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The future doesn't seem hopeful for us

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ThatM1key

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I feel like the future is just disappointing, like no hope for us. I currently feel like life has 2 stages, Childhood wonder (0-20) and New adult (20-30). A good chunk of this start thread is just whining but innovations & changes are made because of people whining.

When my father was a child in my eighties, it was awesome. Cars were made using computers and car companies were happy to make new car ideas to see if there was a market for that idea. Electronics had more love put into them compared to nowadays (Although most 80s audio products was badly priced, like wow). The music was great (From all genres, from Rock to Jazz). Every year, the hope was great and nobody had much worries. The movies were made freely without any censorship worries. TV shows were a hit or a miss.

When my father was a adult in the 1990s, it was still great. The music was still great and there was new music trends/beats. Cars evolved well, compact V6 engines can rival V8s from yester-decade, aero body curves, flowing interiors, etc. The market was doing well and the prices made sense. The internet evolved fast and changed things for the better. Society became even less sensitive. New movies were still good. TV shows got more effort/funding put into them.

Well in my view, the 2000s-early 2010s was amazing. Cars became more plastic but still evolved well. Car companies still tested new ideas. The music was great. Live action movies became more meh but the animated/CGI movies got better. Tech got better/powerful and the jump from one new tech to another new tech was big (Ex: PS2 to PS3) (Ex: CRT to Thick Flatscreens) (Ex: 3G to LTE). Society got less even sensitive. The internet was, let's say wild and free. Even more TV ideas were tested. Flipphones were cool and were compact. Netflix was actually a good place to watch stuff. Home theater/Home audio got better.

Today (~2017 to future). It just sucks mostly. Every new car is more based on gov't laws, What people think they want (Ex: Crossovers),etc. Cars are made so cheap that there is Plastic waterpumps and CVTs are replacing reliable Automatics. Although modern basic-trim 4-cylinder cars can match 2000s top-tier muscle cars. Tech doesn't evolve that much. 4K is amazing but 8K just seems meh, like we hit a peak. The jump from PS4 to PS5, introduced not much new to the table. Society (and the internet) feels more sensitive. Speaker of internet, it feels so divided. Movies are made based on milking money and if its censored in "x" country. Most music is just awful (Imo: Expect for the Weeknd). Computers didn't really change in the past 5 years. There is so many weird food products like "Skittles Drink Mix". Once healthy-ised food products are now more unhealthy then the "normal" product (Ex: Chips). Good TV shows are canned while cheap-to-make shows remain. Smart phones are just meh, they only get faster, that's it. "Corporate Memphis" is a terrible life-less & creative-less style bleeding into everything. Video games are getting more soul-less (Ex: Loot crates). The best big change was audio, its so easy and cheap to get a CD-quality experience. Although movies are more strict in creativity, the home audio experience has gotten better (Ex: Hearing rain drops above your head from John Wicks Dolby Atmos). Every day, there always something stupid (All news, not just mainstream) happening that can affect my livelihood.

So that's how I feel.

Edit: I thought this thread was deleted but I am thankful its not. It was moved from Fun topic to news/info, which is fine.
 
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Blumlein 88

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Sounds like you are getting old. Not so bad considering the alternative. Sounds like my complaints if you back up all the dates by maybe 20-25 years.

Who could stand flimsy cars, with so much plastic instead of all metal and having weak engines due to gov't EPA regs? Not like real cars up until the mid 1960's. And who needs stupid video games later instead of actually getting out and doing stuff in the real world. How can any game have soul versus real stuff. Who wants computers in their cars (egad) much less taking up so much time in your home?

ETC, ETC, .................yada, yada, yada..............................
 
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ThatM1key

ThatM1key

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Sounds like you are getting old.
I do feel like I'm getting old already. When my father was in his 20s in the 1990s, he felt hopeful for the future, enjoyed the new music and cars. When it comes to me, No new car sounds interesting, most new music just doesn't sound good and the cars, you already know.
Who could stand flimsy cars, with so much plastic instead of all metal and having weak engines due to gov't EPA regs? Not like real cars up until the mid 1960's.
Can't complain about 1960s cars and below. Easy to work on engines ranging from Inline 6's to Big Block V8's. Heavy doors that can probably survive a nuke. Lots of leg room. etc etc.

And who needs stupid video games later instead of actually getting out and doing stuff in the real world. How can any game have soul versus real stuff
I'll debate you on that. I like racing games because I'll experience cars that I can never afford. For example a (Any year) Nissan 240SX sells for so much for what it is but with video games I can experience that without putting down 20K.

Who wants computers in their cars (egad) much less taking up so much time in your home?
I would say computers in cars only good for engine management not "Oh no this unimportant and non-essential X sensor went out, were gonna cut your horsepower in half".
 

RayDunzl

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I'll be 70 next week.

There are "more choices" now.

Choose wisely.
 

Blumlein 88

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I do feel like I'm getting old already. When my father was in his 20s in the 1990s, he felt hopeful for the future, enjoyed the new music and cars. When it comes to me, No new car sounds interesting, most new music just doesn't sound good and the cars, you already know.

Can't complain about 1960s cars and below. Easy to work on engines ranging from Inline 6's to Big Block V8's. Heavy doors that can probably survive a nuke. Lots of leg room. etc etc.


I'll debate you on that. I like racing games because I'll experience cars that I can never afford. For example a (Any year) Nissan 240SX sells for so much for what it is but with video games I can experience that without putting down 20K.


I would say computers in cars only good for engine management not "Oh no this unimportant and non-essential X sensor went out, were gonna cut your horsepower in half".
You must not have owned cars when they first had electronics (and early computers). Who wants a car that just up and quits with no notice of problems? Early on they weren't good for engine management really. They got better.

Video games...........please.....................would you rather kiss a simulation of a beautiful girl you cannot have or the real gal next door?

As it so happens I don't think any video game could simulate the difference in the regular 240SX and one of the models with SuperHICAS (fancy name for 4 wheel steering). It was like two very different cars and had some advantages that nearly no modern cars do in terms of feel. Feel you aren't getting in a video game.

Not trying to crack on you really. Just different times. It is ten times more fun to try and put a lawn mower engine on a home made go cart and go tearing around the woods than any video game with any car you can conjure up on it.
 

fcracer

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I think this feeling depends on your age and where you live. If you’re in the western world and older, I can appreciate this feeling. If you’re in the eastern world, you see a bright future ahead. If you live in cities like Saigon, Mumbai and Shenzhen, life feels limitless.

Speaking of cars, check out what’s going on in China where I live. There’s some serious innovation going on here that I think has escaped most of the world’s attention. Have a look at the interior of Xpeng, Li Auto, NIO and BYD. These are not concepts, these are cars I see all over the streets of Beijing where I live.

The most exciting thing for me right now is the potential of tools like ChatGPT. I haven’t had that butterflies in the stomach feeling since the first time I used the Internet to research something in university. It boggles the mind where this could take us.
 

SIY

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There's other things in life besides cars. Everything is better now.

That said, when I was a kid, getting 100k miles was a major deal. Now with modern cars, that's barely broken in.
 

Blumlein 88

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I think this feeling depends on your age and where you live. If you’re in the western world and older, I can appreciate this feeling. If you’re in the eastern world, you see a bright future ahead. If you live in cities like Saigon, Mumbai and Shenzhen, life feels limitless.

Speaking of cars, check out what’s going on in China where I live. There’s some serious innovation going on here that I think has escaped most of the world’s attention. Have a look at the interior of Xpeng, Li Auto, NIO and BYD. These are not concepts, these are cars I see all over the streets of Beijing where I live.

The most exciting thing for me right now is the potential of tools like ChatGPT. I haven’t had that butterflies in the stomach feeling since the first time I used the Internet to research something in university. It boggles the mind where this could take us.
I've not been to those places. It seems that way to me however. USA growing up in the 1960's seemed amazing and optimistic and like the future could only be incredible. It seems those places you mention have this feeling about life and the future now.

Also hard to displace your feelings from your age. I'm pretty sure things aren't quite so bleak seeming to young people as to older people. I remember really old people, like in their 60s (like me now) complaining about how badly things were going even as I thought "are they crazy, things are only getting better".
 

RayDunzl

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Where ya gonna drive it?
 

RayDunzl

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It seems that way to me however. USA growing up in the 1960's seemed amazing and optimistic and like the future could only be incredible.

If you didn't get drafted.


 

antcollinet

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.... but innovations & changes are made because of people whining.
I'm gonna make a correction right here.

Innovations and changes are made because people who are unhappy with the status quo get of their arses and make them instead of whining.
 
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ThatM1key

ThatM1key

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As it so happens I don't think any video game could simulate the difference in the regular 240SX and one of the models with SuperHICAS (fancy name for 4 wheel steering). It was like two very different cars and had some advantages that nearly no modern cars do in terms of feel. Feel you aren't getting in a video game
I know with GT7 you can add 4WS to cars but I think cars with 4WS don't have be added?

Screenshot 2023-04-27 195927.png


The past is gone. The future doesn't exist yet. All we have is right now. Live your life in the present, and don't worry about what doesn't exist.

Jim
I heard variations of that saying. There was a thing that a guy said, which went something like this: "The time thinking about your past, could be the time to enjoy the future".

We also have vaccines, antibiotics, corrective surgeries for zillions of things that try to kill you and accidents, treatments for same. We can do better but you are unlikely to starve to death and actually for this cohort of people less likely to die violently.
Yeah medical enhancements has gotten better every year.

Speaking of cars, check out what’s going on in China where I live. There’s some serious innovation going on here that I think has escaped most of the world’s attention. Have a look at the interior of Xpeng, Li Auto, NIO and BYD. These are not concepts, these are cars I see all over the streets of Beijing where I live.
China does get some of the cool cars that we Americans don't get, like the Buick GL8. I just get sick of seeing Buick Encores, they got the shape of a pug.

I'm gonna make a correction right here.

Innovations and changes are made because people who are unhappy with the status quo get of their arses and make them instead of whining.
I partly agree with you Although some companies do listen and make changes for the better.
 

valerianf

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One point has been forgotten: there was the World before Covid and there is the World after Covid.
Sorry, it is the elephant in the room.
Nothing will be the same...
 

JSmith

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The past is gone. The future doesn't exist yet. All we have is right now. Live your life in the present, and don't worry about what doesn't exist.
I agree as general practice... in reality we all live in the past as everything we sense from the world around us has actually already technically happened before we perceive it. Our brains also predict a lot.

png-clipart-smiley-member-berries-font-smiley-miscellaneous-purple-thumbnail.png


Much has changed in many of our lifetimes, so it's understandable we look back on the past more fondly than the present.


JSmith
 

gene_stl

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Covid was a bump in the road. A big bump to be sure. But I wrote my boss a note threatening to retire if Covid came to st.louis a March 07 of 2020 Two weeks later they closed the campus for a long time. But on September 01 I received an injection of the Moderna vaccine as part of a study at the Center for Vaccine Development. And they unblinded the study and gave emergency use arthurization in December. That was all pretty unbelievable.

That said both my sons just got COVID. But we were able to test them at home and also they both had Paxlovid. They both were multiply vaccinated.

It is a shame about all the people who got sick and died or got long COVID. But the world of technology whupped it pretty good, if one is/was willing to take the shots. I myself had eight shots and took all three brands of vaccine and did not get COVID from my sons who live here. Nor did the Mrs.
 

fcracer

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Where ya gonna drive it?
Almost every country has race tracks where clubs host track days. Also, every country has winding twisty roads that you could enjoy a car like this without even going very fast. I think heaven is something like driving a GT3RS around Tuscany.
 
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