Lifeboat Foundation

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Hyperloop, dubbed “the fifth mode of transport,” is real. At least, that’s what the introductory video released this week on YouTube is trying to communicate.

Hyperloop is a project envisioned by engineer and inventor Elon Musk. In short, the goal is to build a high-speed transportation system using a low-pressure tube train, with a top speed of 800 miles per hour (1,300 km/h). Hyperloop Technologies and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies are both research companies looking to turn Musk’s vision into reality. The former company has undergone a seed round led by SherpaVentures, while the latter is crowdsourced.

Continue reading “Hyperloop’s intro video claims the future is now” »

It’s Elon Musk’s idea, but Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is trying to make this “pipe dream” a reality.

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Elon Musk has officially requested permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch a 4000 strong flotilla of satellites into orbit.

Elon Musk’s space company ‘SpaceX’ announced their primary plans in January with the official request coming early last week. If all goes to plan the satellites could be in orbit and the Internet operational within five years.

While satellite internet is not new technology, SpaceX plans to reduce the enormous latency over a space connection by launching the satellites into a low Earth orbit at around 650km. The low orbit and slower speeds mean 4000 satellites are needed to cover the earth, far more than necessary for higher orbit networking.

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Elon Musk has yet another dream to make this world a better place, namely Space Internet. And it’s feasible.

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Elon Musk might think it’s a good idea to warm up Mars with thermonuclear weapons so humans can live on it, but scientists are raising red flags about the idea.

The CEO of Hawthorne-based SpaceX talked Mars colonization, among other topics, on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Wednesday.

When Colbert asked how he would eventually transform the Red Planet into a livable place, Musk said it would need to be warmed up.

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For most of us, figuring out the value of something that we want, comes from research. If you want a new set of wine glasses, you check the price online. Perhaps you consult a catalog. If the set of 8 stemware goblets that you like are a current model from a major company, there are probably many places to buy them. If there are multiple Ebay sellers and many recently completed sales, then you can establish the value with precision.

I’ve written a lot of Bitcoin articles on this Lifeboat Blog and elsewhere, so, let’s dig a bit deeper this time. Let’s talk about from where value really comes.

Supply and Demand

In the end, an item’s value is a direct result of supply and demand. It’s no different with a currency. And let’s be clear: Despite a raging debate, Bitcoin is a currency and not just a payment instrument. How can I be certain? Try this mental exercise—

Continue reading “What gives Bitcoin Value?” »

As far as the Model 3 goes, Musk relayed that Tesla’s electric car for the masses will be formally unveiled in March of 2016, whereupon the company will begin taking pre-orders. And if pre-orders for the Model S and Model X are any indication, it’s a safe bet that the Tesla Model 3 — sized at about 80% of the Model S — is poised to be a runaway hit. The only looming question is whether or not Tesla’s Model 3 design resonates with consumers.

Price-wise, Musk reiterated a price point he’s trotted out before, namely that the base price on the Model 3 will check in at $35,000. As far as a release date is concerned, Musk said that production will begin in two years time. Musk explained that Tesla first has to wait until the Gigafactory is fully operational before kicking off Model 3 production. Read more

The comment seems to have been made at least partly in jest, but Elon Musk has been very clear in the past that the dangers posed by artificial intelligence are no laughing matter.

So why not killer robots?

“And people wonder why I’m worried about the robocalypse…” Musk wrote in this Instagram post over the weekend. As you can see by the caption, he’s talking about a Tesla TSLA, +0.23% production line comprised of 542 robots, with 15 operating at the same time. Read more

The Hyperloop sounds like science fiction, Elon Musk’s pipe dream: leapfrog high speed rail and go right to packing us into capsules that fling us across the country in hours using what are, essentially, pneumatic tubes. It sounds crazy, when you think about it.

It’s starting to look a little less crazy. Read more