The automation anaesthetic

A long time ago, I learned to fly in a DeHavilland Chipmunk, which was, I think, the lovechild of a kite and a lawnmower. No automation, no assistance and which rendered a very intimate experience with the initial uncomfortable reality of "hands on" flight.

A little later, I bought an early Lotus Elise, which had a similar simplicity; no power anything from brakes and steering to windows. Driving it was (and remains) a joy. What is happening is felt and sensed, with nothing getting in the way of the information.

I found myself reflecting on this when searching online and considering how many intermediations there were between me and what I was seeking. The number of algorithmic assumptions and "assistances", like the controls on a supercar that can make a mediocre driver (i.e. most of us), look for a brief moment like a star. It begins to feel a little like The Truman Show, where our hero increasingly understands that the world he inhabits is a carefully crafted set, and himself no more…