Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Every time I see Lebron James' beard I keep waiting for Spike Lee to announce he's signed Lebron to play Ahab in an all-black production of Moby Dick... God help us indeed!... When is Consumer Reports going to do an all tazers issue? I only want to buy the best... I've said this for a long time but I think all candidates for Congress should first have to take and pass the citizenship test immigrants take as part of the Naturalization process. And the results should be made public. That would both weed out candidates who don't know our history or how our system works (looking at you Maxine Waters) but also provide an easy metric for people on the fence to make a choice (pick the candidate with the higher score)... Sad but true... Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! (Those words will always be magical to me)... 

When Did Consumer Reports Become a Click-Bait Site?

This article from Consumer Reports got me genuinely upset - Lifestyle Changes Could Cut Dementia Cases, New Study Says: Here Are Nine Things You Can Do to Help Lower Your Risk.

Let's start with the basic math. The article says that Alzheimer's affects about 14% of Americans aged over 71 - so that's 14 people out of 100 over 71-years old. Then the article says that researchers have identified 9 key risk factors "that together could account for 35% of cases." So 35% of 14 people - that's basically 5 people. Small but still 5% of 100 people over 71-years old is significant.

What are these 9 key risk factors that I can try to change to mitigate my chances of dementia if by chance I am in that affected 5% of the population over 71 in America?

Well the first key factor is "limited education" prior to age 18. Well fuck - I went to college but the people who didn't what are they supposed to do? Create a time machine to remedy their limited education?

If you're middle aged (45-65) Consumer Reports suggests you avoid high blood pressure, obesity and going deaf. No shit Sherlock! Couldn't stop thinking that if I were obese, deaf and had high blood pressure there's a good chance I wouldn't even make it to 71-years old to be part of this damn stupid report in the first place.

Oh and if you're over 65-years old the "expert" writer at Consumer Reports says these are the things to avoid to help ward off dementia; smoking, depression, physical inactivity, social isolation, and diabetes! Surprised they didn't add in getting hit by a bus or any sources of major brain trauma while they were listing things everyone knows should be avoided.

They would have been much better off just saying "try to stay active, eat a healthy diet, and get plenty of sleep." But no they had to come out with this click-bait bullshit instead. I think the reason I got so upset is because I used to respect Consumer Reports so much. Now?

This Week in Musk World

Busy week in Musk World.

SpaceX has rescheduled the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 60 Starlink satellites for Thursday at 10:30 PM EST. This is the third launch attempt with the payload with the other two times being pushed back due to weather concerns. I'm on record being skeptical of the Starlink program not just because of adoption concerns but also because of logistical ones (like launch delays).

The plan is to have 12,000 LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites providing broadband service. Starlink has FCC approval to launch 4,409 satellites but that approval is contingent on SpaceX launching at least half of those satellites in the next six years. Then the company will have just 3-years to launch the other half. But even if they are successful in meeting those combined 9-year timetables - that still leaves them short about 7,500 satellites from the 12,000 final goal. And a lot can happen with terrestrial broadband in 9+ years.

The launch of the Starlink satellites may be the sexy thing today but I think when history looks back at this week in Musk World it will be the acquisition of Maxwell Technologies that will be considered the big deal. Here's an interesting video outlining 5 reasons why Tesla bought Maxwell. Could lead to a big jump forward for the company.

In other news:

Tesla's dashboard cams save a Model 3 owner from an apparent insurance scam. Meanwhile the Sentry Mode records vandals who unaware they were being recorded who did about $2,000 in damage to another Model 3. Also as a Rick & Morty fan I love the idea of a "Keep Summer Safe" mode.

Tesla is lapping its competitors in battery capacity and in charging time. And this is before the acquisition of Maxwell Technologies!

This Consumer Reports article says, "Tesla Driver in Fatal March Crash Was Using Autopilot, NTSB Says: Car hits side of tractor-trailer at 68 MPH with no sign of stopping." The report also says that autopilot was engaged just 10 seconds prior to the crash and that the accident was caused by the truck changing lanes into the lane occupied by the Tesla. Why is Consumer Reports slanting their coverage in such a negative light? The truck caused the accident. Has Consumer Reports been reduced to click-bait tactics? Sadly the misinformation or negative reporting in the MSM seems to be across the board (I think much of this is due to the fact that Tesla doesn't buy ads like the rest of the major car manufacturers).  But when you hear all that doom and gloom keep this in mind.

Tesla has also dropped the base price of the Model S by $3,000 and the Model X SUV by $2,000 while raising the base price of the Model 3 by $400 to $35,400.

Despite my skepticism I wish SpaceX all the luck in the world with their Thursday launch.

This Week (and a Half) in Musk World

The big news from Tesla, of course, was the unveiling of the Model Y crossover SUV which Fortune Magazine suggests may be a "game -changer".  The Model Y compares very favorable to even the top crossover SUV's like the Porche Maycan.

That was hardly the only news as Tesla announced a new customer referral program which they rolled out this week. It also looks like there might be a tow package in store for future Model 3's and Y's. Meanwhile in the shorter term the new firmware update announced two weeks ago which will increase Model 3 power by about 5% (increasing top speed by 7 mph) is now available. Cool.

Lots of cool positive things going on at Tesla but if you read this review from Consumer Reports you would think things are doom and gloom. I know I'm an Elon Musk fanboy but this sort of biased reporting bugs me. How can I trust Consumer Reports on a laptop recommendation when I see obvious bias on something I pay close attention to? Clearly a case of Gell-Mann Amnesia.

As Consumer Reports points out  maintenance and repair of EV's in general are an issue but to help address this Tesla has announced a new college course which it will be utilizing at six North American colleges to train EV technicians.  Tesla may want to partner with some European colleges as well as the Model 3 has quickly become the top selling EV in Western Europe.

Over at SpaceX - American rockets launching from American soil. Elon Musk confirms that SpaceX rockets will be built in Texas and Florida.

SpaceX's Starship undergoing some serious tests this week. Remember that the goal of SpaceX is to get to Mars but landing heavy payloads on Mars will not be easy. Successfully getting the SpaceX Starship to Mars may be the easy part when compared to landing on Mars.

In other news - a very valid question - what exactly is Tesla's strategy with solar? Elon Musk said at the Model Y unveiling that "this is definitely going to be the year of the Solar Roof and Powerwall."  Since many of the Solar Roof customers seem to also be Tesla car customers - maybe they should institute a new customer referral program that packages both car and solar products? Maybe that's in the works and why Tesla reversed course in closing their product showrooms?

One last thing - this is pretty mind-blowing especially when you remember that Elon Musk is only 47-years old and far from finished.

This Week in Musk World

Consumer Reports pulled its recommendation for the Model 3 over reliability issues. Tesla says most of those issues had already been addressed. And most of the owner reviews I've seen are beyond positive regarding their Tesla vehicle - like this one. 

Last week there was a big shipment of Tesla cars to Europe - this week over 1,600 Model 3's were delivered to China. Ahead of schedule! Last week Sentry Mode was also released.

Next week in Musk World we get to see NASA's launch of the Space X Crew Dragon mission. Looking forward to that. And after all the testing the Space X team has been going through - my guess is they are more than up to the task.

And speaking of Space X - Elon says that the costs of the BFR could even be less than the Falcon 9.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- And that's when Kevin realized he wasn't on the Internet anymore.

- Heh Heh

- The collapse of Venezuela's socialism in one chart

-  Interesting - makes sense 

- China had its worst economic quarter since the financial crisis in 2008. They are feeling the pinch of the tariffs.

- Consumer Reports looks at the lower-priced Tesla Model 3

- Dennis Eckersley is such a class guy

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

When is Consumer Reports going to do an all tazers issue? I want to buy only the best... You do have to wonder how history could have been different if Hillary's top aide hadn't married a sexual predator. Really think we as a country dodged a bullet... I've said this for a long time but I think all candidates for Congress should first have to take and pass the citizenship test immigrants take as part of the Naturalization process.  And the results of the test should be public. That would both weed out candidates who don't know our history or how our system works (looking at you Maxine Waters) but also provide an easy metric for people on the fence to make a choice (pick the candidate with the higher score)... Speaking of Hillary...  Many Democrats would like for Hillary Clinton to just go away so they can concentrate on the 2018 elections but with people like James Clapper saying the Russians stole the election she sticks around and hampers progress like a drug resistant cough or STD... Firmly believe that history will not be kind to the Obama Administration as the truth keeps coming out... GO CELTICS! No matter what happens this season has been a huge success but I know the team will not be satisfied with just taking Cleveland to 7 games. Win tonight! GO CELTICS!...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

GMC should have a special edition Denali that would only be available in Ohio but which would be called the McKinley....Who knew?... Maybe the NFL is going so hard after the Patriots this off-season because the Colts want people to forget about their stupid 9-point play proposal... Not kidding - I really want that Roger Goodell T-shirt... Heh heh - well this explains a lot; "A bow tie announces to the world that you can no longer get an erection" - David Sedaris... To help avoid intentional tanking - the NBA should force the team that finishes with the worst record to wear white yoga pants as part of their home uniform the following year. Problem solved... Holy crap - the new Tesla Model S is so good it broke Consumer Reports rating system... Metabolic Cascades of Dysfunction would be a good name for a fantasy football team. It is also a fancy way of saying "concussions"...