[ExI] Atlantic article on human reengineering with very strong reactions

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of Kelly Anderson
...

>...If everyone ran around in little cars, then it would be equally safe for
everyone... -Kelly

Ja, but the problem is that everyone will not.  Some will ride in little
slow half tons, some will just stay with the old tried and true Detroit V8.
The Detroit is expensive to run, but there are some things it does very
well.  It is fast, comfortable, carries a lot of apes, can be taken cross
country, etc.  What we really need is a way to separate the two, in order to
keep the lightweights safer.
 
Do think about this problem, for it is one that governments really can help
do.  Governments legitimately make traffic rules and build infrastructure.
What we need is to divide major roads, and keep one side for the efficient
light guys, the other for the old V8s.  It isn't clear exactly how to do
that, but try to envision your local road system done that way.  Imagine one
side done in roads where the specs require a smoother surface.  It can be
done with current technology, but it is more expensive to build and more
expensive to maintain a road with a lower tolerance for anomalies.  But if
we require the maximum road anomaly to be half what we currently require,
then a wheel half the diameter would still give an acceptable ride.  A half
diameter wheel would be about one eighth the weight and be more compatible
with the overall design I envision.
  
We can do this, but the older bigger cars will pose a safety hazard to the
new small guys.  We will need to resurface half of the roads and rethink
maintenance.

spike