Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

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SlowLane
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Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by SlowLane » Fri Feb 09, 2018 5:14 pm

Was when the two booster rockets from the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Lifter zeroed in on their landing pads, completely autonomously, and came to a near synchronized feather-touch bulls-eye landing. it was so perfect that I first suspected it was CGI. But no, it was for reals.

As somone who programs control systems for a living, I can't begin to convey the level of sophistication that this feat represents. It's simply mind-boggling.

Screw football, screw Trump. This is something worth gushing over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5I8jaMsHYk
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hippiewannabe
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by hippiewannabe » Sun Feb 11, 2018 1:27 am

No doubt. As an engineer, it's a positively joyful thing to see.

And as a salesperson, you have to tip your hat to the cross-promotion and hucksterism of launching the car in to space on the test flight. Free publicity on all the networks, conflating the Tesla brand with SpaceX and the highest of tech. Brilliant marketing.

It's been fun to observe and be a part of the discussion about Tesla with the car folks in Detroit. It's a great car. But it's a car, not a space ship or a software program. They're way behind their promised production levels of the Model 3 and losing money hand over fist, but the believers don't seem to care.
Building cars is not rocket science; in some ways, it's harder. Nobody that does automotive supply chain for a living ever thought they could meet the original targets, and they still scoff at the latest promises. We'll see. No matter how much of a genius Musk is, someone still has to get brake calipers, door seals, carpeting and a thousand other components to the right place at the right time. So far they haven't mastered it, we'll see if they do before the market gets fed up shoveling money at them.
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asiab3
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by asiab3 » Sun Feb 11, 2018 11:10 am

Goosebumps here.

I didn't really think of the marketing potential- I think Musk was realizing that the cars become toxic waste after the battery packs fail. That roadster was what, ten years old at that point? Maybe I'm being a conspiracy wing-nut, but I see a lot of toxic waste coming up in the next thirty or so years…

What DO the car people of Detroit think of the Tesla? What about the blue-collar workforce? Lord knows I got enough stink-eyes in my Volkswagen two years ago on the Dream Cruise. (I'll head farther north next time…) I honestly think Teslas are America's most important and quality-built car at the moment, but I haven't ridden in any of the Big Three's high-end offerings post-2008-ish. (That Corvette was trashy plastic with the same knobs and buttons as my mom's entry level crossover of the same vintage.)

I'm going to go watch that one again. :)
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:30 pm

I was agog at the Mars Curiosity Rover landing with that parachute pirouette executed by instructions from 40,000,000 miles away or thereabouts. I personally prefer a national project that we all have invested in over a private project with outsized egos and trashy marketing stunts.
But, I will respect innovation wherever I can find it these days . . . and that booster landing was brilliant.
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by wcfvw69 » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:26 am

What's appealing to me about Spacex is the fact that this innovation and technology isn't being funded purely by taxpayers like Nasa was. Our government has such a stellar record of overpaying big corporations for defensive contracts and other government funded projects. I agree there's some massive ego's at play here but I respect that it's the rich and elite that are funding the majority of this.
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SlowLane
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by SlowLane » Fri Feb 16, 2018 5:56 pm

I will counter that if there is anyone who has earned an overblown ego, its Elon Musk, simply for the sheer audacity of the technological miracles he has managed to pull off.

But I find it helps to watch these videos with the sound off, so as to avoid the blahblahblah distractions.
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by TrollFromDownBelow » Sun Feb 18, 2018 4:29 pm

asiab3 wrote:
Sun Feb 11, 2018 11:10 am
Goosebumps here.


What DO the car people of Detroit think of the Tesla? What about the blue-collar workforce? Lord knows I got enough stink-eyes in my Volkswagen two years ago on the Dream Cruise. (I'll head farther north next time…) I honestly think Teslas are America's most important and quality-built car at the moment....

Robbie
I live in the Detroit area, and make my living making sure the supply chains for the automotive OEM's run smoohtly..or at least the piece we control. It's somewhat ironic, that as i write this, I'm 35k feet in the air, heading to the Tesla warehouse in Livermore that my company manages..

A couple of thoughts...

They have had some quality issues with their vehicles....glitches you would expect from a new company...so not sure I would say they are high quality, but also wouldn't call them poor quality either. Also don't forget both the BMW SUV's and Benz SUV's are also built right here in the go old U S of A.... as well as Honda Accords....so when you use the term quality built in America, you need to take into consideration these other marques. :)

I would agree it is the most important, as they have ushered in the age of electronic cars, and along with it, the movement to driver-less cars. They have been game changers.

As for the 'stink eye' in your bus during the Cruise.... had my bus out a few years ago at the Cruise, and this heavy set fellow shook his head and said "That isn't American!" I shot back "Nope, but it is Americana!" Mostly though, it gets good vibes from folks...you don't see too many buses around the the Detroit area...rust ate most of them.
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by hippiewannabe » Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:55 pm

Troll, what do you think of Tesla's supply chain issues? My cousin recently retired from GM, and he says Tesla will have never ending nightmares just by being so far from the concentration of suppliers in the Midwest. The difference in being three days away instead of one means a lot with the just-in-time nature of the production process. He was actually recruited to come to Tesla by an old associate, but he thought the job was a fool's errand. He was convinced he was being recruited to be the fall guy for the guy's failure.

Coincidentally, my daughter is being recruited by Tesla as we speak. The word is out that they work people like dogs and treat them poorly. New hires leave in droves after one year, hanging on only until their stock awards vest.

The real car guys in Detroit have to admire the performance of the Model S. Three seconds 0-60 is awesome in anyone's book. They do resent the free pass Tesla gets on build quality and financials. GM earned $12.8B in 2017, yet Tesla is everyone's darling while losing $2.2B.

Collecting 400,000 pre-orders for a car is impressive and unprecedented, but the Bolt beat the Model 3 to market by over a year, and sold more in December than all Model 3s' delivered to date. It seems some people are canceling their pre-orders and buying a Bolt. The Model 3 is way sexier than the econo-box Bolt, hopefully GM will build a sportier model on the platform. It's a real dog fight, and Tesla won't benefit from their early lead if they don't get production ramped in a hurry. BMW, Porsche and Mercedes are being cautious , but they aren't standing still, either.

What really pisses off people in Detroit is the Nissan Leaf. In contrast to all the engineering that was done on battery management software and battery cooling technology in cars like the Volt and Bolt, Nissan threw some batteries in a car and sold a glorified golf cart to a slobbering public. But they got away with it because they focused on places with mild climates, and, well, because they are Japanese.

I've been to the Dream Cruise with my Westy a few times, and never noticed any stink eye or rude comments. But then I really didn't cruise much, I mostly hung out with the ACVWs at Square Lake and just chilled.
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by TrollFromDownBelow » Sun Feb 25, 2018 7:48 am

hippiewannabe wrote:
Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:55 pm
Troll, what do you think of Tesla's supply chain issues? My cousin recently retired from GM, and he says Tesla will have never ending nightmares just by being so far from the concentration of suppliers in the Midwest. The difference in being three days away instead of one means a lot with the just-in-time nature of the production process.


Don't think this will be an issue, or is an issue, as they've compensated for the distance by having several warehouses within a 1 hour drive that stock parts for the production line to keep it filled/running. Everyone says Tesla has "supply chain issues" (which they do, if you are trying to emulate a Lean manufacturing environment). However, their biggest problem is "building the machine that makes the machine" .... may not be Elon's exact quote, but it's close. It's all the automation they are putting into the Model 3 line that they are having problems with. Biggest supply chain problem I see is poor supplier packaging which is causing a lot of scrap. Most OEM's require returnable packaging which protects the parts better.
hippiewannabe wrote:
Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:55 pm
Coincidentally, my daughter is being recruited by Tesla as we speak. The word is out that they work people like dogs and treat them poorly. New hires leave in droves after one year, hanging on only until their stock awards vest.


Yes, from what I experienced, they do have fairly high turn over. As far as the hours, when I was out there long hours, 6 days a week was the norm. If she can stick it out though, it is a phenomenal resume builder. And hey, you get a chance to live in Nor Cal for a while!
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hambone wrote: There are those out there with no other aim but to bunch panties. It's like arguing with a pretzel.
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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by Jivermo » Sun Feb 25, 2018 8:06 am

Resume building? Hardly a reason to give a piece of your life to a job. Hope there are other, more fulfilling reasons...we all have so very little time here.

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Re: Coolest thing I've seen, like, ever

Post by TrollFromDownBelow » Sun Feb 25, 2018 12:52 pm

Jivermo wrote:
Sun Feb 25, 2018 8:06 am
Resume building? Hardly a reason to give a piece of your life to a job. Hope there are other, more fulfilling reasons...we all have so very little time here.
I do agree we have little time here...which is why it is important to do a job/pick a career you like, as such a great percentage of our time is spent at work. :flower:

"Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never work a day in your life." Mark Twain. I enjoy what I do...no, not saving lives, curing cancer, work in public service, or the arts, but it suits me. The fun to suck ratio definitely favors fun.

I spent 2 months of my life out in Livermore working 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week (would come home every other weekend) on the Tesla account and it was quite the adrenaline rush for me...yes, i actually enjoyed it. Oh, and it did help me build my knowledge and my resume, as I learned things that I did not know prior.

Tesla is on the leading edge in some areas; she may very well have a unique opportunity to learn things (and learn them at a rapid rate) that she would not have at other organizations. A one year tour of duty in your early 20's in SFO to potentially put you 5 years ahead of the curve? I'd do it (actually did something similar 25 years ago when I graduated college...but then took a 10 year back slide later on in my career, but that was somewhat intentional....alas, I digress).

I by no means have ANY understanding of Hippie's daughter's passions/desires/dreams (heck, I don't even know her name). But generically speaking Tesla would be a good stepping stone for someone right out of school if they are going into a technical area where Tesla is on the leading edge. However, I will say that if she wants to learn how a well managed company operates, there are other organizations out there that are run better.
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FI ...not leaky, and not so noisy...and she runs awesome!
hambone wrote: There are those out there with no other aim but to bunch panties. It's like arguing with a pretzel.
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