Musk and Discovery

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Discovery' started by bdub76, Nov 29, 2022.

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  1. Finn

    Finn Bad Batch of TrekBBS Admiral

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    Absolutely no idea. Weird
     
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  2. hbquikcomjamesl

    hbquikcomjamesl Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    There's a concept I learned about in a writing class, at a local junior college: "Hitler's Whistle." It refers to the idea that a "big bad" with no endearing qualities is less believable than one who has at least one, e.g., postulate that Hitler could whistle (whether he actually could was never addressed, as it was entirely foreign to the point).

    That said, while Teslas are unquestionably snob-appeal full-electric vehicles (I drive a 2018 Nissan Leaf, bought used in 2020), and I seriously doubt the practicality of the "hyperloop" concept that Musk has been touting, and I regard his "fashion space suits" as more than a little bit ridiculous (almost as ridiculous as his having put a Tesla in orbit as a publicity stunt), he has come up with a relatively cheap trip into orbit, just as his snob-appeal Teslas have managed to get even political reactionaries with large fossil fuel holdings driving EVs.

    That doesn't mean that I'm not thrilled to pieces at the prospect that his purchase of Twitter could mean financial ruin for both Musk and the cesspool he bought.

    And there are plenty of real world junior high school names that are in questionable taste at best. Just as Harold Robbins and Jacqueline Susann couldn't possibly be any worse hacks than, say, L. Ron Hubbard. At least they came by their insanely high sales numbers honestly.
     
  3. Takeru

    Takeru Space Police Commodore

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    He did none of those things, he used daddy's blood money, got lucky with some good investments, bought his way into Tesla a year after it was founded and won the right to call himself "co-founder" (although he factually isn't a Tesla founder) in court. He had the government bail out his companies, Teslas aren't even particularly good cars, competitors are often better and more affordable, SpaceX has an entire team to manipulate Musk into making good decisions or distract him while his bad decisions are ignored. He's an uneducated doofus who stumbled into success and lied his ass off taking credit for other people's work.

    He's a conman who started believing his own lies and the Twitter adventure has exposed his incompetence once and for all, he's an idiot who isn't even qualified to manage a flea circus.
     
  4. hbquikcomjamesl

    hbquikcomjamesl Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Don't mince words, "Takeru," what do you really think?
     
  5. Anthony60

    Anthony60 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Wow, now here's a guy who can put a bad spin on anything! So, he basically just got lucky. Okie dokie.
     
  6. Takeru

    Takeru Space Police Commodore

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    Yes!

    There's a common misconception that people who get rich must be smart, that's simply not true, getting rich ALWAYS involves getting lucky, it's never just talent or hard work or whatever. Rich people can be as smart or stupid as everyone else and Elon Musk is currently proving that he's not intelligent every single day.
     
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  7. XCV330

    XCV330 Premium Member

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    I like the idea of Hyperloop, but the concept of partial-vacuum tunnel existed long before Musk, and if it ever ends up working, it won't be Musks's design that becomes reality. I think it's a worthwhile idea because of the speed, ability to run at grades that normal trains can't think of, which allows a rapid mid-range transport to be build along the routes of preexisting highways and could really help reduce emissions and congestion. But it won't be his idea. He'll take credit, nonetheless.

    He likes to absorb the praise SpaceX gets and he certainly did drive on the idea and didn't give up on the venture in the early days of its failures on Kwaj. I was there for the first launch in Florida. I've been a fan of them all this time. Gwynne Shotwell has been the real motivator at SpaceX. And a lot of what SpaceX does is based on slightly obscure work that NASA was doing in the late 90's, early 00's ( Delta Clipper-X, and Fastrac, specifically).
     
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  8. Anthony60

    Anthony60 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Well, I'd agree that it doesn't involve being unlucky. Luck might be a factor, but I think it more involves having a well thought out vision and being willing to take risks and fail on the road to success.
     
  9. Prometheus59650

    Prometheus59650 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    This is a man who has literally, when touting hyperloop got on Twitter and said underground transportation was immune to weather at ground level...as though the New York subway system doesn't exist and flood regularly with storms.

    That is NOT a smart man.
     
  10. Laura Cynthia Chambers

    Laura Cynthia Chambers Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    If Trek is looking for a "famous names in Earth cutting edge tech/innovation/"he/she did it first"" name drop, how about the (fictional) James Pendrick from Murdoch Mysteries?
     
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  11. hbquikcomjamesl

    hbquikcomjamesl Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    And now, Musk has joined the far-right call for a witch-hunt against Fauci.
     
  12. Tomalak

    Tomalak Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Musk’s Hyperloop is literally just Teslas driving in tunnels. It exists purely as a means to suck up government subsidies and preventing development of actual public transport solutions.
     
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  13. Anthony60

    Anthony60 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I'd expect that he has information to back it up. Either way, I have no idea how that makes him "far-right". He's just concerned. Anyone should be able to question what the government is doing without being attacked. Like Picard.
     
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  14. hbquikcomjamesl

    hbquikcomjamesl Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    And indeed, Musk has himself expressed a loathing for public transportation.
     
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  15. Locutus of Bored

    Locutus of Bored Yo, Dawg! I Heard You Like Avatars... In Memoriam

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    That's not what he said. He said "Musk has joined the far-right call for a witch-hunt against Fauci" meaning for this particular issue he has chosen to align himself with a cause that is popular with the far-right.

    While he has claimed to be socially liberal before (though not on respecting trans people, among others) and fiscally conservative, he has frequently found common cause with Trump and the far-right.

    Are you Elon's publicist or something? You're being almost as thin-skinned about criticism of him as he is. He'll be fine. He can cry into a mountain of gold like Scrooge McDuck if he needs to.
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2022
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  16. Tuskin38

    Tuskin38 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I feel like this thread has run its course..
     
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  17. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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  18. Anthony60

    Anthony60 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Just because I don't go along with the crowd, doesn't make me "Elon's publicist or something". It's apparently a no-no here, but that doesn't bother me.
    Who are the "far-right" anyway? That term (along with the "far-left") seems to be wave overused.
     
  19. cooleddie74

    cooleddie74 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Elon wishes he had the business acumen of a talking duck in his elderly years.
     
  20. valkyrie013

    valkyrie013 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Pretty much. Turned into a musk bash .. Question has been answered.
     
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