Researching Tesla a bit

Been checking out a few videos on those who have purchased the vehicle, and who shared their experiences with the electric car.

There are a lot of things that I don't care much about, like all the computer screens and such. Yours truly has become very anti-electronic on things. Sure electronics have a bunch of good things about it, but it is being greatly overdone. Putting everything under the control of electronics in a car is not my idea of a good idea.

I used to drive a helluva lot during my delivery days. I'm retired now, so all of this is academic. So, to evaluate the vehicle in terms of wanting to buy it, I'd say a big honking NO.

It just cost too damned much to own and to operate. Frankly I don't see the big attraction unless these people think they are helping the environment by doing so. I'd like to see a study on how this really helps much. These batteries need to be charged, and the energy has to come from somewhere. It seems awhile back that somebody did say that this thing is the equivalent of a Ford pickup truck in terms of emissions that have to go into making it work. If you think you are doing the Earth any good, maybe you should think twice about that.

In an earlier post I said that I was skeptical on Tesla. I may be too negative, but my latest study indicates that they are really just slightly better than what they were. I'm not impressed enough to want to purchase one even if I could right now. If I were still working I would STILL not buy one. If I was richer than Croesus, then maybe...

In an economic sense, Tesla's best chance may be with their big trucks. That's based upon one of my views of a video which made a few claims about it, so take all that with a grain or two of salt. It MIGHT make sense on a really big truck because weight is not an issue since the thing is already pulling around some pretty heavy stuff.

Tesla is a 1 trillion dollar company? I just don't see it. Sorry, all you Tesla fan boys and girls.

Ford says that they cannot ignore Tesla anymore

Comment:

Yours truly has been skeptical of Tesla. After watching this video, and a few more others like it, I was almost sucked into become a believer.

Upon further review, there can be no doubt that Tesla is making some big strides. It also seems that Tesla's demise was greatly exagerrated. Nevertheless, there are the same problems that I noted before.

Tesla has long promised a car for the average Joe. But these cars still seem pricey to this average Joe. Very pricey. The car is very heavy for its size. Still, there have been strides. The batteries are getting better, for example.

The main improvement is their manufacturing efficiency. But I note that this still has not filtered down to price reductions that will meet their goal of making the car affordable for all. If the ICE makers don't watch out, they will be overcome on the efficiency gains alone. Never mind the fact that ICE cars are still the low cost option, and therefore they should always have a market for their vehicles, PROVIDED that they don't get too complacent. That continues to be my opinion, but Tesla is gaining. The video follows:

Detail geek

Comment:

Not much else you can say here but that it is a great job. Very thorough and professional.

Ra has spoken

This blog has been going on forever it seems. It sometimes gets to the point where it just seems like a waste of time. But of course. Everything is always a waste of time, if you think about it.

Then it isn't a waste of time. I try so hard to try to write something intelligent here, but I think I've written about all I can write on that subject. At least for now. Nothing intelligent to write, so I'll either have to quit, or start writing about other stuff not so "intelligent".

I know what people are thinking--- do you really think all of this was "intelligent"? Meh, maybe not. It gave me the illusion for awhile anyway. As for the "Ra" reference in the title, I've just watched a free movie on YouTube. It was "Star Gate" with Kurt Russell. If you are familiar with the movie, then maybe that makes sense. Otherwise, look it up. Do I have to do everything?

I wanted to watch a Christmasy type movie like "It's a Wonderful Life", with Jimmy Stewart. But that costs some money, and I'm too tight-fisted these days. A freebie is more my style now.

Ra was supposed to be pretty smart. But the script didn't do him justice. Ah, but the movie was okay, and the good guys won. Yay.

That's enough intelligence for one sitting.

Nothing new under the sun

Another way of saying it is to say that history repeats itself. History is repeating itself today, too.

There seems to be instability everywhere. But there's always been instability everywhere. There is nothing new in that. But it seems different this time. It probably is different this time in this place. But it isn't new for this to happen in the world, for it has already happened in the past. This is just the latest iteration of the same old thing.

I've been spending time on the youtube lately. Going through the list of emperors of ancient Rome. What happened there then is happening here now. But I've written that before. I suppose I will write it again after this. Not that it will make any difference. People forget the past only to repeat it. There's nothing new under the sun.

Should I throw my hands up in despair? Nope. Nobody should do that. Maybe the insanity can be stopped this time. But eventually it won't be stopped. Maybe this is the time it won't be stopped.

There will be those who claim that people like me are crazy. And I will say that they are the ones who are crazy. Ten to one, the same damned thing has all happened before somewhere in some place. Maybe people will learn, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. There really is nothing new under the sun. The thing that would really be new is if people really DID learn it this time and really did end the insanity. One could always hope.

Hope doesn't cost anything, but it requires everything to keep it alive. That's because there is always someone or something out there trying to snuff out your little fire.

Elon Musk biography

Comment:

No doubt about it. He is a big achiever. But this isn't hero worship. No golden calf here. But that is my opinion only. The video doesn't portray him as such, so I don't want to misrepresent it.

He has a long list of interests and business ventures. It's like a home run hitter that keeps hitting them out of the park. Has anything he has done ever failed? SpaceX almost did. He did get booted out of the venture he helped start which became PayPal. He has known some adversity. But to my knowledge, nothing has been a spectacular failure-- yet.

It would be a shame if he started failing now. It is almost like a storybook fantasy. The two biggest things he has going now is SpaceX and Tesla. Either one could fail for one reason or another. But there is a pathway to success for either one. Both of them have already achieved much even if they do ultimately fail.

Musk is getting older. We all do. He is over 50 now. A pre-ObamaCare doctor once told me that age 50 is when "the warranty goes out". That means stuff can start to happen. He may luck out or have the means and the desire to stay healthy for as long as possible. He will need some luck. If he has it, maybe his biggest moves are yet to come. The video follows directly below:

off-grid, 12-19-21

It has been mild around here so far. Last year was fairly mild too, until we got that really hard freeze in mid-February.

So there's still plenty of greenery around here. There's a chance to do some foraging skill practice. One thing I need to do is to get a lot better at this. One pleasant thing I learned is that a lot of wild plant and herbs are good for improving health. One not so pleasant thing is that modern fruits and vegetables have lost some of their nutritional value due to modern practices.

Not to be one of those Luddite types, but it is our food that they're messing with. Hopefully there won't be a tendency to produce cotton-candy like fruits and vegetables because they are easier and more profitable to market.

If I keep up with this I might even become a tree-hugger. /not

Anyway, I think I've positively identified a couple species of edible plants growing right around here. There may be more, but I've not learned enough to know what they are yet, if they exist.

Progress is slow, but it is progress. That is all for now.