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In a Wide-Ranging Interview, Elon Musk Talks About Visiting Mars, Battle To Keep Tesla Afloat, and Neuralink (medium.com)
Elon Musk reckons there's a 70 percent chance he'll go to Mars, even as he knows there's a good chance he won't survive there. "I'm talking about moving there," the SpaceX and Tesla CEO said in a wide-ranging, but brief interview with Axios on HBO. "We've recently made a number of breakthroughs that I'm just really fired up about."
In the interview, he also spoke about Neuralink, the company he launched last year to build brain-enhancing implants. "The long-term aspiration of Neuralink would be to achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence," he said. "If we have billions of people with a high-bandwidth link to an AI extension of themselves, it would actually make everyone hyper-smart."
Musk also revealed that Tesla had been "single-digit weeks" away from death with the company "bleeding" cash as it ramped up Model 3 production. He said he was worried about imploding and that the stress of working seven days a week and sleeping at the Tesla factory was very painful."It hurts my brain and my heart," said Musk, who recently publicly urged people to explore electric cars, even if they come from companies Tesla competes with.
In the interview, he also spoke about Neuralink, the company he launched last year to build brain-enhancing implants. "The long-term aspiration of Neuralink would be to achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence," he said. "If we have billions of people with a high-bandwidth link to an AI extension of themselves, it would actually make everyone hyper-smart."
Musk also revealed that Tesla had been "single-digit weeks" away from death with the company "bleeding" cash as it ramped up Model 3 production. He said he was worried about imploding and that the stress of working seven days a week and sleeping at the Tesla factory was very painful."It hurts my brain and my heart," said Musk, who recently publicly urged people to explore electric cars, even if they come from companies Tesla competes with.
I pity those that go there looking for adventure only to realize they are standing in a tube.
the good thing is, Tesla is on the right track now....
aaaaaaa
IMHO, there are people that zap mosquitoes with lasers, then shy away from delivering an actual useful product at the end. And there are people who deliver a mosquito laser zapping box, but along the way, blind a few early adopters while they get the real world kinks out.
I put Musk in the later category. The world needs more Musks, I just don't want to be an early adopter of his products.
In a way he has some engineering background. He has an interest (ie. practical experience) and a degree in physics.
Take me for example. I have no formal schooling in electronics or engineering yet I work in that field. My degrees are in computer science and math but I spend most of my time writing software, designing and building electronics, designing and building CAD designs, etc.
Yes, you like so many, do not understand the value of "Leading from the Front". Your idea of leadership is, "Hey you, go take that hill" whereas real leaders say, "Follow me!"
You almost had a point until the needless racism.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
I don't think any explorer, ever, just came to a new land for the first time and lived an immediate life of comfort.
The point is, somebody has to be first to attempt to colonize a new land (or world in the case of Mars), and that's a task certain people find a VERY rewarding challenge
And yes - a few people enjoy spending time in places with very harsh conditions, where there aren't many other human beings around. My dad was friends with a teacher who took a sabbatical leave to visit Antarctica and live in one of those research facilities for a year or so. He came back with some amazing photos and stories, and didn't regret it a bit. (Not saying he'd be eager to do it again or to move there permanently ... but it's something not many people have experienced, so I can see the attraction.)
Even crazy can be put to good use sometimes. He can rocket himself to Mars and die from radiation-induced cancers, but he's still moved the needle back here on Earth to make transportation cleaner.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
Just because he doesn't have a mechanical engineering degree doesn't mean he can't have some aptitude and ask questions of the assumptions of those that do. And as long as the right questions are being asked of the right people, then things move forward. It definitely takes it's toll though - why do you think there's been such a revolving door in the executive offices? Collisions of ego show that, like traffic accidents, mass wins; and Musk's ego is bigger than all else.
Any engineer knows that talking with someone outside the field and explaining it will get your own brain working the problem again, and sometimes you come across different solutions. I know software engineers that keep a rubber duck on their desk to explain problems to just to be able to hear themselves going over it again for this purpose. It just so happens that this guy has the clout and authority to make the engineers explain rather than doing it voluntarily as a problem-solving technique.
Yeah, he's a micromanager. But he seems to get results. I personally would absolutely hate to work directly with the guy for the reasons you state, but that doesn't mean that it can't be effective.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
This guy makes shit up faster than Trump, but people actually believe him
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Sorry, I'm only a 1336 h4x0r.
"If we have billions of people with a high-bandwidth link to an AI extension of themselves, it would actually make everyone hyper-smart."
I am afraid most of us would become immensely powerfully idiotic. Most humans are probably born as smart as your good scientist or good writer. Like most people are born with a body with the potential to be an athlete.
It is just most people have not desire for excellence. They are not educated that way. Our problem is not that much a lack of brain processing power. We already have intelligence magnifying tools. Take writing for example. Wonderful things have indeed been written and that is not over. But most people won't bother with books and plenty of magazines with stories about celebrities are sold. Internet is used to watch porn and hurl insults to each other, etc...
Tools and system are fine and all. But you need the right people to do nice things with them. We are not there yet.
Which is good, there aren't that many options on the market with comparable range (around 400km), price and specs. You have the Hyundai Kona and the Kia e-Niro, and not much else.
The Chevy Bolt EV has range that is comparable to the standard and mid-range Model 3. Honestly except for long distance trips on the highway, anything north of 350km range is more than adequate. I have a Bolt EV and I've never had to use a third party charging station yet in nearly 10,000 miles of driving in the last 6 months. The only real range issue I see with it for local driving is that at highway speeds the range goes to shit because it only has the one gear. I think a highway gear would help a lot though definitely not a deal breaker since the battery pack is more than big enough to deal with any reasonable trip in our metro area. I have exceeded the range of a Nissan Leaf but
After living with an EV for most of the last year, I'm convinced the majority of range and fast charging issues are important but also overblown. I have a gas powered truck for the occasional longer trip or could easily rent one if I didn't have it. Unless your daily drive is something stupidly long with a LOT of highway miles, the range on any of the vehicles mentioned above is more than adequate provided you have some means of doing Level 2 charging at your primary residence and/or place of work. I don't think I've gotten to less than 50 miles of range yet and I've been doing the opposite of hyper-miling much of the time. (EVs are fun to drive)
Huyndai expects to make 30.000 EVs a year... less than Tesla makes in a month.
That's because they still aren't taking EVs seriously. Just like almost every other car company. I own a Chevy Bolt EV and it's a good car and good value but it is obvious how much of it is borrowed from other Chevy vehicles. Hell it goes down the same assembly line as the Chevy Sonic which should give you some idea how similar those cars are. Like them or hate them, Tesla is really the only significant company selling no compromise EVs as of this writing. Even dedicated EVs like the Nissan Leaf are just chock full of compromises and ugly/bad design. It's not clear to me why they think every EV owner wants an ugly hatchback compliance car. (seriously, SO many EVs are just hideous to look at) I think my Bolt EV is decent looking but I certainly don't think it's a pretty vehicle and I'm not convinced GM has gone all-in on EVs. I think they made the Bolt and are resting on their laurels rather than pushing hard to scale up EV production and sales.
I choose to make myself dumber every day. That is what makes me so happy.
I just don't think that a "symbiosis with artificial intelligence" is likely to be the path. AI is basically just a bunch of ways of getting computers to do things that humans already do, albeit sometimes with more data than a human could possibly be trained on. I don't see that these methods mesh with the brain as they are based either on (a) pure philosophical speculation on how the mind works, (b) statistical algorithms that don't have a clear use-case for interfacing directly to our brains or (c) models of extremely simple neural circuits that wouldn't enhance any but the most damaged brains.
I think the low hanging fruit are (a) executive function, (b) memory and (c) mood regulation. Would you like to be a little more disciplined? Be able to concentrate on things even if they're boring. Follow through on things that you intended to do? Get an executive function upgrade. Who wouldn't like to have a better memory? Maybe you could flick a switch to enhance your memory of the document you're reading? Trigger the brain circuits that fix traumatic events clearly in your memory. We also know that the brain grows and adapts, and if it is possible to enhance your working memory (a key element of intelligence) by practice, as some believe, then it should be possible to trigger that brain adaption without all the effort. Depressed, or suffering from PTSD? Eliminate the symptoms.
The thing is, the ability to do any of these obviously good things also carries horrific possibilities.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Look, the "Telsa's going private" episode proved beyond reasonable doubt that either he is a pathological liar or that he isn't able to separate wishful thinking from reality. It also demonstrated profoundly poor judgment. We should listen to this guy why? But sign me up for brain surgery, I'm definitely ok with having some active electronic device inserted into my brain. As long as it's postmortem.
He never even approached a point. Yeah, sure, extending the range of electric cars by an order of magnitude is just "making them sexy".
Anything below -50 C you'll need a spacesuit to go outside :) Brrrr
[($)]
I think I have a bit of a clue.... Nobody is saying visiting Antarctica is "much like a trip to Mars". We're saying that right now, it's probably one of the most inhospitable places a person can travel to -- and yet many people have chosen to do it anyway.
Any serious attempt at a Mars mission would presumably include transporting up some basic building blocks to take a decent stab at living there for a period of time. On the plus side, you don't have to worry about wild animals attacking you on Mars or getting stung or bitten by insects carrying nasty diseases.
At least in the early stages, I think you'd probably try to establish a domed, climate-controlled "research station" of sorts, which would shelter you from some of the worst parts of trying to live on Mars.
Surely, Elon you can muster a AWD design brief for a utility V that has 9" ground clearance, tow 8.000#, haul 10 overhead storage bags; 5 souls and get 300 mi. before empty that's not just another pickup truck. The Tesla X does not an SUV make. Arguably its the coolest, best crossover. Its not utility. Tesla owns the E in EV, lead it. Elon you have the cajones to juggle not two but three tech companies; four if SolarCity counts.
Begin with '97 2 door, barn door Tahoe 4x4 aesthete as Tesla's brief. Design a U category killer SUV off that... a solar Airstream option and tiny home Globetrotter floor plan. There's a complete game, set - market.
No domes. Meteorites are still a problem. Tesla is going to put a car sized boring machine over there and build underground facilities. It's easier to keep warm, blocks radiation, free support materials. Every company he's working on is part of the goal.
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
Not sure about that. Manufacturers are starting to build vehicles that have been designed as EVs from the ground up.
Not really. Not seriously anyway. If they were serious about it they would be investing heavily in battery companies and securing supplies. The only company I've seen working on making an EV that doesn't look idiotic recently is Porsche. The new Leaf looks better than the old one but that's not saying much - the old one was terrible looking. The Kona is just another boring and fairly ugly hatchback. I own a Bolt and while I like the styling for a hatchback, it isn't exactly sexy either.
The big automakers are just dipping their toes in the water and waiting. They don't want to take the risk and possibly be wrong.
This is not just a shakeup in car design, but in their production lines and logistics as well, and such things take some time and effort (as Tesla found out).
Of course but I work in the industry and they aren't really putting in the effort or money. They're all claiming they are going to introduce electrified cars but none of the big autos are really pushing their chips onto the table and those promises haven't materialized into real products for the most part.
My understanding is that a couple of these companies are simply having a real hard time sourcing the batteries.
They're having a hard time of it because it's a critical technology they wouldn't be outsourcing if they were serious about it. Tesla seems to be the only ones that grok the fact that they need to vertically integrate to get the economies of scale and a competitive advantage. Unless Tesla's competitors have a lead on some mysterious battery tech that will supplant Li-Ion in the near future and are willing to dump tons of money on it then they are playing a dangerous game.
Yes, in much greater detail. The interview in question is generally not being talked about any more on mainstream outlets because it would advertise the fact that mainstream media has competitors that technically pull greater numbers in terms of viewership than said mainstream media. You don't want to advertise that your competition does what you do better than you do for obvious reasons.
Interview in question if you want to watch it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
If you want to know more, and not the sanitized tidbits that a mainstream outlet thinks you should know and nothing else, Rogan's interview with Musk provides a good insight into the man and his views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
"Hyper-smart" people will be hyper-able to take advantage of those who don't have AI augmentation.
To prevent or offset this, you will see a "progressive" movement to regulate the implants. They will only be permitted if they also change the personality of the implantee -- making the implantee "hyper-compassionate" (as defined by a regulatory body).
Also look for promotion of the idea that if the "hyper-smart" are not hyper-taxed, they simply aren't paying their fair share.
That that is is that that that that is not is not.
Having more gears wouldn't change the efficiency of the electric motor, unlike an ICEV.
That's not true at all. EVs have motors that are relatively efficient across a broad RPM range (up to 20,000) so engineers can pick a gear that works well for most day to day driving. But make no mistake that this gear choice is a compromise. They do not have perfect efficiency across the whole band and there are limits to how fast you can spin them. My Bolt EV has a max speed of 91mph largely thanks to choice of gears and this does play a role in it's (relatively) crappy fuel economy at speeds above 70mph. At higher speeds they do use more energy spinning faster, especially towards the top end. It's why most EVs are electronically limited at the top end. There are EVs that have gear boxes and while they don't need 8 gears, 2 or 3 can have actual utility. Right now they don't use them because the added cost result in enough performance improvement to be worth the bother.
The original Tesla Roadster was designed to have a two speed gearbox. The Bolt EV I have probably would see a 10-20% gain in fuel economy at highway speeds with a 2 speed gearbox. Multiple gears will eventually be a thing for EVs, albeit far less important than for ICEs. A lot of EVs will probably stick with the single gear option because it works fine and is cheaper and more reliable.
My Tesla Model S, on the other hand, loses very little range at highway speeds.
Unless you have highways with low speed limits, that isn't true. Highway speeds where I live are between 70-80mph and that has a notable effect on fuel economy even for Tesla. You are correct that the Tesla is more streamlined so the effect is smaller but the effect is still there and still notable.
It also has only one "gear".
You don't need the quotes. It does have a single gear so that statement is quite correct.