Technology Connections

I'm that snarky, sometimes cranky YouTube person who told you about how dishwashers work.

I post many things which should not be taken too seriously (on account of the cranky snark thing). If you think I'm mad at you, I'm almost certainly not!

Friendly and helpful, if strongly opinionated.

Public Key

npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq

NIP-05 Address

TechConnectify@mas-to.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsr3vllcszsr6cppfpdt2gejs0n36ad37uv6ujxzdkdhvwj4k852kcpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dst88klh

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-03-21 15:40:18 UTC

Welp, finally got that new video done
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmCfOazZCNQ

2025-11-27 18:40:02 UTC

happy thanksgiving
i made this for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INZybkX8tLI

2025-11-20 17:04:46 UTC

I made a video about my favorite adapter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I4Jc-WLsrs

2025-11-04 18:10:26 UTC

Folks, I have a new video today where I'm very excited to announce a new dishwasher powder on the market.
Why am I so excited? Because it's vindicated every single one of my detergent opinions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAX2_mPr9W8

2025-02-22 17:05:04 UTC

Surely this new video won't make me seem like a crank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJpZjg8GuA

2024-04-24 21:32:20 UTC

Proposal to refer to solar arrays as amp farms.

2023-12-07 16:02:58 UTC

- reply

Actually, to borrow from @npub1xjq…62em, it's worse than that.
It's like talking to someone who is in a crappy apartment as though they have the agency and skills to stake out a plot of land and build their own home.
You have to be at peace with the fact that some people just want to exist and not worry about so many things. And they still have a right to complain about their situation.

2023-09-04 14:58:03 UTC

Todayborday is laborday

2023-08-24 23:37:41 UTC

- reply

@npub14yr…8xwm keep in mind humidity, though. 76 with 70% RH (which it currently is inside) is quite a lot less pleasant than 80° at 25% RH
In the Midwest you basically cannot get below 50% RH in the summer, despite having air conditioning. Hell, even after the AC was running for 10 hours straight, it was still 55% indoors.

2023-08-24 23:25:11 UTC

- reply

@npub152n…tx6v it was holding at 67 until I turned it off at 10:00. That was about as cold as it could possibly get with the temperature outside what it was - about a 20° split

2023-08-24 23:05:43 UTC

It's stupid hot out today (pushing 100°F/~38°C) and my strategy of using the house and its contents as a thermal battery is being pushed to the limit.
But, it's still working! My air conditioner has been off for 8 hours and I'm still decently comfortable. 76°F is 24.4°C
https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/947/091/303/780/641/original/f3476f268624744a.jpg

2023-08-21 03:27:20 UTC

- reply

@npub1j6a…h8w9 And by normal, I mean staffed, well-lit, with bathrooms, food, and windshield squeegees.
We really didn't have to reinvent the wheel. Tesla did because it's easier for them in a lot of ways - but I don't view today's band-aids as good. Far from it.
I am eagerly looking forward to the days recharging at facilities like truck stops is normal.

2023-08-21 03:24:33 UTC

- reply

@npub1j6a…h8w9 I have charged my EV at night in the outskirts of a parking lot. Don't really like that.
I charge at home mostly, but when I'm out on a road trip, I just want a normal place to charge.

2023-08-21 02:47:51 UTC

- reply

@npub1j6a…h8w9 Whether it "works" and whether people actually want that experience are very different questions.

2023-08-20 21:37:18 UTC

- reply

@npub14ep…cpuj I dunno, most of the truck stops around here pay for billboards miles away which advertise their price.

2023-08-20 21:33:33 UTC

- reply

@npub14ep…cpuj @npub185t…pwlf Your run-of-the-mill in-town gas station doesn't, no.
But truck stops are 95% there. Make them a little bit nicer and boom. Done.

2023-08-20 21:31:17 UTC

- reply

@npub1kjy…9u5p Fair, but I'll reiterate my broadest point:
I don't see the band-aids of today as the way we should move forward.
Maybe you can make the case that built-in route-planning will minimize the number of charging locations we'll need out there. But honestly, I don't agree with that.
Right now, charging isn't ubiquitous so it needs special considerations. Just as gas-powered cars did at the turn of the century. I'll be very surprised (and disappointed) if this is still the case in 10 years

2023-08-20 21:27:46 UTC

- reply

@npub1kjy…9u5p Also, as was said elsewhere in this thread, is it really a great idea to hide away EV chargers?
Imagine how much more confident the average person would be in the adoption of electric vehicles if they could actually see where are they can be charged.
I didn't notice the EVgo station that popped up near me. Despite driving by it all the time, I saw no sign of it being installed or anything. It was just... suddenly there in the Plugshare app.
This is kinda bonkers, no?

2023-08-20 21:25:58 UTC

- reply

@npub1kjy…9u5p @npub185t…pwlf I personally really do not want us using the car's infotainment screen like that. Not just because it's my personal preference not to, but because there are loads of... steering opportunities there that give me the heebie jeebies.
We don't actually need to reinvent the wheel, here.

2023-08-20 21:09:11 UTC

- reply

@npub16cw…uxgx Given that most gas stations have a big cost Tesla doesn't - land acquisition - I suspect handling the cost of chargers isn't actually that problematic for them.
And (amazingly) new gas stations are still getting built. I, too, am unsure of the startup costs there but selling liquid fuel still involves a heckuva lot of specialty equipment which I'm sure ain't cheap.

2023-08-20 21:07:00 UTC

- reply

@npub16cw…uxgx Put more plainly, most gas stations exist as a ploy to get people into the convenience store to by some food, lotto, booze, whatever - where the real money is made.
Tesla cannot do this. They can, at best, offer charging purely at cost. Their best hope is that their vertical integration reduces the cost of each charger to the point they can hang on, but the moment there's a competitor that undercuts them sufficiently because they can /also/ sell them whatever else... it's bad for Tesla

2023-08-20 21:00:09 UTC

- reply

@npub185t…pwlf My gut says once signs that actually advertise charging cost are normalized (which, perhaps won't happen but time will tell) people will still view it more of a commodity than anything else and will look for the cheapest charge.
But, I agree with you that niceties of the site will be a large factor. And personally, I don't think Tesla has a winning formula there (though others disagree with me).

2023-08-20 20:58:07 UTC

- reply

@npub16cw…uxgx Sure, but in theory (and actually in-practice in many gas stations) you could run recharging at /negative/ margin if your other business makes sufficient money.
That's kind of my whole point.

2023-08-20 20:31:29 UTC

- reply

@npub1kla…tks2 Yeah, I'm eagerly awaiting more news on that. I've seen some pics of a site about to go online, though

2023-08-20 20:30:18 UTC

- reply

@npub1qcn…er5v Agreed, though don't discount progress in real-world charge times.
Then again, that's somewhat undercut by the massive batteries some EVs have these days.

2023-08-20 20:23:27 UTC

- reply

@npub1t2q…sggc They certainly won't /need/ to be, but whether they'll want to keep it up I don't know.
If they're undercut on energy price, though, they'll have no reason not to abandon it.

2023-08-20 20:18:08 UTC

- reply

@npub1axp…9nuy @npub13sh…jlwq I'm hoping people start seeing the wisdom of power-sharing. You can easily put 10 chargers in 10 spots with only ~10 kW behind them because, on average, only a few will be charging at once.
It's much more important to make charging more accessible than it is to make it fast, especially when it alleviates the need to shuffle cars around.

2023-08-20 20:11:34 UTC

- reply

@npub1axp…9nuy @npub13sh…jlwq Grocery stores are on of the few places I think medium-speed (~50 kW) charging makes sense. You might be able to take care of your needs that way if you can't charge at home.
Still, though, charging at home is infinitely better. IMHO, we should be fixing that problem rather than forcing folks into spending more than they need to propping up another company.

2023-08-20 20:06:48 UTC

- reply

@npub1pqv…wa3v Sure, but 10-year-old cars aren't getting made anymore. Because they're 10 years old.
That's what I mean by those cars are fixed in number. You won't need to cater to all that many of them once EVs are the norm.

2023-08-20 19:56:21 UTC

- reply

@npub1pqv…wa3v Those cars are relatively fixed in number (or will be, anyway) so they'll be less and less of a concern as time goes on.
Besides, it's already a thing we deal with. Nobody likes seeing a Bolt at a full EA station!

2023-08-20 19:49:16 UTC

- reply

@npub1pqv…wa3v The thing is, 30 minute charge times are already a thing of a past.
15 minutes is pretty normal, now, and I expect that to continue improving.
Another reason I think looking at what makes sense /now/ isn't a great idea.

2023-08-20 19:43:10 UTC

- reply

@npub13sh…jlwq Oh, to be clear, I think this only needs to (or should, anyway) be a thing along major highways. I /hope/ we are installing cheap Level 2 AC charging infrastructure all over the place because yes, charging at home or work is so, so much better.
But for long-distance charging, I'll bet it looks just like today's truck stops and travel centers.

2023-08-20 19:37:06 UTC

- reply

@npub120k…0pux Oh, for sure! That's why I think this it's ultimately a good thing that we switch.

2023-08-20 19:36:38 UTC

- reply

@npub1pkg…fjhw Are they actually run by those companies, or are they franchised?
Here in the US, the name on the pumps means very little. That's just who the owners are buying their gas from.

2023-08-20 19:29:23 UTC

- reply

@npub16k2…3jlx No, but again - this sort of relationship only buys Tesla convenience in site placement.
Perhaps Wawa gives them a cut but... I'm skeptical that's the case.

2023-08-20 19:27:06 UTC

- reply

As soon as a big player like Pilot, Loves, whatever rolls out charging en masse they're gonna be able to do the same with electricity.
Tesla, unless they want to learn the ins-and-outs of running convenience stores, won't be able to do that, so the cost of their charging will stay high. They aren't set up to subsidize it with other things.

2023-08-20 19:24:54 UTC

I don't know why it took me this long to articulate this thought, but Tesla's charging model is ultimately a trap for themselves:
They rely on other folks to provide services near their charging sites. That's clever, BUT it means they do not make any money from those services.
And that's precisely what keeps gas stations in business. They compete with one another to such an extent that the fuel is sold barely above cost, and the store/car wash/cafe is where they /actually/ make money.

2023-08-19 21:38:02 UTC

- reply

@npub1vtu…0crf @npub1cly…0c59 Voltage one variable among many, but it nonetheless matters /a lot/ and I'm honestly pretty exhausted making this argument again and again so I just won't.

2023-08-19 21:35:20 UTC

- reply

@npub1juc…p8cu Three-phase here depends largely on application.
If you want a building with a basic three-phase service, it's gonna be 120/208. 120 for all convenience receptables, 208 for anything else. Many commercial buildings have this, plus larger apartment buildings.
But if you've got a really big building or need to power really big stuff, you might have 277/480 and use step-down transformers for other things. And there are higher voltages, too!

2023-08-19 21:32:40 UTC

- reply

@npub1vtu…0crf @npub1cly…0c59 Now you could, if you were trying very hard, touch one pin with your left hand and the other with your right and /then/ you'd have 240V with a path across your heart.
But that's the thing - you almost have to try to experience that. Even if you were using two hands to handle this monster (which I wouldn't but maybe some folks will for added strength), both would have to slip and brush against the outer pins. A pretty unlikely scenario all 'round.

2023-08-19 21:28:31 UTC

- reply

@npub1vtu…0crf @npub1cly…0c59 I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, but if you were touching both hots you'd get a 240V potential across your hand, but that's it. Respective to the rest of your body, nothing is above 120V RMS.
Thus, whatever fault current might flow through your body to ground only has 120V behind it.

2023-08-19 20:51:12 UTC

- reply

@npub1f7q…w93g Ring mains are cursed

2023-08-19 19:51:57 UTC

- reply

@npub1hpa…sfk9 eh, I figure the sort of person who is willing to do that is not going to be stopped by a better plug. They'll just take the receptacle apart

2023-08-19 19:49:59 UTC

- reply

@npub1yza…8fer it's safe if you know what you're doing, and honestly only someone who knows what they're doing would even think to do this
But it sure does look sketchy!

2023-08-19 19:48:49 UTC

- reply

@npub1hpa…sfk9 honestly, plug design is not going to affect fire risk. If anything, the conductors on this plug are oversized.
This will give you a nasty shock if you don't hold it right when you plug it in, though

2023-08-19 19:39:04 UTC

- reply

@npub1cly…0c59 we have yet to fix that problem and I have little faith that we will, honestly. The design of most receptacles these days would scrape against any insulating coating and quickly ruin it, so without ripping out every single outlet in the wild, there's not much of a point.
If we had 240V phase-to-ground, we'd probably take that step. But 120V just isn't dangerous enough to justify that (at least in my opinion - others, I'm sure, disagree)

2023-08-19 19:31:58 UTC

- reply

@npub1cly…0c59 speaking as an adult who was once a toddler who stuck a screwdriver into an outlet, it tends to be a quick lesson in what not to do with a screwdriver.
Alas, here I still am playing with electricity!
These days, tamper-resistant outlets (which have shutters that need to be pressed simultaneously to open) are code for new construction, but outlet protectors (little plastic dummy plugs) were/are a common way to reduce that hazard.

2023-08-19 19:24:48 UTC

- reply

@npub1cly…0c59 we've been over this before (well, I have, not sure what you've seen)
The brilliance of this system is that, while we have 240V, no single wire has more than 120V potential to ground. That means nearly any shock that might occur is far less likely to harm or kill you than it is in other countries.
So while we pay far less attention than we should to things like plug design, we largely just... get away with it.

2023-08-19 19:16:22 UTC

BTW, folks who think the US standard plug is scary have clearly never encountered one of our range plugs before.
https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/917/877/630/987/151/original/b403bce294aefbe0.jpg
https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/917/878/115/856/798/original/422ad04034609361.jpg

2023-08-19 18:51:34 UTC

- reply

@npub1rry…86cn heh, I hadn't thought about that. Indeed these circuits are not GFCI protected. But it came in handy just now!

2023-08-19 18:47:40 UTC

- reply

And just for some proof that this was 240
https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/917/769/730/208/232/original/bc715f97110c2f92.jpg

2023-08-19 18:32:26 UTC

- reply

@npub1q7k…c5yf assuming you're incoming power is three-phase and you've got two leads on different breakers, yeah probably

2023-08-19 18:17:19 UTC

- reply

And to explain for all my non-North American peeps, these two cords go to plugs that are on adjacent breakers in the panel. That means across the two hot wires you'll get 240V rather than 120V.
So, in a pinch, you can just do this.
Should you? No. But it's possible.

2023-08-19 18:15:52 UTC

Need 240V for a test?
This'll work.
(Note: do not do this)
https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/917/641/809/322/230/original/c9b3dc3e0d7c4704.jpg

2023-08-17 03:27:52 UTC

- reply

@npub13yh…a5se HECK YES

2023-08-17 03:22:00 UTC

- reply

@npub13yh…a5se I, for one, appreciate being reminded that I'm rad.

2023-08-17 01:57:07 UTC

- reply

@npub1ay4…xka6 How prevalent is BRT at this point? I don't think we even have any around here.

2023-08-17 01:46:57 UTC

- reply

@npub1ay4…xka6 Oh absolutely, if it's already there, there's no reason to ditch it! I do think that in a situation where it doesn't exist, though, it's a lot of work for (mostly) diminishing returns.
If we can get light rail going, though... then by all means!

2023-08-17 01:38:26 UTC

- reply

@npub1ay4…xka6 I'll leave that to the transit folks.
But, honestly... I'm not so certain it would truly be worth rebuilding overhead power infrastructure. There's a lot of headaches there (permitting, NIMBYs, engineering cost) which are sidestepped by $50k in batteries per vehicle - an added cost that's fairly marginal when that vehicle is a bus.

2023-08-16 17:57:59 UTC

- reply

@npub1uwc…c3lz Probably wise.

2023-08-16 17:11:42 UTC

- reply

@npub1f05…grer No, and to be quite honest, I'm similarly annoyed that every time I mention something to do with electric cars, I am flooded by "car bad!" comments.
Some folks will still needs cars. We need to electrify them.
We should also make not needing one easier.
Conversations don't need to be broadened at every opportunity. It's pretty close to sealioning, honestly.

2023-08-16 17:09:56 UTC

- reply

@npub1fld…jfrc My understanding is that they currently have a functioning facility in Rochester and that what they're building now is expressly to scale that.

2023-08-16 17:06:21 UTC

- reply

@npub1f05…grer The answer you're looking for is in the video, and a word of advice:
I know about all the things you've mentioned here, and agree. Don't take my excitement for this process as an endorsement that electric cars are some sort of panacea.

2023-08-16 16:28:17 UTC

- reply

@npub1nvm…f78c ...but this isn't about that

2023-08-16 16:16:31 UTC

- reply

@npub18fa…ng3g y'know, I really dislike this sentiment.
I get it, completely. But as shitty as they often are, they're feedback. As a YouTube creator, if you don't engage with them, you'll flounder.

2023-08-16 15:46:30 UTC

Reading some comments, it's clear beliefs are stickier than evidence.
There's a contingent of numbskulls who simply cannot (will not?) make the effort to envision a future in which this is scaled up. Trying to find a way to deal with that is one of the great challenges of our time.
https://youtu.be/s2xrarUWVRQ

2023-08-16 04:15:33 UTC

- reply

@npub1jr7…7xwv I'm glad this works for you, but personally I don't ever want my car keys to be on my phone.
I don't have and will never have a smart lock so I need a physical keyring anyway, and honestly I don't want a layer of software between me any my ability to drive, no matter how reliable it might be.

2023-08-16 04:11:30 UTC

- reply

And, to reiterate my thoughts, I think plug-and-charge is neat. I even kinda-sorta use it with EVgo.
But good gravy nobody would care about it if card payments just /worked/ like they do /literally everywhere but car chargers for some inexplicable reason/

2023-08-16 04:06:40 UTC

lololol, a comment on the video says something like "see, here's why plug-and-charge is so great. You don't always have your phone or wallet with you, but -" and I'm gonna need to stop you right there, bud.
Yes. Yes I do.
I do the ol' pocket pat every time I grab my cars keys.

2023-08-15 00:46:22 UTC

- reply

@npub1zx4…dr6u this is a fascinating question

2023-08-14 22:11:04 UTC

- reply

@npub1cs3…8jld goin' by the Jewels ta pick up two or tree loafs a bread.

2023-08-14 22:00:12 UTC

- reply

@npub1j99…xtd7 thank goodness I'm not alone

2023-08-14 21:58:23 UTC

- reply

@npub1385…9hwa oh almost certainly not. I think that term just comes from the shininess of the plastic and how it sort of imitates crystal - but admittedly that's a guess

2023-08-14 21:48:37 UTC

Suddenly I'm wondering something.
I call disposable plastic grocery bags "Jewel bags" after the Chicagoland grocery store chain. I don't even shop there all that much these days, but any such bag is still a "Jewel bag" in my head.
Anybody else do this?
(Oh and, fun fact, an industry term for that kind of bag is T-shirt bag, despite it resembling a tank top if anything)

2023-08-12 17:28:44 UTC

- reply

@npub1n3x…303y There needs to be a provision to isolate them, so they can't just be wired in parallel. That's perhaps doable with AC, bit really tricky with DC. DC contactors which can handle that much current ain't cheap!

2023-08-12 16:19:43 UTC

- reply

@npub1zc6…p2sj And honestly, I don't think we need to or even should standardize charge port location.
If it's at the back of the car, it should probably be on the passenger's side. But putting it up front has some advantages, too.
People can choose what they like best, and longer cables and better charging sites would make this issue evaporate entirely.

2023-08-12 16:17:29 UTC

- reply

@npub1zc6…p2sj Oh, to be clear, I also think that's an oversight from GM and Ford.
I just think if you're gonna say we need to standardize a charge port location... think it through a little harder.

2023-08-12 16:14:21 UTC

Also.
It's apparently impossible for people to take information in before barfing their thoughts out.
Lots of people saying "NACS is a tragedy because it doesn't support three-phase" when, y'know, I'm pretty sure I spent some time talking about how we just flat out don't have three-phase power in homes.
Ugh.
Anyway, I'll shut up. Overall, the response has been much better than I figured. I was very worried about how this video would be received!

2023-08-12 15:50:46 UTC

- reply

@npub19hc…9pfz Eh, I still feel it's unnecessarily vulnerable.
Adding to that, though, live in a place with winter and mucky roads and the /last/ place you want that port is on the nose of the car

2023-08-12 15:47:31 UTC

- reply

@npub1eua…jcsu @npub1ds3…truq That's how they get away with shoving 625 amps through a cable about 30mm across!
It's a big maintenance issue on third-party networks, as cable-cooling equipment failure leads to drastically reduced output.

2023-08-12 15:45:14 UTC

- reply

@npub1eua…jcsu @npub1ds3…truq No, quite often they are thicker because those cables won't be actively cooled like the charger's cable is.

2023-08-12 15:39:03 UTC

- reply

@npub1ds3…truq @npub1eua…jcsu For AC, sure. DC... you'll be running some extremely thick cables around the car.

2023-08-12 15:38:25 UTC

- reply

@npub19hc…9pfz I like that from a functional point of view, but small fender benders disabling the car worries me.

2023-08-12 15:35:26 UTC

- reply

@npub1eua…jcsu Well... it is actually a little more difficult than you might imagine, especially with DC charging in the mix.
At best there could be another port which can only do AC charging, and you'll need a way to isolate it from the other port which adds components and cost.

2023-08-12 15:32:33 UTC

- reply

By the way, it's a massive oversight to put the charge door on the driver's side. That presumes on-street charging will just... never happen.
And sure, there's hardly any of that in the US at present. But that'll probably change.

2023-08-12 15:24:48 UTC

I like how I specifically said in the video that the current charging infrastructure landscape is weird and that we shouldn't look to it as setting a norm, and yet I am still getting bombarded by Tesla apologists who think all automakers need to put the charge port where Tesla does to be compatible with their weird chargers with dinky cables.

2023-08-12 03:10:08 UTC

- reply

@npub1n3h…uwgc I have found that most people don't make those sorts of connections unless you show them.
Hence... my job!

2023-08-12 02:52:56 UTC

Is there a name for the phenomenon where the general public won't stop mentioning a solution that they /imagine/ will be standard one day without knowing the details behind it?
That's a word salad but like, "plug type won't matter once wireless charging becomes the norm" is, uh, a sentiment few people who know much about electricity transmission and electric vehicles will agree with, yet it's repeated ad nauseum.

2023-08-11 23:51:33 UTC

- reply

@npub13xj…sys0 I guess my counterpoint would be that the people that currently rely on DC fast charging and can't charge at home are living the same life that people with gas cars do.
I just can't see plug-and-charge as anything more than a "well that's neat," because if payment /actually worked/ with a simple tap of a card (or a watch if you're into that) it would be a non-issue.

2023-08-11 18:01:40 UTC

- reply

@npub1l3g…2rff It's the SAE taking it on that makes me most at peace.
I wouldn't believe Tesla's "we're opening it up to the world" otherwise

2023-08-11 17:49:34 UTC

- reply

@npub169g…68s4 So long as things pan out as it looks like they will, we can have a best-of-both-worlds reality, here.
I'm only annoyed because other automakers caved, but they only caved because NACS will no longer be in Tesla's control.

2023-08-11 17:45:30 UTC

- reply

@npub1wtu…rk3k Probably, but most of my angst is directed towards Electrify America.
The only real Tesla-contrarian take I express is that plug-and-charge is, imo, nothing special. Just use a damn payment card reader.

2023-08-11 17:38:40 UTC

I'm ripping the band-aid off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJOfyMCEzjQ

2023-08-10 22:27:09 UTC

- reply

@npub1gje…7a03 it's not too late to remain ignorant!

2023-07-17 18:08:57 UTC

- reply

@npub1e0s…n6zr @npub1mn9…6w37 I'm glad to know you're out there, then.

2023-07-17 17:54:21 UTC

- reply

@npub1mn9…6w37 listen to people who are (not by any means incorrectly) focused on safer street designs and they often just ignore this factor.

2023-07-17 17:50:31 UTC

- reply

I'd like to see someone suss out the data on the number of pedestrian collisions that are occurring over time, but I can't find it easily.
Deaths are obviously going up, and I'm not arguing that a larger car isn't more dangerous to pedestrians and other road users (they most certainly are).
But... I'm almost certain pedestrian impacts have gone up, making you more likely to be hit in the first place. That's important and that matters to the discussion.

2023-07-17 17:47:05 UTC

- reply

The sudden reversal in reduction in pedestrian deaths coincides not only with increase in vehicle size, but the prevalence of the smartphone.
Anybody who drives and gives the remotest shit about being a safe driver will have noticed how many other folks are holding their phones and looking at them while driving 40+ miles per hour, and I really feel like this can't be dismissed as a factor. But seemingly nobody talks about this as meaningful.

2023-07-17 17:44:43 UTC

Y'know how I like nuance and am skeptical of simple narratives?
Well, I have a bugbear regarding the discussion on pedestrian fatalities in the US.
To start this thread, I'd like to think I have an unbiased perspective here. I don't drive a very large vehicle, I loathe the arms race in vehicle size, and I welcome all efforts to reduce car-dependence and make our streets safer for all.
But... every discussion I listen to on this topic is real handwavey on the impacts of distracted driving.

2023-07-04 22:57:46 UTC

- reply

@npub1mqd…l5qk heh. No.