Being cynical: promoting a futuristic tech to block the development of the proposed high speed rail.
The idea for the Hyperloop grew out of the terrible (slowest and most expensive per mile) CA HSR, so yeah.
Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
121–130 of 175 posts
Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#122Earlier quoted context omitted.
Slightly O/T. A buddy of mine was saying last night that his lady suggested looking at a hair regrowth product, on inspecting the packaging and marketing material he found the wonderful claim: "Up-to 4 times more effective than a placebo in clinical testing"
There are hair loss products, such as Propecia, that are effective. Unfortunately the side effects can be severe: low testosterone, loss of libido, infertility, erectile dysfunction. Anyone considering hair loss medication should do some concerted research.
Just try out Rogaine/Regaine (whatever it's called there). The active ingredients are minoxidil and cutane.
They're off-the-counter products, but you still might want to talk to your doctor about it, not because there are any significant side effects, but because it's a good habit.
Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#123Here's a description of the closest guess Elon has seen so far. https://twitter.com/John_Gardi/status/356798172842049536
To save someone else digging through 4 layers of Twitter/Twitpic attribution and "full size" buttons:
Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm more surprised that more billionaires don't build crazy monuments of themselves or just some crazy ones with their name on it.
You mean like Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Ahyan: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016841/Al-Futaysi-i...
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Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
Of course it is disingenuous. Deliberately so, in exactly the same way that lightly dismissing SpaceX is disingenuous.
I'm not "lightly dismissing SpaceX." I just think Tesla is tredding more unproven ground.
They are completely different domains. Electric cars are at the mercy of consumers. Rockets are at the mercy of physics.
Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
> If he can stop California from lighting that $100bn on fire chasing HSR from Bakersfield to Fresno, $100 billion is an approximation of an old estimate of the total system cost (which includes HSR with terminii in the San Diego, LA, Sacramento, and San Francisco, and a upgrades to a number of existing intercity and commuter rail systems that would connect to HSR) -- the most recent estimate is much lower at $68.4 b…
Lighting 3 billion on fire is still pretty bad no?!? I started having doubts about this project when I found out technicals were skeptical, but when the bombshell dropped that it would have cost half if SNCF built it on the I-5 corridor[1] I decided there's no way I could continue to support it. It's just a device for politicians to bring pork to their districts, and anyway at this point it seems doubtful that it wil…
> Lighting 3 billion on fire is still pretty bad no?!?
Building something with immediate utility to improving existing service is lighting money on fire. The initial construction segment was chosen, among other segments considered for that role, because it provides considerable short-term return in terms of improvements in service on an already heavily traveled intercity rail route, as well as providing a good foundation for the initial operating segment for HSR.
> but when the bombshell dropped that it would have cost half if SNCF built it on the I-5 corridor
The SNCF proposal -- as those criticizing the High-Speed Rail Authority for rejecting it always fail to mention -- would have both used an alignment with lower ridership projections (and, thus, substantially less expected revenues) and required the State to provide SNCF with a revenue guarantee, both of which violate the laws governing the HSR project, and have the open-ended potential to cost the State far more in the long run.
Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#127Earlier quoted context omitted.
Of course it is disingenuous. Deliberately so, in exactly the same way that lightly dismissing SpaceX is disingenuous.
I'm not "lightly dismissing SpaceX." I just think Tesla is tredding more unproven ground.
I disagree because I know people who have been at SpaceX and have been following their plans.
But let's have this conversation again in 5 years.
Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#128Here's a description of the closest guess Elon has seen so far. https://twitter.com/John_Gardi/status/356798172842049536
Is it an enclosed tube or just a special road that cars float on?
Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#129Here's a description of the closest guess Elon has seen so far. https://twitter.com/John_Gardi/status/356798172842049536
If you really want a fast transport system you need not only speed, but low latency. If you need to queue for 15 minutes while you wait for other people to get in, then it's gonna feel like boarding a plane : time wasted.
What's really needed here is parallel loading of passengers into individual pods. But then you need a tube switch and multiple tubes and doors and throughways.
Re: Elon Musk to publish hyperloop design by August
#130If this is, as it sounds, a new public transport system, it surprises me a little that he would prefer to develop it in the US. Attitudes towards public transport in general seem more favourable in the EU, Japan, China and South Korea. Perhaps I'm missing something, but I imagine getting such a system built in the EU (for example) would be easier than the US. Then again, Musk has been building a reputation with law-m…
I think US's opinions about public transportation is based on rational comparison. Taking the bus takes more time than taking a car, and is a less desirable environment. Our train system is optimized for freight, and has no cost or time benefit over just driving.
Countries which have high amounts of public transportation tend to have higher gas prices and population density. It becomes more cost and time effective in that case to take public transportation.
If this hyper-tube system takes off, it could really be a game changer. Even with a high cost, the transportation speed is really desirable, especially if you don't need to go through the routine that you need to go through at airports before you even get on the plane. If the cost becomes comparable or cheaper than airplanes, then it becomes cheaper and more convenient to take the hyper tube than driving or flying. Americans understand the language of time and money, and that would change their opinion very quickly.