With all due respect, @David L, studies show that humans are incapable of true multitasking. They can switch rapidly among tasks, though, and that switching does slow down with age.
I think it is individual specific, I have a really great guy working under me, great on java json, klingon, but has to be redirected occasionally to see the forest for the trees.
On the subject of cell phones and texting while driving I will repeat my opinion from many months ago regarding people, especially young ladies, who seem compelled to be in contact with some significant person in their lives on a constant basis. I have overheard some of the most mundane and useless conversations from people walking around in public. Do such people never have a meaningful idea in their heads?
They must have a meaningful idea, but I have no clue and think amount of conversation these days has an inverse correlation to content. My wife facebook rant is like, god I do not care if you are going to the store, baked a cake washed your car or whatever.
I believe you have surmised the entire situation, @Barky. The amount of conversation has an inverse correlation to the meaningful content… Much ado about nothing, so to speak.
Multi tasking diminishes with age ? I reject that as an older citizen. We can have bladder problems and constipation…all at the same time. Maybe we just choose not to attempt the other things.
Besides, I always make the following calculated decision. If multitasking could result in an injury Whose recovery time is greater as a percent of the time I have left to live then I am willing to accept, I reject doing it. Things like, smoking pot while riding a bike is a multitask I completely reject. Things like dealing with badder and digestive problems at the same time, I don’t.
@RodKnox
I try not to be a bigot, especially where the opposite gender is concerned, but I have made this point in person to those in my family. I really don’t approve of anyone trying to text while they drive. Itis especially disheartening when I know that same person can’t even use their rear view mirrors to back up a car. That’s a form of multitasking you should really take hold of when driving.
Numbers for Whitey. I intended to post this some time ago, but keep forgetting with much family activity.
In my 20’s when as I said I could watch TV; hold a conversation with someone; and read a book all at the same time, I had a measured reading speed of 1188 words per minute, and tested at 88% comprehension. I forget the average reading speed of college students at that time, except it was down around 400 wpm.
Speech is often no faster than maybe 200 or 250 wpm. If I was talking to someone and they were speaking 250 wpm, that left, um, nearly 940 wpm brain capacity. Although 250 wpm is on the high side, and I doubt many talk that fast most of the time.
Another 250 wpm for the TV show, which left around 690 wpm for reading, and time to “change between them.”
That is exactly why I said you were projecting. Taking your own capacity and rejecting the possibility of someone with much, much faster synapses than yourself.
If I get time, I will find a reading speed test. My guess/estimate if my reading speed is most likely down to around 600 wpm. Still fast, but only half what it was 50 years ago. That is a guess, extrapolating between different concepts.
When I retired at age 55, I could drive and listen to the radio talk shows. (I have driven between 250,000 and 300,000 miles since I retired. 200,000 on just this last car.)
Now, when I get in a crowded traffic location, I mute the radio and ask my wife not to talk to me.
Especially insulting is the claim by a poster that when I was young, I only foolishly imagined I could do more, and now with more maturity realize I cannot. Nonsense.
People are all different. Do not delude yourself into thinking Formula One or Nascar champions are just like us, but have a lot of practice driving. They are “wired” differently. Not only very fast synapses, but also fantastic eye-body coordination that most of us do not have.
I don’t know if I multitask or just switch very fast, that is, did when I was young. If the switching is fast enough, it probably doesn’t matter, except for our curiosity.
@Dagosa: “If multitasking could result in an injury Whose recovery time is greater as a percent of the time I have left to live then I am willing to accept, I reject doing it.”\
Great concept. I certainly agree with that. I would love to have a motor scooter in the mountains of Mexico, very practical. But, I am told the first year you WILL go down, and I am not going to take a chance of a long recovery from an injury. It is not just the long recovery. There is a possibility that I would never fully recover from a serious injury. Forget it.
Old thread but on today’s home page theres a piece about car makers offering options to aid in the useability for older drivers.
I like the instrument contrast idea. A few have color choices as well and I think that all should have that.
Plus one more idea that I don’t know if is possible.
– cluster FOCUS.
Too many of us codgers need glasses…sometimes, or glasses all the time for one purpose or other.
If I could change the focus of the guages I would need only one set of glasses to BOTH see the distance to drive and see the guages clearly.
The bi-focals I have now focus in the distance ( signs and such ) and have reading magnification…niether is good for the guages. NO glasses is good for the guages and for most driving not requiring distance reading .
But if I could change the focus of the guages I could just keep my glasses on.
The bi-focals I have now focus in the distance ( signs and such ) and have reading magnification
What you need are bi-focals that are for distance and not-so-near reading. Talk with your optometrist or ophthalmologist. I know several people who have this setup. The bottom lens isn’t for close reading…but for focusing on text that’s a few feet away. So you won’t be able to use them for reading.
But for everyone, I’d like to see the focus-abilty of the instruments.
For me , I use no glasses 90% of the day. Need none at work to see the papers on the counter and the computer screen and for the daily drive ( no sign reading ). yet I have the reading lenses for the newspaper in the evening.
When we roadtrip I’ll need to read signs in the distance and maps up close. fiddling with me vision angle to see the gas guage is equivilant to distracted driving.
I have many customers who have voiced their concern about the vast differences in focus.
I do have trifocals, which gives me that solution. I bought two pairs of glasses for $198 at Sears during t his month back in the States.
irlandes
My ex wife was born in the Rio Grande Valley (Alamo) I am very familiar with the area although my former Brother In Law did the driving in Renosa, Progresso, and all the way down to Monterey. My Mexico driving has been in the Puerto Vallarta area. Tepic. In the mountains and over the mountains. Most recently in 2006 it involved most of the Yuca’tan. We were on a 4 lane toll road which are similar to an interstate (4 lanes with a median). It was nearly deserted as the toll was fairly expensive. The speed limit was 120kph which is about 75mph. I gradually gained on a vehicle in the right lane. A Mini-Van taxi was about 1/4 mile behind me driving the same speed that I was. We were the only vehicles on this part of the highway. I signaled, changed lanes and proceeded to pass the slower vehicle. I suddenly heard a screaming engine and looked left. The taxi was passing me at full throttle on the gravel shoulder. My Wife was screaming what are they doing? She was the one who was born into the culture? I had to explain
: Zero “Macho” points are awarded for passing on a four lane highway while staying on the pavement! They are normally awarded for passing on a two lane highway on blind curves or hillcrests. The only times I have experienced this in the USA are: Once I had a crappy little car follow me for about 2 miles on a 2 lane highway through 2 legal passing zones with no oncoming traffic. They chose to pass me on a blind curve??? The only other times I have experienced this in the USA Are sport bikes (“donor cycles”).
irlandes
My ex wife was born in the Rio Grande Valley (Alamo) I am very familiar with the area although my former Brother In Law did the driving in Renosa, Progresso, and all the way down to Monterey. My Mexico driving has been in the Puerto Vallarta area. Tepic. In the mountains and over the mountains. Most recently in 2006 it involved most of the Yuca’tan. We were on a 4 lane toll road which are similar to an interstate (4 lanes with a median). It was nearly deserted as the toll was fairly expensive. The speed limit was 120kph which is about 75mph. I gradually gained on a vehicle in the right lane. A Mini-Van taxi was about 1/4 mile behind me driving the same speed that I was. We were the only vehicles on this part of the highway. I signaled, changed lanes and proceeded to pass the slower vehicle. I suddenly heard a screaming engine and looked left. The taxi was passing me at full throttle on the gravel shoulder. My Wife was screaming what are they doing? She was the one who was born into the culture? I had to explain
: Zero “Macho” points are awarded for passing on a four lane highway while staying on the pavement! They are normally awarded for passing on a two lane highway on blind curves or hillcrests. The only times I have experienced this in the USA are: Once I had a crappy little car follow me for about 2 miles on a 2 lane highway through 2 legal passing zones with no oncoming traffic. They chose to pass me on a blind curve??? The only other times I have experienced this in the USA Are sport bikes (“donor cycles”).
irlandes
My ex wife was born in the Rio Grande Valley (Alamo) I am very familiar with the area although my former Brother In Law did the driving in Renosa, Progresso, and all the way down to Monterey. My Mexico driving has been in the Puerto Vallarta area. Tepic. In the mountains and over the mountains. Most recently in 2006 it involved most of the Yuca’tan. We were on a 4 lane toll road which are similar to an interstate (4 lanes with a median). It was nearly deserted as the toll was fairly expensive. The speed limit was 120kph which is about 75mph. I gradually gained on a vehicle in the right lane. A Mini-Van taxi was about 1/4 mile behind me driving the same speed that I was. We were the only vehicles on this part of the highway. I signaled, changed lanes and proceeded to pass the slower vehicle. I suddenly heard a screaming engine and looked left. The taxi was passing me at full throttle on the gravel shoulder. My Wife was screaming what are they doing? She was the one who was born into the culture? I had to explain
: Zero “Macho” points are awarded for passing on a four lane highway while staying on the pavement! They are normally awarded for passing on a two lane highway on blind curves or hillcrests. The only times I have experienced this in the USA are: Once I had a crappy little car follow me for about 2 miles on a 2 lane highway through 2 legal passing zones with no oncoming traffic. They chose to pass me on a blind curve??? The only other times I have experienced this in the USA Are sport bikes (“donor cycles”).
I just spent nearly an hour composing a reply. When I clicked Post Comment it disappeared. Thank you so much assholes!!!
I just spent nearly an hour composing a reply. When I clicked Post Comment it disappeared. Thank you so much assholes!!!
I just spent nearly an hour composing a reply. When I clicked Post Comment it disappeared. Thank you so much assholes!!!