Tesla goes full circle and gives the finger to patents: http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you

Seeing as I have been "lobbying" for massive patent/copyright reform for almost eight years now, I feel obliged to buy Elon Musk a case of beer should I ever run into him.

This isn't an exercise in engineering so much as marketing.

The pneumatic motor is limited by the extreme lack of energy stored in compressed air. All inneficiencies in translating that stored energy into motion are failures in the system. The goal is to carefully remove all unnecessary sources of energy loss from the motor.

So there's an interesting engineering challenge in making this work 'at all' using Legos. There are design compromises that must be made, given the restrictions on form imposed by available parts; as well as the stress limitations of the material. It's like someone giving you a pile of reeds and asking you to build a Manhattan 5-Story Walkup. Can it be done? Is there enough stress resistance in the material for something of that scale? A fun challenge with no practical implications. Manhattan low-rises have been built before, you're not innovating architecture and you're definitely not contributing anything to the future of construction.

The question is, does it require a "technology genius" to accomplish? Someone tell me what a "technology genius" is first. Whatever it is...I suspect you don't need one on your team in order to search the internet for pneumatic piston motor schematics and copy/paste a parallel series of 256.

This exercise is inspiring and fun...until you add the marketing entrepreneur, casting hyperbole around and spending other people's money. It is unsettling to think that the new generation of capitalists are chasing the specter of Elon Musk; self promoting egotists who create nothing and take credit for everything. As a longtime member of the internet in good standing, I reject every stealth intrusion of marketing and entrepreneurship into my sandbox.

Hooray for Raul Oaida, engineering buff and hobbyist. Down with Steve Sammartino, marketer, entrepreneur, "brainchild" originator, keeper of secrete locations, crowd funder, project contact and fathead.

Seems a piece of metal managed to punch a 3" hole in the 1/4" armor plating with, according to Elon Musk, 25 tons of force. The on board computer systems alerted the driver, he exited the freeway as instructed by the system and exited the car. The fire never reached the passenger compartment even after the fire department punctured the protective cover to put the fire out. The battery system has internal fire walls that worked as expected. Musk notes that Tesla's fire rate is much lower than a gas powered fire rate. The company is giving the guy another car as a loaner.
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-fire

Where in this video is anyone actually designing anything? Anyone who has done 3D modeling or CAD will immediately recognize this as complete BS. Shame on Elon Musk.

Your video, Elon Musk designs 3D rocket parts with his hands in the air, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Bono's place in the big-boy's club-To make scheduled appearances to remind his ineffectual, 30-50 yr-old former fan base that the paradigm is here, it's fucked, and it's only going to get worse so let's all have a group sob for this species-threatening state-of-affairs.

Jolie can only adopt so many children from representative nations...AT which point, space entrepreneur Elon Musk will use his advanced vertical TOAL ships to ferry this collection of human DNA to their new homes on Mars.

Bonos' a tool.

http://videosift.com/video/A-conversation-with-Elon-Musk

I bet the coffee is really good there, too!>> ^TheJehosephat:

I was able to take a tour at SpaceX... one of the coolest places. They have a titanium laser printer there!

Thanks!!
In reply to this comment by Boise_Lib:
*quality

Thanks!!!!!!
In reply to this comment by Boise_Lib:
*promote

Elon Musk for president.