13 ms·

Sorry for sounding like such a fanboy, but during my 40 years on this earth, I have never been more impressed with a human being. The guy is pushing the envelo

Sorry for sounding like such a fanboy, but during my 40 years on this earth, I have never been more impressed with a human being. The guy is pushing the envelope on perhaps the most difficult engineering/technological endeavor ever attempted by a private company - and he's making it look cool and futuristic. As if that wasn't enough, he's doing this in two different industries simultaneously. I'm not saying he can do no wrong, but I'm just flabbergasted that there are still so many armchair critics and naysayers when it comes to Elon Musk.

returnofdjedi 12y ago
I think All this was attempted before too but nothing quite was made which was marketable too.
epmatsw 12y ago
He's like a real life Tom Swift. It's awesome!
Someone1234 12y ago
> I'm not saying he can do no wrong, but I'm just flabbergasted that there are still so many armchair critics and naysayers when it comes to Elon Musk. That's why you're a fanboy. Nobody is perfect, and Elon Musk likes to make fun of the competition quite publicly when they have an issue, while ignoring his project's own failures. It is hard to even discuss the man on HN as anything that could even be taken as critical gets downmoded or flagged. Just look at yesterday's hyperloop discussions, nobody could say anything critical without being very actively attacked. By the way make sure "show dead" is turned on to see the full discussion. Honestly his track record is very impressive indeed. His aspirations are also impressive. However his fans are insufferable as is HN's general attitude about the man. When someone is treated as if they're beyond reproach and their ideas are also, you're just asking to get led down the garden path. The hyperhoop concept in particular is pretty bad, and the white paper leaves more questions than it does answers. The cost is too high and the value too low Vs. normal high speed trains (e.g. Japan). Plus there are massive safety issues surrounding it (as you can see from the thread yesterday, that were largely just ignored and downmodded). Overall I'll be happy when people start acting rationally around the guy again. Currently I feel like I at a One Direction concert surrounding by a bunch of screaming teenage girls (on HN in particular). PS - I wouldn't dream of criticising this rocket failure. Rockets are hard, the last 80 years have proven that again and again.
- krallja 12y ago
  Define your acronyms, please: HK
  - transburgh 12y ago
    I think he meant HN (Hacker News)
    - Someone1234 12y ago
      I did. I updated to HN, since HK could be confused with e.g. Hong Kong and I have no idea how popular Elon Musk is in Hong Kong. :)
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
- iamcreasy 12y ago
  Well, Elon Musk said talking about hyperloop was like shooting his own foot. It was a premature idea. But the interesting part is some(more than some) people are actually trying trying to come up with a real world implementations of hyperloop and so far their verdict is 'it's doable' and they are working on it. And these people are engineers from reputed companies around the world. I don't particularly like the concept of fan boy either, but like you said, this man has impressive track records. And that's absolutely brilliant. The thing that intrigues me is in the new innovations he had in his rocket, and why NASA didn't have it before SpaceX.
  - sillysaurus3 12y ago
    "Premature idea" is probably better phrased as "not feasible on technical grounds." Even tlb said it has huge problems. The steel expands in summer due to heat. Where does it go? Roads can expand using those interlocking teeth things, but hyperloop has to remain a closed system. Oh well. Everyone should dream once in awhile. EDIT: So... is this incorrect?
genericone 12y ago
He's also the chairman of Solar City, I am of the opinion that endeavor is also pushing the envelope in some sense. http://www.solarcity.com/company/team http://www.solarcity.com/company/team (He appears 2/3 down the page)
JacksonGariety 12y ago
What about the privatization of space technology from a political standpoint? You see nothing problematically evil there?
- astine 12y ago
  From a political standpoint, privatization of space is probably for the best. Some people are automatically fearful of anything a private company does as if government entities were beyond reproach. There's probably nothing evil that Musk could do in space that a government couldn't do. Privatization in this case should have the effect of diffusing access to space which I should think was an overwhelmingly good thing. Unless you expect him to pull a Moonraker, I don't really see the problem. Also consider, a lot of what happens in space is already accomplished through private companies. Lockheed and Boeing already launch most US military satellites. SpaceX really is just another launch company. They provide competition for government monopolies. That's probably a good thing.
- r00fus 12y ago
  It's not a question of what's evil - it's a question of which option is more evil than the other. NASA from a legislation and funding standpoint looks about as corrupt as automotive industry. At this point, it seems like the only moves forward are going to come from disrupting entities like SpaceX or foreign governments.
chinpokomon 12y ago
Three? Don't forget about Hyperloop.
- dredmorbius 12y ago
  The exception proves the rule.
loceng 12y ago
The naysayers will most likely be those with less creative minds - can't blame them if they currently don't have the ability to understand fully what he's doing; unfortunately there's plenty of bullshit in this world to make people skeptical about everything - only a few are lucky enough during our time to get the opportunity to fully realize their own potential.
IndianAstronaut 12y ago
Despite the criticism, the world could use more forward thinking billionaires. Imagine if all that money from Saudi oil or from Carlos Slim went to space research.
Tloewald 12y ago
> I have never been more impressed with a human being Nelson Mandela.
Shivetya 12y ago
Tell me about it. Close but no cigar, who else even has the gumption to try? NASA has been pushing rockets into space for fifty plus years and I have never seen them trying it; granted I may have missed it but I have pretty much watched most televised stuff since the moon landings.
patkai 12y ago
"I have never been more impressed with a human being" ... in technology - I would add. Otherwise I agree. But let's not forget that technology is a niche, there area many other achievements of mankind, literature, arts, civil organizations etc.

returnofdjedi 12y ago

I think All this was attempted before too but nothing quite was made which was marketable too.

epmatsw 12y ago

He's like a real life Tom Swift. It's awesome!

Someone1234 12y ago

> I'm not saying he can do no wrong, but I'm just flabbergasted that there are still so many armchair critics and naysayers when it comes to Elon Musk. That's why you're a fanboy. Nobody is perfect, and Elon Musk likes to make fun of the competition quite publicly when they have an issue, while ignoring his project's own failures. It is hard to even discuss the man on HN as anything that could even be taken as critical gets downmoded or flagged. Just look at yesterday's hyperloop discussions, nobody could say anything critical without being very actively attacked. By the way make sure "show dead" is turned on to see the full discussion. Honestly his track record is very impressive indeed. His aspirations are also impressive. However his fans are insufferable as is HN's general attitude about the man. When someone is treated as if they're beyond reproach and their ideas are also, you're just asking to get led down the garden path. The hyperhoop concept in particular is pretty bad, and the white paper leaves more questions than it does answers. The cost is too high and the value too low Vs. normal high speed trains (e.g. Japan). Plus there are massive safety issues surrounding it (as you can see from the thread yesterday, that were largely just ignored and downmodded). Overall I'll be happy when people start acting rationally around the guy again. Currently I feel like I at a One Direction concert surrounding by a bunch of screaming teenage girls (on HN in particular). PS - I wouldn't dream of criticising this rocket failure. Rockets are hard, the last 80 years have proven that again and again.

krallja 12y ago
Define your acronyms, please: HK
- transburgh 12y ago
  I think he meant HN (Hacker News)
  - Someone1234 12y ago
    I did. I updated to HN, since HK could be confused with e.g. Hong Kong and I have no idea how popular Elon Musk is in Hong Kong. :)
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
iamcreasy 12y ago
Well, Elon Musk said talking about hyperloop was like shooting his own foot. It was a premature idea. But the interesting part is some(more than some) people are actually trying trying to come up with a real world implementations of hyperloop and so far their verdict is 'it's doable' and they are working on it. And these people are engineers from reputed companies around the world. I don't particularly like the concept of fan boy either, but like you said, this man has impressive track records. And that's absolutely brilliant. The thing that intrigues me is in the new innovations he had in his rocket, and why NASA didn't have it before SpaceX.
- sillysaurus3 12y ago
  "Premature idea" is probably better phrased as "not feasible on technical grounds." Even tlb said it has huge problems. The steel expands in summer due to heat. Where does it go? Roads can expand using those interlocking teeth things, but hyperloop has to remain a closed system. Oh well. Everyone should dream once in awhile. EDIT: So... is this incorrect?

genericone 12y ago

He's also the chairman of Solar City, I am of the opinion that endeavor is also pushing the envelope in some sense. http://www.solarcity.com/company/team http://www.solarcity.com/company/team (He appears 2/3 down the page)

JacksonGariety 12y ago

What about the privatization of space technology from a political standpoint? You see nothing problematically evil there?

astine 12y ago
From a political standpoint, privatization of space is probably for the best. Some people are automatically fearful of anything a private company does as if government entities were beyond reproach. There's probably nothing evil that Musk could do in space that a government couldn't do. Privatization in this case should have the effect of diffusing access to space which I should think was an overwhelmingly good thing. Unless you expect him to pull a Moonraker, I don't really see the problem. Also consider, a lot of what happens in space is already accomplished through private companies. Lockheed and Boeing already launch most US military satellites. SpaceX really is just another launch company. They provide competition for government monopolies. That's probably a good thing.
r00fus 12y ago
It's not a question of what's evil - it's a question of which option is more evil than the other. NASA from a legislation and funding standpoint looks about as corrupt as automotive industry. At this point, it seems like the only moves forward are going to come from disrupting entities like SpaceX or foreign governments.

chinpokomon 12y ago

Three? Don't forget about Hyperloop.

dredmorbius 12y ago
The exception proves the rule.

loceng 12y ago

The naysayers will most likely be those with less creative minds - can't blame them if they currently don't have the ability to understand fully what he's doing; unfortunately there's plenty of bullshit in this world to make people skeptical about everything - only a few are lucky enough during our time to get the opportunity to fully realize their own potential.

IndianAstronaut 12y ago

Despite the criticism, the world could use more forward thinking billionaires. Imagine if all that money from Saudi oil or from Carlos Slim went to space research.

Tloewald 12y ago

> I have never been more impressed with a human being Nelson Mandela.

Shivetya 12y ago

Tell me about it. Close but no cigar, who else even has the gumption to try? NASA has been pushing rockets into space for fifty plus years and I have never seen them trying it; granted I may have missed it but I have pretty much watched most televised stuff since the moon landings.

patkai 12y ago

"I have never been more impressed with a human being" ... in technology - I would add. Otherwise I agree. But let's not forget that technology is a niche, there area many other achievements of mankind, literature, arts, civil organizations etc.