Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter may soon go through

[The Rogue Wolf]

The crazy thing is that people had a generally good opinion of Elon before the acquisition of twitter

For an egolord like Musk, that's not nearly enough. He needs universal adoration.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Rowling went off the rails about the same time. Probably a coincidence, but almost seemed like they were racing to the bottom for a while.

 

[Silvanus]

Rowling went off the rails about the same time. Probably a coincidence, but almost seemed like they were racing to the bottom for a while.

Nono, Rowling is in a speedrun race with Graham Linehan to tank credibility and image.

Amazingly I think Linehan is winning. (Well, "winning").

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Consumer Reports released their extended written review of the Cybertruck. It's as hilarious as you might imagine.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/tesla-cybertruck-review-a4750335741/

The article is behind a membership but here are some excerpts:

With the exception of the straight-ahead view out the windshield, the Cybertruck’s visibility is abysmal. One of our test drivers, who is no slouch on the track, said that the most stressful experience he’s had behind the wheel in recent memory was backing the Cybertruck up between two other cars.

The electric powertrain makes a whining, beeping noise between 30 and 40 mph that sounds like Beaker from the Muppets is trapped in the frunk.

the edges of the stainless panels are extremely sharp. One of our testers scraped his leg on the tailgate getting into the bed. It’s worth noting that when the tailgate is down, its sharp corners are at the same height as a child’s head

About two weeks into our ownership, one of our drivers got a message that the vehicle’s traction control, electronic stability control, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and cruise control were all inoperable. In addition, regenerative braking suddenly stopped working, the vehicle’s adjustable ride height stopped being adjustable, and the audio presets reset themselves

We would love to say more about the Cybertruck’s safety and driver assistance systems, but the major ones—Autopilot and Full Self-Driving—aren’t active on our vehicle. We tried out adaptive cruise control and it seemed to work just fine, until it suddenly became inoperable. We also got warning messages that lane departure warning and automatic emergency braking were both disabled.

CR wanted to know how much it would cost to replace the custom tires and 50-inch windshield wiper blade. The response? We could order tires and a wiper blade if we needed them, but they wouldn’t tell us the price until we put in an order. That’s absolutely bizarre.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I wonder what Reliant Robin owners feel about wankpanzers. On the one hand, it's much worse and much more expensive, and maybe people will stop hassling the Robin. OTOH, having that really weird car everyone makes fun of is probably much of the appeal.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I wonder what Reliant Robin owners feel about wankpanzers. On the one hand, it's much worse and much more expensive, and maybe people will stop hassling the Robin. OTOH, having that really weird car everyone makes fun of is probably much of the appeal.

Probably nothing, because Reliant Robins aren't sold in the US, and I can't imagine there are many Cybertrucks in the UK. I imagine it's too big to be of any use in European cities, and it's not enough of a truck to actually be useful in the countryside.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Probably nothing, because Reliant Robins aren't sold in the US, and I can't imagine there are many Cybertrucks in the UK. I imagine it's too big to be of any use in European cities, and it's not enough of a truck to actually be useful in the countryside.

Well, yes, but then everyone is online, so they'd know about...

Ok, you got me with those annoying fact things.

 

[Trunkage]

Nono, Rowling is in a speedrun race with Graham Linehan to tank credibility and image.

Amazingly I think Linehan is winning. (Well, "winning").

I would say that Rowling half assed trying to understand the other side. She just didn't like what she heard. I don't think Linehan ever gave the other side any form of respect. And the IT crowd is not as good as HP. I personally like IT crowd more, but it didn't last like HP

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Consumer Reports released their extended written review of the Cybertruck. It's as hilarious as you might imagine.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/tesla-cybertruck-review-a4750335741/

The article is behind a membership but here are some excerpts:

Who's surprised? The Cybertruck is what happens when a rich manchild takes the "totally radical" car he drew on his schoolbook cover at 9 years old and makes it real.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Nono, Rowling is in a speedrun race with Graham Linehan to tank credibility and image.

Amazingly I think Linehan is winning. (Well, "winning").

Linehan didn't speedrun he just won the lotery. Rowling will benefit from Harry Potter goodwill for the forseeable future, even with all the semi-nazi's she's hanging around with. Linehan is like a plague rat right now. He really got the short end of the 'openly transphobic' stick. And it's nice to see at least someone faces those consequences.

 

[Chimpzy]

I wonder what Reliant Robin owners feel about wankpanzers. On the one hand, it's much worse and much more expensive, and maybe people will stop hassling the Robin. OTOH, having that really weird car everyone makes fun of is probably much of the appeal.

That and also being expensive trash. "Look at me, you poors, as I waste several of your yearly salaries on a total piece of shit. Now sit down and watch me masturbate to myself."

Probably nothing, because Reliant Robins aren't sold in the US, and I can't imagine there are many Cybertrucks in the UK. I imagine it's too big to be of any use in European cities, and it's not enough of a truck to actually be useful in the countryside.

Oh no, Europe is not lacking in sad manchildren with too much money looking to buy a bigger dick ersatz. Problem is the Cybertruck, and the larger US trucks in general, can't be imported into the EU through regular channels because it doesn't meet EU road and safety standards. It is still possible through a backdoor loophole with less strict scrutiny, but even then it still requires modifications to the vehicle.

 

[thebobmaster]

View attachment 11991

I want that to be the mental image everyone associates with Elon Musk from now on.

 

[BrawlMan]

View attachment 11991

 

[Schadrach]

even with all the semi-nazi's she's hanging around with.

She's primarily a 2nd wave trans exclusionary radical feminist first and foremost, she aims more to align herself ideologically with someone like Mary Daly than someone like Gavin McInnes or David Duke. Which isn't something you'd have associated with Nazis just a couple of decades ago.

 

[Chimpzy]

GEICO is Terminating Insurance Coverage of Tesla Cybertrucks, Says “This Type of Vehicle Doesn't Meet Our Underwriting Guidelines”

GEICO, the second-largest vehicle insurance underwriter in the US, has decided it will no longer cover Tesla Cybertrucks. The company is terminating current Cybertruck policies and says the truck “doesn’t meet our underwriting guidelines.”

www.torquenews.com

Oof. When even insurers want out.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Talking about Terminating, a police force in the US has spent some $150,000 on getting a police cybertruck, and made a promo about it using music from Terminator. Presumably they thought the T-1000 was the good guy.

x.com

x.com

 

[BrawlMan]

Presumably they thought the T-1000 was the good guy.

How stupid are these cops? Did they miss the fact that T1000 killed a few of their fellow cops (the first kill is a cop and mugged for disguise) and a bunch of innocent bystanders? Or other people don't count, because they're not cops, nor cops from where ever they live?

 

[Agema]

How stupid are these cops? Did they miss the fact that T1000 killed a few of their fellow cops (the first kill is a cop and mugged for disguise) and a bunch of innocent bystanders? Or other people don't count, because they're not cops, nor cops from where ever they live?

How stupid are they for blowing a substantial chunk of their budget on a vehicle likely inferior to cheaper alternatives.

If they've got that time and money to waste on macho bullshit, we can understand why some people think "defund the police".

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Talking about Terminating, a police force in the US has spent some $150,000 on getting a police cybertruck, and made a promo about it using music from Terminator. Presumably they thought the T-1000 was the good guy.

x.com

x.com

From the mindset that thought wearing Punisher icon patches was "cool"....

 

[Chimpzy]

Muskrat been going around saying that if Harris wins, it would get arrested. I'm wondering if this is why.

https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/musk-putin-secret-conversations-37e1c187?st=jNT5Ur

Some excepts

At one point, Putin asked the billionaire to avoid activating his Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, said two people briefed on the request.

Musk has emerged this year as a crucial supporter of Donald Trump's election campaign, and could find a role in a Trump administration should he win. While the U.S. and its allies have isolated Putin in recent years, Musk's dialogue could signal re-engagement with the Russian leader, and reinforce Trump's expressed desire to cut a deal over major fault lines such as the war in Ukraine.

At the same time, the contacts also raise potential national-security concerns among some in the current administration, given Putin's role as one of America's chief adversaries.

Musk has forged deep business ties with U.S. military and intelligence agencies, giving him unique visibility into some of America's most sensitive space programs. SpaceX, which operates the Starlink service, won a $1.8 billion classified contract in 2021 and is the primary rocket launcher for the Pentagon and NASA. Musk has a security clearance that allows him access to certain classified information.

Knowledge of Musk's Kremlin contacts appears to be a closely held secret in government. Several White House officials said they weren't aware of them. The topic is highly sensitive, given Musk's increasing involvement in the Trump campaign and the approaching U.S. presidential election, less than two weeks away.

Musk didn't respond to requests for comment. The billionaire has called criticism from some quarters that he has become an apologist for Putin "absurd" and has said his companies "have done more to undermine Russia than anything."
A Pentagon spokesman said: "We do not comment on any individual's security clearance, review or status, or about personnel security policy matters in the context of reports about any individual's actions."

One person aware of the conversations said the government faces a dilemma because it is so dependent on the billionaire's technologies. SpaceX launches vital national security satellites into orbit and is the company NASA relies on to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

"They don't love it," the person said, referring to the Musk-Putin contacts. The person, however, said no alerts have been raised by the administration over possible security breaches by Musk.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the only communication the Kremlin has had with Musk was over one telephone call in which he and Putin discussed "space as well as current and future technologies."

Apart from that, he said neither Putin nor Kremlin officials were holding regular conversations with Musk.

A Pentagon spokesman said: "We do not comment on any individual's security clearance, review or status, or about personnel security policy matters in the context of reports about any individual's actions."

One person aware of the conversations said the government faces a dilemma because it is so dependent on the billionaire's technologies. SpaceX launches vital national security satellites into orbit and is the company NASA relies on to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

"They don't love it," the person said, referring to the Musk-Putin contacts. The person, however, said no alerts have been raised by the administration over possible security breaches by Musk.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the only communication the Kremlin has had with Musk was over one telephone call in which he and Putin discussed "space as well as current and future technologies."

Apart from that, he said neither Putin nor Kremlin officials were holding regular conversations with Musk.

The billionaire's conversations with Putin and Kremlin officials highlight his increasing inclination to stretch beyond business and into geopolitics. He has met several times and talked business with Javier Milei of Argentina, as well as former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whom he defended in an acrimonious online debate.

Putin is on a different order of magnitude. The Russian leader has created an authoritarian system that oversees fraudulent elections and the assassinations of political opponents, for which President Biden called him a "killer." With keys to one of the world's most powerful nuclear arsenals and growing territorial ambitions in Europe, Putin has become the U.S.'s chief antagonist.

Labeling him a "despot," the Treasury Department took the unusual step in 2022 of blacklisting him for invading Ukraine, putting him in the same company with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.

But more conversations have followed, including dialogues with other high-ranking Russian officials past 2022 and into this year. One of the officials was Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin's first deputy chief of staff, two of the officials said. What the two talked about isn't clear.

Last month, the U.S. Justice Department said in an affidavit that Kiriyenko had created some 30 internet domains to spread Russian disinformation, including on Musk's X, where it was meant to erode support for Ukraine and manipulate American voters ahead of the presidential election.

After the Russian invasion in February 2022, Musk at first made strong public statements of support for Kyiv. He posted "Hold Strong Ukraine," flanked by Ukrainian flags on what was then still known as Twitter. Shortly after, he jokingly challenged Putin to one-on-one combat over "Україна," the Ukrainian language name for the country.

He followed up by donating several hundred Starlink terminals to Ukraine. By July some 15,000 terminals were providing free internet access to broad swaths of the country destroyed by the Russian attacks.

Later that year, Musk's view of the conflict appeared to change. In September, Ukrainian military operatives weren't able to use Starlink terminals to guide sea drones to attack a Russian naval base in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow had occupied since 2014. Ukraine tried to persuade Musk to activate the Starlink service in the area, but that didn't happen, the Journal has reported.

But more conversations have followed, including dialogues with other high-ranking Russian officials past 2022 and into this year. One of the officials was Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin's first deputy chief of staff, two of the officials said. What the two talked about isn't clear.

Last month, the U.S. Justice Department said in an affidavit that Kiriyenko had created some 30 internet domains to spread Russian disinformation, including on Musk's X, where it was meant to erode support for Ukraine and manipulate American voters ahead of the presidential election.

After the Russian invasion in February 2022, Musk at first made strong public statements of support for Kyiv. He posted "Hold Strong Ukraine," flanked by Ukrainian flags on what was then still known as Twitter. Shortly after, he jokingly challenged Putin to one-on-one combat over "Україна," the Ukrainian language name for the country.

He followed up by donating several hundred Starlink terminals to Ukraine. By July some 15,000 terminals were providing free internet access to broad swaths of the country destroyed by the Russian attacks.

Later that year, Musk's view of the conflict appeared to change. In September, Ukrainian military operatives weren't able to use Starlink terminals to guide sea drones to attack a Russian naval base in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow had occupied since 2014. Ukraine tried to persuade Musk to activate the Starlink service in the area, but that didn't happen, the Journal has reported.

His moves coincided with public and private pressure from the Kremlin. In May 2022, Russia's space chief said in a post on Telegram that Musk would "answer like an adult" for supplying Starlink to Ukraine's Azov battalion, which the Kremlin had singled out for the ultraright ideology espoused by some members.

Later in 2022, Musk was having regular conversations with "high-level Russians," according to a person familiar with the interactions. At the time, there was pressure from the Kremlin on Musk's businesses and "implicit threats against him," the person said.

At the same time, Musk increasingly took to Twitter, for which he was completing the purchase, to say SpaceX was losing money by funding the operation of the terminals.

In October 2022, he asked his tens of millions of followers on X to vote on a pathway to peace that mirrored some aspects of the Kremlin's offer to Ukraine at the time.

Those conditions included continued Russian occupation of Crimea and Ukrainian neutrality outside of NATO. He also specified that Ukraine should continue allowing the supply of water to Crimea, an issue that had been an important concern of the Kremlin before the war.

One current and one former intelligence source said that Musk and Putin have continued to have contact since then and into this year as Musk began stepping up his criticism of the U.S. military aid to Ukraine and became involved in Trump's election campaign.
In the past year, Musk and Russia's interests have increasingly overlapped. Apart from Russia's use of X for disinformation and Musk's outspoken opposition to aid to Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said earlier this year that Russian forces occupying the country's eastern and southern swaths had started using Starlink to enable secure communications and extend the range of their drones.

Russian troops also began using Starlink terminals, brought in through third countries, at a massive scale, undermining one of Ukraine's few battlefield advantages. Musk has said on X that to the best of his knowledge, no terminals had been sold directly or indirectly to Russia, and that the terminals wouldn't work inside Russia.

Late last year, the Kremlin first made the request of Musk to not activate Starlink over Taiwan, said a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the situation. The request was done as a favor to China, he said, whom Russia was increasingly relying on for trade and to get around sanctions. A representative of the Chinese embassy in Washington said they weren't aware of the specifics and couldn't comment.

And it kinda goes on and on.