[I] Learning to dricve
Lister
a good idea for me to do this? I'm not entirely sure I can process
visual info quickly enough. Are there tests you can do for this?
Elliott Grasett
Take lessons. See how badly you terrify a professional instructor.
--
Cheers,
Elliott
Dave Adalian
news:hkpg2452s44v670bl...@4ax.com...
> Given that I have no confidence whatsoever in my ability, would it be
> a good idea for me to do this? I'm not entirely sure I can process
> visual info quickly enough. Are there tests you can do for this?
If you have to ask then stay the hell away from the controls of any large
machine.
--
-- Dave
Read my latest astronomy column!
http://parkingorbit.blogspot.com/
Len Oil
Well, "driving tests". eventually... ;)
I know that one of the major driving schools 'brands' had simulator-like
things, back just before I was learning to drive, a decade and a bit
ago. Though I didn't get to have a go on it, I think there was one on
the stand of the Great Yorkshire Show we visited at the time I was
considering my options for learning to drive. Whoever it is who has
something like that, and it's going to be even more realistic now than
in those days, maybe you could take advantage of that device? The gap
between that and arcade games is going to be more than the gap between
it and real life.
(BSM, that's probably the one. Aren't they affiliated with the AA now?
My memory thinks there's a connection of some kind, like that. I
/assume/ it wasn't just a gimmick that they've stopped using.)
You probably don't have to sign up to them (more than maybe a single
"trial" lesson at below road prices, or along with "discount on your
next lesson" incentives) just to test your affinity. And then you can
choose to use or forgo their expertise in teaching, with the
alternatives being another 'big name school', random Yellow Pages
instructors, the one your brother-in-law used, gullible friends or
relatives, you probably already know the kind of drill... ;)
Lister
<len...@lenoil.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Well, "driving tests". eventually... ;)
>
Yeah, very good :)
>I know that one of the major driving schools 'brands' had simulator-like
>things, back just before I was learning to drive, a decade and a bit
>ago. Though I didn't get to have a go on it, I think there was one on
>the stand of the Great Yorkshire Show we visited at the time I was
>considering my options for learning to drive. Whoever it is who has
>something like that, and it's going to be even more realistic now than
>in those days, maybe you could take advantage of that device? The gap
>between that and arcade games is going to be more than the gap between
>it and real life.
>
>(BSM, that's probably the one. Aren't they affiliated with the AA now?
> My memory thinks there's a connection of some kind, like that. I
>/assume/ it wasn't just a gimmick that they've stopped using.)
>
>You probably don't have to sign up to them (more than maybe a single
>"trial" lesson at below road prices, or along with "discount on your
>next lesson" incentives) just to test your affinity. And then you can
>choose to use or forgo their expertise in teaching, with the
>alternatives being another 'big name school', random Yellow Pages
>instructors, the one your brother-in-law used, gullible friends or
>relatives, you probably already know the kind of drill... ;)
I'll have a look at bsm.org.uk then... oh dear, what bad web design!
Daibhid Ceanaideach
> Lister wrote:
>> Given that I have no confidence whatsoever in my ability, would it be
>> a good idea for me to do this? I'm not entirely sure I can process
>> visual info quickly enough. Are there tests you can do for this?
<snip>
> And then you can
> choose to use or forgo their expertise in teaching, with the
> alternatives being another 'big name school', random Yellow Pages
> instructors, the one your brother-in-law used, gullible friends or
> relatives, you probably already know the kind of drill... ;)
If you *can't* find any friends or relatives that gullible (I certainly
can't), it may tell you something...
--
Dave
So I looked, and behold, a pale horse.
And the name of him who sat on it was Death.
And the name of the horse was Binky.
Julian Hall
> If you *can't* find any friends or relatives that gullible (I certainly
> can't), it may tell you something...
He needs friends with a higher gullibility threshold? ;)
GaryN
news:pan.2008.05.12....@kaotic.co.uk:
Friends who live by the sea, or a landfill site, perhaps?
gary
GaryN
news:hkpg2452s44v670bl...@4ax.com:
> Given that I have no confidence whatsoever in my ability, would it be
> a good idea for me to do this? I'm not entirely sure I can process
> visual info quickly enough. Are there tests you can do for this?
Since the vast majority of car drivers appear to have their eyes closed
90% of the time you should fit right in:-)
In all seriousness your confidence in yourself is a greater factor than
eyesight and processing thereof. As with most things - if you think you
can't do it you probably won't[1].
Give it a try at least (but warn me if you're in my area;-)
gary
[1]Please note that this *does not* apply to hitting the ground when
jumping from high places[2]
[2]Unless you are Arthur Dent.
Larry Moore
> news:hkpg2452s44v670bl...@4ax.com:
>
>> Given that I have no confidence whatsoever in my ability, would it be
>> a good idea for me to do this? I'm not entirely sure I can process
>> visual info quickly enough. Are there tests you can do for this?
Lister
Field acuity test?
Larry Moore
Sorry, don't know what it's called formally. Your eyes are dilated by
eye drops. Your head rests against a fixture at the front of a hemispherical
chamber - a clicker is placed in your hand with a button under your thumb.
You look, one eye at a time, focused on a small light and dots
of varying brightnesses appear briefly somewhere in the visual field.
You press the button each time a dot appears (without moving your eye.)
Maybe given this, someone might have the right name.
Useful for detecting acuity changes, hence my name for it.
I am given this one annually.
It might increase your confidence if you knew that your peripherial vision was
normal.
--
"Yeah, all that emacs is missing to be counted as a full-featured
operating system is an easy-to-use text editor."
Arnold Krille on the Linux Audio Developer mailing list
Carol Hague
> "Lister" <fa...@SPAMclara.net> wrote in message
> news:hkpg2452s44v670bl...@4ax.com...
> > Given that I have no confidence whatsoever in my ability, would it be
> > a good idea for me to do this? I'm not entirely sure I can process
> > visual info quickly enough. Are there tests you can do for this?
>
> If you have to ask then stay the hell away from the controls of any large
> machine.
That seems a tad harsh. It may simply be a confidence issue, which can
be addressed by lessons. I was very lacking in confidence when I
started driving lessons, but I passed the driving test on the first
attempt.
A couple of lessons with a competent instructor should be enough to
assess whether Lister will be able to drive safely, I reckon - they
generally do the first few lessons on quiet streets.
--
Carol
"If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put
that thing in your mouth. Particularly if the thing is
cats." - Lemony Snicket _The Wide Window_
Chris Zakes
caused ca...@wrhpv.com (Carol Hague) to write:
(snip)
>A couple of lessons with a competent instructor should be enough to
>assess whether Lister will be able to drive safely, I reckon - they
>generally do the first few lessons on quiet streets.
At least in a rational and well-ordered universe. When I took Driver's
Ed 30+ years ago, it was taught through my high school. My driving
group was two other students--both of whom had been driving illegally
for a couple of years--and myself who had never been behind the wheel
of a moving car on a public street. My first lesson started on a busy
4-lane street with a 45 mph speed limit. I made it back to the school
without hitting anything, but I shook for several minutes after
getting out of the car.
-Chris Zakes
Texas
Have you ever noticed how much "political correctness" resembles a complete
lack of a sense of humor?
Alec Cawley
> On Thu, 15 May 2008 08:15:05 +0100, an orbital mind-control laser
> caused ca...@wrhpv.com (Carol Hague) to write:
>
> (snip)
>
>> A couple of lessons with a competent instructor should be enough to
>> assess whether Lister will be able to drive safely, I reckon - they
>> generally do the first few lessons on quiet streets.
>
> At least in a rational and well-ordered universe. When I took Driver's
> Ed 30+ years ago, it was taught through my high school. My driving
> group was two other students--both of whom had been driving illegally
> for a couple of years--and myself who had never been behind the wheel
> of a moving car on a public street. My first lesson started on a busy
> 4-lane street with a 45 mph speed limit. I made it back to the school
> without hitting anything, but I shook for several minutes after
> getting out of the car.
My grandmother learned to drive by buying a car from a dealer in south
London and driving it home to north London. The delaer explained what
all the controls did, and away she went. Mind you, this was pre-1914. I
then had the "pleasure" of driving with her in her 80s, when think she
reverted to the skill of her first drive.
GaryN
news:693tdgF...@mid.individual.net:
My better half passed the test on her first try. Sitting in a car with
her driving scares the <insert the scatalogical word of your choice
here> out of me. She's not a bad driver but she learnt 25 years ago
when there was less traffic.
My mother, who learnt to drive 55 years ago, regards the increased
traffic as a challenge. Or possibly, given that she drives a 7.5
(English)ton truck, a target.
gary
Lesley Weston
My grandfather was offered a job during the depression, so he really had
to get it to support his wife and child. At the last minute, just as he
was leaving, they said "So you'll start tomorrow. There's a lot of
driving involved, so we'll provide a car. You can drive, of course?" He
said "Of course!", and immediately went to the only person he knew who
had a car and demanded he be taught to drive that afternoon. This was
before you needed a license, so he got away with it and had a long and
successful career with that company, driving all over Wales.
--
Lesley Weston
The addy above is real, but I won't see anything posted to it for a long
time. To reach me, use leswes att shaw dott ca, adjusting as necessary.
Daniel Orner
My first hour-long lesson didn't *start* on it, but it ended on an 80
km/h highway. And I'd never been behind the wheel of a car before that.
(Sorry, making my way very slowly through the hundreds of messages I've
missed during my absence).
Chris Zakes
Depending on your own ability and/or your teacher's skill, that might
not be so bad. My situation was very similar to learning to swim by
being tossed into a river.
I had a similar situation later. After passing Driver's Ed, for a
variety of reasons, I didn't drive again for several years. We were
visiting my parents in Houston when my wife got sick and I *had* to
drive us home--about 45 minutes in Houston traffic and then three
hours on the highway. After that she insisted that I get my license.
-Chris Zakes
Texas
Five exclamation marks. A sure sign of a diseased mind.
-Terry Pratchett, "Maskerade"