Anyone here own a Tesla?

[fuse]

This is somewhat unrelated to this thread, but when you talking about switching our undestanding of primary and backup when it comes to critical service being provided (in this case power), I am working on projects to do the same thing for network connectivity. With the proliferation of 4G infrastructure out there now, many buildings, shops, factories, etc. that used to have to pay for more expensive physical lines to come into their sites (which could also take a long time to turn on) can now use 4G as their access medium, proving a much faster service for a much lower price... and then potentially keep their historical physical line for backup.

We've seen this in terms of phone usage already (people going cellular and dropping the lane line), but now applying it to the routers themselves.

Only in this case, we can now also internet-enable tons of machines (ATM's, vending machines, POS / cash registers, safety vehicles, postal trucks, signs, cameras, parking space sensors, environmental sensors... well really any type of sensor you could think of , etc.) that historically would have had either no or very limited access.

Now, once we find a way to merge these two areas and have all these network-enabled devices not be solely reliant on the physical power grid, it's gonna get crazy.

I wouldn't call myself a network expert but what you are describing is a peer to peer mesh network, as well as the "internet of things"(best buzzword since cloud in tech;-).
Looking back to the Tesla part of the thread, the idea of smart/ autonomous cars that pick up details either from things like smart speed limit signs that limit your speed, or a peer to peer car network that allows for denser, higher speed traffic based on conditions are pretty cool ideas.

I know we all think we are better than average drivers, but I'm not overly enthusiastic about being in an autonomous car. That said, I am expecting in 20 years autonomous transportation to be ubiquitous.
Feels a little bit like we are hurtling toward a future of Minority Report meets I, Robot.

[snowdenscold]

I wouldn't call myself a network expert but what you are describing is a peer to peer mesh network, as well as the "internet of things"(best buzzword since cloud in tech;-).
Looking back to the Tesla part of the thread, the idea of smart/ autonomous cars that pick up details either from things like smart speed limit signs that limit your speed, or a peer to peer car network that allows for denser, higher speed traffic based on conditions are pretty cool ideas.

I know we all think we are better than average drivers, but I'm not overly enthusiastic about being in an autonomous car. That said, I am expecting in 20 years autonomous transportation to be ubiquitous.
Feels a little bit like we are hurtling toward a future of Minority Report meets I, Robot.

Yes, what I was saying is all part of the larger Internet of Things / Internet of Everything (IoT / IoE) picture, but I was avoiding using all the trendy marketing terminology =)
And don't even get me started on "cloud," since I have to deal with what that does or doesn't mean on a daily basis, haha.

Although peer-to-peer mesh will certainly be one component, the other [possibly much larger] half to providing connectivity is then tying it back into data centers for analytics and application feedback.


Unfortunately my work isn't focusing on cars, traffic, and road networks, which is where my true passion lies. Even if self-driving cars never come along, there are so many improvements out there to be made just by having more information and a better picture of what's going on. When I see inefficient traffic lights* it drives (no pun intended) me nuts, since I know it can be improved and optimized yet here I am wasting time and gas waiting for that to happen.


* One of my biggest pet peeves is when you're trying to make a left, but have a red light instead of yield-on-green. Even though you might have perfectly clear sight lines and see no oncoming traffic for a long period of time, you have to wait the entire cycle. Then, by the time you do get your left-arrow, cars finally start approaching from the opposite direction and have to come to a backup themselves while waiting for you to turn. Multiply that by many lights in a given area and it has a pronounced effect.
Traffic lights aren't intelligent enough (yet) to realize they could give you a quick arrow in the middle of the cycle while no one's coming and have it back before the other direction arrives. Basic timers and sensors that are only at the intersection itself aren't enough.

[Reisen]

https://medium.com/p/544f35965a0d

Starting with vehicle bodies manufactured as of March 6, all cars have been outfitted with a triple underbody shield. Tesla service will also retrofit the shields, free of charge, to existing cars upon request or as part of a normally scheduled service.

The first of the three shields is a rounded, hollow aluminum bar that is designed to either deflect objects entirely or, in the case of a self-stabilizing, ultra high strength object, like a three ball steel tow hitch, absorb the impact and force it to pike upwards well forward of the battery pack. This pierces the plastic aeroshield and front trunk liner, but causes no damage affecting safety and the car remains in control and driveable before, during and after the impact.

This is followed by a titanium plate, which has exceptional strength-to-weight properties and is more commonly seen in aerospace or military applications. The titanium plate prevents sensitive front underbody components from being damaged and aids in neutralizing the road debris.

By this point, the vast majority of objects will have been deflected or crushed. For the rare piece of debris that remains intact, we added a third shield, which is a shallow angle, solid aluminum extrusion that further absorbs impact energy, provides another layer of deflection and finally causes the Model S to ramp up and over the object if it is essentially incompressible and immovable.

We have tried every worst case debris impact we can think of, including hardened steel structures set in the ideal position for a piking event, essentially equivalent to driving a car at highway speed into a steel spear braced on the tarmac.

[billybreen]

Mine turns 1 year old in 3 days. I've put 16.5k miles on it in a year, largely because we drive everywhere we can because it's so much fun. By far the best car I've ever owned or driven: powerful, quiet, excellent build quality, unmatched electronics. They rethought everything about the interface, and all the changes feel elegant and "why the hell didn't cars always work like this?"-ish.

As long as they continue making cars of this quality, I'll never buy anything else.

[-jk]

Nice to see you, billy! Hope you're doing well. We've missed you...

-jk

[Jim3k]

Nice to see you, billy! Hope you're doing well. We've missed you...

-jk

I second -jk's welcome back.

Wish you could get spork credit for all your past participation. You'd be way up there. (But, of course, no one got past credit.)

Glad you're doing well enough to own a Tesla.

[billybreen]

I second -jk's welcome back.

Wish you could get spork credit for all your past participation. You'd be way up there. (But, of course, no one got past credit.)

Glad you're doing well enough to own a Tesla.

Thanks guys! Yeah, when I stopped posting 100 times a day, I was able to focus on career development.

[devildeac]

Thanks guys! Yeah, when I stopped posting 100 times a day, I was able to focus on career development.

Uh oh, twice in one day. He's on a roll. Everyone watch out.

Seriously, welcome back.

[OldPhiKap]

Uh oh, twice in one day. He's on a roll. Everyone watch out.

Seriously, welcome back.

Times two. Hope all is well Bb.

[Reisen]

Elon Musk is profiled on 60 Minutes tonight. It's on now.

[billybreen]

Elon Musk is profiled on 60 Minutes tonight. It's on now.

I thought it was a really nice piece covering one of the greatest visionaries we have. I mean, the dude was the template for the Tony Stark character in the recent film interpretations, and that was before SpaceX and Tesla really hit their stride. (For real, Favreau's on the record saying as much.)

The Jobs comparisons are natural because he's a multi-CEO in fairly divergent fields. But as much of an Apple fanboy as I've always been, and as much as Jobs' clarity of vision inspired awe, it's hard to find a historical antecedent with Musk's staggering ambition. The things he's doing aren't things we didn't think of; they're things that the whole world was convinced aren't possible.

An American automotive startup making sexy electric cars? Unpossible.

A private rocket company leapfrogging NASA and opening up the commercial possibilities of space exploration? Sure, that'll work, nutjob.

It's awfully fun to watch.

[Mike Corey]

And don't forget this! (I'm not sure if 60 Minutes covered this or not):

[billybreen]

https://medium.com/p/544f35965a0d

Tesla dispatched someone to pick up the car from my office and do the retrofit today, and I'm presently waiting for them to deliver my newly titanium-plated electron tank. I'll update if there is any substantial difference, but I don't plan to run over any cinderblocks to test it out.

[duketaylor]

The restaurant where I'm going to build my brewery is going to be a Tesla charging station, in South Hill, Va. an hour North of Durham (if I've been correctly informed). Here's an article I found about it, yet it doesn't confirm the exact location.

Link:
http://www.sovanow.com/index.php?/ne...tesla_station/

Susan Kyte, the author, was also the lady that did the article about my brewery aspirations-very nice lady. I wish I knew more about this. I've also heard VCU's about, or has, bought, the hospital in South Hill and will relocate it to directly next door to our venue. The hospital owns/owned 22 acres adjacent to our property which has been on the market for 12 years. We were considering buying it and building a hotel and other retail outlets. Fun playing mini-Donald!! Exciting times!!

[Reilly]

non-Tesla noise in 60 Minutes piece: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...ology/7320361/

[Jim3k]

OK, I lied. Personal hovercraft.

Get your order in early.

Don’t be surprised if your city streets start looking like an episode of The Jetsons in 2017. Aerofex, a tech company based in California, has confirmed it will launch the Aero-X personal hovercraft in three years time, barring no hiccups with testing.

Supposedly cruises at 45 mph. Altitude of 12 feet; flight time 1-¼ hours. Not sure what it will do in a rainstorm or in an urban area. If it must follow city streets, it will need to avoid a wide variety of overhangs: light stanchions, overhead wires and overpasses. Not to mention being overtaken at an altitude of less than 6 or 7 feet by a faster traditional car or truck. Might be a big improvement over ORVs, though.

[BluDvlsN1]

http://grist.org/business-technology...ar-revolution/

[BluDvlsN1]

Elon Musk on the Tesla powerwall

http://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall

[billybreen]

Elon Musk on the Tesla powerwall

http://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall

Yep, looks really cool! I put in a reservation for one (or two) yesterday. Now I just need some SolarCity on my roof, and we'll be a completely Musk-powered household.

I can't think of any use-case for SpaceX here.

[Alison]

I wanted to get one for years. Then when I went to buy one I took it for a drive and as good as it looked and as much as I loved the idea of an electric sports car, I just couldn't get over how disappointing it was. The suspension was so stiff it was uncomfortable. Rail to Rail the steering wasn't smooth and stopped abruptly at the extremes. It felt a lot more like a go cart than a sports car. And the sales guy was more about becoming part of the 'tesla club' than the merits of the car. Becoming part of the elite group of tesla owners was what he was selling and it turned me off a lot.

I was in love with the idea, but the car and the company put me off.