this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2024
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xkcd

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xkcd #2940: Modes of Transportation

https://xkcd.com/2940

Explain xkcd #2940

Title Text:

My bold criticism might anger the hot air balloon people, which would be a real concern if any of them lived along a very narrow line directly upwind of me.

alt-text:A chart that categorizes various modes of transportation based on their practicality and danger level:

Zone of Practicality:

  • Trains
  • Airliners
  • Boats
  • Walking
  • Cars
  • Scooters
  • Bicycles

Zone of Specialty and Recreational Vehicles:

  • Motorcycles
  • Helicopters
  • Light aircraft
  • Go karts
  • Skateboards
  • Rollerblades
  • Skis
  • Unicycles
  • Sleds
  • Bumper cars

?????:

  • Hot air balloons

“Hot air balloons are the optimal mode of transportation, if your optimization algorithm has a sign error.”

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[–] [email protected] 67 points 5 months ago (10 children)

This is wildly dependent on infrastructure. Both for the convenience and danger axis.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (7 children)

motorcycles should 100% be in the zone of practicality, especially with modern sleek electric ones.

skateboards should be the bridge between practical and recreational, provided you have sensible infrastructure and short distances they have distinct benefits.

skis and sleds just need snow to make sense

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I think the existence of car drivers increases their danger level massively

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Apparently alcohol as well as it is involved in something like 50% of motorcycle fatalities.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

it annoys me to no end how motorcycles and mopeds are viewed as dangerous, when every single time you hear about people being hurt on them it's because they're fucking idiots who tried to do a backflip infront of a semitruck

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Horses are technically more dangerous to ride than motorcycles. It’s just that motorcycles attract a kind of people who like doing backflips in front of a semi truck.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

sure but that applies to everything, if you want to be safe then the only time you should ever be on a road is inside a bus.

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