In 1991, I had a neurological event that put me in the hospital for 10 days. My right eyelid drooped, the left arm and side of my face became weak. I could not swallow without it going down my esophagus. Speech took about 3-4 times longer to get out. But my mind and fingers worked fine. My wife brought our 1991 luggable PC to my room and suddenly I could communicate using my fingers. So I was able to correct some of my medical history and let folks know I was just 'trapped inside.' I would become a little angry because I could not communicate easily. So having a brain-to-computer interface would be brilliant. One diagnosis was a 'reef toxin' from eating fish in Florida. But I came into the hospital with virus symptoms which I suspect caused the temporary, stroke-like symptoms. Regardless, I'm 74 years old so I managed to get better. <GRINS> Bob Wilson
Musk is scum as human being.. Profits are far more important to him than anything else.. In May 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk defiantly reopened a factory in Fremont, California against a county-wide shutdown order. Almost one year later, public health data shows hundreds of workers there contracted Covid-19. According to a chart obtained by the website PlainSite, about 450 Covid cases at the factory were reported to the Alameda County Department of Public Health between May and December 2020. In December alone, there were 125 cases. Tesla had reassured its employees about a month after the reopening that the virus was not circulating at the factory. He dosent sleep and takes mind altering drugs and as a result started believing in conspiracys (good old fashion paranoia)... he cares very little about people ..production above all else. He has made that very clear. What do you call a person that puts business above the health of his workers? scum is what I come up with. He actually belives peopel hould give up thier lives to help build HIS dream..
I am not normally an Elon Musk fan. But I see him trying to save his business that he worked so hard to make successful. He is one of many CEOs cutting costs these days, incl reducing the work force. If he doesn't, future cuts would be even more severe. He is facing two bog problems. One is the economy, where many people just can't afford expensive cars at this time. The other is competition, most notably from China, with the likes of BYD. He really needs to get that new low cost EV to market as soon as possible. And even if you hate him, give him credit for the EV revolution. We wouldn't be enjoying driving our EVs if it weren't for him
Well this doesn't make me hate or like Elon more than I do now. My thoughts on Elon have been mixed for a long time. On one hand I have to admire the risk he takes and how much he has helped pushed technology, on the other hand, Elon needs to be center stage, and will say and do things that get him the attention he craves. Anyhow if not Elon, someone else is going to do it, and others are working on similar technology now too. He simply has the money and the interest in moving the technology along much faster. That being said, this technology is life altering. It's great that this technology interests Elon, and he is spending money on it to make it happen.
Laying off the entire Supercharger team is a bit of a surprise. Does that mean the build-out to support the expected extra volume with the NACS standard will be slowed? https://electrek.co/2024/04/29/tesla-conducting-more-layoffs-including-entire-supercharger-team/#more-360146
There are insights to gain from Elon's biography by Walter Isaacson. A big read, learning what happened up to early Twitter days explains a lot. Dealing with real bullies when growing up, including his father, reduces empathy . . . Asperger's syndrome. Fremont employs ~20,000 employees and 450 employees out sick meant 19,550 employees still had jobs keeping Tesla making product. Speculation, I suspect the 450 Covid employees were staggered over months which meant it was more likely 50-75 employees were out each week. Thus Tesla continued to make product, earn revenue, and not go bankrupt. Unlike the California and County health departments, Elon had more timely and accurate data of Covid effects on 20,000 employees. Personally, I blame the prime interest rate on sales dropping and continued inflation: For a 'soft landing', the Federal Reserve (and others) need to begin reducing the prime rate. As for laying off the SuperCharger team, I've been thinking about buying a salvage battery controller on eBay. Then seeing if I can feed split phase, 240 VAC from the motor side and generating high voltage DC on the battery side. A small, 1-2 kW battery could buffer the DC output. In effect, operating the salvage electronics in "regenerative braking mode" to make a home, DC charger. BTW, I once read that the early SuperChargers used just modified, Model S power electronics. I find some of Elon's behavior are less than admirable. Having children by three women is a problem even though he seems to treat them well . . . enough. Twitter/X has the same value before and after Elon . . . for me, nothing. If Elon established an ISO-9000 trouble ticketing system for his products, my opinion would change. So overall, I rate Elon as human with extraordinary skills and occasional 'Oh SH*T!' moments. But he has been adept at learning from mistakes and making a better product . . . and life . . . afterwards. Bob Wilson
I think this is a nightmare for everyone, must have been very frustrating. Glad you managed to heal again and even get to 74 I often find myself unsure if he says and does all these things, that get him into the news for free marketing and to position himself well, like right now he posts a lot of more "republican" things, because maybe he thinks it will be the winning side at the next election. Not sure though.
The irony: Republicans love a rich, white man but hate his products and 'mission statement.' Democrats love his products and 'mission statement' but want to snatch his wealth. I do wish he wouldn't repost nonsense rumors. Bob Wilson
The article on the Inside EVs news page suggests that no one other than Elon -- including the other car companies that were expecting to use the Supercharger network and switching their plugs to accommodate it -- has a clue what's going on. We're witnessing a real-time experiment in how long a large, complex company can last while run by a lunatic.
My understanding: https://electrek.co/2024/04/29/tesla-conducting-more-layoffs-including-entire-supercharger-team/ Just after laying off “more than 10%” of its global workforce, Tesla is laying off even more employees – including senior executives and long-time veterans of the company, most notably the entire Supercharging team and the executive responsible for negotiating NACS adoption across the industry. So my understanding: The fully assembled Supercharger sites come with stalls mounted on a concrete slab and grid connectivity-ready electrical components. Tesla shared new details about the Prefabricated Supercharger Units (PSUs) it makes at its plant in Buffalo, New York. I've not seen any reports of firings at Buffalo, New York. I wish the former Tesla SuperCharger team well and satisfaction of knowing they accomplished their goal. Bob Wilson
