Elon Musk (TED 2017) | Hacker News Reader

Elon Musk (TED 2017)

ted.com

59 pointsmklarmann6 comments

Interesting takeaways here around the logic behind the Boring Company that weren't clear from the spec video released earlier this week:

Cost savings breaks down by:

     1) Narrower tubes - less cross-sectional area means cheaper tunneling

     2) Continuous tunneling/reinforcing - no stops to build tunnel walls. (Seattle's Bertha did this.)

     3) More power = faster execution (not clear on details of this one)

Seems not to address different materials/geology in different depths. Also, no mention of regulatory burdens to approve digging underneath existing property rights. (two things I know nothing about)

I love how often he must stare into space because he's actually thinking about the answers to complex questions, and not solely regurgitation of canned answers. The world needs more real thinkers being asked interesting questions in large public formats like this. Maybe some people can think deeply while locked in eye contact with someone else, but I think there's a overhead to the thoughtful gaze into another's eyes.

This guy is a phenomenon. Could become this century's most important person, if he can pull everything off that he plans to.

An interesting takeaway: He wants to dig tunnels because he doesn't believe in flying "cars" which would make feel people uncomfortable. Interesting antithesis to what his peers in the tech world are doing.

I heard my first drone the other day that I was not expecting. Just a loudish buzzing sound in the sky while walking in a park. Looked up and it was pretty high and not very large. I was hoping flying personal transport could solve some serious problems like traffic jams, but now I'm fearful. Like Elon mentioned, noise will be a problem (barring some new levitation system).

Flying cars beyond the cool factor make me very uncomfortable, aside from his joke about a hubcap becoming a guillotine, how do you solve the problem of maintenance? If you require a regime like light aircraft they'd be ferociously expensive, current land cars are already showing remote capabilities that are worrying, shutting down a car remotely is bad enough, shutting down a flying car is catastrophic and then who controls them, if they are autonomous they become programmable aerial weapons and if you human operated they become both weapons and machines for screwups (and drunk drivers).

I just don't see a future for them outside of billionaires play things.

Watching this interview made me feel like a useless bastard...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com