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Tesla's Newest Holiday Update Includes an Easter Egg: 'Santa Mode' (engadget.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the run-run-Rudolph dept.

An anonymous reader quotes Engadget: Dive into the Easter egg section on your EV and you'll discover a reindeer button that invokes a Santa Mode. To say it brings a Christmas vibe to your car would be an understatement. It turns your car into Santa's sleigh on the dash display (and other cars into reindeer), but that's really just the start of the flourishes. The new mode plays the late, great Chuck Berry's version of "Run Rudolph Run" when it first kicks in, for one thing. You'll also hear sleigh bells when you invoke a turn signal. And if you're fortunate enough to have a car with Autopilot, the road ahead will suddenly turn icy.
The article includes a video showing that the voice command to enable Santa mode is -- of course -- "Ho ho ho."

Engadget calls it "one of the perks of owning a Tesla in the first place. The combination of all-digital displays and frequent software updates lets Tesla add little delights that you couldn't get if you had to stare at an old-school instrument cluster."

4 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. Oh dear ... by Alain+Williams · · Score: 3, Insightful

    much as I like Christmas & don't want to be a party pooper & all that .... is this really a good idea, is it safe ?

    Easter egg code tends to be more buggy than the rest:, it tends to be written more quickly (not much budget for a frivolous project) and it won't be as well tested. Is this really wanted in something on which your life depends ? Also: since it is new it will be more of a distraction to the driver -- when s/he should be keeping his eyes on the road (especially at a time of year when more than usual will have more to drink than is wise).

    What next ? A fun little game hidden inside the Air Traffic Control software ? There are times when us programmers should think of the consequences.

  2. Re:How Political Incorrect !! by DavidMZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For the entire 8 years of Obama's administration "Merry Christmas" was in the banned list.

    That's strange... Obama has said Merry Christmas in many occasions. I guess that the only thing that's in the "banned list" of Trump supporters is critical thinking.

  3. Who said that? by AndyKron · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Frequent software updates are a perk? Really? Who said that?

    1. Re:Who said that? by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Frequent software updates are a perk? Really? Who said that?

      Frequent software updates aren't the perk, timely software updates are the perk. Everyone would prefer that software arrive in their hands bug-free, but the next best thing is that you get fixes rapidly. I've never had any meaningful bug-free software in my hands. QED.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"