Elon Musk, the man

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#3354140 15-Mar-2025 07:22

Along with the Trump cartoons in the other thread, here are a couple of Elon-related ones (note the vehicle on fire in the first one!):

kingdragonfly

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#3354143 15-Mar-2025 07:57

"The lesser of two evils is still evil." Thomas Paine, Founding Father of the U.S.

I can't believe I'm defending car dealers in the US.

Bloomberg had an article from "Why Tesla Can’t Sell Directly to You in Some States" in April 2023 but it's been completely pulled.

An article from 2020 from Jalopnik

Tesla Finally Cracks A Ban On Direct-To-Consumer Sales On The Big Three's Home Turf: Jalopnik

Even though direct-to-consumer car sales, Tesla's preferred sale model, have been banned in Michigan since 2014, you can still spot a few Model Ss and 3s bravely traversing the state's icy roads. Brave, because Michigan law bans Tesla from even opening up a service station. Michigan Tesla owners have been treking, sometimes towing, to Ohio to get cars serviced, but that seems to be ready to change.

Tesla and Michigan have settled a federal lawsuit challenging Michigan's ban on direct-to-consumer sales
...
This is a big deal. Tesla sells its cars directly to consumers in two dozen states, but still faces roadblocks in many parts of the country. Of those states that do allow for direct-to-consumer auto sales, only ten do not have a limit on the number of Tesla stores allowed. In Michigan, the problem is obvious; the domestic auto industry, still the largest employer in the state, has a tight grip on controlling laws and policies that benefit it. Even a small win in this state could signal future victories.

That doesn't mean Tesla doesn't have a tough fight on its hands. Auto dealers all over the country form powerful lobbies to push legislatures to keep the dealership sales model as the status quo. While Tesla spends money and energy trying to change the law in these holdout states, making headway has been slow going. In 2017, for instance, Tesla spent 1.2 million in Texas trying to crack into direct sales, according to Quartz, only for Texas to consider even stricter laws on Tesla's operations a few years later.
...

kingdragonfly

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#3354144 15-Mar-2025 08:06

Off subject, Thomas Paine was fiercely critical of monarchy, autocracy, and the blending of church and state.

I'm pretty sure what his thoughts would be on Trump, Trump's Bible, Elon Musk, and the Christian right.

His writings in works like "Common Sense", "The Rights of Man", and "The Age of Reason" express strong Enlightenment ideals.

ezbee

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#3354210 15-Mar-2025 15:12

Elon Musk, It was just the public servants.

The comment lessens the responsibility of Stalin, Mao, Hitler.
Which Putin / Silovik, Xi / CCP, and N People have been doing to cleanse responsibility so they can promote as heros and do likewise again.

So Elon, Thiel, Sachs, Trump could be a Stalin, Mao, Hitler and still a good guy ?
They were just misunderstood testosterone longtermists looking to save the world like me.
Your necessary suffering is just the price for my future.

Ends, Means, Justified.

If I pay someone else to do a hit, a murder for me.
I am just a good guy cos I did not pull the trigger.

Oh that's why the Silk Road guy got his pardon.
He was only arranging to pay someone else to do a hit, not getting hands dirty himself.
It did not go that far.
Then there is Mr Whaleoil, I only pointed someone in the right direction.

Elon's DOGE is consuming a least $8M a day as part of public sector paid for by public, so ?
You are literally Trump's dirty hands.

Yeh Right, that raised arm Elon, all that thrusting.

quickymart

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#3354240 15-Mar-2025 19:17

dafman

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#3354349 16-Mar-2025 08:40

The Guardian summing up some of the anti-Tesla sentiment in the US …

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/15/vandalized-tesla-elon-musk-trump

kingdragonfly

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#3354365 16-Mar-2025 10:20

As Elon Musk would express it when debating space with astronauts, Elon is a retard, an idiot.

“The entire road system is designed for cameras — eyes — so once you have cameras with neural nets that are trained to pay attention, it solves the problem.”

“What we’ve got to solve is vision, and once you solve vision, it’s a piece of cake.”

“If you don’t have vision, it’s like driving with your eyes closed. And that’s what we need to solve.”

“The fundamental architectural decision for Tesla Autopilot is vision-based, and we are betting on cameras + neural nets.”

“LiDAR is a fool’s errand.”

“Anyone relying on LiDAR is doomed. Doomed.”

“They are expensive sensors that are unnecessary.”

“LiDAR is a crutch.”

Skip tp 8 minute mark

Can You Fool A Self Driving Car?

quickymart

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#3354426 16-Mar-2025 18:50

I actually saw a Cybertruck at Westfield in Albany today. Never seen one in real life (seen lots of Teslas though) but man it was a hideous-looking thing, IMHO.

Quite a few people standing around it taking selfies.

One of my boys wanted to look at it, and upon scanning the QR code he had to fill out a (fairly lengthy) questionnaire on his phone. How much information does Elon really need?

I was quite surprised to see it myself as I thought they weren't available outside the US and Canada, but when I looked closer I saw why - the steering wheel was on the left, so it must have been imported here.

Maybe Elon is testing the waters in this part of the world?

In any case, it reminded me of this - and diehard Simpsons fans will remember how well this particular vehicle did (lol):

neb

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#3354436 16-Mar-2025 19:12

kingdragonfly: As Elon Musk would express it when debating space with astronauts, Elon is a retard, an idiot.

He's not a retard, just think of him as a ten-year-old boy, with the mentality of a ten-year-old, with essentially infinite funding that no-one's ever really dared say no to.

ezbee

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#3354440 16-Mar-2025 19:32

So imagine that in supermarket carpark next to you, enough room to open the doors ?

Cybertruck can't meet safety regulations outside USA, Canada, Mexico, and Chechnya anyways.
Machine gun mount in the tray optional.
Some debate if its legal in Dubai, but apparently Police there have one for show. ?

So in NZ display only, show peak of engineering and encourage people to buy one of the cars.
Supose they could use it to power the dealership if there is a power cut or something.

I'm waiting 'as bulk of NZ is' for whatever comes up in second hand cars from Japan.
So at mercy of what is popular with discerning Japanese public. :-)

Tinkerisk

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#3354444 16-Mar-2025 19:59

Weight >3t. Am I stupid? 😁

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neb

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#3354453 16-Mar-2025 20:24

ezbee: Cybertruck can't meet safety regulations outside USA, Canada, Mexico, and Chechnya anyways.
Machine gun mount in the tray optional.
Some debate if its legal in Dubai, but apparently Police there have one for show. ?

Film director Timo Vuorensola has the appropriate quote for it.

Tinkerisk

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#3354673 17-Mar-2025 20:13

Elon Musk. A name that is now synonymous with constant media presence. Whether it's a new Tesla „function,“ a heated X debate or a controversial statement - the media picks up on it, capitalises on it and serves it up to the public as the next big sensation. Polarising figures are the perfect fuel for this machine. With every provocative statement, every questionable decision and every bizarre tweet, they reliably provide editors with new headlines. It is often forgotten that outrage generates clicks - and clicks mean reach and ultimately sales. The game is simple: Musk provokes, the media reacts and the public consumes.

But does this constant reporting still have anything to do with serious information? Or has it long since degenerated into a distraction from really important topics? While yet another column appears about why journalist XY no longer wants to buy a Tesla - a viewpoint that we have already read hundreds of times - many more important questions remain unanswered.

Another problem: the disproportionate fixation on Musk distorts our perception. It gives the impression that his escapades are the most relevant thing happening today. Yet it would be far more valuable to society if journalists focused on topics that have a substantial impact on our daily lives. In short: the world keeps turning, no matter what nonsense Elon Musk has once again spouted.