More aware of machines than people

[Solitaire U.]

My wife just told me that I'm more in tune with the family car than I am with her. She meant it as a joke but (ouch) I kind of suspect she's right.

I know every inch of our car. Every strange sound it makes, every little operational anomaly, every trouble code thrown by its PCM. Nothing escapes my attention.

It's not only focused on my own vehicle. When I'm walking on the street, I'm always focused on the traffic passing by. "There goes a whining transmission..." "Air in the power steering pump on that one..." "Bad CV joint turning the corner..." etc.

And it's not just certain cars that catch my attention. I notice junkers and jewels equally. I don't care about what kind they are, or how new or fancy they are. If anything, my attention seems more drawn to the jalopies. New cars are boring...nothing to analyze.

The other day I was walking the dog with our youngest son. I saw a metallic burgundy 4 door sedan parked on the street. I saw something strange in the paint, one of the rear doors was a (very) slightly different shade of burgundy than the rest of the car. I asked my son to look at it and tell me if he could see anything strange.

He spent a long couple of minutes walking around the car examining it, but couldn't see it. Of course, he only knew that he was looking for something strange with the color, but the repainted door didn't catch his attention until I pointed it out to him.

I've done that with other people too. When I was towing I would say something to a customer like, "Do you hear that whine when you put it into gear? Transmission isn't engaging properly. That's probably your problem right there." Most of the time they'd just return a blank stare.

Strange thing is, I love analyzing cars, but don't really enjoy working on them. That's probably related to burnout after 15 years of working in the towing industry.

But you know, if I walk a two block stretch I can remember nearly every car, but I barely notice the people I pass.

If I could only read people as well as I can read machines....

 

[Cognisant]

People are insane, don't even try to understand them.

 

[redbaron]

I do this to some extent, but not in the extremes like you do. Not that it's a bad thing.

 

[BigApplePi]

This may be a little off your topic, but I saw a TV program a few months back. There are people who can't remember faces, not even their own family or their own. There are ordinary people like me, and there are super face recognizers who never forget a face. They would walk up to a person and say, "Weren't you at the Mall last week?" The person would stare at them as if they were crazy as they were really a perfect stranger.

When I grew up there were always those guys who loved cars. They would know every make and model while I never paid much attention. I can recognize my own model (but not others) without any analysis. I see the car as a whole ... like a face. I wonder if the same part of the brain devoted to recalling faces recalls cars? They never mentioned that on the TV program.

 

[Solitaire U.]

When I grew up there were always those guys who loved cars. They would know every make and model ...

I was definitely one of those guys.

I'm almost 45. When I was young, computers were gigantic banks of machines that had to be isolated in specially-constructed climate-controlled rooms. Cars were the only machines that were both interesting and accessible.

I wonder, if I'd have been born 25 years later, if I might have bonded with computers instead.

 

[Proletar]

When I grew up there were always those guys who loved cars. They would know every make and model while I never paid much attention. I can recognize my own model (but not others) without any analysis. I see the car as a whole ... like a face. I wonder if the same part of the brain devoted to recalling faces recalls cars? They never mentioned that on the TV program.

I'm with you on this one. I can't recognise cars or separate a Toyota from a Mazda. The furthest I can go if I have to specify is "that silver sportish car" or "that red truck". It's weird how some people just know the model and can tell what's wrong with the machine by just listening to it. Or know how the engine works in itself. I know that the wheels start spinning because of pressure caused by expansion of the fuel and so forth, but I could never say what's what by just opening the hood.


And it's not like I'm oblivious to my surroundings either. I have excellent sense of direction, never getting lost or forgetting the location of anything I'm looking for, and I remember faces and peoples whole life stories (but not their names). Somehow, cars slipped by. I know nothing about cars. Forgive me Solitaire U, for I know not what I do.

 

[Architect]

I'm almost 45. When I was young, computers were gigantic banks of machines that had to be isolated in specially-constructed climate-controlled rooms. Cars were the only machines that were both interesting and accessible.

I wonder, if I'd have been born 25 years later, if I might have bonded with computers instead.

You're about my age and I hate cars, but love computers. We grew up in the early years of personal computing (I was hacking on a C64 back then)

Are you INTP or ISTP? ISTP's love cars, INTPs generally hate them.

 

[Solitaire U.]

I'm interested in machines of all types, not just cars. I love computers too and have similar diagnostic abilities with them. As I said, I think cars just grew on me at an early age because I had so much exposure to them.

INTP/ISTP. I don't know. I test as INTP, if that's what you're asking. I view my 'type' as a default value, and exploring beyond the boundary of that default is of far greater interest to me than conforming to it.

But for what it's worth, I'm less interested in MBTI theory than the majority here.

 

[Back2Basics]

the thing is this,
machines are fixed.. you can examine how every variable operates and then use this information and extrapolate it to other machines.

people are so far from being this simple.. A woman could get mad at you for looking at porn, but then if you try to extrapolate this by thinking "all women will get mad if i look at porn..." you have fallen into a non sequitur argument.

My point is this: you are an intp. TI NE SI FE..... your last function is dealing with ppl, so what more do you expect?

rofl

 

[Gluon the Ferengi]

The temperament of the introvert is the temperament of the master artisan. That attention to detail. That cool detachment and objective view...
No one else does that like we do.

 

[lucky12]

I can relate to being attracted to older cars; the more problematic the more attractive.

I tend to plan my projects, write down notes. It's way easier to track thoughts, my creativity usually emerges a long with that. I started on bicycles, the simplest machine.

 

[pjoa09]

I have the same fucking problem too.

Bought an old ass German car with a Japanese turbocharged motor in it.
It was a massive urge.
Then the battery died.
Then I lost the key.
Then I realized I left all the registration papers in the car.
Now I am depressed and confused.
With half a tank of gas stuck in it.
I haven't yet registered it in my name.
FUCKK!

But now I realize I am sort of like a hands off mechanic somehow. I am terrified of my car. Computers are a really safe place to do all the stupid shit. Do stupid things to a car and it could take your life.

I too can tell issues and I have had that moment where I see a car passing by and I note a poor job of collision repair.

I recognize almost every car I see everyday.

My daily work seems to peel me from computers. I don't get enough of Slackware time anymore. I want to take a holiday/sabbatical.

We just may be IXTPs. The thrill seeking geek.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I was definitely one of those guys.

I'm almost 45. When I was young, computers were gigantic banks of machines that had to be isolated in specially-constructed climate-controlled rooms. Cars were the only machines that were both interesting and accessible.

I wonder, if I'd have been born 25 years later, if I might have bonded with computers instead.

Maybe, maybe not. You still have the basic mechanical aspects.. repairs, tune-ups, cleaning, upgrades, design & appearance, handling, figuring out where parts go & what parts do.

At least from my experience, cars require a more thorough, tangible and detailed understanding, and definitely a more hands-on treatment. I think it's easier for a car-person to get into computers but not the other way around.


But yeah, I'd say I have a similar thing with computers.

 

[just george]

If you had said that you understood a woman better than a car, then I would have called you a prodigy, a psychic, a mystic, a lunatic, delusional, an alien, or stupid.

Of course women make less sense than cars. They're women. That's the best thing about them, btw.

 

[Reluctantly]

People are insane, don't even try to understand them.

I agree that Cognisant is as insane as everyone else.

My wife just told me that I'm more in tune with the family car than I am with her. She meant it as a joke but (ouch) I kind of suspect she's right.

Maybe you just need to repair her transmission to gain the motivation?
:smiley_emoticons_mr

 

[Solitaire U.]

Maybe you just need to repair her transmission to gain the motivation?
:smiley_emoticons_mr

Christ, I wish it was that easy.

But you know how cars (people) are...fixing something solves the present problem, but it also calls into play other things that require attention.

 

[pjoa09]

You're about my age and I hate cars, but love computers. We grew up in the early years of personal computing (I was hacking on a C64 back then)

Are you INTP or ISTP? ISTP's love cars, INTPs generally hate them.

@Architect

I have love affairs with both.

Also ISTPs have Software Developer as a listed preference on most MBTI personality websites.

I have something for that thrill of speed and being surrounded by illuminated readings of data while trying to make the perfect path to get somewhere quicker than my competition could.

 

[17pounder]

People are insane, don't even try to understand them.

Bwahahahaha!

This is only half true. People are indeed quite insane, but they are not impossible to understand. The thing about people is that they see what they see, and not much more. This does not make them insane, but blind.
If you can simulate someone's emotions in your head, you can upset them less, which means less BS to deal with. Do not expect them to understand what you mean, people are generally unwilling to accept the feelings of others.
That said, what makes someone an extrovert is not the ability to understand feelings, it is simply confidence or lack of fear. Extroverts get in more arguments than anybody else, they simply are not intimidated by dealing with people. They sure as hell do not understand most other people. They have these relationships that look so nice sometimes, but most of them cant tell you anything about their friends. They dont know the struggles they go through, or even what kinds of food they like. I mean, extroverts are constantly bickering about things they should know more about.

All that said, turn the argument around on almost anybody else. How many people do you know that could say they know you any better than they wish you knew them? Often these emotional things are incredibly one sided.