For most of the 20th century, American men could rebuild carburetors and diagnose engine problems by ear. Now, fixing a car requires software expertise and diagnostic computers that cost more than used vehicles. This shift reveals how we've traded hands-on knowledge for convenience—and whether that was actually a fair deal.
Mar 13, 2026
For decades, highway fatality rates in the US fell steadily as seatbelts, airbags, and better road design saved tens of thousands of lives every year. Then a small glowing screen arrived in every pocket, and the progress quietly started going in the wrong direction. The story of distracted driving is really a story about how solving one set of problems can leave us completely unprepared for the next ones.
Mar 13, 2026
In 1985, your car's dashboard told you how fast you were going and whether you needed gas. That was about it. Today's vehicles are rolling data centers — monitoring your driving habits, syncing with your phone, and sharing information with manufacturers, insurers, and marketers. The question is whether most drivers have any idea.
Mar 13, 2026
Ask most Americans whether cars were more affordable in their parents' generation and you'll almost always get the same answer: of course they were. But when you run the actual numbers — adjusting for wages, inflation, and what you were really getting for your money — the picture that emerges is far more complicated, and a lot more interesting, than simple nostalgia suggests.
Mar 13, 2026