Tag: Truck

Cool, Daily Life

Electric Robot AI Bulletproof Cars

I am generally not a fan of electric vehicles. They are a very purpose-specific application that doesn’t fit most peoples lifestyles. We don’t have the electric grid infrastructure to support large scale implementation. The environmental impact of sourcing materials for the batteries is huge. And the battery disposal problem… don’t get me started. If you live in a large metropolitan area with tons of charging options, and primarily use the EV for short errands or an easy commute, then an electric vehicle might make sense to you. For the rest of us, not so much.

Having said that, I am in love with Tesla Cybertruck and have been since the concept was first introduced. The technology, an outside the box design approach, the look… I love all of it. And come on – it’s bulletproof. Something that will come in handy during the zombie apocalypse.

Sadly, it just wouldn’t be realistic for our lifestyle. We live in a mountainous region with large amounts of snow all winter. The distances between towns can be significant. And those towns are often small – as in 400 residents. Not many superchargers are being installed next to “Tackle Tommy’s Bait and Ammo” shop. On top of that, the Cybertruck is huge. It wouldn’t fit in my garage, which means I’d be dragging a charging cable outside. Not ideal in winter.

So I’ve jealously watched all the preorders and the Tesla update events knowing it wasn’t for me. Last month Tesla had their Production Release Event where the first production Cybertrucks were rolled off the assembly line and delivered to customers. Every auto YouTuber started filming review videos of the production version of the truck and I watched every one of them.

And then Mrs Troutdog surprised me. She told me that she’d entered our name on the wait list for a Cybertruck! Of course at the rate of production, my truck will come available sometime in 2030 so I have plenty of time to decide if it’s something I want. But still, the idea is still fun and I’ll be watching all the reviews, like the fanboy I am, until then.

I continue to be a huge fan of Elon Musk. The ability to reimagine automobile design is something nobody else has done. Sort of like Apple used to be, there’s a level of thinking outside the lines that everyone else tries to copy. For example, independent of the Cybertuck, I’ve been researching new vehicles lately. My current truck is 14 years old and is not ideal for longer distance travel. As I look at all the features in new cars, everyone is now copying the large display in the center console that Tesla started.

The problem is that there’s no comparison. If you’ve ever interacted with a Tesla display, it’s a masterpiece in software engineering and user interaction. It just works. The displays in non-Teslas look like the software was outsourced to a random high school kid hired off of Gigster. Compared to the Tesla, the screens look like the AOL browser from the early 2000’s.

The rest of the automotive world is playing catch-up to Tesla. The typical “new model year update” for most cars these days is a change to the front grill and slightly redesigned cup holders. There is absolutely nothing new or exciting about most other cars these days.

Unfortunately, I don’t like the sedan look of the other models of Teslas. I’m a truck guy, always have been. I tow stuff, haul things to the dump, drive down rough fire roads to go fishing, throw skis and mountain bikes in the back, and cart around a muddy dog. A truck fits what I do.

But for the first time ever… I’m considering something other than a truck. I will admit, it would be nice to be able to easily park downtown and to get decent fuel economy. The only reason I can even contemplate this, is that we’d keep the truck I already have for all those “truck” applications. My everyday vehicle would be something much smaller.

I haven’t decided how I feel about this. Does this portend other significant changes in 2024? Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria! (are you even old enough for that movie reference?) Anyway, not sure if we’ll pull the trigger on that one. That may be too much of a change for me.

Besides, if I switch to a small car for the next seven years I may not want the Cybertruck when my name comes up.

Decisions, decisions.

Cool, Daily Life, Government, Health, Politics

The Fat Lady Sang
  • The election is over. The proverbial weight to height ratio challenged person who prefers the pronouns she/xe/zie has sung (but not in a non-socially distanced room). Could there still be a weird twist that throws this to the courts for years? Sure, it’s 2020 after all. Highly unlikely though. It’s time for Trump to show grace and concede. A bitter pill to swallow, for sure. How do you show grace to someone who’s called you a racist white supremacist over and over? How to you show grace to a party that spent more than four years going after you with every possible vicious attack, including the kitchen sink? How do you show grace to a party who had many members who refused to attend your inauguration? How do you show grace to a party that spent four years extolling their members to harass the other party whenever you see them in public? To vow to make lists of people in the current administration to ensure they never get jobs again? If it were me, I’d declare that I’m leaving because I value the peaceful transfer of power, then go scorched earth nasty. Refuse to participate in any of the pomp and circumstance of the new inauguration and declassify investigations, documents, and otherwise find ways to harm the incoming administration in any way possible. Because I’m petty like that. Trump’s in a no win situation. He does that and the media will excoriate him even more (if that’s possible). The swamp and the deep state are too big – they’re going to win no matter what. Trump’s going to have to swallow the huge shit sandwich and then use whatever money and influence he has to attack the swamp from the outside. It’s a sad mess all the way around.
  • As states and cities are busy ramping up lockdowns again, I stumbled on a ZDoggMD video from back in August that perfectly describes why lockdowns were and are such a horrible idea. Well worth watching.
  • As I read this article it dawned on me why nobody in government is ever held accountable for anything. This country managed to create, test, and distribute a new vaccine faster than the Durham report investigation. He’s been investigating since April with no end or results in sight. We’ll be well into the Harris administration before the Durham report comes out. I’d love to have a job that has no time accountability.
  • I had to change my password at work this week. Unlike every other password I have, what I choose at work has consequences. I have to log in to our EMR/charting system approximately 50 or so times a day. The password you choose has to be easy to type while standing up (try it!). I waited until the very last day and then during a brief lull in the action, reset my password to something I’d practiced and knew would be a good one. And… something went wrong. I had to get on the phone with IT who said we need to reset it and start over. So on the fly, while the support dude waited on the phone, I had to pick a new password that met all the security requirements. I panicked and chose badly. I can’t type the damn thing to save my life. It takes me at least two (if not more) attempts every time I log in. Hard to believe I was a technology guy at one point.
  • Outside Magazine put out an article titled “A Bad Uncle’s Guide to Dangerous Gifts“. I fully endorse this. You are not doing kids any favors by protecting them from every conceivable danger (real or imagined) they may encounter. Go ahead and give ’em a pocket knife when they’re wee little sprouts. Sure, they’ll probably cut themselves but it’s not like they’re going to slice off a finger. They’ll heal and have a new learned respect for it. We used to send out ten year olds to tend the sheep, and help work the farm. Kids are capable of far more than we give them credit for.
  • I’m scheduled for my Wuhan China Plague vaccine next week. Stay tuned. I’ll let you know if I grow a third eye or develop a rare neurologic disorder.
  • I’m faced with yet another first world problem dilemma. My truck is 10 years old and has about 100,000 miles on it. Runs great, no obvious issues after my last major service. Here’s the problem. I’d like to put some farkles on it that will better fit my lifestyle. They’re not cheap. Do I spend a bunch of money on an older truck or wait until it dies and invest in a new fancy truck? Sell it and get a new truck now? Sigh, I can’t decide.
  • Speaking of trucks, I still really like the Tesla Cyber truck. I would buy one in a heartbeat but I don’t think it would fit my lifestyle. I almost put my $100 deposit down the other day. Need to think about this some more.

Song of the day: Stone temple pilots “Vasoline LIVE Farm Club“