The difference between truth and falsehood is four fingers. This is according to an ancient myth. It sounds mysterious but it is not. If you measure the distance between your ear and the corner of your eye, it is four fingers. It is a poetic way of saying: Seeing is believing, hearing not so much so. But in an era of social media and computer graphics, it’s not enough to keep your eyes open, your bullshit-detector (BSD) also needs to be on 24/7.
Since I’ve started blogging about EVs well-meaning acquaintances have the need to send me anything about any mode of transport. Especially things that might prove that “EVS will never-ever in a million years work in SA”
So, I wasn’t surprised when I received this video of a water-powered car.
“Oh no!”, I thought, “Just when I spent my R2 million pension on an electric Audi!” My dismay was interrupted by a 5-bell alarm on my BSD. “Water-powered car?” the BSD read-out said, “That sounds too good to be true.”
And it is. A simple google search proved my BSD correct. It isn’t really a water-powered car. It’s a hydrogen car, that runs on something in the water – metal hydrides. And that’s the expensive part. The part that Reuters either didn’t think to ask about, or purposely withheld in its report.
Phew! I was so relieved I went for a leisurely drive in my e-Tron thinking whether there is a lesson to be learned.
Why are people so quick to forward something amazing via social media? Why are so many people so uncritical when the facts are literally at our fingertips? Have social media made us stupid or stupider? Two seconds on a search engine will give you an indication of how truthful a story is.
EVs are a new paradigm, but it is not superstition, it is science, and there are tons of articles on the internet that inform and enlighten.
If you wonder about the facts or the truth of something someone says check it out on snopes.com, or simply put four fingers between your eye and ear.
Thanks for reading. If you have an EV story or opinion, we would love you to share it with us.
AUTHOR: TIM SANDHAM
Tim is a greying redhead who thinks green. He is the author of books on welding, soccer and Herman Charles Bosman
