Post #1251361

2026-04-16 11:02 UTC

#HarryHarrison wrote a very funny book called Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers in 1973. Some of the aliens in the book turned their home solar system into a gigantic #RingWorld and drove around in &quot;70 yard long cars&quot; I think #car manufacturers read that joke and thought it was something to aim at. Especially #SUV and #pickup manufacturers. What the ever loving fuck was wrong with a 1990s Ford Escort or equivalent? Why do we all have to drive 3 ton monstrosities? We shouldn&#39;t even need to own personal cars by now. Instead we should all be taking free, electric #PublicTransport, #cycling or #walking. Everyone but the most blinkered and confused right winger can see this is the right thing to do. It seems that we get the future #SciFi writers come up with. The problem is sci-fi writers love a good #dystopia.

Replies (1)

@dancingtreefrog@mastodon.social 2026-04-17 01:41

@robcornelius Some may love dystopias, some may not. I think every SciFi writer and many engineers and such completely missed the personal computer revolution and its consequences (including the personal computer commonly called a "phone" now). Public transport, cycling, walking works until you must transport something that won't fit in any of those. At which point you still need cars/trucks, roads, etc. Oh, well. I think we should all have teleportation, but that has problems, too. 😉

Open ##1267941