Anonymous Coward wrote on 2022-05-20, 08:24:
I refuse to set foot in a self driving EV, especially if it's sold by snake oil salesman Elon Musk. Everything that guy is involved in is not all that innovative or an outright scam. Only the technologically ignorant think that guy is the second coming of Steve Jabs (another overrated con artist). So I guess that was another nice part about the 90s...we didn't have to see Elon's ugly mug in the news every morning. Unlike a lot of people, I don't dislike him for political reasons. I just think he's a self serving-jerk. I guess in the 90's Bill Gates was the guy to hate. I guess I still hate him too, but these days he's not really involved much at Micro$hit craporation.
Dude, I've much appreciated you clear words on internet censorshit, but let's tune it down on the general edgelordery a bit?
Steve Jobs was a very gifted bible salesman and since he's dead and all, it probably wasn't his fault that fanboys kept mistaking him for Jesus Christ.
And if he really had that design idea stated in Bruninho's weird sig, then Apple Inc. has entirely abondoned that in favor of flashy looks, skimming off profits with proprietary BS and overall crimes against tech and sustainability.
Jeff Bezos is a glorified huckster who's sole purpose in the universe is to demonstrate the severe shortcomings of capitalism.
Bill Gates, anything appropriate to say about him would be subject to legal action in this country and he has better lawyers.
(Excluding the outlandish stuff about vaccines, globalism and other crypto antisemitic cospiracy idiocy, of course.)
Elon Musk, well, I don't follow his spaceX and starlink endevours too closely.
But by mere impact, yes, there have been money transfers before paypal and electric cars for sure. And he didn't even develop the first roadster. But, to claim he's not innovative - that's just pushing the meaning of that word.
I remember doing ebay with bank transfers on paper sheets.
And after watching the German car industry scramble in vain for a decade now - producing a truly competitive electric car is not trivial. Government handouts included, not many would have pulled that one off.
Fun fact: To laugh at or dismiss Elon Musks freakish off-duty assclownery like covid politics or buying twitter - you really don't need to call his professional achievements in question.
On the contrary, denigrating billion dollar success will only make you sound petty and vulgar.
While in reality, all that political or private bullshit shows that Musk, with all his Bond-villain-like scope, is merely another smart ape.
And the main problem is other people taking his every brain fart for gospel, like authoritarian minded idiots keep misquoting Einstein for anything including family values.
Musk probably has above average cerebral metabolism, he's entitled to the occasional flatulence. Just take it for what it is.
Berlin has had some first hand experience of Musk's ego when he smilingly dismissed any concern about his new factory's water use because there still are some green leaves around - in the middle of a serious four year drought in this part of Germany. Still believe that his cars kill fewer people than the oil burning alternative, but that was something to behold.
Autonomous cars: I hate real world driving in a city and never owned a car, but the prospect of autonomous driving scares me in a way that I contemplate getting a car merely for the few years we'll still be allowed to drive them ourselves. Then again, I have the self reflection to admit that given my average state of attention, concentration, focus - I'm probably the single reason if one day, we can't.
Future + humanity - not Musk's fault. He did not invent MaaS nor could he prevent it.
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-05-22, 07:31:Politics is the exact reason NASA will always be boned in regards to both funding and actually getting anything done in a timely […]
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Politics is the exact reason NASA will always be boned in regards to both funding and actually getting anything done in a timely manner, the government has an ulterior motive in keeping the human race bound to the planet ..control. Shit we should have been on Mars already and have stations on the moon but politics has pretty much made sure that wont be occurring anytime soon. So while I agree that Musk and his ilk are arrogant ego drive assclowns they dont have to deal with politics holding them back and they are likely to be the ones moving us the fuck off this rock.
Its only a matter of time before we face the same fate the Dinosaurs did.
I personally would feel much better if humanity had a way out of such a situation or at the very least didn't have all its eggs trapped on one planet, for the first time in our history we actually have the technology and know how to leave Earth and live off world . .so the question is why the fuck are we still here and not out there populating this little solar system.
The answer will involve a large amount of politics.
Edit - I myself would happily buy a one way ticket to live on Mars, to be one of the first settlers there .. man that would be both terrifying and exciting.
I hope you are aware that "space colonization" and "dinosaur scenario on earth" are two entirely non-overlapping magisteria?
The one is a thought experiment on an Asimovian scale, closer to the generation ship than to present reality. Musk is a professional optimist, but I have it on good authority that even a manned exploratory mission to Mars is likely a "not in our lifetime" prospect. Or, I enjoyed watching "The Expanse" as much as the next nerd and I guess it has been praised for some realism. But that is set 300 years in the future and can we agree that space dwelling as depicted there doesn't look like the most desirable state of affairs?
Meanwhile, we're facing a very real and rather immediate extinction event here on Earth in conjunction with a 200 year orgy after discovering grandma's champagne stash and learning how to uncork it. Now all the booze starts killing us off and no one wants to admit they're late to the party and we'll have to start cleaning up the place before daddy reality comes home.
So, sorry, but if you really conflate the one with the other, you need to do some homework. If not, please be aware that casually discussing it will lead simpler minds to at least subconsciously dismiss the situation at hand for some vague "planet B" escape which physics can't really provide.
In general - NASA, SpaceX or the Taliban - research is not a cigarette vending machine.
Not a scientific or original take, but funny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrGFEW2Hb2g
I'm nostalgic for the time when my peers and I considered ourselves too young for nostalgia...