Read the full story before calling him an idiot. Humans are creatures of habit, and if the brake pedal isn't being used much because in the summer, the regen is being used in PLACE of the brake, then it's easy to be unaccustomed to using the brake properly again.

I'm not saying it's not mostly his fault, but Tesla must at least be apportioned a bit of the blame for not going with the industry average gap between pedals. And I'm one of Tesla's biggest fans and own shares in them.

If that's possible, you're assuming that some alien species is out there and will come to follow those instructions eventually. I don't think that's 100% guaranteed considering we haven't ever heard any signal from aliens yet.

For sure, that's one of the main reasons. If it means I won't be one of the 'selected' so be it. I'd still much happier knowing that some the human race can continue.

Baby steps. It only takes I think a few hundred people (enough genetic variety) to successfully repopulate a new area. We don't need to take everyone in the whole world.

My original point is that it's a very good thing to prepare for cataclysmic events even if we've never directly observed them yet. Even though the probability may be low (e.g: asteroid strike, super volcano, solar blast etc.), the destruction is so enormous that it's worth taking seriously and taking steps to prevent them (or at least reduce their impact) if they do occur.

Try telling that to Elon Musk. His ambitions I suspect are greater than yours.

Off-topic but.... Regarding room temp super conductors you said: "You could store electricity in giant coils instead of chemical cells, making loading and unloading the electricity much faster"

Do you think high energy (on par with LIon batteries) ultra capacitors would be much easier to create as a result?

From the article:

I thought cells were constantly being reproduced in the human body. If so, I'm not so sure what so "irreversible" about the damage.

Let's not try to get Mars either as all the previous giant asteroids never wiped us out.

Oh you mean the old version of the word? Rehabilitation eventually once became the primary process used for criminals when humanity entered a new age of enlightenment in the 22nd century. Unfortunately, over time, the word and process was twisted more and more to mean something akin to torture for the amusement of the public. Sort of like a modern version of the Roman gladiatorial arena battles.

Sheer power? I think you'll find the Model S is superior to an ICE in this respect. Batteries have come of age, and the acceleration, especially at low speeds, crushes all or nearly all ICE vehicles.

Excellent - interaction with the audience is the key here, otherwise you may as well see any number of course videos online.

I remember I think a previous Slashdot story, where the students were encouraged to read the presentation first (Word/Powerpoint whatever), and then in the lecture hall, the idea was to discuss and Q+A the professor. A far better use of time - more interesting and productive.

Is there an electronic currency like bitcoin, but which is much less private and traceable? This way we have the convenience of electronic transfer and the safety of normal cash.

Are you saying..... wow... we should (god forbid) measure, energy capacity in....... watt hours (or joules)? How dare you recommend such a statement!

Honestly it amazes me the number of people who think volts or amps alone constitute energy. It also saddens me that watts and watt-hours are not more commonly stated in products such as on battery labels.

Is most of the smog coming from vehicle exhaust?

If so, I hear a company called Tesla has a car or two they may be interested in.

Occasionally, you'll find products on Amazon where 90% people give them one or two star, and the other 10% give it 5 star. Who's to say you're not that case here?

Off the top of my head:

* Much faster chargers than anything else (superchargers)
* Free power at said chargers
* Battery Giga-factory being built soon - equal to the production of all the LIon battery production in the world.
* Safest car ever
* Tons of space in car
* An aesthetically pleasing design compared to other EVs
* Best acceleration for a car in its class (luxury big sedan)
* No dealers to take 15% of cash or each car sold
* Battery at floor of car makes handling amazing
* Range for a single charge (200-300 miles) off the scale compared to other EVs
* Fair pricing (in China, Teslas are not double or triple of the cost of elsewhere in the world)
* Amazing giant screen (e.g: for maps or rear camera)
* Updates over the air
* No noise, exhaust/smell/CO2 and little maintenance compared to even hybrid cars
* Visionary CEO who wants to change the world and get us all off ICE cars ASAP.

Did you know all of those?