Elon Musk (No Politics)

[KE5FX]

I have no desire to be dragged into this conversation.
In case you can't figure out why, it's because I want the discussion to stop so I'm setting an example here. Whilst DOGE is Musk related, and essentially on-topic to this thread, it's also essentially 100% politics, and we know where that leads.

It sounded like you had a problem with the Engineering Explained guy's "blaming" Musk for (however indirectly) getting his wife fired.  Can you elaborate on what you meant by that? 

Was it, or was it not, reasonable for him to blame DOGE? 

And sorry, you dragged yourself into the conversation.  Fair game.

[EEVblog]

And sorry, you dragged yourself into the conversation.  Fair game.

I can also lock this thread. Be careful what you wish for.

[wraper]

There is no such thing. The very claim is an oxymoron. If anyone is here illegally they have no recourse to public funds and are arrested and deported. The home office is quite active when it comes to this.

Just like all of those who are freeloading in hotels, and sometimes raping British kids, right?

I note though that your flag says Latvia.

My sister is a UK citizen, came to UK legally a bit more than 2 decades ago (before Latvia entered EU), and rightfully earned her citizenship by hard work, paying taxes and respecting the law. She's not happy about the current situation at all.

[EEVblog]

The immigration discussion ends now.

[special_K]

It's pointless to have an Elon Musk thread if people aren't allowed to discuss his meddling in my country's immigration politics, one of the worst and most serious things that he does. If Henry Ford were alive would we be allowed to discuss his antisemitism?

You're just as well closing the thread.

[EEVblog]

It's pointless to have an Elon Musk thread if people aren't allowed to discuss his meddling in my country's immigration politics, one of the worst and most serious things that he does.

Elon has many companies that encompass a large part of modern society and technology. Plenty to talk about. Politics is not one of them.

[wilfred]

And sorry, you dragged yourself into the conversation.  Fair game.

I can also lock this thread. Be careful what you wish for.

Surely you must have known what was coming when you started this thread.

Furthermore, if DOGE is musk related, how is it possible that it is also 100% politics? It is no wonder people are having a hard time navigating the complexity of what is, and what isn't, topical.

I think you should run out some slack to the thread because it at least compartmentalises the inevitable course this thread will take.

Musk is polarising principally because of how he has become involved in politics.

[Analog Kid]

Yeah, Dave, it's odd that you seem to want to have it both ways here:
You create a special thread as a catch-all for all things Elon Musk. Well and good; seems like a fine idea.
But now you're having second thoughts because, politics.
Like that's such a terrible, awful, destructive thing that we need to banish or else our power supplies will stop working, our 'scopes will all go haywire and we'll lose our collective minds.

You must know--you must know--that anything Musk is synonymous with "politics". The two things are absolutely inseparable.

And really, think about it: with discussions about Musk confined to this one thread, what really is the harm in having political discussions? Even political fights?

I mean, if people start challenging each other to duels, or making threats, or otherwise escalating things to a violent level, then you can come in and shut things down. Has anything like that even ever happened here? My guess is probably not.

My suggestion--please consider it--is to just let things ride here. People will get riled up, sure, but they can also just as easily calm down and make reasonable arguments. And who knows? We all might learn something about Elon Musk--and about the things that he's involved in--that we might not have otherwise learned.

Think about it, if you would.

[EEVblog]

Yeah, Dave, it's odd that you seem to want to have it both ways here:
You create a special thread as a catch-all for all things Elon Musk. Well and good; seems like a fine idea.
But now you're having second thoughts because, politics.

Politics has ALWAYS been against the rules here from day 1.

You must know--you must know--that anything Musk is synonymous with "politics". The two things are absolutely inseparable.

I'm doing my best to keep Musk talk from polluting other threads as it constantly does, whilst upholding the "no politics" rules of this forum.
If you don't like it, there are other forums you can join where you can talk politics to your hearts content.

My suggestion--please consider it--is to just let things ride here. People will get riled up, sure, but they can also just as easily calm down and make reasonable arguments. And who knows? We all might learn something about Elon Musk--and about the things that he's involved in--that we might not have otherwise learned.
Think about it, if you would.

I have and the answer is no. Elon isn't some magical fairy that breaks a forum rule that been established for 15 years now.

[EEVblog]

Surely you must have known what was coming when you started this thread.

Yes, but its better than having Elon talk pollute countless other threads.

Furthermore, if DOGE is musk related, how is it possible that it is also 100% politics? It is no wonder people are having a hard time navigating the complexity of what is, and what isn't, topical.

Seriously? DOGE is literally the Department of Government Efficiency. 100% politics from start to finish.

Musk is polarising principally because of how he has become involved in politics.

I don't care. This forum has "no politics" rule and I intend to do my best to uphold it.

[wilfred]

There is no such thing. The very claim is an oxymoron.

I was puzzled by that claim. I'd have appreciated a link to help me find out just what a tax-payer funded illegal immigrant was, and how Musk was involved.

[Analog Kid]

Yeah, Dave, it's odd that you seem to want to have it both ways here:
You create a special thread as a catch-all for all things Elon Musk. Well and good; seems like a fine idea.
But now you're having second thoughts because, politics.

Politics has ALWAYS been against the rules here from day 1.

Yeah, I keep reading that. But you must know that despite that rule, politics does indeed creep in here, in many many posts in many many threads. It's inevitable. It's human nature.

My guess is that if you actually went through your own forum and expunged all the "politics" from discussions here, you'd end up deleting about half the posts here. Well, if not half, then a hell of a lot anyway. (And think of the time, trouble and headaches it would take for you to do that. Ouch!)

So what is it about "politics" that makes you so all-fired against it? Is it just a personal aversion on your part?
BTW, knowing how you feel, I'm not suggesting that you suddenly throw all of EEVblog open to politics. Maybe just try it out in this one thread, see how it goes.

[special_K]

Here's a thread about a notorious political figure! Discuss him without discussing politics.

makes tons of sense

[EEVblog]

Yeah, Dave, it's odd that you seem to want to have it both ways here:
You create a special thread as a catch-all for all things Elon Musk. Well and good; seems like a fine idea.
But now you're having second thoughts because, politics.

Politics has ALWAYS been against the rules here from day 1.

Yeah, I keep reading that. But you must know that despite that rule, politics does indeed creep in here, in many many posts in many many threads. It's inevitable. It's human nature.

My guess is that if you actually went through your own forum and expunged all the "politics" from discussions here, you'd end up deleting about half the posts here. Well, if not half, then a hell of a lot anyway. (And think of the time, trouble and headaches it would take for you to do that. Ouch!)

So what is it about "politics" that makes you so all-fired against it? Is it just a personal aversion on your part?
BTW, knowing how you feel, I'm not suggesting that you suddenly throw all of EEVblog open to politics. Maybe just try it out in this one thread, see how it goes.

Polls have been done in the past on whether to allow it, and every time people have voted no.

[EEVblog]

Here's a thread about a notorious political figure! Discuss him without discussing politics.
makes tons of sense

You are free to leave any time.

[Psi]

Ok, new topic.  The SpaceX Starship V3 booster had that explosion recently during a nitrogen pressure test.

Do you think this is just engineering and testing doing its job.
Or is your opinion that Musk is pushing things too fast and causing failures?

Personally I think it's pretty normal development cycle stuff. It was the very first V3 booster off the production line. So they're probably still fine tuning all the new test/alignment jigs for V3. For welding/mounting and stuff.

But he does push for things to be done fast, so I wouldn't criticize anyone for having the other opinion

[EEVblog]

Ok, new topic.  The SpaceX Starship V3 booster had that explosion recently during a nitrogen pressure test.
Do you think this is just engineering and testing doing its job.
Or is your opinion that Musk is pushing things too fast and causing failures?

They don't seem to apply the precautionary principle to testing. Even their high profile Starship flight test have a ton of missing tiles in the most vulnerable locations, just to see what would happen.

[Psi]

Ok, new topic.  The SpaceX Starship V3 booster had that explosion recently during a nitrogen pressure test.
Do you think this is just engineering and testing doing its job.
Or is your opinion that Musk is pushing things too fast and causing failures?

They don't seem to apply the precautionary principle to testing. Even their high profile Starship flight test have a ton of missing tiles in the most vulnerable locations, just to see what would happen.

Yeah, I think they just operate more like they're building a production line rather than building a high profile rocket. Getting the production line processes nailed down matters more than pretty much everything else, other than maybe maximizing payload size.

[EEVblog]

Yeah, I think they just operate more like they're building a production line rather than building a high profile rocket. Getting the production line processes nailed down matters more than pretty much everything else

Including public image and what NASA thinks it seems.
If they cared about that stuff then they'd do everything possible to ensure major flights went smoothly, to show progress, not deliberately stress it until failure.
Doesn't need to take longer, just put all the damn tiles on for starters.
But they don't seem to care what people think. And by they, I mean Musk.

[tggzzz]

Somehow, the existence of this thread and its content go beyond my understanding. This forum, mostly fed by, hopefully, people with a sense of rationale, is now becoming a place for some Elon drama. Do some of you find some kind of weird satisfaction in bashing a billionaire for him being a billionaire?

If you want to talk drama, consider dissecting some real crises. We have more than enough to choose from. If you don't like Elon then you don't buy a T car. It is your choice. Unless you can buy a ticket to go to Mars, exposure to chemical pollution is not a choice, and one for which we are all paying in more than one way.

That was valid, once upon a time.

Then he moved into politics, and affected millions of people that could never exercise that choice.

[Psi]

Then he moved into politics, and affected millions of people that could never exercise that choice.

No more politics, if you're late to the show check the last few pages.

[PlainName]

And really, think about it: with discussions about Musk confined to this one thread, what really is the harm in having political discussions? Even political fights?

Participants see and recognise how terrible their opponents and antogonists are. Once you start thinking they are unbelievably stupid tossers you're not going to have a good technical discussion with them about electronics (or anything else).

Skip that full frontal enlightenment and you can join discussions thinking everyone is on the same planet.

[Siwastaja]

And really, think about it: with discussions about Musk confined to this one thread, what really is the harm in having political discussions? Even political fights?

Participants see and recognise how terrible their opponents and antogonists are. Once you start thinking they are unbelievably stupid tossers you're not going to have a good technical discussion with them about electronics (or anything else).

Skip that full frontal enlightenment and you can join discussions thinking everyone is on the same planet.

Yes, heated political discussions distort the whole atmosphere of the forum, even if contained within particular subforums or threads. They waste time of potentially good contributors, and are detrimental to their well-being - participating on the forum becomes less fun for them, and chances of some leaving get higher.

One could say that adult human beings should be able to regulate what they do, but... nope. It's the dopamine thing, heated political discussions are "easy" to get into and they get you involved for a prolonged time and continued dopamine delivery.

I'm thankful for the forum policy that limits amount of such threads. I know I couldn't contain myself. I would participate in those threads more than I actually want, and I would not enjoy it. I'm sure many share this view, even if not in these exact words. Dave has asked about this numerous times (polls and otherwise), and the result is always the same: members prefer to have the generic ban/limit of political discucssions, even including those who do participate in those discussions!

[tszaboo]

Something else:

X Rolls Out Country Labels on User Profiles for Authenticity
The feature, announced on November 16, displays account locations derived from signals like IP addresses, app store regions, and posting behavior, with rollout beginning shortly after. Users can choose to show specific countries, regions, or opt out, though opting out marks profiles as hidden; EU accounts show regions to meet regulations. Proponents view it as a tool to expose fake accounts and foreign interference, while critics highlight privacy risks and potential dangers for activists in repressive areas.

What a nice and welcome change. I think a lot of people will realize that those "thought leaders" they follow are paid trolls to pretend they are someone, and it's all part of the hybrid war that's ongoing for years now. The mask is off.

[jonovid]