# Which form of transit are you scared of the most?



## Couchie

Transit being the thing that moves you


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## Klassik

None of the above. I've been behind the wheel of about 99% of the miles I've traveled in a car over the last several years. Thus, it can be a bit of a nervous experience when I'm cruising along in the passenger seat of a car. I'm just not used to looking out of the windshield and not being in control of anything. Sometimes I even operate the non-existent pedals! 

I can't really say I have any problems with any of the options in the poll unless we're talking about an airplane that's on fire or something like that.


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## hpowders

Cars powered by turbo 4's. They are everywhere replacing the ethereally smooth V6's.


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## Klassik

hpowders said:


> Cars powered by turbo 4's. They are everywhere replacing the ethereally smooth V6's.


Absolutely agree. Those small turbo engines run like total crap in low altitude areas. They merely run like crap in high altitude areas. Give me a normally aspirated, bigger 4 cyl. or 6 cyl. engine. Better power delivery, better fuel economy in real-world conditions, and better reliability. It's a slam dunk.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

_Gondola_ - Have been in one in Venice and was scared two aspects: 1 Price and 2 Operators singing was way too Operatic for my liking ..............


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## Klassik

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> _Gondola_ - Have been in one in Venice and was scared two aspects: 1 Price and 2 Operators singing was way too Operatic for my liking ..............


That does sound frightening! I'm glad I didn't ride a gondola when I went to Venice.

With all these ultra long-haul flights in/out of Australia these days, could you imagine being on a plane for 20 hours with non-stop opera playing in the cabin?  Even worse, what if it's Wagner?  That would be worse than hearing screaming children the whole flight! Perhaps I should fly El Al to make sure that never happens. The Al will make sure there's no Wagner. I might have to put up with some Offenbach, but I think I can-can Handel that.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Klassik said:


> That does sound frightening! I'm glad I didn't ride a gondola when I went to Venice.
> 
> With all these ultra long-haul flights in/out of Australia these days, could you imagine being on a plane for 20 hours with non-stop opera playing in the cabin?  Even worse, what if it's Wagner?  That would be worse than hearing screaming children the whole flight! Perhaps I should fly El Al to make sure that never happens. The Al will make sure there's no Wagner. I might have to put up with some Offenbach, but I think I can-can Handel that.


You can now fly non-stop from Oz to LA or London. I would be demanding that they show me the entertainment before I boarded- a definite Wagner ban in my aisle.................


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## KenOC

Siberian wolf-carts, the only way to get to and from some cities. They're known to turn on their passengers and eat them. No remedy, since you have to sign a waiver.


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## Gaspard de la Nuit

definitely cars. If I become dictator, there will be a national monorail system with shuttles or golf carts that take people to the monorail station from secondary locations. Can't stand cars, hate highways, I don't even like efficiency so why would I bother with them.


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## Tristan

Flying. I have a mild fear of flying, despite how much of it I've done. I remember when my best friend and I visited NYC last summer, I found out we weren't going to be sitting together on the flight back. Thankfully we found someone who was willing to trade seats with me otherwise I might have freaked out 

I'll steer clear of helicopters too.


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## joen_cph

Taxi ... always a gamble and a waste as regards expenses.

Bikes weren´t even included in the event horizon, apparently. I feel safe cycling in most countries and environments however, but some don´t. 

Will never forget that bike tour along a lovely English country lane with tall hedges on both sides, right out to the asphalt road surface, in reality a tunnel, and the hazardous, very fast passage of a (drunk?) lorry driver, literally an inch away from me. Could very well have been killed then.


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## Manxfeeder

If you included zip lines, that would be my choice. Or swinging from vines in Africa.


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## elgar's ghost

Until I was in my teens it was car, bus or coach - I used to spew virtually every time. As you can imagine, I was really popular on school trips or family holidays...


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## QuietGuy

I am afraid of great depths of water, so put me down for being afraid of any size boat. Also, although I'm not afraid to fly over land, I have a fear of flying over oceans. Call me crazy, but if the plane crashed and plunged into an ocean, I wouldn't want my body being food for the sharks, even though I know I'd die on the way down ....


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## MarkW

Hot air balloons


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## Becca

deleted..............


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## Becca

Federation starship transporters ... the idea of being dematerialized 

Ohh ... and walking when there is a self-driving car moving in my direction.


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## Strange Magic

Ambulance, then hearse.


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## znapschatz

Tristan said:


> Flying. I have a mild fear of flying, despite how much of it I've done. I remember when my best friend and I visited NYC last summer, I found out we weren't going to be sitting together on the flight back. Thankfully we found someone who was willing to trade seats with me otherwise I might have freaked out
> 
> I'll steer clear of helicopters too.


I didn't check any of the choices because of not being afraid of them, but helicopters make me nervous. Copters are contraptions. They require 5 times the maintenance of winged aircraft (literally!) because of all many parts it takes to keep them airborne. Years ago, I once saw a helicopter crash in my Los Angeles neighborhood. It was a small, one person newscopter, and the tail rotor flew off, causing it to be completely uncontrollable. It looped wildly until, by sheer luck, crashing on an uninhabited hillside, and the pilot got out unhurt. Nope. No wingless wonders for me.


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## SixFootScowl

I don't like airplanes. Don't like flying in them and don't like them flying overhead. Simple as that.


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## KenOC

I hate those cheap interstate trips where people pursue you with whips, forcing you to run as fast as you can from one state to another. I know they save money, but still...  Even Greyhound is better, if only marginally.


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## Dr Johnson

Allegedly a graffito was seen in the NY subway which read:

"Gloria Mundi is sic of the transit".

Let's hope it is true.

I facetiously voted "gondola" because I am not afraid of any of the modes of transport offered.

Although, if, by subway, you mean a pedestrian underpass, then I might be worried of it was late at night and/or in a bad neighbourhood.


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## znapschatz

Dr Johnson said:


> Allegedly a graffito was seen in the NY subway which read:
> 
> *"Gloria Mundi is sic of the transit".*
> 
> Let's hope it is true.
> 
> I facetiously voted "gondola" because I am not afraid of any of the modes of transport offered.
> 
> Although, if, by subway, you mean a pedestrian underpass, then I might be worried of it was late at night and/or in a bad neighbourhood.


I love New York.


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## hpowders

Fritz Kobus said:


> I don't like airplanes. Don't like flying in them and don't like them flying overhead. Simple as that.


Okay! Okay! We'll get rid of the airplanes. Anything to keep you posting here!


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## Strange Magic

Eons ago, I remember reading of an anti-hate campaign in New York, which was deemed a success when "****** Hate" appeared scrawled on a subway wall.

Note: there should be 4 asterisks above, not 6 .


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## hpowders

I'm afraid of all cars driven by the idiots in my community, going 50 mph in a 30 mph zone. The sidewalks are on the same level as the road, so no barriers. Going for my morning walk can be a scary adventure. Hope that's all it becomes!


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## elgar's ghost

MarkW said:


> Hot air balloons


Yes, that's a good one. As I'm rather acrophobic any means of airborne transport in which I'm not totally cocooned would be a no-no - not even a helicopter if it's one of those where I'm surrounded on most sides by nothing but glass.


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## CnC Bartok

I haven't voted. The option of "other people being entrusted with a car" wasn't there!

I don't enjoy flying, but it's not a fear, just a sense of discomfort. I loathe and despise airports however. Horrid, crowded, faceless unhygienic places.....

I have now voted for small boat. Perfectly happy in an eight or four, never felt 100% comfortable in a single scull though.


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## Radames

Being trapped in a metal tube with 100 other people at 30,000 feet is not my cup of tea! And what if there's a zombie outbreak! They won't let us carry grenades to defend ourselves. Maybe I would fly if they would let me carry some grenades.


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## Klassik

hpowders said:


> I'm afraid of all cars driven by the idiots in my community, going 50 mph in a 30 mph zone. The sidewalks are on the same level as the road, so no barriers. Going for my morning walk can be a scary adventure. Hope that's all it becomes!


Florida is weird. Cars going 30 mph over in the slow lanes and cars going 30 mph under in the fast lanes.


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## hpowders

Klassik said:


> Florida is weird. Cars going 30 mph over in the slow lanes and cars going 30 mph under in the fast lanes.


Yeah, but I75 has a friendly 70 mph speed limit, which everyone knows, really means 80.

I've always said the safest:

1. place to drive is on the interstate, not in parking lots or community streets

2. place to post is on TC Community Forum.


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## Klassik

hpowders said:


> I've always said the safest:
> 
> 1. place to drive is on the interstate, not in parking lots or community streets


I agree. That said, I did see a flipped over SUV today during my drive to work. 



> 2. place to post is on TC Community Forum.


Oh, for sure. This is a sock wearing crowd here. Nice and clean. Well, maybe not the socks, but everything else.  As for the Wagner threads elsewhere, .


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## hpowders

Klassik said:


> I agree. That said, I did see a flipped over SUV today during my drive to work.
> 
> Oh, for sure. This is a sock wearing crowd here. Nice and clean. Well, maybe not the socks, but everything else.  As for the Wagner threads elsewhere, .


The S never should have been put in SUV. Around my neighborhood, they think these Toyota Highlanders are Porsche 911's.
I've never heard of an elephant winning the Kentucky Derby.


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## Klassik

hpowders said:


> The S never should have been put in SUV. Around my neighborhood, they think these Toyota Highlanders are Porsche 911's.
> I've never heard of an elephant winning the Kentucky Derby.


Interestingly enough, two of the most common vehicles I see causing crashes here are Toyota Highlanders and various Jeep models. I also see a lot of broken down Jeeps causing traffic bottlenecks. That's not a surprise though, Chryslers are always on the fritz. 

It's too bad we're stuck with those ugly, unsporty SUVs here in the US instead of the truly most useful vehicle, the good ole station wagon.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Klassik said:


> Interestingly enough, two of the most common vehicles I see causing crashes here are Toyota Highlanders and various Jeep models. I also see a lot of broken down Jeeps causing traffic bottlenecks. That's not a surprise though, Chryslers are always on the fritz.
> 
> It's too bad we're stuck with those ugly, unsporty SUVs here in the US instead of the truly most useful vehicle, the good ole station wagon.


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## Klassik

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> View attachment 102489


Well, we don't have very many of those anymore.  We had plenty of those back when that was made though,


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## KenOC

Klassik said:


> It's too bad we're stuck with those ugly, unsporty SUVs here in the US instead of the truly most useful vehicle, the good ole station wagon.


Ah, here's a nice Edsel wagon!


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## Klassik

KenOC said:


> Ah, here's a nice Edsel wagon!


It still looks like a you know what up front. :lol:

Did Europe and Australia have a thing for putting fake woodgrain on the side of wagons (or estates if you simply must) long past the era of real Woodies? The domestic makers were still putting fake woodgrain on wagons here into the 1990s!  That pathetic design probably led to people viewing wagons negatively.

Our family station wagon when I was younger, a Chevrolet Malibu, actually did not have the woodgrain option (though it was available). Perhaps that's why I still like wagons. :lol:


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## Dr Johnson

Klassik said:


> It still looks like a you know what up front. :lol:
> 
> Did Europe and Australia have a thing for putting fake woodgrain on the side of wagons (or estates if you simply must) long past the era of real Woodies? The domestic makers were still putting fake woodgrain on wagons here into the 1990s!  That pathetic design probably led to people viewing wagons negatively.
> 
> Our family station wagon when I was younger, a Chevrolet Malibu, actually did not have the woodgrain option (though it was available). Perhaps that's why I still like wagons. :lol:


1968 Morris Minor Traveller:


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## Klassik

Dr Johnson said:


> 1968 Morris Minor Traveller:


The woodgrain on that is certainly much more subtle than something representing American cars:










:lol:


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Klassik said:


> It still looks like a you know what up front. :lol:
> 
> Did Europe and Australia have a thing for putting fake woodgrain on the side of wagons (or estates if you simply must) long past the era of real Woodies? The domestic makers were still putting fake woodgrain on wagons here into the 1990s!  That pathetic design probably led to people viewing wagons negatively.
> 
> Our family station wagon when I was younger, a Chevrolet Malibu, actually did not have the woodgrain option (though it was available). Perhaps that's why I still like wagons. :lol:


Unfortunately yes Aussie had one and it was fibreglass stuck on

Oz Ford falcon woody


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## Klassik

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Unfortunately yes Aussie had one and it was fibreglass stuck on
> 
> Oz Ford falcon woody


Well, we had monstrosities like that rolling off the assembly line in the 1990s! When people here think of station wagons, they think of something like this 1990 Ford County Squire:










Of course, when I think of wagons from 1990, I prefer to think of something much sexier. Unfortunately, these things are long forgotten here unlike those fake wood boats:










Ahh, 4th generation Accords. When Hondas were Hondas.


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## elgar's ghost

Ford Zephyr estate from mid-1950s - uurrgghh...


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## joen_cph

Thanks for those examples. They made me try googling "wooden car" in the google picture function & this gave a lot of further, weird and spectacular cases

https://www.google.dk/search?q=wood...UICigB&biw=1821&bih=882#imgrc=sobY2UgnKWcKHM:


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## Kivimees

Time machine..............


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## Guest

I couldn't choose between plane, ship or subway so I picked all three.


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## Becca

elgars ghost said:


> Ford Zephyr estate from mid-1950s - uurrgghh...


Looks like a hearse!


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## SixFootScowl

Fear this!


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## elgar's ghost

Becca said:


> Looks like a hearse!


Well, I for one wouldn't be seen dead in that.


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## Marinera

Funicular lifts in the Alps would be at the bottom of my list. hmm...


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## hpowders

I would be most afraid of the metaphysical tram transporting me to my final destination of eternal rest:

UP!!!! :angel:


or

DOWN!!! :devil:


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## Klassik

elgars ghost said:


> Ford Zephyr estate from mid-1950s - uurrgghh...


Leave it to the Americans to make a hideous looking wagon! 

In order to even things out though, here's a cool looking wagon. Becca will approve I'm sure.










As for scary transit, I am reminded of my trip to India. I don't care what you take on the roads there. Auto rickshaws, scooters, motorcycles, cars, trucks, it doesn't matter. They're all scary! The drivers there are so bad that they're actually good.


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## Dr Johnson

hpowders said:


> I would be most afraid of the metaphysical *tram* transporting me to my final destination of eternal rest:
> 
> UP!!!! :angel:
> 
> or
> 
> DOWN!!! :devil:


??


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## Krummhorn

My greatest fear is as a passenger in a car, especially when the wife drives.

I used to be a professional driver (40 footer buses) and to this day I still drive my car like it was a 20 ton behemoth on the road.



Klassik said:


> Absolutely agree. Those small turbo engines run like total crap in low altitude areas. They merely run like crap in high altitude areas. Give me a normally aspirated, bigger 4 cyl. or 6 cyl. engine. Better power delivery, better fuel economy in real-world conditions, and better reliability. It's a slam dunk.


Just the opposite in opinion only. My former car was a 2004 Jetta with the 1.8L Turbo engine. With 180 Hp it had lots of get up and go regardless of terrain or altitude, and I got great mpg (28+, even in city) quite constantly - up to 34 mpg on longer trips.

My present ride is a 2000 Infiniti I30 with the 3.0L V6 and 227 Hp. Mpg is 21 in city, 28 on the highway trips. But, oh, the nicer ride is worth it at least now in my senior years.


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## TurnaboutVox

Klassik said:


> The woodgrain on that is certainly much more subtle than something representing American cars:


That's a real ash rear frame!



> An estate version was introduced in 1952, known as the Traveller (a Morris naming tradition for estates, also seen on the Mini). The Traveller featured an external structural ash (wood) frame for the rear bodywork, with two side-hinged rear doors. The frame was varnished rather than painted and a highly visible feature of the body style.


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## elgar's ghost

What about a coracle? It's round and doesn't have a keel so how the hell can it be controlled in turbulent water? It could only have been invented by a half-crazed Welshman. 

'Yeah, but we can carry it on our back 'cos it's got a strap...' - 

Yes, most reassuring...


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## Klassik

Krummhorn said:


> Just the opposite in opinion only. My former car was a 2004 Jetta with the 1.8L Turbo engine. With 180 Hp it had lots of get up and go regardless of terrain or altitude, and I got great mpg (28+, even in city) quite constantly - up to 34 mpg on longer trips.
> 
> My present ride is a 2000 Infiniti I30 with the 3.0L V6 and 227 Hp. Mpg is 21 in city, 28 on the highway trips. But, oh, the nicer ride is worth it at least now in my senior years.


I was in charge of maintaining a 2002 Passat with the same 1.8t engine. It made good power, but with turbo lag (which was probably less noticeable on a smaller, lighter Jetta). It would have more power in a higher altitude location, but turbos are inefficient in low areas like this. Fuel mileage with that engine was even more dependent on driving style than it would have been with an atmospheric engine. If one was very conservative and kept the car out of the turbo boost, fuel mileage was good, but the car was slow. If one was not conservative, as the main driver for that car was not, and kept the car where boost pressures were high, the fuel economy was terrible. The end result were averages in the 16s for city driving.  The family member traded that car in for a SUV with an atmospheric engine and is now averaging ~22 mpg with the same type of driving.

And, of course, the 1.8T wanted premium fuel and full synthetic oil at short OC intervals due to the sludging problems those engines had. Turbocharged engines tend to be harder on oil in general. Add all of it up and the 1.8T was the wrong choice for that type of car. The 2.8l V6 would have been a better choice, but really VW should have offered a more traditional larger 4 cyl. engine for that car.

The Nissan VQ (VQ30DE specifically I'm guessing) in that Infiniti/Maxima is a much better engine, IMO. In fact, the VQ is an awesome engine. It's still used today in a wide range of Nissans including pick-up trucks all the way up to true sports cars. The VQ has won many awards from automotive magazines.


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## Klassik

TurnaboutVox said:


> That's a real ash rear frame!


I say the woody look is acceptable in a real woody. As for things like this below, not so much.


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## elgar's ghost

I remember one reviewer who said that car performance in the present day is second to none but most had to make a Faustian Pact and sacrifice their looks in order to attain it. What do TCs motorists have to say? I have to say that most cars these days look plug ugly compared to the stupidly unreliable pointy things we used to have in the 60s and 70s.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Talking of Turbo cars, i used to have a 1985 Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo. Was a bit of a weapon, oil cooker and frightening in the wet. If you didn't watch out torque steer taking off from the lights would put you in the adjacent lane instantly


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## Klassik

elgars ghost said:


> I remember one reviewer who said that car performance in the present day is second to none but most had to make a Faustian Pact and sacrifice their looks in order to attain it. What do TCs motorists have to say? I have to say that most cars these days look plug ugly compared to the stupidly unreliable pointy things we used to have in the 60s and 70s.


Today's cars are vastly superior in terms of performance, reliability, safety, and economy. A 2018 Toyota Camry here in the US, for example, makes around 200hp and gets almost 40 mpg (US measurements) on the highway. The Camry is certainly not some small car either!

Having said that, styling trends in the last few years (both inside and out) have headed towards the hideous. There's really no reason for it. In fact, sometimes the styling is hindering the performance. One safety area that is hindering styling somewhat is the requirement coming out of Europe especially that front ends of cars be as safe as possible if the car hits a pedestrian. :lol: Because of this, the days of slanted front ends is pretty much over and we get higher, more flat front ends. This is also done to increase "crash compatibility" between cars and SUVs/trucks so that a sedan hitting a SUV won't ride underneath the SUV, but rather hit it at a more even level. Stupid SUVs and trucks, they ruin everything! 

The trend these days is for cars to have front ends that are all grille with angry, squinty looking headlights. You've seen them. Supposedly, this look is popular in China. Unfortunately, we're stuck dealing with China's bad tastes. If you actually look at one of these cars with big grilles, a lot of the grille area is actually blanked off behind the grille. Those big grilles are actually an aerodynamic hindrance that aren't needed for cooling purposes.

Another thing that people might be noticing are lower roofs in cars with lesser glass area. This is done for a combination of reasons. Various government safety agencies around the globe are calling for cars for stronger roofs in case of rollover accidents. The lower roofs may also be better aerodynamically. That said, they are making cars harder to get in/out of and they are making them harder to see out of. I think styling has a big role in the lower rooflines of cars as well. They are trying to make sedans look more sporty, but that's not what everyone wants.

I suppose everyone has different opinions of when cars had the best styling. Europeans and US styling have historically been a little different as well. Although US cars from the 1960s and 1970s look better than ones from the 1950s (those hideous monstrosities from the 1950s remind me of today's ugly, over-styled cars), I think the 1980s-early 2000s had some wonderful looking cars. Many of them were not over-styled and looked quite elegant. I mentioned the 4th generation Honda Accord above and I think that's a great example of understated elegance.










Compare that to a modern Accord monstrosity:


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

The most feared (by Parents) form of transport in Oz in the 1970/80's was the Panel van. A vehicle unique to Oz which combined a light sedan based pickup with an enclosed rear body. It was favourite vehicle of the surfer set and called a Shaggin Wagon


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## Klassik

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Talking of Turbo cars, i used to have a 1985 Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo. Was a bit of a weapon, oil cooker and frightening in the wet. If you didn't watch out torque steer taking off from the lights would put you in the adjacent lane instantly


Mitsubishi was putting turbos into everything in the 1980s. The Cordia was no Starion, but it was a bit of a rocket for the time. The mid 1970s through the 1980s were not great times for auto performance here in the US due to the then-new environmental controls and need for greater fuel efficiency. Those Mitsubishis were some of the earliest efforts to overcome the performance doldrums of the time, but those turbocharged cars weren't known for their reliability.

The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 was a beastly sports sedan for it's time. The Galants of the time looked really nice too like those 4th generation Accords.


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## elgar's ghost

Klassik said:


> Today's cars are vastly superior in terms of performance, reliability, safety, and economy. A 2018 Toyota Camry here in the US, for example, makes around 200hp and gets almost 40 mpg (US measurements) on the highway. The Camry is certainly not some small car either!
> 
> Having said that, styling trends in the last few years (both inside and out) have headed towards the hideous. There's really no reason for it. In fact, sometimes the styling is hindering the performance. One safety area that is hindering styling somewhat is the requirement coming out of Europe especially that front ends of cars be as safe as possible if the car hits a pedestrian. :lol: Because of this, the days of slanted front ends is pretty much over and we get higher, more flat front ends. This is also done to increase "crash compatibility" between cars and SUVs/trucks so that a sedan hitting a SUV won't ride underneath the SUV, but rather hit it at a more even level. Stupid SUVs and trucks, they ruin everything!
> 
> The trend these days is for cars to have front ends that are all grille with angry, squinty looking headlights. You've seen them. Supposedly, this look is popular in China. Unfortunately, we're stuck dealing with China's bad tastes. If you actually look at one of these cars with big grilles, a lot of the grille area is actually blanked off behind the grille. Those big grilles are actually an aerodynamic hindrance that aren't needed for cooling purposes.
> 
> Another thing that people might be noticing are lower roofs in cars with lesser glass area. This is done for a combination of reasons. Various government safety agencies around the globe are calling for cars for stronger roofs in case of rollover accidents. The lower roofs may also be better aerodynamically. That said, they are making cars harder to get in/out of and they are making them harder to see out of. I think styling has a big role in the lower rooflines of cars as well. They are trying to make sedans look more sporty, but that's not what everyone wants.
> 
> I suppose everyone has different opinions of when cars had the best styling. Europeans and US styling have historically been a little different as well. Although US cars from the 1960s and 1970s look better than ones from the 1950s (those hideous monstrosities from the 1950s remind me of today's ugly, over-styled cars), I think the 1980s-early 2000s had some wonderful looking cars. Many of them were not over-styled and looked quite elegant. I mentioned the 4th generation Honda Accord above and I think that's a great example of understated elegance.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Compare that to a modern Accord monstrosity:


Superb post - many thanks. :tiphat:


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## elgar's ghost

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> The most feared (by Parents) form of transport in Oz in the 1970/80's was the Panel van. A vehicle unique to Oz which combined a light sedan based pickup with an enclosed rear body. It was favourite vehicle of the surfer set and called a Shaggin Wagon


Typical Aussies - everything in public. :lol:


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## elgar's ghost

Back in the old days a British vehicle only threatened anything that came alongside it...


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

elgars ghost said:


> Back in the old days a British vehicle only threatened anything that came alongside it...


As in, it would break down/ fall apart and block the road- à la any 1970's brit classic :lol:


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## Klassik

elgars ghost said:


> Back in the old days a British vehicle only threatened anything that came alongside it...


Those horses don't have electrical systems by Lucas either. Advantage: horses. :lol:


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## Becca

I used to live near San Diego's Mission Bay where every year they had the thunderboat regatta. Apart from the noise, which was bad, those things had a tendency to do an aquatic version of a Cobra Maneuver. All things considered, a good time to be elsewhere!

View attachment 102540


P.S. Forget all this nonsense about 4 cylinders, V6, etc., I like the idea of my 5 cylinder engine. It must be something to do with my perverse personality ut:


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## elgar's ghost

It's a good point, Ed - Boadicea's chariot may well have been a precursor for all the pathetic ****** which crawled out of production during the 1970s and 80s. British Leyland back then was as left-wing as a Soviet tractor factory but without the work ethic.


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## Klassik

Becca said:


> P.S. Forget all this nonsense about 4 cylinders, V6, etc., I like the idea of my 5 cylinder engine. It must be something to do with my perverse personality ut:


I'd expect that from a Volvo fan. Oddly enough, you never see VW or Chevrolet Colorado owners pining for 5 cyl. engines.  Anyway, let me also guess that you think every car should have wipers on it's headlights too. You know, to clear away all that accumulated snow in San Diego. 

Anyway, when I think of old Volvos, I think of the movie Crazy People:










:lol:


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## Becca

Klassik said:


> I'd expect that from a Volvo fan. Oddly enough, you never see VW or Chevrolet Colorado owners pining for 5 cyl. engines.  Anyway, let me also guess that you think every car should have wipers on it's headlights too. You know, to clear away all that accumulated snow in San Diego.


I will have you know that I was in San Diego the day that it snowed in the city. I vividly remember it because I was taking a final exam that morning and they called a brief break so that we could go outside and see it!


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## Klassik

Becca said:


> I will have you know that I was in San Diego the day that it snowed in the city. I vividly remember it because I was taking a final exam that morning and they called a brief break so that we could go outside and see it!


Wait, it snowed in San Diego?  I suppose strange things do happen. It snowed twice in Houston this year after all!

As for scary transportation experiences, try watching people from San Diego drive in real winter weather! Or rain even! :lol:


----------



## elgar's ghost

Snow in sunny Southern California AND in sultry Texas? Hpowders will be telling us next of a widespread permafrost in Florida.


----------



## KenOC

Snow in SoCal? Whenever it drizzles down here, the TV stations scream, "Monster storm socks Southland!"


----------



## Capeditiea

Every form... 

teleportation is what needs to happen. please?


----------



## Capeditiea

:O i am the only one who is afraid of walking? 

i mean it is seriously scary... i fall up the steps, i freak out when i nearly trip over a cute little puppy as i am rushing to the bathroom... then there is the times (which happen about monthly) when i am running from an invisible force that is trying to eat me alive. (which is quite common in Lovecraft's works...) 

but the worst of them all is when it is icy out and suddenly the ice decides to attack you and you lay there about to cry because the ice was planning on taking your jacket. 

we cannot forget about the evil low hanging trees as you are frantically running from the force stated a few examples ago...

sigh... walking is scary.


----------



## Klassik

Capeditiea said:


> :O i am the only one who is afraid of walking?


No, I don't think you're the only one. I'll see people sit and wait 5-10 minutes for a front parking spot to open up in a parking lot instead of just parking a few hundred feet away in vacant spots a little further out.


----------



## Capeditiea

Klassik said:


> No, I don't think you're the only one. I'll see people sit and wait 5-10 minutes for a front parking spot to open up in a parking lot instead of just parking a few hundred feet away in vacant spots a little further out.


that is laziness... i am absolutely afraid of walking. :O so many deadly things can occur... even with in those 100 feet or so... :O that is about fifty steps of "o my, what is bound to happen with in these 50 steps... and suddenly you are dodging cars left and right hoping that they don't decide to move sideways.


----------



## ldiat

awhile ago i use to be a Bass fisherman. has a 15ft closed bow fishing boat. a deep V. it was used on lake erie in the states. that lake can be very choppy. i had a 8hp engine(still have) and got around pretty good. sold it with the move. have a chance for another....free. 12ft. and still have my rods and etc...


----------



## hpowders

In NYC, they call the underground tubes, "Rapid Transit". Sarcasm to the extreme!!


----------



## Capeditiea

ldiat said:


> awhile ago i use to be a Bass fisherman. has a 15ft closed bow fishing boat. a deep V. it was used on lake erie in the states. that lake can be very choppy. i had a 8hp engine(still have) and got around pretty good. sold it with the move. have a chance for another....free. 12ft. and still have my rods and etc...


:O boats are scary too... especially since i am scared of water... :O (not drowning but melting... seriously it takes a lot of convincing to even shower.)

are you gonna get the 12ft?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Capeditiea said:


> Every form...
> 
> teleportation is what needs to happen. please?


I am with you. I want to be able to walk into the teleporter and step out into a National Park or wilderness area for my lunch break.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Capeditiea said:


> :O i am the only one who is afraid of walking?
> 
> *i mean it is seriously scary... i fall up the steps,* .


I fall up the steps quite a lot. It is my big feet catching the lip of the step. I figure so long as I don't fall down the steps, I don't have too much to worry about, but actually one can get somewhat banged up when they fall up the steps.


----------



## Capeditiea

Fritz Kobus said:


> I fall up the steps quite a lot. It is my big feet catching the lip of the step. I figure so long as I don't fall down the steps, I don't have too much to worry about, but actually one can get somewhat banged up when they fall up the steps.


i know... during this past winter... i ended up landing on my hand incorrectly and with it paired with the cold... it caused the pain to throb... it also appeared that my bone was dislocated... :O it was traumatizing. i mean i couldn't even do a cartwheel, (which ended in a faceplant... i have no idea why i was inclined to try a cartwheel... but it was effective enough to tell me that my wrist was not okay.)


----------



## david johnson

I am the most incompetent horseman! Not scared, just really bad. I doubt
I'll ride again.


----------



## joen_cph

Concerning *Uber*, it had to leave here, due to increased attention from the authorities, unions and the media.

An investigation has been done, and the court has now found that literally more than 99% of the drivers excelled in tax frauds in association with their chauffeur service; 
4 out of almost 1200 drivers registered their income as they should according to the law.


----------



## Ingélou

Aeroplane.
I have never flown. It's the feeling of not being in control that I dread - totally at the mercy of the pilot or the weather or (God forbid) other incidents. 
It's probably just the same in a bus or on a boat, but the feeling that I might be able to walk away or jump into the water and swim just reassures me a little. 
However, I hope to try a flight abroad in the next year or two.


----------



## Couchie

Ingélou said:


> Aeroplane.
> I have never flown. It's the feeling of not being in control that I dread - totally at the mercy of the pilot or the weather or (God forbid) other incidents.
> It's probably just the same in a bus or on a boat, but the feeling that I might be able to walk away or jump into the water and swim just reassures me a little.
> However, I hope to try a flight abroad in the next year or two.


Strange, that's why I actually like flying. Control is in the hands of skilled professionals, sophisticated technological systems, and a room full of air traffic controllers.

I hate driving, because I can't get it out of my head that I'm a mere hand-jerk away from veering into oncoming traffic and significant injury or death. And while I'm pretty confident in my own driving abilities, I'm up against the driving abilities of the masses, overconfident teenagers,drunk drivers, meth-fueled truckers who haven't slept in days, etc.


----------



## ldiat

Capeditiea said:


> :O boats are scary too... especially since i am scared of water... :O (not drowning but melting... seriously it takes a lot of convincing to even shower.)
> 
> are you gonna get the 12ft?


i am thinking about it. its free. its small not for the ocean or a great lake. there is a large lake Castic that also has a lagoon lower that only allows electric motors or oars. have both. need to buy a deep cycle battery.


----------



## Blancrocher

Couchie said:


> Strange, that's why I actually like flying. Control is in the hands of skilled professionals, sophisticated technological systems, and a room full of air traffic controllers.
> 
> I hate driving, because I can't get it out of my head that I'm a mere hand-jerk away from veering into oncoming traffic and significant injury or death. And while I'm pretty confident in my own driving abilities, I'm up against the driving abilities of the masses, overconfident teenagers,drunk drivers, meth-fueled truckers who haven't slept in days, etc.


Always makes me nervous when I see someone apparently texting while behind the wheel.


----------



## Capeditiea

ldiat said:


> i am thinking about it. its free. its small not for the ocean or a great lake. there is a large lake Castic that also has a lagoon lower that only allows electric motors or oars. have both. need to buy a deep cycle battery.


the lagoon sounds peaceful. 

I could simply talk you into getting the 12ft... if you would like. or i could cause you to not.

so first i shall attempt to have you not want it. 
Boats are scary. :O there is always a possibility of the boat deciding that it wants to play the popular discordian game known fairly well as sink. which at this point doesn't care if you are in it or not. Then there are the fish whom decide to attack the boat because they are bored one day, which in turn you are asking the fish politely to eat the hook. Which they refuse. This inferiates the fish that have already decided it was a pleasant experience to grab on to the hook with the tasty looking worm that happened to be on the hook... which they have completely forgotten there was a hook... i mean there is just a worm floating there in one spot for the most part... nothing too suspicious there... so they go for the worm. and boom next thing they know. They are suffocating on air... flopping around like a fish out of water... i mean they really are a fish out of water. 
The human (which in this case would be you, i suspect you are a human) would be kind enough to place them back in the water or in a bucket full of water... either way the fish doesn't mind, it just wants to breath again...

Later on the fish realizes what just happened, it's guts are now gone, and the scales have been scraped off... the fish is now feeling naked. and slowly dying. *cries elegantly. YOU MEANIE! at least kill the fish before you prepare it.

...but now you see how having a boat is evil.


----------



## hpowders

I tremble when the bus approaches with the sign "Area 51" on it as the final destination.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

Driving seems pretty scary, but derailments of either a subway or a train sounds pretty catastrophic to me, and they do happen. I selected subway, cuz such an incident happened on a local metro some years ago, but it happened in a tunnel so everyone was safe. But if it had been outside on a bridge...


----------



## Klassik

Couchie said:


> Strange, that's why I actually like flying. Control is in the hands of skilled professionals, sophisticated technological systems, and a room full of air traffic controllers.





Blancrocher said:


> Always makes me nervous when I see someone apparently texting while behind the wheel.


I'm a very seasoned driver, but driving is certainly more scary to me than flying. I see so many bizarre things happen on the roads here in Houston. Poorly trained drivers, cars in terrible condition, roads that are always under under construction and are poorly marked, heavy storms causing flash flooding, drivers having medical issues on the road (have you ever had to sneeze while driving on the freeway? ), sofas flying out of pickup trucks, and so forth.  Commercial aviation, OTOH, has much more professionalism and is much safer statistically. Modern planes with automated systems are even safer than the older ones where mistakes were more likely to happen. Flying in a small single-engined plane can be a bit scary though.



Huilunsoittaja said:


> Driving seems pretty scary, but derailments of either a subway or a train sounds pretty catastrophic to me, and they do happen. I selected subway, cuz such an incident happened on a local metro some years ago, but it happened in a tunnel so everyone was safe. But if it had been outside on a bridge...


We don't have a subway in Houston, but they did build an above-ground light rail system in some of the inner districts of the city ~15 years ago. There were so many cases of cars crashing into the train during the first few years of those rail lines. People were making left turns in front of the trains and nonsense like that even though there were signals.  Of course, I'd rather be in the train than in the car in the case of a train-car accident.


----------



## Capeditiea

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Driving seems pretty scary, but derailments of either a subway or a train sounds pretty catastrophic to me, and they do happen. I selected subway, cuz such an incident happened on a local metro some years ago, but it happened in a tunnel so everyone was safe. But if it had been outside on a bridge...


i once watched a program... i think it had the most dangerous railroad or something... turns out there is one in Arizona that they have to keep wet when a train passes... and the train has to go really slow... other wise the bridge would incinerate... which was learned after the first time it happened. thankfully the train dude was not hurt... and he was hauling coal and oil to top it off... they ended up building a watering system and a new bridge.

there was another one (even though a train was not on it... (i think in pennsylvania...) where the bridge was hit by a tornado and it was brutally destroyed which is now a tourist attraction... what caused it was they were lazy on rebuilding the track with galvanized steel from iron... and left the mounts iron... which later the tornado struck and boom everything just collapsed...

(there were others on that show... i cannot remember them all since i was busy cleaning the house...)


----------



## Klassik

Us Texans have always been known for our intelligence.  Thus, in 1896, it was decided that it would be a good idea to purposely crash two trains head-on as a spectator event in Central Texas. 40,000 people showed up to see this event. That was a lot of people for Texas at the time, the 2nd biggest city in Texas didn't even have that many people. Anyway, what could possibly go wrong? Well, some spectators died and many were injured by the debris. Scott Joplin was in the area at the time and he wrote the _Great Crush Collision March_ to commemorate the crash. :lol:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crush,_Texas


----------



## KenOC

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Driving seems pretty scary, but derailments of either a subway or a train sounds pretty catastrophic to me, and they do happen. I selected subway, cuz such an incident happened on a local metro some years ago, but it happened in a tunnel so everyone was safe. But if it had been outside on a bridge...


Come and visit San Francisco! The subway goes through a tunnel deep under San Francisco Bay. What could go wrong? Or to put it another way, how long can you hold your breath?


----------



## Blancrocher

I dislike long stairwells. Recently while walking down one in my usual gingerly fashion, I saw a 20-something woman jogging down 3 steps at a time pulling a rolling suitcase behind her. Must have had a plane or train to catch. I was most impressed.


----------



## Strange Magic

I dread motorized pleasure boats plying our local waters. The incidence of impaired or totally incompetent owners/operators of such craft is startling. I will not be a guest on such craft unless the owner is well-known to me as being a responsible mariner. And, as an open-water kayaker, I have every reason to fear powerboats of a summer's day as they weave and whizz about. Often one will head toward me on a sure collision course and I have to ponder my options until finally they see me (I hope) and veer off. The worst are powerboats pulling water skiers. By Nova Caesarean law, there must be one person at the controls looking always forward, and a second person watching the skier, but usually the boat's pilot is looking back over his shoulder also and doesn't have a clue as to immediate situational awareness.

I was struck by a powerboat while in my kayak once--my error on not exercising hypervigilance at the time, and certainly the error of the 83-year-old powerboat owner who was seated in the stern of his craft trying to figure out how to work his newly-purchased GPS. He ran over me in a fairly narrow tidal creek and, if he hadn't hit me, he would have run his boat into the creek bank. I could see that he was going to hit me, and so I rolled my kayak over to present the bottom of the boat to the impacting force, pushed myself out of my cockpit under water, and swam to the surface unscathed. My kayak was damaged and a spare paddle on the rear deck was trashed, but the powerboat's occupant immediately took responsibility for the impact and made good on all my losses. He then said that the incident had really shaken him and that he might give up boating altogether. Never saw him or his boat ever again.


----------



## Klassik

Blancrocher said:


> I dislike long stairwells. Recently while walking down one in my usual gingerly fashion, I saw a 20-something woman jogging down 3 steps at a time pulling a rolling suitcase behind her. Must have had a plane or train to catch. I was most impressed.


OTOH, there are those who are quite afraid of elevators and escalators. Many years ago, I was at a Sears near the escalator and a woman had a panic attack on the escalator. What a scene! They even had to call the fire department! 

I will say that 4'33" is my favorite elevator music. There's nothing like a little Cage while stuck in the elevator cage.


----------



## hpowders

hpowders said:


> I tremble when the bus approaches with the sign "Area 51" on it as the final destination.


Yes!!! Leaving me off at the intersection of Anxiety Drive and Feudal Boulevard.


----------



## Kivimees

Blancrocher said:


> I dislike long stairwells.


I dislike long tightropes. I transit between skyscrapers this way only when really pressed for time.


----------



## Blancrocher

Kivimees said:


> I dislike long tightropes. I transit between skyscrapers this way only when really pressed for time.


I have a serious fear of heights, and was made almost physically ill when watching the films Man on Wire, The Walk ... and even the old Harold Lloyd flick Safety Last! I can only imagine what it's like to do that kind of thing in real life.

Movie car chases, by contrast, have no effect on me.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Klassik said:


> OTOH, there are those who are quite afraid of elevators and escalators. Many years ago, I was at a Sears near the escalator and a woman had a panic attack on the escalator. What a scene! They even had to call the fire department!
> 
> I will say that 4'33" is my favorite elevator music. There's nothing like a little Cage while stuck in the elevator cage.


I have to take elevators daily and always in the back of my mind have an image of it going into freefall while I am half way through the door, leaving my feet in the basement and my head in the hall.  I would not say I fear elevators, but am not fond of them.

Agree on the elevator music suggestion but hope to never have to be in an elevator long enough to hear the entire piece. Maybe one movement at most.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Blancrocher said:


> I have a serious fear of heights, and was made almost physically ill when watching the films Man on Wire, The Walk ... and even the old Harold Lloyd flick Safety Last! I can only imagine what it's like to do that kind of thing in real life.
> 
> Movie car chases, by contrast, have no effect on me.


I do have some fear of heights and somehow if on a precipice will have an image flash through my head of jumping off. I don't like to stand near the edge and prefer a railing.


----------



## hpowders

Blancrocher said:


> I have a serious fear of heights, and was made almost physically ill when watching the films Man on Wire, The Walk ... and even the old Harold Lloyd flick Safety Last! I can only imagine what it's like to do that kind of thing in real life.
> 
> Movie car chases, by contrast, have no effect on me.


Ironic, isn't it? A fear of heights, yet reached the heights as a TC poster.

Dichotomies like this keep me up at night.


----------



## hpowders

Fritz Kobus said:


> I do have some fear of heights and somehow if on a precipice will have an image flash through my head of jumping off. I don't like to stand near the edge and prefer a railing.


A fear of heights, yet the University of Michigan you attended has reached the heights as one of America's finest research universities.

One of many dichotomies that keeps me up at night.


----------



## Blancrocher

hpowders said:


> Ironic, isn't it? A fear of heights, yet reached the heights as a TC poster.


Thanks ... I guess :lol:

(I'm frankly ashamed of my rapidly increasing post-count!)


----------



## Klassik

Fritz Kobus said:


> I have to take elevators daily and always in the back of my mind have an image of it going into freefall while I am half way through the door, leaving my feet in the basement and my head in the hall. I would not say I fear elevators, but am not fond of them.
> 
> Agree on the elevator music suggestion but hope to never have to be in an elevator long enough to hear the entire piece. Maybe one movement at most.


I recently rode an elevator at a hôtel in Montréal that was so fast that it made me feel that my head was in the ceiling and my feet were in the basement. You should have seen how fast the display was changing as I went up/down floors. It was pretty exciting once I realized I wasn't in free fall on my way down. 

Having said that, I've been in some elevators that are so rickety that it seemed as if the whole of 4'33" could have finished before the slow doors could even close.  I can see why someone would be afraid of elevators like that. Oh, and thanks for recognizing that 4'33" is a multi-movement work. :cheers: Some people don't know that it has three movements. I don't know why people are oblivious to this. :lol:



Blancrocher said:


> I have a serious fear of heights, and was made almost physically ill when watching the films Man on Wire, The Walk ... and even the old Harold Lloyd flick Safety Last! I can only imagine what it's like to do that kind of thing in real life.


What about _Elvira Madigan_?


----------



## hpowders

Blancrocher said:


> Thanks ... I guess :lol:


Kind of Modest, eh, Mussorgsky??


----------



## SixFootScowl

Fear this!









Why? No brakes! Watch this..


----------



## Couchie

Fritz Kobus said:


> I have to take elevators daily and always in the back of my mind have an image of it going into freefall while I am half way through the door, leaving my feet in the basement and my head in the hall.  I would not say I fear elevators, but am not fond of them.
> 
> Agree on the elevator music suggestion but hope to never have to be in an elevator long enough to hear the entire piece. Maybe one movement at most.


Modern elevators are essentially fail-safe. The only things to fear are awkward silences/small talk with strangers and power outages.


----------



## Klassik

Couchie said:


> Modern elevators are essentially fail-safe. The only things to fear are awkward silences/small talk with strangers and power outages.


And body odor.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Couchie said:


> Modern elevators are essentially fail-safe. The only things to fear are awkward silences/small talk with strangers and power outages.


Yep, but we were in a half-rate hotel once where the elevator inspection certifications were out of date and the elevators were rather rough running. Thankfully, being only on the third floor, I took the stairs.


----------



## Capeditiea

Couchie said:


> Modern elevators are essentially fail-safe. The only things to fear are awkward silences/small talk with strangers and power outages.


:O those scare me too.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Anything man made


----------



## SixFootScowl

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Anything man made


Like the former I-35W Mississippi River bridge.


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Fritz Kobus said:


> Like the former I-35W Mississippi River bridge.


Not good, bridge was relatively young built in 1967, now I am scared and glad I don't drive in the US............


----------



## Capeditiea

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Anything man made


agree.
.............


----------



## Couchie

I do hate long escalators. They are extremely disorienting and if you ever fell... no landings to catch you


----------



## Klassik

I don't have a problem with escalators. I suppose they could eat you if you have a loose shoelace or something, but I don't know why one would fall from one. Moving sidewalks, OTOH, seem kind of bizarre to me. They aren't really scary unless you're not paying attention (same with escalators), but the whole concept of them just seem strange and unnecessary.


----------



## Capeditiea

Couchie said:


> I do hate long escalators. They are extremely disorienting and if you ever fell... no landings to catch you


:O at the top it seems like a big huge beast is extending it's tongue out to eat me. :O


----------



## Capeditiea

Klassik said:


> I don't have a problem with escalators. I suppose they could eat you if you have a loose shoelace or something, but I don't know why one would fall from one. Moving sidewalks, OTOH, seem kind of bizarre to me. They aren't really scary unless you're not paying attention (same with escalators), but the whole concept of them just seem strange and unnecessary.


*cries, the local doomport has those moving sidewalks... first you arrive in car... where other cars are around plotting on running you over... you finally walk inside and buy your airplane ticket, suddenly you are face to face with an esculator... you just know that these "steps" are teeth... which when you quickly make your way through them... and boom... (wait this is in the pheonix airport...) you end up at those moving sidewalks and now your luggage feels really heavy... like the escalator beast decided to inflict some sort of fatigue thing... which then you end up moving at a drastically slower pace... feeling as though at the end, you are too end up in some incinerator or slaughter house... but the horror is far from over... you are now sent towards this long path way where it seems to be where you meet your doom... no you art seated and suddenly you are in the air... :O which now you are so far away from the ground... where everysign of movement freaks the living poo out of you.

you arrive at the destination and suddenly you have to do everything in reverse... :O


----------



## hpowders

Kivimees said:


> I dislike long tightropes. I transit between skyscrapers this way only when really pressed for time.


I thought I was the only one. Only when I am on a tight schedule.


----------



## Capeditiea

hpowders said:


> I thought I was the only one. Only when I am on a tight schedule.


In the anime Nisekoi, (second season) 
The mother of one of the characters set up a process of where she would shoot a grappling hook which would cling to a targeted wall, and grant her to sort glide to the other building. but she was obsesively super propt with time... :3 this needs to happen in real life so i am suggesting it.

but on another note... this too would scare me like crazy... :O


----------



## hpowders

Capeditiea said:


> In the anime Nisekoi, (second season)
> The mother of one of the characters set up a process of where she would shoot a grappling hook which would cling to a targeted wall, and grant her to sort glide to the other building. but she was obsesively super propt with time... :3 this needs to happen in real life so i am suggesting it.
> 
> but on another note... this too would scare me like crazy... :O


Sounds good. Will be going to Macy's to do some hook shopping.


----------



## Jos

I find the Gotthart tunnel a bit too long for comfort. I've done it many times, and every time I get this edgy feeling after 12 km; I'd like this to be over. But still I enter this passway vto glorious Italy.


----------



## Capeditiea

Jos said:


> I find the Gotthart tunnel a bit too long for comfort. I've done it many times, and every time I get this edgy feeling after 12 km; I'd like this to be over. But still I enter this passway vto glorious Italy.


*note to self, if i ever don't take the Gotthart... i will not survive. and if that is the only way to get somewhere... be in best of health... :O *whimpers just thinking about it.


----------



## Phil loves classical

Unicycle. ......


----------



## KenOC

What ever happened to the old practice of getting from place to place while pushing a peanut with your nose?


----------



## SixFootScowl

KenOC said:


> What ever happened to the old practice of getting from place to place while pushing a peanut with your nose?


That's what drunks should be required to do after their car keys are seized.


----------



## Klassik

Phil loves classical said:


> Unicycle. ......


Riding a unicycle isn't as scary as being anywhere near someone else riding one as it's almost assured that the person riding a unicycle is a dirty hipster.


----------



## hpowders

Klassik said:


> Riding a unicycle isn't as scary as being anywhere near someone else riding one as it's almost assured that the person riding a unicycle is a dirty hipster.


Anyone who rides one, IMHO, is most likely mentally, unbalanced.


----------



## SixFootScowl

hpowders said:


> Anyone who rides one, IMHO, is most likely mentally, unbalanced.


It's such a pointless endeavor, like going for a hike in the woods when you can hike virtually on You Tube.


----------



## Blancrocher

I wouldn't like walking with stilts, I can imagine. In fact, I doubt I'd want to be anywhere that I needed them.


----------



## hpowders

Fritz Kobus said:


> It's such a pointless endeavor, like going for a hike in the woods when you can hike virtually on You Tube.


If You Tube ever takes a hike, I don't know what I'll do!


----------



## SixFootScowl

hpowders said:


> If You Tube ever takes a hike, I don't know what I'll do!


Yeah, I can do rock climbing, sky diving, wilderness hiking with none of the risks and none of the inconveniences house. Why would I want to go out and get ripped up by mosquitoes or bears, bit by a rattle snake, or fall off a cliff?


----------



## Klassik

hpowders said:


> If You Tube ever takes a hike, I don't know what I'll do!


Perhaps you should stop taking hallucinogens if you see YouTube take a hike.


----------



## Jos

Or increase the intake...


----------



## elgar's ghost

Has anyone ever risked life and limb riding one of these?


----------



## hpowders

Klassik said:


> Perhaps you should stop taking hallucinogens if you see YouTube take a hike.


I've taken the first step. I no longer spend my Sunday afternoons gathering wild mushrooms in the forest.


----------



## hpowders

elgars ghost said:


> Has anyone ever risked life and limb riding one of these?


Imagine hitting a pothole on that!


----------



## Capeditiea

hpowders said:


> Imagine hitting a pothole on that!


:O that would be tragic... :O i once got on one of those bikes... it was so high up that my fear of heights taken shape... and i couldn't figure out how to get off... so i simply propelled my self enough to fashionably fall.  i safely made it on the ground... 

---edited to fix a typo.


----------



## Klassik

hpowders said:


> Imagine hitting a pothole on that!


You know, the penny-farthing is the official symbol of the city of Davis, CA. I guess they like to get high on their potholes over there.


----------



## hpowders

Klassik said:


> You know, the penny-farthing is the official symbol of the city of Davis, CA. I guess they like to get high on their potholes over there.


In addition to having dead composers as pen pals.


----------



## KenOC

hpowders said:


> Imagine hitting a pothole on that!


Imagine leaning too far forward. "Headers were relatively common and a significant, sometimes fatal, hazard. Riders coasting down hills often took their feet off the pedals and put them over the tops of the handlebars, so they would be pitched off feet-first instead of head-first."


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## SixFootScowl

KenOC said:


> Imagine leaning too far forward. "Headers were relatively common and a significant, sometimes fatal, hazard. Riders coasting down hills often took their feet off the pedals and put them over the tops of the handlebars, so they would be pitched off feet-first instead of head-first."


And we thought people only did death-defying stupid stunts in the era of You Tube! Or it's a shame they didn't have You Tube back then to display these crazy stunts.

EDIT: Well there is always someone stupid enough to recreate it for You Tube:


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## KenOC

You probably read that a Southwest Airline 737 recently suffered an engine failure that sent shrapnel through a cabin window, causing decompression and killing a passenger who was sucked partway out of the airplane.

The passenger, Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was the first passenger to die in an accident on a US commercial airliner since 2009. I find that quite amazing and a tribute to the safety of the US airline industry.


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## Capeditiea

KenOC said:


> You probably read that a Southwest Airline 737 recently suffered an engine failure that sent shrapnel through a cabin window, causing decompression and killing a passenger who was sucked partway out of the airplane.
> 
> The passenger, Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was the first passenger to die in an accident on a US commercial airliner since 2009. I find that quite amazing and a tribute to the safety of the US airline industry.


:O and i thought i was scared of airplanes before...


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## Norman Gunston

Uber scares me ...................


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## SixFootScowl

KenOC said:


> You probably read that a Southwest Airline 737 recently suffered an engine failure that sent shrapnel through a cabin window, causing decompression and killing a passenger who was sucked partway out of the airplane.
> 
> The passenger, Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was the first passenger to die in an accident on a US commercial airliner since 2009. I find that quite amazing and a tribute to the safety of the US airline industry.


I will keep my seat belt on the whole time I am flying so that hopefully I don't get sucked out the window.


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## Klassik

Fritz Kobus said:


> I will keep my seat belt on the whole time I am flying so that hopefully I don't get sucked out the window.


What about getting sucked out through half the roof? 










But, yes, it's amazing how much safer commercial aviation is today as compared to even 30 years ago (and, of course, flying was safer than driving even 30 years ago). A lot of credit has to be given to the entire industry, but there's still room for improvement. Hopefully the investigators will figure out what caused the fan disk failure if that is indeed what happened to Southwest 737. I'm sure a lot of us remember the images of United 232 crashing at Sioux City in 1989 due to an exploding fan disk rupturing hydraulic lines on that DC-10.


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## Capeditiea

I think what started my ultimate scare of airplanes was from this movie i seen as a kid... where suddenly the plane decided to go through turbulance and boom ripped a hole and some shrapnel decided to end up on some dudes face and thusly it traumatized me. :O i really have no idea which movie it was... but that part stuck to me...  so now i am scared of airplanes. due to that movie. :O


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Klassik said:


> What about getting sucked out through half the roof?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But, yes, it's amazing how much safer commercial aviation is today as compared to even 30 years ago (and, of course, flying was safer than driving even 30 years ago). A lot of credit has to be given to the entire industry, but there's still room for improvement. Hopefully the investigators will figure out what caused the fan disk failure if that is indeed what happened to Southwest 737. I'm sure a lot of us remember the images of United 232 crashing at Sioux City in 1989 due to an exploding fan disk rupturing hydraulic lines on that DC-10.


Convertible seats hey, do they cost more?


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## Klassik

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Convertible seats hey, do they cost more?


Well, the open part does appear to be first class.


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## Capeditiea

As, Capeditiea was thinking about to fall asleep, they suddenly read the above again, and realize that maybe a dream of riding in a plane may occur and is now kinda scared to go to sleep...


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

The latest form of transit to keep me awake at night is a dog sled, I would always be scarred the dogs would turn on me


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## SixFootScowl

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> The latest form of transit to keep me awake at night is a dog sled, I would always be scarred the dogs would turn on me


They might turn on Captain Beefheart and surely would turn on Meat Loaf.


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## hpowders

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> The latest form of transit to keep me awake at night is a dog sled, I would always be scarred the dogs would turn on me


The solution: Simply do not give the dogs a reason to turn on you. Avoid playing a tape of 4'33", Renée Fleming's Greatest Hits, or anything sung by Johnny Mathis, until AFTER you depart the sled!!


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## Capeditiea

hpowders said:


> The solution: Simply do not give the dogs a reason to turn on you. Avoid playing a tape of 4'33", Renée Fleming's Greatest Hits, or anything sung by Johnny Mathis, until AFTER you depart the sled!!


well,there is that, also i would advize that you don't listen to some of those, due to the fact it gives you an aura which then the aura would resume for a few days, thusly the dogs would pick up on this and you are then eaten alive... :O


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## hpowders

Capeditiea said:


> well,there is that, also i would advize that you don't listen to some of those, due to the fact it gives you an aura which then the aura would resume for a few days, thusly the dogs would pick up on this and you are then eaten alive... :O


The solution: Have the sled pulled by very small dogs, like Shi Tzu's, whom you can quickly overpower, in case they foolishly decide that they now rule the world. Barbecue them slowly and enjoy!


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## Klassik

hpowders said:


> The solution: Simply do not give the dogs a reason to turn on you. Avoid playing a tape of 4'33", Renée Fleming's Greatest Hits, or anything sung by Johnny Mathis, until AFTER you depart the sled!!


Oh, yes, avoid the Renee Fleming (not worthy of a diacritic).  4'33" should be okay. Who would be offended by 4'33"?


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## hpowders

Klassik said:


> Oh, yes, avoid the Renee Fleming (not worthy of a diacritic).  4'33" should be okay. Who would be offended by 4'33"?


At the time, I gave my best advice. Whether he follows it or not, that's up to him.


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## hpowders

hpowders said:


> At the time, I gave my best advice. Whether he follows it or not, that's up to him.


Roast Shi Tzu 3 minutes high heat, turn over, 2 minutes, for medium rare.

It's up to him. All I can do is offer recommendations.


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## hpowders

hpowders said:


> Roast Shi Tzu 3 minutes high heat, turn over, 2 minutes, for medium rare.
> 
> It's up to him. All I can do is offer recommendations.


Tastes best de-furred, IMO.

As Rachmaninov might say..."so many variations."


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## hpowders

Norman Gunston said:


> Uber scares me ...................


Yes. Uber alles, it has to be Uber.


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## hammeredklavier

I was going to post this in <Creepy pictures to darken your night........>, but I thought this thread was more appropriate for it.


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## SixFootScowl

We had one at the Detroit airport in 1987 that took 156 lives. Pretty nasty. Here is a 3 minute video:


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## progmatist

hpowders said:


> Norman Gunston said:
> 
> 
> 
> Uber scares me ...................
> 
> 
> 
> Yes. Uber alles, it has to be Uber.
Click to expand...

Rarely considered is most Uber and Lyft drivers are driving around without insurance. They carry a standard auto policy, which does not cover commercial use of a vehicle. When I got into an accident, one of the first questions my adjuster asked was whether I drove for Lyft or Uber. Which of course I was not, nor would I ever consider in a million years.


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## MarkW

Toboggans .


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## SixFootScowl

MarkW said:


> Toboggans .


Oh yeah, I had a bad experience on a toboggan once when we hit a rock or something like that and the toboggan shattered into several pieces and the three or four of us were sore in the sit upon. I remember the kid at the front insisting he was going to take this certain path and I warned him but....


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## SixFootScowl

For me buses are scary. You never know who is going to sit down beside you, how long it has been since they had a bath, or whether they just ate garlic.


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## progmatist

MarkW said:


> Toboggans .


Yes, they're a huge problem here in the Desert Southwest.


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