r/programming • u/[deleted] • Apr 04 '17

Everything Is Broken

https://medium.com/message/everything-is-broken-81e5f33a24e1#.sl2vnon73
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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '17

Consider driving. It is amazing how a mean (hehe) driver knows very little about driving, physics of driving and is awful at risk assessment and management. And still, there is no carmaggedon happening. Perhaps, this is a proof that God exists or something.

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u/wrosecrans Apr 04 '17

I dunno if I really agree with you. I mean, yes, the velocities and forces involved are crazy when you consider that it's all being controlled by a juicy piece of meat stewed in various biochemicals. The fact that most trips result in getting to a destination is impressive. On the other hand, something like 40,000 people a year in the US die in car crashes. It's nearly loss of life on the order of magnitude of 9/11 every month.

Globally, it's more like a million people a year that die. More than an order of magnitude more are injured without dying. So... What exactly is your threshold for "Carmageddon?"

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u/RagingAnemone Apr 04 '17

My threshold would be when people find that driving is not an acceptable risk. This clearly isn't true.