World, Writing, Wealth discussion

J. wrote: "Maybe. Is your memory as bad as mine?"

What were we talking about?

Papaphilly wrote: "J. wrote: "Maybe. Is your memory as bad as mine?"

What were we talking about?"

I don't remember.

8^)

Thanks for posting that, Nik. I hadn't heard about this. I got a good laugh when Musk said, "I have this great move that I call ‘The Walrus’, where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing.” Robot man doesn't have a chance. Is there anyone more interesting than Elon, my hero?

Scout wrote: "Thanks for posting that, Nik. I hadn't heard about this. I got a good laugh when Musk said, "I have this great move that I call ‘The Walrus’, where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing.” R..."

Enjoy the chuckle.
https://youtu.be/DUoAlYUGyxQ

People are genuinely excited :)
Forget about Tyson Fury, who's never paid enough to fight, we have the real thing now. I'm sure Elon will find a way to monetize it too

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg can fight at Colosseum, Italian government says
https://nypost.com/2023/06/30/elon-mu...

Close enough to me to consider a hop. I might be merciful to put a thumb up :)

I don't know what kind of training Elon does, but I heard an interview with Joe Rogan, and Mark does martial arts. Still, if Elon can just fall on him and stay there, match over :-)

Despite some of his activities he remains a hero in Space terms

https://twitter.com/i/status/16777579...

Stunning view.

Still my hero :-)

First Tesla Cybertruck to Roll Off the Line Looks Like It Has a Misaligned Door
https://www.thedrive.com/news/first-t...

SpaceX rolls Starship Super Heavy booster back to the pad ahead of next launch (photos)
https://www.space.com/starship-super-...

Terminator or discriminator: https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-sues... ?

Wait, now. Isn't it against the law to employ illegal aliens who are not citizens? Has that changed? I know in the past, people got in trouble for hiring housekeepers and groundskeepers who weren't in the country legally.

Scout wrote: "Wait, now. Isn't it against the law to employ illegal aliens who are not citizens? Has that changed? I know in the past, people got in trouble for hiring housekeepers and groundskeepers who weren't..."

Yes it is illegal.

Thanks. So what's the problem? Still my hero, now getting the usual treatment from liberals. When is this country going to come to its senses and stop this BS infighting?

I guess there is a difference btw illegal aliens and refugees:
https://www.justice.gov/media/873071/...

Nik wrote: "I guess there is a difference btw illegal aliens and refugees:
https://www.justice.gov/media/873071/..."

Absolutely,

Illegal aliens have no status and no right to be here and refugees have status to be in the country.

Quite a lot of talk about alleged switching off of Starlink in Ukraine to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks in Crimea. Not a great moment for the hero of this thread.

Meanwhile next test launch of the Starship vessel is awaiting FAA approval, but their message to SpaceX is that several elements from the aborted launch need to be rectified before permission is granted. If only they were so careful with Boeing.

This has interested me for awhile.

How Much Does a Tesla Solar Roof Cost?
https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-...

Maybe a great moment, as Elon explains: “There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol,” Musk wrote on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.

“The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation,” Musk wrote.

Not his best, for sure, as well as liaising with putler

I don't see it as liaising with putler, but as not being complicit in starting a nuclear war. Who wants nuclear war?

Scout wrote: "I don't see it as liaising with putler, but as not being complicit in starting a nuclear war. Who wants nuclear war?"

There have been multiple attacks on the Sevastopol base, since and other parts of Russian occupied Crimea. The base like US bases in other countries has been there since WWII and throughout cold war.

None of the other attacks have resulted in nuclear war.

To claim such is just a ridiculous excuse. By preventing the attack some of the potential targets have continued to attack non-occupied Ukraine. These ship and submarine missile launches destroyed grain silos, schools, hospitals, theatres, markets and civilian housing. Killing many and injuring many more. i.e. his action has pro-longed the war.

If Musk believes Starlink might cause a nuclear war he should switch it off globally. Ukraine was using it elsewhere including other attacks on Russia. Why would these not cause the nuclear war he is allegedly so worried about.

Also he would not allow the US military (the largest nuclear threat in the world and the only country to have used nuclear weapons) to use Starlink. His comments are an excuse and he knows it but won't admit it.

Tesla is excellent - I have one
Space X is brilliant nearly every day - I wish continued success
Starlink (launched by Space X) seems an excellent alternative to traditional Internet provision.
Twitter or X is a great invention marred by some of his own ramblings and hate
He as a person leaves a lot to be desired based on his statements. I've not met him. I'm sure he would be an interesting guy to meet

I'm not a fan of tech billionaires. I know it makes me prejudiced, as I've never actually met one, but I just don't like them as a breed.

Marginally prefer Elon to Jeff and Mark, but only just.

I have a theory about the Ukraine satellite situ. I think Elon is using it as leverage with the US (and other) government(s). Very much - look what I can do, now what are you going to do for me? I wouldn't be at all surprised if somewhere down the line he turned it back on and became the 'hero' of the hour.

Don't trust any of them. They're all narcissistic, nerdy snakes in the grass, who make hedge fund managers on Wall St look like homely, wholesome Midwest farmers.

Scout wrote: "I don't see it as liaising with putler, but as not being complicit in starting a nuclear war. Who wants nuclear war?"

He wouldn't have caused the war, nor he saved the world - just some russian navy, which Ukraine manages to destroy anyway. If Starlink is a platform, similar to X he shouldn't curate the content. He took side, intervened for the wrong one, in my opinion.

Beau wrote: "I'm not a fan of tech billionaires. I know it makes me prejudiced, as I've never actually met one, but I just don't like them as a breed.

Marginally prefer Elon to Jeff and Mark, but only just.

I..."

What I find a little ugly in this is a tech billionaire starting to act as if he is participating in a war, not as supporting his government, nor even as a contractor, but as an independent agent, which would make some activities uncontrollable, at least for a brief period. This particular action is unlikely to start WW III, but I think it sets an ugly precedent.

I would like to read the book that's been referred to. What's the title and author?

Don't know anything about a book, Scout, but here's another one of Elon's innovations - implanting computer chips in human brains:

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/ne....

One can now sign up to trial it :)

This is another one of these monstrous advancements, which starts off under the guise of helping those in need. Anyone who believes the tech will end there is - IMHO - Naive with a capital n.

Ian, I completely agree with you about Starlink situ. A very dangerous precedent indeed.

Ian wrote: "Beau wrote: "I'm not a fan of tech billionaires. I know it makes me prejudiced, as I've never actually met one, but I just don't like them as a breed.

Marginally prefer Elon to Jeff and Mark, but ..."

As much as I agree, it is also precedent set long ago. Plenty of powerful private people have spent fortunes building for government during war or getting an edge for the country.

Nik wrote: "He wouldn't have caused the war, nor he saved the world - just some russian navy, which Ukraine manages to destroy anyway. If Starlink is a platform, similar to X he shouldn't curate the content. He took side, intervened for the wrong one, in my opinion...."

I have read his response. As much a Ukraine supporter as I am, even I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was not a given Ukraine could hold let alone drive back Russia. there are both business concerns and concerns of escalation. If I have read it right, he turned over this section of Starlink to government for the war and he has no control.

Papaphilly wrote: "....I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.."

Businessmen enjoy many benefits, giving him one more, won't be a big deal :)

Nik wrote: "Papaphilly wrote: "....I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.."

Businessmen enjoy many benefits, giving him one more, won't be a big deal :)"

Just because he did something you do not find convenient does not make him wrong.

I think he was wrong. Less concerned about convenience, especially at war

The supply of a service cannot be right or wrong; it is or is not. Wrong becomes a matter of opinion, and in war, opinion tends to depend on which side your are backing.

A historic Falcon 9 made a little more history Friday night
https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/11...

A success story so far, and impressive.

Since we're talking about Elon, I keep hearing about X (formerly Twitter). Zuckerberg's Threads started out strong but, as of August, usage was dwindling. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/g...

Has anyone tried it? How does it compare to X? Does it look like Elon made a good move buying Twitter? I was worried for a while, but it seems to be working out for him. I'm not up on all the details, though. I'd like to know more if you guys know anything.

Mixed day for Elon

Bad
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-c... - boycotts of Twitter die to his posts

Good
Starship 2 launched, successfully separated from booster - Amazing size and power.

Bad/Bad
Booster exploded and then few minutes later contact with main ship was lost.

Starship’s 33 Engines Created The Mother Of All ‘Shock Diamonds’
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...

Regarding the accusations of anti-semitism: show me the proof.

And regarding booster failure: Thomas Edison said, "Just because something doesn't do what you planned, doesn't mean it's useless."

Scout wrote: "Regarding the accusations of anti-semitism: show me the proof.

And regarding booster failure: Thomas Edison said, "Just because something doesn't do what you planned, doesn't mean it's useless.""

They are going after Musk because he is a loose cannon. They think they have him where they want him. On one hand we can bury him because we called him anti-Semitic. On the other hand if he cracks down, we can call him a censor. I do not think he works like that and will do as he sees fit. I suspect he is playing a longer game.

Elon has arrived, let's see what happens during and after the visit:
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-...

Nik wrote: "Elon has arrived, let's see what happens during and after the visit:
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-..."

Nik you have any opinion on the post about him on the scandal?

I looked at that link, Nik, and I didn't see that Musk retracted or explained what he said in his post. His actions do seem to be in opposition to what he said, but I'd like to see him explain his comment further: "The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur later said his comments referred not to all Jewish people but to groups like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other unspecified groups." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-can...

Like Papa, I'd like to know what you think.

I think Musk cares to remain scandalous, somewhat candid (he might as well believe some of the stuff he publishes, incl. anti-Semitic) and walk a thin line between bizarre and business approach. Easy to blame Jews for many things, for some countries it's even a state policy. He'll keep swinging back and forth on different issues.

So, why a visit to Israel to show support?

Elon has had a bit of a rant on X complaining about advertisers no longer advertising due to some of his alleged statements and actions.I doubt that will persuade them to renew contracts.

Not used Twitter ads but my experience is they are all cons like Facebook Google etc.

The Twitter X platform has become harder to use, more angry and full of fake news. Perhaps Elon should address that.

BTW still like Teslas and SpaceX - I never understood why he wanted to buy Twitter except to rant at Mark Zuckerberg .

Scout wrote: "So, why a visit to Israel to show support?"

Primarily to show he wasn't anti-Semite. Personally, I don't care much. I play cards on an international platform. Used to play under Ukr flag, now - under Israeli. It also has a messaging option and at times you get to be called kike or whatever. Being in the company of Einstein, Freud, Spinoza, Bohr, Jesus Christ and many more I can just chuckle and let those poor souls that elect to insult people soak in anger :)

About Elon's rant:

LMFAO.
https://youtu.be/RK91Ji6GCZ8?si=3ZI6i...

By the way, the Bob he said "Hey" to was Bob Iger, CEO of Disney.