Elon Musk. Twitter. Babylon Bee.

[Josh]

Like wireless phone chargers. No shocking. The power lines aren’t charging the car, they are connected to the buried chargers. And the car software would measure the amount of electricity to be paid for.

Hmmm. With horizontal boring, that just might be possible. You could run powerlines efficiently, give people a way to charge at many locations, and figure out a way to charge them the same way they are charged at home. That would save money, increase availability, and just make sense.

Does anyone here understand horizontal boring? I've been watching the Google folks bury fiber as I run in the mornings, and they can somehow bore small diameter holes for long distances with great accuracy. It just doesn't seem possible. How can they do that?

Maybe people at The Boring Company understand it.

[Josh]

He also ran low current high voltage high frequency electricity through his head.

and he died afterward...

He lived a long time, although some people suspected this caused mental issues that made him even more peculiar.

[Soloist]

You don't need 300 mile extension cords. You could theoretically power cars with overhead wires like electric buses that are in use in hilly western cities like Seattle and San Francisco.

Which is sort of a ridiculous idea for cars, but might actually make sense for electric self-driving trucks on highly-traveled mainline routes between major cities. It also makes sense for mainline freight and passengers train service since those are all electrical-powered anyway. All diesel locomotives actually use electric motors to drive the wheels. The diesel part is simply a big generator that provides electric power to the electric motors on each drive wheel.

Don’t we already have this? It’s called Trains. Maybe a person should ask why we have electric passenger trains but diesel freight trains. If both are electric motors… why use diesel?

[Josh]

You don't need 300 mile extension cords. You could theoretically power cars with overhead wires like electric buses that are in use in hilly western cities like Seattle and San Francisco.

Which is sort of a ridiculous idea for cars, but might actually make sense for electric self-driving trucks on highly-traveled mainline routes between major cities. It also makes sense for mainline freight and passengers train service since those are all electrical-powered anyway. All diesel locomotives actually use electric motors to drive the wheels. The diesel part is simply a big generator that provides electric power to the electric motors on each drive wheel.

Don’t we already have this? It’s called Trains. Maybe a person should ask why we have electric passenger trains but diesel freight trains.

People aren’t quite as heavy as cargo… although Americans have become so fat that the FAA now has to limit passenger weight on flights by blocking off a few seats. If you go on an airliner now, you will find some “you can’t sit here” signs.

[Bootstrap]

Here's a video that explains the broad outlines of how horizontal boring works:

[Ken]

You don't need 300 mile extension cords. You could theoretically power cars with overhead wires like electric buses that are in use in hilly western cities like Seattle and San Francisco.

Which is sort of a ridiculous idea for cars, but might actually make sense for electric self-driving trucks on highly-traveled mainline routes between major cities. It also makes sense for mainline freight and passengers train service since those are all electrical-powered anyway. All diesel locomotives actually use electric motors to drive the wheels. The diesel part is simply a big generator that provides electric power to the electric motors on each drive wheel.

Don’t we already have this? It’s called Trains. Maybe a person should ask why we have electric passenger trains but diesel freight trains. If both are electric motors… why use diesel?

Yes, trains are the original self-driving trucks. I'm a huge promoter of trains over trucks. But I recognize the reality that railroad infrastructure simply doesn't exist in much of our industrial landscape, especially the newer sorts of distribution centers popping up everywhere that generate immense amounts of truck traffic. Amazon is building massive new warehouses on the road I ride down on my way to work. Would I rather see Amazon use trains? Of course. But that is a pipe dream. There are no tracks that go to those suburban sites.

As for electrification of freight railways? People are pushing it but the railroads are resisting due to cost and they would rather kick back profits to their shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks rather than invest in the electrification of their mainline routes. It is common in Europe though where there are more state subsidies for railroads.

[Ken]

Sounds like a lovely place to work: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/tech ... -musk.html

Last week, Twitter got rid of the cleaning staff at its New York offices and 10 people from corporate security, signaling that it may close one of its two buildings there, said two people familiar with the move.

At Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, where the company has missed rent payments, Mr. Musk has done the same, consolidating workers onto two floors and closing four. He also canceled janitorial services this month, after those workers went on strike for better wages.

That has left the office in disarray. With people packed into more confined spaces, the smell of leftover takeout food and body odor has lingered on the floors, according to four current and former employees. Bathrooms have grown dirty, these people said. And because janitorial services have largely been ended, some workers have resorted to bringing their own rolls of toilet paper from home.

Mr. Musk’s erratic and hands-on style has thrown off a number of workers, as he often interrupts meetings seemingly at random, talking for long stretches and asking some top leaders to be sounding boards for his ideas, two people familiar with his management of Twitter said.

Maybe if Elon hadn't burdened the company with astronomical amounts of debt in his leveraged buyout they could afford a janitorial staff and toilet paper.

This is sounding more and more like venture capitalist Eddie Lampert's leveraged buyout and destruction of Sears a few years back. Except that he actually cashed in while bringing the company down around him.

[Szdfan]

You don't need 300 mile extension cords. You could theoretically power cars with overhead wires like electric buses that are in use in hilly western cities like Seattle and San Francisco.

Which is sort of a ridiculous idea for cars, but might actually make sense for electric self-driving trucks on highly-traveled mainline routes between major cities. It also makes sense for mainline freight and passengers train service since those are all electrical-powered anyway. All diesel locomotives actually use electric motors to drive the wheels. The diesel part is simply a big generator that provides electric power to the electric motors on each drive wheel.

Don’t we already have this? It’s called Trains. Maybe a person should ask why we have electric passenger trains but diesel freight trains. If both are electric motors… why use diesel?

Yes, trains are the original self-driving trucks. I'm a huge promoter of trains over trucks. But I recognize the reality that railroad infrastructure simply doesn't exist in much of our industrial landscape, especially the newer sorts of distribution centers popping up everywhere that generate immense amounts of truck traffic. Amazon is building massive new warehouses on the road I ride down on my way to work. Would I rather see Amazon use trains? Of course. But that is a pipe dream. There are no tracks that go to those suburban sites.

As for electrification of freight railways? People are pushing it but the railroads are resisting due to cost and they would rather kick back profits to their shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks rather than invest in the electrification of their mainline routes. It is common in Europe though where there are more state subsidies for railroads.

Electric trains never took off in the US compared to other parts of the world. Electric locomotives are more efficient than diesel, but the infrastructure for overhead wire or third rail is expensive. Unlike many other countries, the freight railroads in the US were never nationalized and resisted efforts to convert to overhead wire.

There are some notable exceptions. The Milwaukee Road and Great Northern Railroad had some serious mainline electric freight locomotives.

However, electric battery locomotives are currently in development and are being tested.

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -emissions

https://www.ge.com/news/reports/leading ... ght-trains

[Ken]

Don’t we already have this? It’s called Trains. Maybe a person should ask why we have electric passenger trains but diesel freight trains. If both are electric motors… why use diesel?

Yes, trains are the original self-driving trucks. I'm a huge promoter of trains over trucks. But I recognize the reality that railroad infrastructure simply doesn't exist in much of our industrial landscape, especially the newer sorts of distribution centers popping up everywhere that generate immense amounts of truck traffic. Amazon is building massive new warehouses on the road I ride down on my way to work. Would I rather see Amazon use trains? Of course. But that is a pipe dream. There are no tracks that go to those suburban sites.

As for electrification of freight railways? People are pushing it but the railroads are resisting due to cost and they would rather kick back profits to their shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks rather than invest in the electrification of their mainline routes. It is common in Europe though where there are more state subsidies for railroads.

Electric trains never took off in the US compared to other parts of the world. Electric locomotives are more efficient than diesel, but the infrastructure for overhead wire or third rail is expensive. Unlike many other countries, the freight railroads in the US were never nationalized and resisted efforts to convert to overhead wire.

There are some notable exceptions. The Milwaukee Road and Great Northern Railroad had some serious mainline electric freight locomotives.

However, electric battery locomotives are currently in development and are being tested.

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -emissions

https://www.ge.com/news/reports/leading ... ght-trains

Electrification of US railroads actually peaked in the 1930s. That was in the pre-diesel era and one of the driving reasons for it was to reduce the tremendous amount of smoke put out by coal-fired steam locomotives in urban areas. The Pennsylvania Railroad was a world leader in electrification and the Pennsy GG-1 is one of the most famous and iconic locomotives of all time

[Ken]

Tesla stock down another 15% today. Not a good way to start the new year. It is now at $105. A year ago it was over $400/share so has bled about 3/4th of its value. Seems like Elon needs to stop messing around with Twitter and get back to his core business which is whiffing on its production targets.