What specialist does the labor get offloaded to, if someone doesn't know how to keep track of their data, doesn't know how to do simple research on the Internet, or doesn't understand how to secure their computer? Instead, people just lose their data, believe false things, and get pwned.
Well that person doing the repair work isn’t going to use some dumbed down tools. Somebody has to specialize.
Plus the point is that as cars became more ubiquitous, once esoteric skills became the norm, such as checking oil, filling up gas. At some point the baseline has to advance.
> Plus the point is that as cars became more ubiquitous, once esoteric skills became the norm, such as checking oil, filling up gas. At some point the baseline has to advance.
Yes and no. On the one hand, as early cars become more common, more people had to deal with them. But on the other hand, cars became simpler to use over time.
Tinkering with your car used to be a hobby of many people and a necessity. These days, there's not much user servicing left. (I don't even know whether you still have to manually check the level of oil? Don't they have sensors for that these days?)
Gas station pumps have also become much easier to use. It requires some intention and a minimum amount of skill to overfill your tank these days.
Similar considerations apply to using computers.
Starting your spreadsheet by typing something in the DOS prompt used to be how things were done. These days, vastly more people are expected to be at least somewhat familiar with spreadsheets--it's no longer something to highlight in your CV--but starting the program used to do so has become simpler.
> (I don't even know whether you still have to manually check the level of oil? Don't they have sensors for that these days?)
Most cars do have sensors for this, but they often fail, and even if they're working fine, tell you at a warning level, not at a full level. If you want to be a prepared driver you'd check your fluids regularly, but especially before long trips; The bonus is that the sensors can't tell you that your oil is prematurely dirty, so just by looking at it, you get more information.
This reminds me of Obama recommending people check their tires; yes, modern vehicles have tpms, but if they heed the warning, it often doesn't come on until a tire is significantly low ~20%.
There are so many mechanics that will do free or low cost inspections for things like that, why wouldn’t I do that before going on a long trip?
Speaking of which, that’s yet another thing we pay for other people to do. If it’s a trip longer than about five hours we are flying or if we are being cheap and it’s not too far (around 6 to 7 hours) and if possible, taking the MegaBus.
We also fly out of Atlanta - the world’s busiest airport - and live an hour or more away depending on traffic. The calculus between whether it’s worth the hassle to deal with going to the airport, driving, or taking MegaBus changes the calculus considering the ceremony of getting on the plane can take an additional 2-3 hours with travel, security, and getting there early.
It was during the 2008 campaigns with high fuel prices; He was ridiculed for the simplicity by the right, but the NHSTA estimated that 25% of American tires are under-inflated at a cost of 2.8 billion gallons of gasoline every year.
