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] 100 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Less dangerous to others, but more dangerous to the users themselves, I suppose.

[–] [email protected] 93 points 5 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 48 points 5 months ago

Not only. I live in Norway, where pedestrians have right of way and drivers are extremely careful. Discounting the risk from cars, there's still more personal danger to users of scooters as opposed to cars. If you have an accident on a scooter, you'll get scrapes, bruises, broken bones. As compared to a car, where unless you've really screwed up, you're unlikely to take any injuries at all.

Source: scooter user who HAS broken bones

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

The chart needs a third dimension: danger to you, danger to others, and convenience for travel.

[–] Cryophilia 8 points 5 months ago

I think most normal people can understand the difference intuitively without needing it spelled out.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

I just saw a pedestrian get hit by a person on a bike and end up with a concussion. Bicyclists don’t give a fuck about others