintain it (buy gas, change tires, replace oil) * if it breaks, it's a major hassle of calling AAA, towing it to repair shop etc.)