Username Protected wrote:
... in a world with no recognizable noises, and that comfort we love to hear. All you'll hear on the road is tire noise, and blade slap in the air. No more cool cars and trucks rumbling by, and beefy engines taxiing up to an airport ramp. Is it progress to lose feeling??
My grandfather grew up in the horse and wagon era. At one time he owned a fairly new Model T. My dad relates the time his dad was talking about the noisy vehicles in the context of progress and offered that one day they would be so quiet that the only sound would be the tires. To my grandfather, that was something to look forward to. It was progress, it was the future.
No more cool cars? Define 'cool'. Does 0 to 60 in under 2 seconds count if it doesn't make engine noise? No more noisy trucks? Is that a bad thing?
Our nostalgia for these things stems from their familiarity. Think how you would feel if you were twenty and looking at these things. Would you weep for the loss of the rumble and vibration, or would you celebrate the modernity, comfort, and quiet of the new? The loud and rumbly engines that you love will be around at least as long as you will. Enjoy them if they make you happy. Their replacements will be just as cool to your grandkids.