College Grads Create Fake Tesla Commercial That Elon Musk Loves

A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 12:07 · Score: -1

Fucking rich people who'll rape you for a car. Just remember what you're supporting.

Re:A toy for the 1%ers by cheesybagel · 2014-03-20 12:12 · Score: 2, Insightful

At least it is being manufactured in the USA man.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 12:21 · Score: 2, Interesting

Surprised that in 2014 people still think that wealth has anything to do with hard work rather than innate talent, connections and lack of scruples.
(Son of multimillionaires and private school scholar here, so I'm not bitter - just saying it how it is.)
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 12:38 · Score: 1

Public school product here, closing in on his first million. :)

Son of smart but dirt poor parents, went to public school & state university, no real connections but plenty of scruples, working my ass off for another 10-15 years and saving all I can. If/when I ever move to a warmer climate, I'd buy a Tesla with very few reservations.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Holi · 2014-03-20 12:45 · Score: 1

I think you stretch it with innate talent. Far more important are connections.

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Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Nethead · 2014-03-20 13:01 · Score: 1

I think you stretch it with innate talent. Far more important are connections.
Yeah, but when you get both working together, that's when the world changes.

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Re:A toy for the 1%ers by nobuddy · 2014-03-20 13:40 · Score: 5, Funny

It is all about being frugal. I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it left.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by WindBourne · 2014-03-20 13:45 · Score: 3, Insightful

And yet, Musk is a multi-billionaire and started out VERY middle class, with no connections or money supporting him.

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Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 14:33 · Score: 4, Interesting

Really? I'm making under 100K in Canada and I'm driving one... Why? I don't have to line up at Costco for gas... It just goes. Ya, so it's more expensive up front compared to other cars, but it just works. I don't have to look at the gas gauge and try to figure out my next route to the gas station. I simply bypass the people making a right turn right onto the highway. Oh ya, and the carpool lanes also allow green cars... instead of being stuck in traffic going to work, I have a pass to ride the pool lane by myself to get to where I have to.
BTW my other car is an 2013 Odyssey, half the price, to go camping... It does about 15l/km fully loaded. So I get about 300km/tank... But I get there.
I eval'ed a Kia Rio 5 vs the Ody. On an unloaded trip up north, I got 5.9 on the Kia Rio (dealership let me try it for a few days) and 6.1 on the Ody (213Km trip). (I do contract work). The Telsa just blows everything away. I got pulled over on highway 12 a couple of times, because the OPP wanted to check out the car. Let's just put it this way. From requested tests, the Tesla can blow away anything for a fraction of the cost of the really beefy cars.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 16:16 · Score: 0

First million cents?
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by davester666 · 2014-03-20 17:26 · Score: 1

..and lack of scruples.
My ex-partner [he was sales, I was development] thought nothing of embezzling $50K+, and when caught "oh, it was the accountant" [whom he had personally hired].
But the cops couldn't be bothered with a squabble between partners, and he had 50K more than I did for the lawsuit...

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Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 19:33 · Score: -1

Not for long. If it starts to sell, China will just roll out its own at a fraction of the cost.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Gavagai80 · 2014-03-20 20:15 · Score: 1

That's why most of America drives Chinese cars. Oh, wait...

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Re:A toy for the 1%ers by cbhacking · 2014-03-20 21:02 · Score: 4, Interesting

Just like the Chinese have been able to undercut the price on SpaceX rockets?
Not saying that just because *one* of Musk's companies managed to make something (in the USA!) for less than the Chinese or Russians could manage means that *all* of his companies will have the same fortune, but there's a lot of engineering knowledge that goes into making a Tesla. Yeah, cheap knockoffs - things that don't have anywhere near the specs - will probably appear, but they won't have much penetration outside of Asia.
Tesla doesn't just "make electric luxury cars". They make electric cars that have both more range *and* more efficiency than anything which can reasonably be called a competitor (i.e highway-safe enclosed multi-passenger vehicle). I don't have a clue how they manage to beat the others so handily on efficiency, but it's a critical factor for an electric car. A gasoline car with low fuel economy can just use a bigger tank, but that strategy breaks down with batteries much earlier.

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Re:A toy for the 1%ers by stiggle · 2014-03-20 22:52 · Score: 1

Its not even a toy - its a development platform for Musk for his car on Mars (when SpaceX gets him there).
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 23:25 · Score: 0

At least it is being manufactured in the USA man.
A good number of automobiles are. (Either that or in (Ontario) Canada.)
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by mwvdlee · 2014-03-20 23:28 · Score: 1

Yesterday I had $ 999,999 to go, today I only have $999,998 to go; closing in on my first million!

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Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 23:30 · Score: 1

Just look at Bush Jr. and Romney; innate talent is highly overrated.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by mrvan · 2014-03-21 00:27 · Score: 1

I think you stretch it with innate talent. Far more important are connections.
Yeah, but when you get both working together, that's when the world stays the same.
FTFY. I'm afraid you underestimate the conservative force of the well conntected :-(
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 03:04 · Score: 0

Here's an interesting point of view about that : Does money make you mean? ..arguing by analogy via a rigged monopoly game, that the newly-rich person would attribute his success to his work (monopoly strategy), while at the same time failing to admit his success is mostly due to the rigged inequitable rules set at the beginning of the game.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by glasshole · 2014-03-21 06:17 · Score: 1

I'm making under 100K in Canada and I'm driving one...
Your priorities are totally messed up. You've put too much of your income into something that is depreciating rapidly.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 06:28 · Score: 0

What makes you think it's efficient? The LEAF uses less energy per mile, largely by being a lighter car.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 15:45 · Score: 0

Aren't you one of the folks around here always saying something along the lines of "It's my money, I can spend it how I want"? Usual conservative hypocrisy....
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by left00coaster · 2014-03-22 07:53 · Score: 1

True, but a Tesla is fun to drive. A Leaf, not so much.
Re:A toy for the 1%ers by weweedmaniii · 2014-03-24 06:23 · Score: 1

At least it is being manufactured in the USA man.
A good number of automobiles are. (Either that or in (Ontario) Canada.)
When did Ontario Canada become part of the USA? I believe the Provincial Legislature & Canadian Parliament plus the 300,000 residents around Windsor would take a great deal of exception to that.

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emrah by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 12:17 · Score: -1

http://www.muhabbetkuslarim.net

Stargate Effect by time_lords_almanac · 2014-03-20 12:36 · Score: 1

Cute commercial. The "warp" effect when he is inside the car is totally from Stargate/Early SG1 :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Lemme posit this... by QuietLagoon · 2014-03-20 12:39 · Score: 5, Interesting

If the car commercials I have to suffer through on my TV were half as good as this "amateur" commercial, would I fast-forward my TiVo to skip the commercials?

.
My answer: no.

This is an enjoyable commercial.

Question: why cannot the "professional" commercial makers do this sort of thing? Why are current car commercials always screaming at me?

Re:Lemme posit this... by rodrigoandrade · 2014-03-20 12:59 · Score: 4, Insightful

Question: why cannot the "professional" commercial makers do this sort of thing? Why are current car commercials always screaming at me?

Because, when it comes to car commercials, ad agencies are bound by so many rules and regulations regarding depictions of reckless driving and such things that it becomes almost impossible tp create a cool car commercial without running the risk of going to court over it (both the ad agency AND car manufacturer).

These kids are not bound by such ass backwards rules, thanks goodness.

An the car ads that scream at you are from dealerships, not manufacturers. I still remember JOE MYERS FORD (Houston, TX dealership) ad screaming in my ears despite not having seen it in over 10 years.
Re:Lemme posit this... by 140Mandak262Jamuna · 2014-03-20 13:06 · Score: 4, Insightful

Let us say we get to break whatever you are doing and force you to watch this very interesting and enjoyable commercial, some three or four times a day, for about two weeks at a stretch at the end of every quarter. Would you still be so kind to them. Even the most interesting, entertaining, information packed commercial starts grating on your nerves after the sixth or tenth repeat.

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Re:Lemme posit this... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 13:17 · Score: 1

So, ten years after the fact, you still remember the name "Joe Myers Ford"? Sounds like those ads succeeded in creating brand awareness.
Re:Lemme posit this... by QuietLagoon · 2014-03-20 13:23 · Score: 1

You raise a valid point.
.
Yes, the "saturation" aspect of commercial buys is also an issue.
A local radio station, 107.1 The Peak suffers from this very malady.
For some reason, they think it is good to play the same commercial once an hour, every hour, 24/7, for weeks at a time.
It numbs the mind.
Yes, you raise a valid point. Thanks.
Re:Lemme posit this... by MacTO · 2014-03-20 13:34 · Score: 4, Insightful

The big reason: you aren't in the target demographic for TV commercials. I suspect that you would find the advertising in a trade publication that interests you similarly interesting, because you would be in the target demographic.
Time is another consideration. This is a 1 minute commercial, so they have time to "tell a story". I'm pretty sure that most commercials are 30 seconds, and even 15 seconds, in length. That's barely enough time to get a person's attention and blurt out your product name.
Re:Lemme posit this... by alexhs · 2014-03-20 13:44 · Score: 5, Informative

Question: why cannot the "professional" commercial makers do this sort of thing?
They do. For example: The Force: Volkswagen Commercial

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Re:Lemme posit this... by Prof.Phreak · 2014-03-20 15:32 · Score: 2

Would you still not skip it when you've see it 37 times?
(or say 2nd or 3rd time in the previous 10 minutes while say browsing a news site, and it plays for 30 seconds before the video you're trying to watch...?)

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Re:Lemme posit this... by EmperorArthur · 2014-03-20 15:53 · Score: 3, Insightful

So, ten years after the fact, you still remember the name "Joe Myers Ford"? Sounds like those ads succeeded in creating brand awareness.
Yes, but that's only a good thing if you subscribe to the notion of "all publicity is good publicity." In many cases the ad can do the opposite of what you want. Ex. People who remember Dr Pepper because "not for women."

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Re:Lemme posit this... by ZiakII · 2014-03-20 16:12 · Score: 5, Informative

Because, when it comes to car commercials, ad agencies are bound by so many rules and regulations regarding depictions of reckless driving and such things that it becomes almost impossible tp create a cool car commercial without running the risk of going to court over it (both the ad agency AND car manufacturer).

What the hell are you talking about.... I just watched a car commercial where a woman jumped on top of a moving train with a car.
Re:Lemme posit this... by neiras · 2014-03-20 16:34 · Score: 5, Funny

My personal favourite: Terrorist: Volkswagen Commercial
Re:Lemme posit this... by LMariachi · 2014-03-20 17:43 · Score: 1

VW’s agency does seem to have a knack for creatively nonstandard commercials:
Da Da Da
Pink Moon
Re:Lemme posit this... by Mr+Z · 2014-03-20 18:15 · Score: 1

Because, when it comes to car commercials, ad agencies are bound by so many rules and regulations regarding depictions of reckless driving and such things that it becomes almost impossible tp create a cool car commercial without running the risk of going to court over it (both the ad agency AND car manufacturer).

And yet, this commercial had zero driving at all!

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Re:Lemme posit this... by Gavagai80 · 2014-03-20 20:18 · Score: 1

The real problem I have with commercials is just that they repeat so many times. Could you watch that commercial 500 times and still enjoy it?

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Re:Lemme posit this... by gl4ss · 2014-03-20 20:18 · Score: 1

well...
the good commercials they don't have to put on tv. you'll go look for them anyways.
like the honda rube goldberg commercial or the bmw shorts.

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Re:Lemme posit this... by Gavagai80 · 2014-03-20 20:20 · Score: 1

I see now that a bunch of other people have said the same thing already, so let's pretend the above duplicate is to illustrate how annoying repetition is.

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Re:Lemme posit this... by Alain+Williams · 2014-03-20 21:31 · Score: 2

Agreed: watching this a small number of times is OK, after that it grates. However: if these guys can produce the ads for $1,500 then the car company could afford to have many of them, all different; that would retain interest. If the series of adverts told some sort of story people would look forwards to them and maybe actively watch them.
Re:Lemme posit this... by aliquis · 2014-03-20 22:08 · Score: 1

This one (the Tesla one) was cool. The problem I would have with it is that the car experience of course will be nothing like that space experience :), cool ad none the less.
I like this one from SAAB:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Re:Lemme posit this... by CastrTroy · 2014-03-20 22:47 · Score: 2

I imagine it only costs out to $1500 if your time is free. If Tesla or any other car company wanted to make commercials, they would have to pay actors, writers, camera operators, and a plethora of other people. Its one thing to get a single commercial for free, but if you want a whole series, people are gonna want to get paid.

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Re:Lemme posit this... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 23:44 · Score: 1

The words do not exist that would allow me to express how much I loathe that commercial.
Re:Lemme posit this... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 23:51 · Score: 0

I watched that thinking it was going to be in bad taste. It was actually humorous.
Re:Lemme posit this... by JaredOfEuropa · 2014-03-20 23:55 · Score: 1

Commercials can be funny as hell, even if you've seen them before. I still enjoy these older ones from a Dutch insurance firm:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... (The 2 guys getting out of the car at the end are father & son Moszkowicz, the country's infamous top lawyers).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

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Re:Lemme posit this... by BitZtream · 2014-03-21 00:01 · Score: 1

Ex. People who remember Dr Pepper because "not for women."
Other than you, who remembers THAT? I don't even think Dr Pepper does.

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Re:Lemme posit this... by AmiMoJo · 2014-03-21 00:16 · Score: 1

As usual it's not as simple as Slashdot would like to think it is. In the case of a woman driving a car off a train it is clearly the kind of thing you would see in an action movie and not likely to be copied by anyone actually allowed to drive a car.
The problem is with actions that look reasonable but which need to be done with care and attention. Say they want to advertise the traffic data feature of the built in sat-nav by showing the driver being presenting with an alternative route and touching the button to select it. If someone did that and crashed because they were not paying attention to the world outside their car they might potentially sue the manufacturer. It's dumb but lawyers always err on the side of extreme caution because if their client does get sued and they said it was okay they might be liable.

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Re:Lemme posit this... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 00:49 · Score: 0

It had a kid playing in the drivers seat of a car. I might be wrong, but I suspect some groups would have had a fit over the safety implications of promoting that (even though these days, it's pretty much impossible for a kid to do anything without putting a key in the ignition).
Re:Lemme posit this... by MadCow42 · 2014-03-21 02:15 · Score: 1

And there are others... not in the car industry though, and probably never really broadcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
(NSFW, sorry)

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Re:Lemme posit this... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 02:37 · Score: 0

What about those VW or Audi (or some car company) ads where they show the driver and the passenger talking, then BAM! a huge T-bone accident. They were trying to show that everyone could walk away from that sort of serious collision. But they also showed: 1) a driver running a stop sign, 2) a driver not paying attention to the road (or to the other driver running the stop sign), and 3) a collision that was severe enough to be potentially fatal.
Now what happens to that company when one of their customers has that sort of accident and can't walk away from it, or even dies? Can their family sue the company? The answer isn't just no, it's hell no. The same goes for showing people using a navigation system and not wrecking in the process. According to the law, the driver alone is responsible for keeping control of the vehicle at all times. Period. Any corporate lawyer that can't make that stick in court needs to find a new line of work.
Re:Lemme posit this... by cellocgw · 2014-03-21 03:49 · Score: 1

Question: why cannot the "professional" commercial makers do this sort of thing? Why are current car commercials always screaming at me?
Because, when it comes to car commercials, ad agencies are bound by so many rules and regulations regarding depictions of reckless driving and such things that it becomes almost impossible tp create a cool car commercial without running the risk of going to court over it (both the ad agency AND car manufacturer).
RU serious? Have you not seen the electric car flying over buildings, or the (Hyundai?) sedan flying up a ramp, landing on an elevated commuter train, then jumping into the parking lot?

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Fake? by Dan+East · 2014-03-20 12:45 · Score: 4, Insightful

It's not a fake commercial. It's a real commercial. They just made it without having been asked or paid.

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Re:Fake? by wiredlogic · 2014-03-20 13:00 · Score: 1

The creators weren't connected to Tesla as part of any form of commerce so it isn't a commercial.

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Re:Fake? by vux984 · 2014-03-20 13:38 · Score: 4, Insightful

The creators weren't connected to Tesla as part of any form of commerce so it isn't a commercial.
But it encourages the watcher to engage in commerce with Tesla, which is pretty much the definition of a commercial.
Re:Fake? by jones_supa · 2014-03-21 01:49 · Score: 4, Insightful

It's not a fake commercial. It's a real commercial. They just made it without having been asked or paid.
"Unofficial commercial" would be a good term.

Saw a Tesla Model S on a trailer tonight by HangingChad · 2014-03-20 12:47 · Score: 1

We were coming back from dinner and it was on a trailer being towed by a white truck with Tesla stenciled on the side. It was a grey Model S with a roof rack.

Some lucky dog right in our neighborhood getting their delivery today. I bet they're excited.

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Only one thing missing by Freshly+Exhumed · 2014-03-20 12:49 · Score: 3, Funny

Should have ended with "See your New Jersey Tesla dealer today!"

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"This is my resume" by savuporo · 2014-03-20 12:52 · Score: 2

Doing something like this for free for a company is one of the best ways to get hired.

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Re:"This is my resume" by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 22:16 · Score: 0

Doing something like this for free for a company is one of the best ways to get hired.
We'd love to hire you and will double your current salary!

A Tesla is a fashion statement. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 13:07 · Score: 1

Of course if you have a big dick you don't need one.

WMD wizards & warloks create fake 'weather' by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 13:10 · Score: -1

doesn't even look real except for the damage http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=weather%20manipulation%20costs&sm=3 deception loaded onto phony should be a story about us

Nice viral video by mapuche · 2014-03-20 13:11 · Score: 1

I wonder if these guys really have no connection to Tesla in any way.

Re:Nice viral video by PPH · 2014-03-20 13:33 · Score: 3, Interesting

Do you mean now, or when they produced this commercial?
I don't have a problem with this particular ad, but I can see a problem. Commercial speech is subject to more and different laws and restrictions than 'free speech'. I can see a situation arising when an unsolicited ad is produced by an independent group making unsubstantiated claims about some product. The FTC steps in, but can't touch the manufacturer because they didn't produce the ad or pay for it. The volunteers aren't subject to the same restrictions as the manufacturer or its agents, so broader free speech rules apply.
Watch to see if the amateur producers don't suddenly have Teslas parked in their garage.

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Re:Nice viral video by Dan+East · 2014-03-20 13:51 · Score: 1

What are you talking about? Tesla didn't pay them a cent to make this video. I hear they do like their new Roadsters though.

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Re:Nice viral video by Teancum · 2014-03-20 15:57 · Score: 4, Informative

This is a very common kind of thing done in most college film schools, where students are encouraged to make a commercial about some product that they like and promote it as if they were hired by that company. I had a rather progressive high school where I did that as a high school junior for a television communications class.
Really, it isn't that big of a deal. If the company itself picks up the commercial and runs it as if it was their own, that is where the FTC gets real nasty.
The other thing to worry about is that these guys posted the video on YouTube. Technically Tesla could yank the commercial as a violation of their trademark, and I suppose if it was misleading or doing something to ruin their reputation, they certainly could send in a DMCA request to YouTube and cause the commercial to be pulled. On the other hand, if it is this good, it is free advertising for them and generates buzz with a whole lot of people seeing their products in positive light, so it generally is a win-win situation for companies to support
Re:Nice viral video by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 23:23 · Score: 1

DMCA is for copright, not trademarks. Any lawyer who abuses DMCA request for the case you described, sets himself up for perjury.
Re:Nice viral video by Teancum · 2014-03-21 09:08 · Score: 1

DMCA is for copright, not trademarks. Any lawyer who abuses DMCA request for the case you described, sets himself up for perjury.
Hopefully a competent lawyer would be able to make that subtle distinction in terms of the exact provision of law that they are using to issue a complaint. You can still send a cease & desist request for trademark violations, which on YouTube would be with the same interface and e-mail submission tools that are used for DMCA requests.
The net effect is the same in either case, as the video is removed pending your counter-complaint to have the video put back up and fighting in a federal court room if the uploader disagrees with the assertion it is a violation of trademark.
Yes, I understand that there is a difference between copyright & trademark law. It is important to note also that in the case of these kind of videos it would not be a copyright violation as there is nothing in this case that Tesla actually produced in terms of copyrighted content (besides perhaps a somewhat questionable copyright issue on the visual appearance of the automobile itself). On the other hand, it is a clear use of trademarks without authorization, which is why a trademark challenge can be used in this situation.

I just had a moment by Krishnoid · 2014-03-20 13:12 · Score: 2

I just realized that the shared definition of a 'fake' commercial is that it was produced by someone not hired by the product manufacturer. It no longer means one that involves special effects, and hasn't for some time.

Re:I just had a moment by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 15:56 · Score: 0

Tiiiiime keeps on slippin slippin into the future.....

and other colleges like tribeca flashpoint work on by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 13:13 · Score: 1

work on real ones as part of class but some HR people pass them over as it's only 2 years but you know more then the 4 year guys

*this again* by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 13:26 · Score: 0

Tried to read, and watch. Couldn't had a giant SUBSCRIBE over the page. Don't do sites like that, add them to ad block, and never go back. Someday web sites will learn.

Way to suck corporate cock! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 13:47 · Score: 0

Nice job kiddies! This will prepare for your job sucking corporate cock for no money! Enjoy the next 60 years of your life, suckers!

Yes by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 13:58 · Score: 0, Insightful

Americans love to celebrate their edge-cases.

Self-made millionaires who started out with few-if-any advantages and who got there through hard work do exist. Yet for every one of them there are millions of people in the exact same circumstances, who work just as hard or harder, and never become millionaires.

Connections aren't, strictly-speaking, a necessity for becoming very rich. But connections are a whole lot more advantageous than hard work.

Re:Yes by AlphaWolf_HK · 2014-03-20 20:02 · Score: 2, Insightful

The key thing is that most of them are self made, and aren't born into wealth. Some 70% of them, in fact.
http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/ne...
Honestly I'm sick of this invented war that some people call class warfare. It just doesn't fucking exist, nobody has declared war on anybody else except for the OWS types, and even then they make up less than 1% of the population themselves.

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Re:Yes by BlindRobin · 2014-03-20 22:30 · Score: 4, Insightful

'Self made' is a myth, all of them had to first develop strong and binding connections with sources of capital, influence and discreet knowledge not their own. It is as much, and more in most cases, the cultivation of these relationships as it is their talents and vision that make for success.
Re:Yes by AlphaWolf_HK · 2014-03-20 23:28 · Score: 2

So basically you can fap to porn all day and the knowledge and influence will just magically appear in some cases? Or more realistically, when opportunity doesn't knock, you have to build doors?

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Re:Yes by BForrester · 2014-03-21 05:08 · Score: 1

Class isn't defined by heredity.
Attaining wealth is not the same as earning it.
Wars are rarely declared by the instigators.
Re:Yes by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 05:30 · Score: 0

It's extremely unlikely that if you do nothing, you'll get rich. If it works out for you, it's most likely an accident of birth -- your parents had cash. Alternatives include finding the winning lottery ticket, unsigned, on the ground, and discovering that your shitty hand-me-down from grandma is actually an antique worth tens of millions (which I guess is also an accident of birth).
However, it's also unlikely that if you work hard, you'll get rich. Some very wealthy people work very long hours, but the richest people generally aren't the ones who worked multiple full time jobs to make ends meet. And there's more of the latter, simply by virtue of the fact that more people are poor. The hardest workers tend to be poor.
That doesn't mean that Elon Musk was spending all his days fingerpainting and just fell into his businesses.
Re:Yes by AlphaWolf_HK · 2014-03-21 06:52 · Score: 1

If it works out for you, it's most likely an accident of birth -- your parents had cash.
Pretty sure I posted data debunking that theory...
Oh yeah, I did: http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
Next subject.

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Re:Yes by BasilBrush · 2014-03-22 12:59 · Score: 1

3 problems.
1) The paper has no definitions for wealth of parents. They code into "no wealth", "some wealthy" and "wealthy" arbitrarily based on what it says in "Who's Who" and web searches.
2) You quote their result for "wealthy", ignoring the "some wealth" category. Thus your 70% doesn't include Bill Gates for example, yet "His father was a prominent lawyer, and his mother served on the board of directors for First Interstate BancSystem and the United Way." Most people would count that as wealthy.
Had you instead counted the "some wealth" category as wealthy as most people would, the interpretation of the report is that only 20% are self-made. Which is rather more credible.
3) You assume that the richest 400 is representative of the wealthy in general. Which is unlikely. The ones with inherited wealth may not have the get up and go, or smarts to get into the top 400, but they are still wealthy.
Re:Yes by BasilBrush · 2014-03-22 13:03 · Score: 1

So basically you can fap to porn all day and the knowledge and influence will just magically appear in some cases?
Don't underestimate the number of people in the Paris Hilton category. Incredibly wealthy without lifting a finger to make it.

Or more realistically, when opportunity doesn't knock, you have to build doors?
Of course even of those coming from a background of wealth many work hard. But the point is they are not working harder than many more people who don't get wealthy. It's the silver spoon they were born with that means they get to do work that earns them a lot of money rather than a little.
Re:Yes by BasilBrush · 2014-03-22 13:12 · Score: 1

No you presented data with the suggestion that the son of a successful lawyer and the director of a bank and United Way was a "self made man". A man who's parents put him through an exclusive private school and then Harvard. Bill Gates.
This is not what is generally meant by "self-made". Self-made means making it without parental financial help. Bill Gates certainly does not qualify, therefore your argument fails.

I prefer by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 14:21 · Score: 1

Trunk monkeys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8avOiTUcD4Y

average middle, great ending. by Tablizer · 2014-03-20 14:51 · Score: 2

It was a little corny and copycat, but it had a great ending.

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Table-ized A.I.

The hell?! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 15:09 · Score: 0

I already opted out of this beta nonsense! Stop giving me this crap. The white space is not looking any better this time around either. Go away!

PS. Fuck beta.

What? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 15:22 · Score: 0

There are plenty of reckless driving commercials with a small disclaimer at the bottom.

Did you just make that up because of some ideological dislike of regulation?

Actual link to the ad by the_other_chewey · 2014-03-20 15:47 · Score: 5, Informative

Instead of linking to some site linking to or embedding the ad from youtube,
here's the actual youtube link.

This just in...big business guys love flattery by uCallHimDrJ0NES · 2014-03-20 16:01 · Score: 1

One book is all that I need.

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Blowjob! by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-20 17:05 · Score: 0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

It's missing something.... by lkernan · 2014-03-20 20:58 · Score: 2

Any real car company would have 5 minutes of disclaimers:

Car Cannot Fly.
Do not allow children to drive car.
No children were harmed in the making of this commercial.
Caution, do not look directly at the sun.
etc
etc
etc

Re:It's missing something.... by LifesABeach · 2014-03-21 02:15 · Score: 1

Ya, your right. It's a shame that the pharmacuticals already have the commerical slots taken. But I think Elon should run this ad in New Jersey...

...but not for long by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 00:22 · Score: 0

you can bet the 'Big 3' and their lame 'hybrids' are getting nervous

commoditization by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 00:38 · Score: 2

The very first cars where for only the rich, until they were made commodities. Travelling on boats (or at all) used to be only for the rich, until it was made more available with steam ships. Travelling on airplanes used to be only for the rich, and now it's very affordable. Computers and smartphones used to be very expensive, and now everyone can have one for "$0" (plus a monthly contract). ABS brakes and air bags used to only protect people in the luxury cars, and now they're standard on most automobiles in the Western world.

Most things start off as being expensive and become commoditized over time. Musk et al have to start somwhere to build up the infrastructure to get reall mass production going and getting the incremental costs down (and recoup R&D).

Is the desire for instant gratification really that ingrained that you can't wait for a few years for things to work their way down?

The four-stroke Otto cycle was developed in 1861, the Diesel cycle in 1897: Ford's Model T was first build in 1908. The Tesla Roadster was first produced in 2008, and the Model S first delivered in 2012: perhaps give them to about 2018 before you start bitching?

over the top by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 01:44 · Score: 0

I think the part with kid pretending he is in the spaceship is over the top and detracts from the message.

Dam Fine Commerical by LifesABeach · 2014-03-21 02:09 · Score: 1

Go UCLA, and any team that plays USC. XD

Elon Musk's spaceship by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-21 07:43 · Score: -1

It takes 60 days for anyone on Ebay to receive a payment from paypal into their bank account.

60 fucking days.

But elon musk has a spaceship!

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College Grads Create Fake Tesla Commercial That Elon Musk Loves

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