patrick.net

clambo says

Off the subject, I'm in Santa Clara for a few hours and there are a lot of "Teslarians" riding around.

Coming home from Santa Cruz, I think Teslas are the predominant models on the freeway. My wife and I laugh like kids and say 'Tesla' every time we see the glorified yuppie golf carts and I make a sound like an explosion.

I wonder if there are some massive fleet subsidies going on for tech workers in Bay Area.

I also grip my chest in a fake heart attack every time we see another 5G heat ray monstrosity clustered like praying mantis on another power structure. Something bad is happening there, but I guess we'll find out. 5G scalar weapon or mushroom cloud: your choice?

Ceffer says

Coming home from Santa Cruz, I think Teslas are the predominant models on the freeway. My wife and I laugh like kids and say 'Tesla' every time we see the glorified yuppie golf carts and I make a sound like an explosion.

I'm seeing more here in IL this summer/fall. They're going to regret it during winter is all I'll say. We also don't have the charging network that CA has. I'm 20 minutes from the nearest super charger. I just laugh when I see them out by me. You're F'd when we get a 8-10"snow storm and -6ºF temps which happens every year, sometime worse.

Makes sense in CA I guess if you have no family/kids and want to overpay for a car. Our Sequoia got rear ended by a fully loaded box truck. They totaled it, but a Tesla doesn't survive that. Sorry. Not an argument. No one had a single injury. No one got blasted in the face with an airbag. I like big SUV's and I cannot lie.

WookieMan says

I'm 20 minutes from the nearest super charger.

Why would anyone use a Supercharger by their house when they can just charge at home for much cheaper?

Superchargers are typically located strategically near the freeway exits for people doing road trips.

TSLA stock had one of its best days in history today (up 21%) based on strong Q3 earnings.

Regardless of what a person thinks of EV's, I don't think we can deny that Tesla manufacturing and efficiencies are second to none and they can make amazing products at much lower costs than their competitors.

socal2 says

Why would anyone use a Supercharger by their house when they can just charge at home for much cheaper?

Because humans human. I've had my battery die because I didn't charge the cart. Life happens. There's a gas station every 5 miles or less if you forget to fill up in 3 minutes. If you forget on an EV you're screwed. You can't buy a 2 gallon gas can to get you to the next gas station walking a mile or two tops usually.

You have to get towed. THEN you still have to get charged up. It's happened to multiple friends. Big red dots are deceiving as well on a map. Chicagoland only has chargers in the city for the most part and bigger suburbs. There's nothing where I live if I needed it.

On the new build I will put in a panel for an EV or other items in the garage. I'm not averse to EV's, they're 100% not practical for me until they can do a full sized SUV that can get 400 miles on a charge and tow 250 miles with 7k lbs on the hitch. Basically impossible.

I knew it! This explains his weak-ass pussy demeanor towards the Soviets after they gave him "the talk":

Elon attended Bryanston High School. In one incident, after an altercation with a fellow pupil, Elon was thrown down concrete steps and beaten severely by the boy and his friends, leading to him being hospitalized for his injuries. Elon described his father berating him after he was discharged from the hospital, saying "I had to stand for an hour as he yelled at me and called me an idiot and told me that I was just worthless". Errol denied berating Elon but claimed "The boy had just lost his father to suicide and Elon had called him stupid. Elon had a tendency to call people stupid. How could I possibly blame that child?" After the incident, Elon was enrolled in private school.

WookieMan says

Because humans human. I've had my battery die because I didn't charge the cart. Life happens. There's a gas station every 5 miles or less if you forget to fill up in 3 minutes. If you forget on an EV you're screwed. You can't buy a 2 gallon gas can to get you to the next gas station walking a mile or two tops usually.

At least with Teslas, it is practically impossible to run out of juice (especially on road trips) since they give you so many warnings and have precise calculations on battery range based on navigation. If you get really low, the car will reduce speed and navigates you to the nearest charger.

Tesla showed off the future wireless system which will be super easy to just install in your garage and you will never think about charging. You just park your car.

socal2 says

Tesla showed off the future wireless system which will be super easy to just install in your garage and you will never think about charging. You just park your car.

You live in a different part of the country is my point. You likely don't have 3 kids that like to go camping up in Wisconsin. No EV has the space or range with 5 people in the car. Then factor in gear. In a cyber truck I'd be needing to charge up before the IL/WI border. Then in Madison WI.

I can get to my favorite campground without a single gas stop towing 3k lbs of gear/trailer and 5 people. 3-1/2 hour trip turns into 5-6 hours with an EV. My time is too valuable. This isn't debatable.

Tesla is reaching market saturation. Not predicting a date, but it's coming. Where I live less than 1% of people want them and there are none in my town. If you live rural you can't own one. It's math and time.

To further the point. My wife sells $913/hr 24/7/365. No she's not actively working all those hours. But I think you get the point. 1-2 hours is $913-1,800 to charge and an EV that doesn't fit our needs.

That's time and money we don't get back. How much does gas cost? And how much more expensive is an EV than a regular ICE or Hybrid? I lost 2 years of gas between the cost of the car and time in one month. The depreciation. Literally out $20k in a month between charging, time and depreciation. It will only pay off when the battery needs to be replaced to the tune of $20k with future inflation.

I like Musk. I like Tesla. I don't care how many are in CA, NY or FL. It's a pure status purchase. Green and overpriced is what people want to project. It's a Mercedes C300. Congrats you get to drive a Mercedes.... You got the cheap model.

WookieMan says

My wife sells $913/hr 24/7/365. No she's not actively working all those hours. But I think you get the point. 1-2 hours is $913-1,800 to charge and an EV that doesn't fit our needs.

No Tesla owner spends 1-2 hours wasting time charging their car. Even on long roadtrips, the average supercharger time is about 10-15 minutes. Enough time to take a leak and buy a soda at a gas station.

The vast majority of cars are used less than 10% of the day with 90% of the time sitting in our garages, driveways or work parking lots which is where most Tesla owners charge during this huge idle time.

It literally can't be any easier. Once they start launching the wireless charging, you will just pull your car into the garage and be done with it.

But yes, Teslas are less convenient if you are constantly towing in the boondocks and live in very cold climates. Very few drivers in the US have that driving requirement. Lots of Tesla owners have a Tesla for their day to day driving and have trucks or other vehicles for their adventure activities requiring towing. Best of both worlds!

socal2 says

But yes, Teslas are less convenient if you are constantly towing in the boondocks and live in very cold climates. Very few drivers in the US have that driving requirement. Lots of Tesla owners have a Tesla for their day to day driving and have trucks or other vehicles for their adventure activities requiring towing. Best of both worlds!

Or just drive the truck? Or SUV? And that's my beef with EV's. They can't compete. I don't want two cars. I don't want 8 tires. I don't want 8 brakes. Besides an oil change an ICE vehicle is simple to maintain. When I was a dumb ass I went 80k miles without an oil change. Car ran perfect.

Oil is like sand in a way. It's already been broken down. Not talking refined oil. It will last forever. You really only need an oil change if on gravel or dirt roads. Even then it's a sealed system. Not much shit should get into the oil filter.

Also no clearance. I don't off-road (often...) but snow is a bitch here. Especially with drifting snow. 5" snow can blow over a road up to 2' or more and you can't get through without a high clearance car.

I guess people work from home more now, but I can't stand being stuck. We have state road closure every winter that my SUV can still get through. That I know, not a single Tesla including CT can get through.

WookieMan says

I don't want two cars. I don't want 8 tires.

Would think you have at least 2 cars if you are married with kids. One fun car and one utility car.

My wife drives the Hyundai SUV gas car that we use to lug surfboards and people to the beach and the car we will take to Utah this January for our ski trip.

While I get to drive the ridiculously fast and FUN Tesla for my day to day needs for work and around town.

Sounds like your wife makes bank. You should get her a Model S or X plaid so she has one of the world's most amazing sports cars and the safest car in the world for your normal around town driving.

socal2 says

Sounds like your wife makes bank. You should get her a Model S or X plaid so she has one of the world's most amazing sports cars and the safest car in the world for your normal around town driving.

She does. Teslas are sedans basically. She won't touch one. She won't touch a mini van. It's full size SUV or bust. Smallest car we've rented on vacation is a Jeep Wrangler in the USVI. I barely fit in a Tesla because of height.

Fact is that a bigger car is the safer car. Tesla makes the claim by "class" of car. My car could easily kill a Tesla driver if I blew a stop sign going 60mph which is possible in the cornfields where I live. Trust me, you'd die in a T-bone accident with my Armada hitting you at 60mph 9 out of 10 times.

Best case you'd die right away. Otherwise the car would start burning uncontrollably and you couldn't get out and burn to death. Fact is Teslas haven't been on the road in numbers enough to actually prove they're safer. Safety crash tests are planned for.

I also don't care for speed as I mentioned. Fast acceleration is an easy way to get pulled over for reckless driving. And yes that is an offense that cops can pull you over for. I'll take the big slow car that will kill anything that gets in my way and survive at a 90% rate.

https://nitter.poast.org/VigilantFox/status/1850373439153963311#m

A Trump hater infiltrated Elon Musk's rally, but Musk gracefully schooled him with an epic mic drop moment.

TRUMP HATER: “Trump did not and has not accepted the results of the 2020 election, one which has been called the most secure in the nation's history by the former president's own Department of Homeland Security. Similarly, I saw the violent disruption of the electoral vote count on the news during January 6th.

“So, I ask this as a first-time voter who wants to discern the truth. What would you say to comfort the concerns of young voters like me who are worried that voting for a second Trump presidency will lead to democratic backsliding?

@ElonMusk: “The media tries to characterize January 6th as some sort of violent insurrection, which is simply not the case. That is false ... There have to be a lot of guns for it to be a violent insurrection.”

“It's not as though the January 6th protesters had no merit. They had some merit. I disagree with the magnitude of what they did. But it's not as though there were no issues [with the election].”

“Almost every country on Earth has voter ID requirements, but we don't. Why? And why do the same people who demanded vaccine IDs for you to do anything say no ID for voting? Something doesn't add up. It doesn't add up. My firm opinion is that those who say Trump is a threat to democracy are themselves the threat to democracy.”

(Mic Drop)

WookieMan says

She does. Teslas are sedans basically. She won't touch one. She won't touch a mini van. It's full size SUV or bust.

You should test drive an X. Perfect mix to haul people, pets, groceries and a great road tripper.

socal2 says

WookieMan says

She does. Teslas are sedans basically. She won't touch one. She won't touch a mini van. It's full size SUV or bust.

You should test drive an X. Perfect mix to haul people, pets, groceries and a great road tripper.

Don't mind suggestions and don't mind Tesla. That ain't fitting my family. I'm going to have 3 monsters on my hands. They ain't fitting in that back seat. I'm talking 6'5" kids before they can get their own car.

That thing wouldn't even fit 5 camping chairs in the trunk. Plus a wagon just for outdoor sporting events with the kids. Ignore the range topic. Ain't no camping with that thing either. As I've said, my current and former cars would destroy that car, where the sensors would do jack shit if I t-boned it. You're dead.

I won't be sold on it. I am putting in a charging port for the future on the new build to be safe in the garage. I'm not anti EV, I'm anti EV for me currently. Someone needs to make a full sized SUV and you'd get my attention. Until then, enjoy. I'm not buying mid-sized quasi SUV's that can't tow.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/elon-musk-claims-cut-federal-150115514.html

Elon Musk claims he can cut the federal budget for Trump by 'at least' $2 trillion

ERECTION INTENSIFYING

zzyzzx says

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/elon-musk-claims-cut-federal-150115514.html

Elon Musk claims he can cut the federal budget for Trump by 'at least' $2 trillion

ERECTION INTENSIFYING

What load of shit.

Only Congress can cut the spending. Sure, Trump submits the budget. But Congress passes it (or not). Most likely, they will add shit back into it.

And the RINOs will totally get in bed with the Dems to override a Trump veto.

Maybe Elon and Trump will use their bully pulpits to call out the spenders by name and sink their re-election chances.

DemocratsAreTotallyFucked says

What load of shit.

Only Congress can cut the spending. Sure, Trump submits the budget. But Congress passes it (or not). Most likely, they will add shit back into it.

And the RINOs will totally get in bed with the Dems to override a Trump veto.

No wars is a savings. Trump I know will leverage Ukrainian funding and veto anymore money.

Israel, not so much with Jared and his daughter, but I think he cuts back.

There's billions on the border to be saved as well. Besides the MIC these moves don't mess up job numbers too much. The border would be a net gain with construction jobs.

Love him or hate him, Musk has sold more vehicles that 50% of the population doesn't want. I could see him finding ways to cut costs. He know the subsidies he gets. We have a guy that would give no fucks about any industry. He's made his money and he knows what works that the government pays for.

$2 trillion is likely a stretch. Not elected yet, but Trump is a lame duck if elected. All bets are off. He can get away with what he can. There will be cuts in the IRS, FBI, CIA, NSA most likely. We have the best Navy and Airforce on the planet. Keep funding that. There's little need for the employee count in just the 4 I mention. There's likely more 3 letter organizations that could be cut. Department of education for starters. DEA. We have so much waste and do nothing jobs.

WookieMan says

veto anymore money.

What part of this did you somehow miss?

And the RINOs will totally get in bed with the Dems to override a Trump veto.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1852807444541431903

DOGE now!

Where's the Hamas-Hezbollah-Wagner Lovin' Musk Doubter these days?

Trump + Team = Vance, Musk, Vivek, Gabbard, RFK, etc., have already been busy planning the transition. Today, they ramp up the planning. I expect Trump's first day will be very, very, very busy. He's going to have a sore hand from signing executive orders nonstop. I assume the team is queueing up a very long list of resignation requests from every part of the bureaucracy that will be sent out on day 1.

Remember how Elon fired 90% of Twitter employees - and now X is thriving more strongly than Twitter? This could work for the government!

How will Trump unwind the Dept. of Ed? (This will be the first Department to go, IMHO.) Since it was created by Carter, can he just wave it away similarly?

rocketjoe79 says

Since it was created by Carter, can he just wave it away similarly?

Yep, but there will be a judge who will overstep his authority and rule against it until a higher court overturns the partisan decision.

rocketjoe79 says

Remember how Elon fired 90% of Twitter employees - and now X is thriving more strongly than Twitter

By what metric? Revenue has declined 19.2% year-over-year in Q1 2024 and number of active users is 15% less than before rebranding to X.

Eric Holder says

By what metric? Revenue has declined 19.2% year-over-year in Q1 2024 and number of active users is 15% less than before rebranding to X.

Revenue is down because Liberals and hacks like Media Matters pressured advertisers to boycott X. Elon famously told advertisers to "Fuck Off" for trying to pressure him to censor Conservative speech before the 2024 election. Thank GOD Elon has enough FU money to absorb the financial hit. I expect revenue will turn around a bit now the election is over.

By all accounts, X is running better with more features despite Elon firing over 80% of the staff.

socal2 says

Revenue is down because Liberals and hacks like Media Matters pressured advertisers to boycott X.

OK, plausible.

socal2 says

By all accounts, X is running better with more features despite Elon firing over 80% of the staff.

So why is # of users down then?

Eric Holder says

socal2 says

Revenue is down because Liberals and hacks like Media Matters pressured advertisers to boycott X.

OK, plausible.

socal2 says

By all accounts, X is running better with more features despite Elon firing over 80% of the staff.

So why is # of users down then?

I thought a lot of them were bots that he removed.

Eric Holder says

rocketjoe79 says

Remember how Elon fired 90% of Twitter employees - and now X is thriving more strongly than Twitter

By what metric? Revenue has declined 19.2% year-over-year in Q1 2024 and number of active users is 15% less than before rebranding to X.

Gross revenue.... Cut costs with salaries and it's not a loss on the net end of the numbers. 15% on the users is not a big deal either. Most were probably dead weight and protest quit X because they don't like Musk. Likely couldn't afford the stuff in ads.

Also I don't think Musk gives a flying fuck about money for himself. He has more than he even knows what to do with it. Put 1 million in your bank. Musk has 100,000 times more than that and that's a low estimate. He has a multiple of what most people make a year on his money. He can collect 1-2% interest to cover living expenses for his family. He can borrow tax free income on his stock holdings.

Whatever happens with twitter is a huge nothing burger.

Eric Holder says

By what metric? Revenue has declined 19.2% year-over-year in Q1 2024 and number of active users is 15% less than before rebranding to X.

Woke Ad Agency bans. It will recover. Active Users? Mass bot purges.